Black Label Society -- 'Mafia' [review]

Black Label Society
"Mafia"
(Artemis Records)


Black Label Society has been releasing new music almost non-stop since its inception in 1999 (an album a year), so it's no surprise that front man Zakk Wylde and his boys are a tight-knit group that know exactly how to craft a strong song, let alone a strong album.

"Mafia" sounds like the bastard son of Ozzy Osbourne and Alice in Chains -- the perfect blend of metal and southern rock groove that you can't help but nod along with. This new album takes a page right out of 2002's "1919 Eternal." It's chock-full of blistering riffs and insane guitar solos that continue to solidify Wylde's place among the metal elite.

"Mafia's" first single, the intentionally plodding "Suicide Messiah," rumbles along at a deliberate place, showcasing Wylde's Ozzy-influenced vocals, as well at the intricate guitar work he is know for. And the rest of the band (in its current incarnation) live up to the BLS label. Craig Nunenmacher is a beast behind the drums, accentuating each track with impressive fills and subtle cymbal crashes. Nunenmacher and bassist James Lomenzo (who previously worked with Wylde in the band Pride and Glory) lay a solid foundation that Wylde dances around vocally, on the guitar and, at times, on the piano as well.

While "Mafia" is packed with impressive bombast, there's a couple of surprises on here too. The heartfelt "In This River" (a tribute to guitarist Dimebag Darrell) is one of the highlights of the album. The ballad-esque track features Wylde on piano (with some fantastic background guitar-work and a tight little solo), accompanied by Lomenzo on bass. The song isn't over-the-top trite, but the emotion really seethes from the speakers as the song slowly takes shape and repeats.

The moments of beauty -- "In This River," the piano opening to "Forever Down," the haunting "Dirt on the Grave" -- hardly tip the scale of head-banging goodness on show throughout "Mafia." Tracks like "Fire it Up," "You Must Be Blind" and "Electric Hellfire" are vintage BLS, while the Lynyrd Skynyrd cover, "I Never Dreamed," might be one of the best songs Wylde and the boys ever recorded (and the song closes with one of the sickest solos I've ever heard).

Most are quick to point out that "Mafia" is simply more of the same from BLS, but the truth is that the band has a blueprint for the music it creates, and Wylde is such a great artist that while each song might sound like something the band has done before, that doesn't make you want to listen to it any less. Wylde is one of the rare guitarists that seems to have his craft literally flowing through his veins; it appears as if he simply plugs in his guitar and solos pour out.

While "Mafia" may be nothing new and Wylde's vocals can get slightly repetitive at times, it's still a solid rock-metal release with enough "surprises" to keep casual and diehard fans interested. BLS is definitely in an upswing and if you liked any of the band's previous work, you'll love this album.

Open Hand -- 'You and Me' [review]

Open Hand
"You and Me"
(Trustkill Records)


There's a lot of band's out there making great music ... band's that, despite being on an established label and having a tight, solid sound, still manage to slip through the cracks.

Open Hand is one of those bands.

Formed in 1999 by guitarist/vocalist Justin Isham, drummer Alex Rodriguez and bassist Michael Anastasi, the band combined elements from a variety of genres (alternative rock, hardcore and amazing melody meshed together to form a truly dynamic sound) and quickly built a solid fan base through tours with Thursday, Glassjaw and The Juliana Theory.

The band released a couple of independent EPs, and was courted by a handful of major labels (which led to a few "false-starts" for the band) before finding a home at Trustkill Records, a label known predominantly for hardcore bands. The band released "The Dream," a combination of the out-of-print EPs and a couple of new tracks, at the beginning of 2003. By the summer, the band was touring Europe with Poison the Well.

But, as they say on VH1s "Behind the Music," things were about to change...

Following the tour, the band's bassist and guitarist abruptly quit, forcing Isham and Rodriguez to put the band on hiatus. During this time Isham questioned the band's future, while "The Dream" continued to find new fans (eventually finding its way onto various critics' "best of" lists for the year).

Rodriguez eventually left too, and Isham was forced to reinvent the band, connecting with Paxton Pyror (an old friend and versatile drummer). The two picked up bassist Michael Anastasi (from the original line-up) and guitarist Sean Woods (another one-time member) along the way and Open Hand finally got its sophomore release, "You and Me," on shelves in the public's hands.

"You and Me" is a change of pace for the band that, at one time, drew strong comparisons to bands in the vein of older Sunny Day Real Estate or, perhaps, later Jawbreaker material (think initial "emo" movement for lack of a better term). On this new release, Open Hand takes that original sound and mixes in some stoner rock, alternative metal and punk -- think Queens of the Stone Age and CKY meets the Foo Fighters and Thursday, with the most ethereal vocals to grace speakers in some time.

The band pumps out a strong 14 tracks in just over 41 minutes, touching and melding all genres of influence along the way. The album explodes with the frenetic "Pure Concentrated Evil," a just over a minute and a half power rock song to make any Clutch fan smile. The song abruptly ends, giving way to a more subdued "Her Song," chock-full of slow, distorted guitar and groovy backbeats. Not only do Isham and Pyror work great together musically with rhythm and structured beats, but their vocals complement great as well.

Speaking of vocals, Isham also shares vocal duties with the opposite sex on a couple of tracks (Hayley Helmericks on "Tough Girl" and "Take No Action" and Katy J on "Waiting for Katy").

"I've always wanted to have other people sing on our records -- especially strong, empowered women," Isham says on the band's Web site about the collaborations. "It's so boring to just hear a dude singing all the time about the kind of stuff that dudes sing about. It's refreshing to get a female perspective. What's really cool about it on these songs is that the girls' voices are so much harder and more raw than mine. I sing the pretty parts. It's awesome."

In the end, Open Hand has crafted one fantastic hard rock album, an album that pulls influence from a variety of places and manages to defy yet embrace multiple genres. Open Hand is a band that has been overlooked long enough and would be a great addition to any music fan's collection.

Motley Crue -- 'Red, White & Crue' greatest hits [review]

Motley Crue
"Red, White & Crue"
(Hip-O/Motley Records)


Since the band's first album, 1982's "Too Fast for Love," Motley Crue have been called everything from the bad-boys of metal to a hair band to washed up has-beens.

With all these labels to choose from, one thing is clear: Motley Crue is a venerable hard rock/metal band that has amassed an impressive back catalogue over it's 20 plus years in the business. And the band knows it too.

"Red, White and Crue" is only the newest of a handful of "hits" collections the band has released over the years. There was 1991's "Decade of Decadence," 1998's "Greatest Hits" collection, not one but two box sets of hits ("Music to Crash Your Car To") along with a collection of b-sides ("Supersonic and Demonic Relics") and a live set. With all these collections already floating around, what's the point of yet another one?

Well, not only is this the best of the greatest hits collections (barring the box sets), but there's also some new gems on here that any fan of the band would enjoy having in their collection. And as an introduction to the band, this set is simply amazing. Two discs long, "Red, White & Crue" is more of a chronological tour through the band's career, opening at '82's "Too Fast..." (though there is one older track) and travelling right through to 2000's "New Tattoo," closing with three new tracks (including a cover of Rolling Stones' "Street Fighting Man").

The set opens with "Live Wire," a song which somehow still manages to seem as relevant, energetic and "rockin'" as it did 23 years ago. "Piece of your Action" and "Too Fast for Love" also made the cut, but two other tracks from this era steal the spotlight here: 1981's "Toast of the Town," the band's first, independently-released single, and "Black Widow." "Toast..." is a track that didn't make the cut for the "Too Fast For Love" album (although it was added onto the re-release in 2003); "Black Widow" has not been available until now. While both are strong tracks, "Toast..." is the better of the two as "Black Widow" seems slightly repetitive (like the band was thinking of reworking it but never got around to actually doing it).

"Shout at the Devil" is well-represented here ("Looks That Kill," "Too Young to Fall in Love," the "Helter Skelter" cover and the title-track), while "Theatre of Pain" is all but ignored (only the "Smokin' in the Boys Room" cover and "Use it or Lose It").

Of course it wouldn't be a Crue collection without the stripper anthem "Girls Girls Girls." And along with "Wild Side" and "All in the Name of," the twisted and controversial (at the time) love song "You're All I Need" also made the cut.

Disc one closes with the "Dr. Feelgood" tracks: the rocking "Kickstart My Heart" and "Same Ol' Situation," the forced ballad "Without You," "Don't Go Away Mad" and finally, one of the band's biggest hits, "Dr. Feelgood."

Disc two picks up in the 90s, with the three newer cuts off the "Decade of Decadence" album (the "Anarchy in the U.K." cover, "Primal Scream" and the 1991 remix of "Home Sweet Home"). Surprisingly, the band included some John Corabi material (the band's front man in the mid-90s after Vince Neil was fired -- prior collections essentially ignored this time in the band's career). There's an edit of the bluesy rocker "Hooligan's Holiday" and version of "Misunderstood." Two instrumentals off the rare EP "Quaternary" release (the tecno-rocker "Planet Boom" and the bluesy "Bittersuite," the later of which begs the question why didn't the Crue do more instrumentals?) are also included.

Three tracks off the Neil welcome-back-album, "Generation Swine," are here. Included with the title-track are the lacking "Beauty" and oft-overlooked "Afraid" (albeit a different mix). The "new" tracks off the 1998 hits collection, "Bitter Pill" and "Enslaved," mark the final older recordings featuring drummer Tommy Lee. Two "New Tattoo" tracks (featuring the late Randy Castillo on drums) are tacked on just to represent that album ("Hell on High Heels" and the single version of "New Tattoo").

Then, the original line-up of the Crue recorded three new tracks for inclusion here, including the Nikki Sixx (Crue bassist) and Simple Plan penned "If I Die Tomorrow" and "Sick Love Song." "If I Die..." is the set's first radio single and, while there\'s discontented rumblings due to the Simple Plan tie-in, the song actually has a great sound, even if the lyrics are slightly lacking. As for "Sick Love Song," the track sounds good but sounds nothing like Motley Crue, the verses are pseudo-rapped while the chorus sounds like some new rock/metal band (though there is a cool Mick Mars solo on here so not all is lost). The disc closes with the Stones' cover.

Overall, this is a comprehensive overview of a more-than-noteworthy band that made various waves in the rock and metal scenes over the past 20 years. It's definitely a great collection and worthy of a recommendation.

American Head Charge -- 'The Feeding' [review]

American Head Charge
"The Feeding"
(DRT/Nitrus Records)


American Head Charge exploded out of the gates in 2001 with "The War of Art." The band, label-mates on American Recording with the likes of Slayer, scored a deafening hit, touring on Ozzfest and later on the Pledge of Allegiance tour with Slipknot (to name just a few). The album was a huge, thundering assault of metal -- a mix of Slayer riffs and Slipknot percussion, with a dose of keyboards and industrial edge.

Then, as big as the band seemed destined to be, things apparently (according to the band's press material) fell apart internally. Various members wrestled with internal demons and it would be almost four years before the band would re-surface with new material (though the song "Cowards" did show up on a compilation).

Well, that was a lengthy wait for fans of the Minneapolis-based seven-piece, but it seems to have been worth it. Of course, as with all things, there are notable changes in the band's sound.

During the interim, AHC left Rick Rubin's American Records, settling in at DRT/Nitrus. As a result, Rubin was not at the production helm this time around and it shows at times. In his place is Greg Fidelman, who had a hand in engineering "The War of Art."

The result: "The Feeding," an 11 track, tight, metallic offering clocking in just over 41 minutes.

"Loyalty" opens the disc with a false sense of bombast before Martin Cock settles into a more subdued vocal mode and the song slows down substantially. Of course, the song still features a pretty solid, pounding chorus (and bridge for that matter), but it's evident from this first track that there's something ever so slightly different this time around.

"Pledge Allegiance" is a more straightforward metal offering from the band, something more akin to what fans may have been expecting from the group. But even this track eventually evolves into a hollow dirge mid-way through (though the band does a good job of rescuing the thing before the final screams), for some reason sounding more like an older Marilyn Manson song than something like a Slayer/Slipknot/Ministry hybrid (like anything off "The War of Art").

While "Ridicule" may be the best song off AHC's new album, it's nothing like the initial groundwork the band had laid prior to this effort. It's full of fantastic tempo-changes, haunting vocals and chilling melodies. Yet, there's also a hefty helping of intensity and seething anger. With this one track AHC manages to prove it still has a relevant place in the metal community. The juxtaposition of the subtle guitar work and gentle singing with the screaming verses and chug-a-chug musical assault works very well here.

"Take What I've Taken" (and, to a lesser extent, "Fiend") shows the band still wants to keep a foot firmly planted in the industrial genre. In fact, the song sort of sneaks up on the listener as, at first, you are just nodding along to a subtle track but realize that, by the end, you are fully pulled into the song.

"Dirty" seems to fully encapsulate what "The Feeding" is all about: The song opens strong and has some killer verses and a great melodic, echoing bridge, but the chorus is a crazy, stutter-stop of "dirt, so dirty, dirt ... di-di-dirty!" As ridiculous as the chorus sounds the first time you hear it, the band somehow manages to make you believe in it ... it pulls it off either by completely giving in to it, or simply through sheer will ... and you almost want to chant along by the end.

Unlike many metal releases (even AHC's "War of Art"), the "meat" of the disc lies in the middle tracks. "The Feeding" takes it time to get started through the first couple of songs, but by the time the band kicks into "Ridicule" it settles into a strong groove that doesn't let up until the final few songs (most albums front load the best material and by track seven you start to get bored -- that's not to say there aren't good tracks, just that you tire of the material).

In the end fans are left with a nice little metal album. Maybe not the intense, killer follow-up "The War of Art" seemed to promise, but a nice solid album all the same.

Nirvana -- 'With the Lights Out' box set [review]

Nirvana
"With the Lights Out"
(DGC Records)


More than 10 years since the death of the band's front man led to an abrupt end of the group, Nirvana fans finally got their hands on a "holy grail" of sorts: a four disc box set of the groups demos, hard-to-find songs and other rare material.

I really want to love this set. When you first take a look at the contents, you can't help but think this is the best box set to ever be released -- there's just so much material included. But is the wealth of the sonic offerings really enough to sell "With the Lights Out?"

It's a real catch 22 when you look at it ...

On one hand, it would seem to be a fan's most treasured wish: to hear all the songs you grown to love stripped down to their barest forms in some cases; to be able to actually hear a song's progression from acoustic demo to rough track to finished product. Sprinkle in some obscure live tracks and some noteworthy b-sides and you should have a hit on your hands.

It depends on which side of the fence you're looking at this from.

Diehard Nirvana fans should, in theory, be chomping at the bit for something like this. For more casual listeners, it's something to easily overlook. In reality, this is simply a large collection of sub-par recordings that, for the most part, were never meant to be released. And that is the conundrum when you really take a look at this set.

Sure, it's fun to hear an early version of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" or "Rape Me," to hear how the lyrics evolved over time, to see how Cobain and Co. modified the song structures ... but ultimately you're just reminded of the strength of the actual songs and would rather just listen to those.

The initial excitement over hearing something like the acoustic tracks "Beans" or "Clean Up Before She Comes" is soon replaced (after a couple of listens) with a sense of "how often will I really want to listen to something this rough?"

Don't get me wrong, there are some gems here.

On the second disc, outtakes like "Oh the Guilt," "Return of the Rat" and "Old Age" are welcome additions to a fan's collection (for those who hadn't already tracked these songs down). Cobain's solo offering of Leadbelly's "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" (which showed up as a live rendition on the "Unplugged" disc) is a nice gem among the collection.

Disc 3 kicks off with two versions of "Rape Me," an acoustic track with weak vocals, and a more polished demo. The acoustic version sounds more like Cobain still trying to figure out exactly what he wanted to do with the song. The demo is much more lively as the song was really starting to take shape at this point. As a bonus, baby Cobain can be heard (intentionally I'm thinking), crying in the background at various points throughout the song, a nice touch.

The demo of "Scentless Apprentice" is much more raw than the track that eventually found its way onto "In Utero." The whole song sounds like a pretty good jam session, though, it should be noted that the overall sound is almost more Foo Fighters (Grohl's eventual band) instead of Nirvana.

There's interesting acoustic versions of "Serve the Servants," "Very Ape" (sans lyrics with mumbling) and "Pennyroyal Tea" (which was surprising near-completion).

As for "Heart Shaped Box," this is another instance of Cobain still exploring for just the right lyrics ("I wish I could eat your cancer when I get sick;" "Locked in heart-shaped coffins"). The same goes for "Milk It" or "M.V." (a song that wasn't that accessible to being with, I was actually surprised they included a demo of the track instead of the finished version).

Though it isn't labeled as such (read: demo), "I Hate Myself and Want to Die" doesn't sound like the version that eventually went public, unlike "Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip" and "Marigold" (probably the crown jewel of songs that never made it on official Nirvana release with Grohl on vocals), which are pretty much the versions that showed up on international release and b-sides. Same goes for "Sappy" (also known as "Verse Chorus Verse") though the demo was on disc 2.

The most interesting aspects of the set as a whole, is not only the ability to see the songs develop over time, but to see the band actually attempt to fully realize songs. Watching Cobain take "Rape Me" from an acoustic mish-mosh to a raw demo and then to the finished track (on "In Utero") is something fans of bands are rarely able to experience. Then, on top of that, listening to something like "Other Improv" (off disc 3), obviously a glimpse of the band trying to find a song, is just amazing to be able to experience.

On the flip side, how many people really want to pull out demo material when they're in the mood to listen to music. When this set is, musically, over 70 minutes of material spaced out over three discs, one can't help but think there was some way to shorten things a little.

In the end, you are able to say that this is a fantastic look into the inner working of a band, but much like a history book is an interesting look into, well, history. Do you get something out of reading the book? Yes. Do you want to read it over and over? Maybe. "With the Lights Out" is the musical equivalent of a Nirvana text book. It's something that is worth listening to ... at least once in a while. It's just that the really good tracks are spaced out amongst the rawer material, which makes this something only Nirvana diehards would really be interested in.

Killswitch Engage -- 'The End of Heartache' [review]

Killswitch Engage
"The End of Heartache"
(Roadrunner Records)


Ever since exploding onto the metal scene in 2000 with the release of its self-titled album, Killswitch Engage has proven over and over again it is at the forefront of the latest metal emergence.

With driving guitars, thunderous drum and bass tradeoffs and vocals that ranged from hardcore screams to melodic wails, Killswitch Engage's Roadrunner Records debut, "Alive or Just Breathing," further solidified the group's position.

But just as everything was coming together, vocalist Jesse Leach quit the band. The remaining members -- guitarists Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroezel, bassist Mike D'Antonio and drummer Justin Foley -- pushed forwards, incorporating Blood Has Been Shed front man Howard Jones into the fold.

After over a year of touring, the band, with its new lead singer, settled in to record a follow-up. Even with the new blood, "The End of Heartache" follows the same trademark sound instantly recognizable as Killswitch Engage. Jones' voice is noticeably different at times, but doesn't take away from the foundation laid by the band.

Even with the release of "When Darkness Falls" last fall, Jones' voice immediately stands out on the opening track "A Bid Farewell." He's far more guttural than Leach, but as the song progresses Jones' sound begins to feel more comfortable.

Coming from a hardcore background, Jones has a killer scream and his melodic singing is definitely better than what Leach was offering. The straight-up quasi-hardcore vocals are more abrasive than what the band initially had but, by the time "Take This Oath" comes around, Jones feels like a good fit. The double-bass work and driving guitar riffs are pretty tight, and Dutkiewicz' backing vocals sound better here than anything he's done before.

"When Darkness Falls" first popped up on the "Freddy Vs. Jason" soundtrack last year. It's a nice track to ease Jones into the new line-up, but the driving bridge between the verses and choruses and the chorus itself is the meat of the track. It feels like the verses could have been better, though the urgency displayed towards the end of the track is really good too.

"The Rose of Sharyn" is vintage Killswitch. The driving force of Dutkiewicz' guitar riffs is what propels the song at the beginning, but Jones soon takes over, especially towards the end of the track when the vocals are almost exclusively melodic. It's hard to really pick a standout track on this album, but "Rose" probably just edges out the competition.

"Inhale" is the album's token instrumental, something Killswitch is phenomenal at (there were two such tracks on the band's last release). The band (Dutkiewicz in particular I would assume), are really good at crafting haunting yet beautiful tracks that stand so good on their own there's no need to add lyrics (though it would probably be amazing if they tried).

As with the band's other instrumentals, "Inhale" acts as a lead-in to "Breath Life," one of the album's hardest-hitting tracks. Foley's drumming is intense against D'Antonio's bass riffs during the song's verses. Jones is intense as ever but really does a nice job on the melodic choruses. There's also some great guitar solos during the bridge.

The album's title-track feels like a re-hash of the band's previous offerings and would normally stand out as the disc's low point if it wasn't still so good. It's probably one of the band's more anthem-sounding tracks and the distorted vocals play well off the intricate riffing.

"World Ablaze" has a more old-school feel to it -- start-stop riffing during the verses is similar to something Prong or Helmet would have released years ago. There's actually a lot of tempo changes throughout the song which makes this one of the album's most interesting songs to listen to.

The drumming during the opening of "Wasted Sacrifice" is some of the strongest on the whole release. The song has a nice "chug-a-chug" tempo throughout. The chorus -- "There is no forever, just today. Don't let your sacrifice waste away..." -- really sounds amazing and heartfelt with Jones' vocals. I really wish this was moved to the final slot on the album, but the band saved that spot for "Hope is..." The band seemed to want to go out on a thunderous high note. The song sounds more intense than the others during the verses, but the chorus is a sing-a-long anthem with the rest of the band. Not a bad note to go out on, but "Wasted Sacrifice" seemed more poignant.

"The End of Heartache" is the perfect example of a "can't stop" release: one you start listening and get involved in the music, there never seems a good point to turn it off. Each song bleeds well into the next. The album, as a whole, is super-tight. Even though there are low points on the album, those low-points are still good.

Pearl Jam -- 'rearviewmirror' [review]

Pearl Jam
"rearviewmirror"
Epic Records


Pearl Jam has had a storied career, starting off just before the grunge explosion and continuing to thrive until this very day. Sure, there's been highs and lows, but Pearl Jam, as a creative unit, have soldiered on through an almost 15 year career.

While most bands attempt to crank out a greatest hits package after a couple of hit albums (like the recently released Creed album encompassing a catalog that spans an unimpressive three albums), Pearl Jam waited and, in turn, made fans wait.

Well, after seven studio albums, 73 official live offerings, a collection of b-sides and rarities and various singles and soundtrack tidbits, the wait is over.

And boy was it worth it.

"rearviewmirror" is spread out over two discs, the first a collection of the band's more "rocking" tracks, while the second is a more retrospective offering. There's nothing "new" here (except for some remixes), but nothing new was needed.

The collection kicks off with "Once" and "Alive," two tracks that sound as fresh and intense as they did back in 1991, made even more so courtesy a Brendan O'Brien remix (O'Brien also remixed "Black" on the second disc). "State of Love and Trust," off the "Singles" soundtrack makes an appearance (explaining why it and its counterpart, "Breath" -- on the second disc -- didn't show up on the "Lost Dogs" collection). There's a solid mix of tracks present, from "Not for You" and "Spin the Black Circle," to "I Got ID" and "rearviewmirror"; the older ("Jeremy" and "Even Flow") juxtapose the newer ("Save You" and "Do the Evolution") very well.

The second disc is far more mellow, presenting Pearl Jam gems like "Immortality" and "Who You Are" as the classics they are. "Man of the Hour," off the "Big Fish" soundtrack, is a welcome addition for Pearl Jam fans who never picked it up upon initial release. The super-hit "Last Kiss," which originally came about as a fan-club "gift" before blowing up on radio, is here, along with the melancholic "Nothingman," the retrospective "Wishlist," and the rocking-yet-moody "Better Man." And the band chose to close things off with one of its biggest songs that was never on a proper album, "Yellow Ledbetter."

All in all, "rearviewmirror" appeared at first to be a fantastic walk down memory lane, but turned into an amazing collection of fantastic songs. Not only is it a great companion piece to the "Lost Dogs" set, but it's a great addition to fans' collections and an even better way to introduce new fans to the band. Highly, highly recommended.