SOS – Adult Situations
316 Productions

(3.5/5)

Combining a fist-pumping style of Rock with some of the speed and techniques of Punk, SOS’s newest album Adult Situations is an album for fans of both worlds! Personally, I think the overall sound on Adult Situations leans a bit too far on the Punk side, but the combination of that Punk edge and the groovy style of Rock presented in the 12-tracks on this album sounds pretty good for the most part. Tracks I would recommend are “Wasteland Temptress” (Track 5), “Hypoxyphilia” (Track 6), “Frames” (Track 7), and “Life of Love and Peace and Harmony” (Track 11). My favorite track from the whole album is probably “Wasteland Temptress” because it starts off in a typical Punk style, but eventually drops into a Rock groove that is similar to the style of bands such as Corrosion of Conformity and Fireball Ministry. It just has a good Stoner metal feel to it. “Hypoxyphilia” is another track that sort of strays from the Punk style for the most part and really showcases Adam Mastrosimone’s bass playing and shows a more melodic side of SOS’s song writing. Overall, I think Adult Situations is a good album that outlines a “controlled chaos” type of feel that can be enjoyed by Rock fans and Punk fans alike.

The Saints of Los Angeles bless Greenville, SC…

On Wednesday, February 25th, 2009, the kings of debauchery also known as Mötley Crüe made their way through Greenville, SC with their Saints of Los Angeles 2009 Tour. Opening acts for the Crüe were The Last Vegas, Theory of a Deadman, and Hinder.

The first band to play was The Last Vegas from Chicago, IL. Having never even heard of these guys before, I wasn’t sure at all what to expect, but I definitely liked what I heard. From the bit of their set I caught, I can most accurately describe them as a raunchy mix up of Mötley Crüe and Guns ‘n’ Roses. They played pure Rock ‘n’ Roll and I loved every minute of it!

The second band to play was mainstream act Theory of a Deadman. To be perfectly honest, I thought I was gonna have the most hope (other than Mötley Crüe) in this band for this show, but I was utterly disappointed. Not being very familiar with their work, I didn’t know quite what I was getting into and I’m definitely not in line with what I witnessed. I really don’t feel like they fit the bill at all and I just didn’t like their performance whatsoever, but you can’t like them all I suppose!

The third and next last band to play was my personal underdog from the start, Hinder. Getting right into it, I have to sincerely admit that I was pleasantly surprised at what I saw. I won’t ever be known as the biggest Hinder fan, but I have a lot of respect for their live performance and I was surprised to see that I really did enjoy them. Just as with the previous two bands, I was (and still am) unfamiliar with their work aside from their big hit song “Lips of an Angel” (which, of course, was part of the set list). Based on that, I didn’t really expect to like them at all, but I can’t stress enough how wrong I was. They put on an excellent live show their material wasn’t all that bad.

The last band to play was the one I’ve been waiting to see for quite some time, Mötley Crüe! As soon as they hit the stage, the level on intense energy stayed through the roof until the point they finished their one encore (“Home Sweet Home”). With a stage set up consisting of LOS ANGELES spelled out backwards from right to left in light up metal frames, tons of lights that came down from the ceiling on scissor lifts, Tommy Lee’s over-sized bass drum/drum kit, Nikki Sixx’s and Mick Mars’ spiral mic stands, and an insane pyrotechnic show (the first I’ve ever seen in person), this show was immediately sky rocketed into the top three concerts I’ve been too! With a set list containing songs from their newest album Saints of Los Angeles as well as Shout at the Devil, Dr. Feelgood, and more, the Crüe kicked off with “Kickstart My Heart” and “Wild Side” followed by songs including but not limited to: “Saints of Los Angeles”, “White Trash Circus”, “Girls, Girls, Girls”, “Looks That Kill”, “Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S.)”, “Shout at the Devil”, “Dr. Feelgood”, “Live Wire”, and their version of the classic “Jailhouse Rock”. One of the most memorable parts of their performance for me was when guitarist Mick Mars launched off into a short montage of Jimi Hendrix songs as one of his solo performances. On top of the musicians sounding good, Vince Neil’s voice was excellent and helped make this performance almost exactly how I would have dreamed it.

Overall, this show was definitely was, again, one of the best concerts I’ve ever been too and it was definitely worth a 3 1/2 drive both ways and I’d do it all again if given the chance!

Post Death Soundtrack – Music as Weaponry
Overthrow Records

(4/5)

With today’s music industry having a, seemingly, obligatory way of sounding, there is a need for bands who bring a revolutionary sound to the table to break the mold. I believe Post Death Soundtrack is doing just that with the release of their debut album Music as Weaponry! With a mix of Industrial and Experimental music, Music as Weaponry is a 14-track masterpiece thought up by the genius minds of Kenneth Buck of Amahra and Steve Moore of Inner Surge and The Unravelling. The most interesting aspect of this album is the individual identity of each track being so different, yet they come together extremely well as if they were all one in the same. The overall album is about as Experimental as you can get with the combination of Rock, Industrial, Electronica, Trip-Hop, and more with a conceptual theme focusing on the process of belief, it’s role in the development of ideological institutions, and the band’s relation to ongoing violence. With that in mind, you might think this album would be “heavy” in the traditional sense related to the heaviness of newer Metal styles and such, but the end result has little of that at all. In fact, it provides a much deeper sense of heaviness in a more psychological way with an overall effect that comes out sounding very dark and, almost, intimidating at times. It can actually be quite creepy; and that gives the album the edge over everything else being plugged over the radio and in more popular culture. Getting to individual tracks, it’s definitely difficult to hold any one track over the other because of the individual identities mentioned earlier, but a few I really enjoy are: “Axe of Fiction” (Track 1)”War Song” (Track 6), “We’re Going Hunting” (Track 8), and “Killing Time” (Track 10). These four songs are ones that really stand out to me and I believe they represent a lot of the true genius that is in the two members of Post Death Soundtrack. Overall, this album is a total masterpiece and I would recommend it to anyone who is open to music a bit outside the box. I can’t wait to see what these guys think up next!

1. Who are the main influences behind your excellent guitar playing?

Thank you. My favorite guitarist has always been Dimebag Darrell, but I don’t think my playing is too similar to his. I really like James Murphy. Also, Peter from Soilwork is awesome. I don’t really listen to solo artist guitarists, I like people who do their thing within a band context. Mark who used to be in Vicious Rumors is awesome too.

2. Do you feel like Sylosis may be the band to carry the Metal flag for the UK scene?

I think there are some killer bands coming out of the UK at the moment and we just want to help bring some attention back to the UK scene.

3. Getting to Conclusion of an Age, how did each member of Sylosis correspond throughout the writing process?

I handle most of the writing duties. I usually sit in front of my computer writing stuff and demoing it for the others to check out; then we get together at practice and jam it out. Once the song’s finished and I’ve got a rough recording of it, we give it to Jamie to put some lyrics over.

4. What are your thoughts on the final product for Conclusion of an Age?

We’re really pleased with all the aspects. We really pushed ourselves in the studio and we’re really pleased with all the songs. Also, we think Scott did a great job on the production and Colin’s artwork is great. I’m really into buying CDs and having a product in my hands so we paid a lot of attention to getting the artwork right too.

5. How does it feel to finally have your full, debut album out?

It’s awesome, a dream come true. We’ve been a band for yeeeears so it’s really cool to finally say we have an album out worldwide.

6. If you had to pick a favorite song from the album, what would it be?

Probably “After Lifeless Years”, “Conclusion of an Age”, and “Last Remaining Light”. It’s really hard to pick just one. I guess I’m most proud of the guitar playing in “Last Remaining Light” though.

7. What does the future hold for Sylosis?

More touring! We’ve even started writing for the next album already to make sure we don’t rush anything as writing our stuff always takes us forever.

8. Do you have any comments for aspiring guitarists or bands?

For guitarists, I’d say practice to a metronome all the time and rhythm playing is more important – don’t overlook rhythm tightness.

For bands I’d just say stick at it, make sure you push your songwriting until you’re really happy with it and just tour and work hard! We started around 2001 and our first album came out in 2008 – you need patience and determination.

House of Heavy – House of Heavy
Spiritual Beast Records (Physical)/Metal Blade Records (Digital)

(3.5/5)

Whoever said ’80s Metal was dead has yet to hear House of Heavy’s self-titled debut album House of Heavy! With the combined efforts of Henrik Lundberg and Mattias Wellhag, House of Heavy is officially off the ground and tearin’ up the Heavy metal scene with this 14-track debut. Really, the best way to describe this album is to hear it for yourself. The best examples to hear from this album to really get a feel for it are “Warpaint” (Track 2), “Pure” (Track 3), “God vs. God” (Track 6), and “The Blues” (Track 12). To me, these four tracks truly represent the sound House of Heavy is going for with some pure Heavy metal in “Warpaint” and “Pure”, a slower ballad-like song with “God vs. God”, and a more Blues based Heavy metal with the track “The Blues”. Overall, this album is a good one for anyone looking to keep the flame of Heavy metal alive in this day and age with a bit of a newer Metal edge, but not totally converting over. I would definitely suggest House of Heavy to fans of Iced Earth, Iron Maiden, and other New Wave of British Heavy Metal style bands.

Darkane – Demonic Art
Nuclear Blast Records

(4/5)

What do you get when you take a little bit of Black metal, a pinch of Extreme metal, and a healthy portion of Thrash metal and mash it all up into one album? You get Demonic Art by Darkane! This being my first experience with Darkane, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect the first time I put this album in, but I was certainly blown away by what came blaring through my speakers. This album is so intense and extreme, I can’t believe it can be contained within it’s case! I believe this is a particularly intense album because of the way Peter Wildoer (drums/lyrics) put in personal conflicts into the lyrics and every member of Darkane was pushing the limits while firing on all cylinders. With all of the incredible musicianship and lyrics put together with the powerful vocals of Jens Broman, there is no way that Darkane can be ignored any longer by anyone in the far stretches of the Metal world. This being the band’s fifth studio album, they have a solid arsenal of music to back them up, but I believe Demonic Art is the album that will solidify Darkane as an unstoppable force. To prove this, I suggest listening to the tracks “Absolution” (Track 4), “Demonic Art” (Track 3/Title track), and “Sole Survivor” (Track 8). This is only a quarter of the album, but it shows just how powerful this band truly is. Overall, this album is a great album and is one I suggest for your Metal arsenal. With it’s mix of Metal styles, it is sure to be a strong ally to battle against any and all false Metal out there!

Janus – Red Right Return
Level It Records

(4/5)

In today’s “Alternative” genre, there tends to be a “cookie cutter” way of sounding, but Janus has broken the mold with their sophomore album Red Right Return! With the mix of multiple styles, including Rock, Metal, and Electronica, incorporated into this great album, it’s truly hard to place Janus into just one genre of music, but that is certainly not a bad thing. Overall, this album is just a great representation of musical and lyrical talent. Lyrically, Red Right Return reflects human condition from both inward and outward perspectives, leaving the listener to draw his/her own conclusions. This concept is definitely matched by the actual lyrics themselves including lines such as: “The stain a lie leaves on your skin; Is a choice, a right, to feel what you feel; Aim low and medicate your fear. Pray that your time will satisfy your means.” (“Six Letters Sent” (Track 1)). Reading the lyrics as you listen to the tracks helps show the power behind the music the awesome band is creating. This is music that is breaking free from the trends of today’s “popular” music to show that there is still life out there in the music world. Helping get the point across over the different styles of music presented on the album are the vocals. With a mix of singing and, a little bit of, screaming, singer David Scotney really drives home the concepts written into the lyrics. To get a really good grasp of the relationship between music and lyrics, I would suggest listening to the track mentioned above “Six Letters Sent” (Track 1) as well as “If I Were You” (Track 2), “Eyesore” (Track 5), and “Skin Deep” (Track 6). These four tracks provide a good look at the different music styles represented in this album as well as the correspondence of the deep lyrics with the music. Obviously, the concepts in Red Right Return are not limited to those four tracks, but I feel they are the best examples. Overall, this is a great album from a great band and I can’t wait to see what Janus has in store for the future!