Concert Reviews, Heavy Metal

Metal Is King (All Hail the King)

Leave a comment

Sunday night at Psychedelic Ballroom & Juke Joint (PB&J’s) in Reno NV, brings a small but dedicated crowd to see upcoming thrash/extreme metal band Exmortus. Exmortus, on tour with their latest album Ride Forth, brought a concise but powerful set. Due to the sheer volume of bands playing that night Exmortus had to perform a reduced set, but the set they chose was all of their best songs from their previous albums.  I am a huge fan of technical skill when it comes to metal musicians and Exmortus does not disappoint. Guitar players Jadran “Conan” Gonzalez and David Riveria bring a fast and brutal approach to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata 3rd Movement, and screaming fast solos on Metal Is King. Conan and David are supported by drummer Mario Mortus and bassist Mike Cosio who help keep the break neck speed in tempo. Exmortus brings a level of finesse that you don’t see in many young bands, let alone metal bands.

Technical issues from the venue aside, Exmortus sounded great. I highly recommend Exmortus to anyone who is a fan of thrash or extreme metal, and to keep an eye on them as I feel they will be one of the premier acts in thrash metal in the years to come.

Exmortus

Album Review

Megadeth Returns with Dystopia

Leave a comment

Megadeth has a history of making numerous changes to flex their sound, be it a change in album sound or lineups. Dave Mustaine has never shied away from doing what he believes what is best for his band. Following the departure of lead guitarist, Chris Broderick, and drummer, Shawn Drover in 2014, Mustaine recruited Brazilian guitarist, Kiko Loureiro, and one of the best modern metal drums and die hard Megadeth fan, Chris Adler, to take over the drum kit. It appears that the new additions have rejuvenated Mustaine. The new album, Dystopia, sees Megadeth return to their thrash roots while maintaining a fresh modern metal sound. Mustaine has always written about politics and religion, a trend that continues on Dystopia. While most of the songs are about a futuristic dystopia, some of the tracks are applicable to world events today.

The aggression fueled album kicks off full throttle with the intro riff in The Threat is Real where Mustaine and Loureiro trade ripping guitar solos throughout. Dave Ellefson joins in on the riffing action during Fatal Illusion, which is somewhat reminiscent of Killing is My Business…And Business is Good! Meanwhile, Adler shows off his skilled footwork in Death from Within and Poisonous Shadows. Poisonous Shadows, a ballad by Megadeth standards, is the most musically diverse song on the record. Combining acoustic guitar with piano, and some brutal kick drumming that could be found on a Lamb of God record, Poisonous Shadows is a stand out track.

Dystopia is one of Megadeth’s strongest releases in years and measures up to any album released in their early years. If you have been disappointed with the more recent Megadeth records, I urge you to give Dystopia a listen. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Rating: 9/10.

Rankings, Yearly Lists

Top 5 Albums of 2015

Leave a comment

After another great year of new releases of hard rock and heavy metal and many highly anticipated releases in January and February I thought that I would provide my personal top 5 new albums of 2015. I listed the albums in date of release since I found it impossible to choose an order. Being that it is a list, I had to exclude many excellent albums. I’ve listed some of these as honorable mentions.

Periphery-Alpha/Omega

My first listen of the concept album from Periphery left me unimpressed. I found Spencer Sotelo’s vocals hard for me to listen to. However, I persisted since the band had received a glowing recommendation from Anthrax’s Scott Ian. This album got better each time that I listened to it. The songs are extremely dense and complex, including brutal guitar riffs, beautiful melodies, and even some electronic music parts. Most of all, I find Spencer’s vocals to be spectacular and a perfect fit. Some of my favorite tracks are Omega and 22 Faces.

Cauterize-Tremonti

The second album from Tremonti took a drastic turn from the debut album, All I Was. I was expecting more of a thrash record from Cauterize, but I was left with a mix of the first record and Alter Bridge (Mark Tremonti’s main band). The album was laden with soaring melodies and incredible guitar solos. This change of sound for the band must be due to the addition of Wolfgang Van Halen. Standout tracks include: Radical Change, Flying Monkeys, and Another Heart.

Lamb of God VII: Strum and Drang – Lamb of God

The first release from the band since Randy Blythe’s incarceration in the Czech Republic for manslaughter charges (he was found not guilty) is their most polished release to date. It is your typical Lamb of God (LoG) album, heavy, groove laden riffs with terrifyingly aggressive vocals. However, the band does throw in some variety with a ballad (by LoG standards) with traditional vocals on the song Overlord and the use of a talk box on Erase This. Some other tracks that I found worthy are: Still Echoes, 512, and Engage the Fear Machine.

Repentless – Slayer

Slayer’s first album since the passing of founding member Jeff Hanneman may be their most dense to date. While I did miss some of Jeff’s songwriting on the album I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the songs produced by the band. Gary Holt of Exodus did a splendiferous job of tracking solos on the album while producer Terry Date did a superb job of making an aggressive sounding record. I loved the ode to Jeff that is the song Repentless and the inclusion of one of the final songs Jeff wrote before his passing in Piano Wire. Vices and When the Stillness Comes are some other great tracks from the record worth checking out.

Silence in the Snow – Trivium

Trivium, known for changing their sound with every album, may have made their most drastic change in their career with this album. Noting Ronnie James Dio, Iron Maiden, and Ozzy as major influences on this record they abandoned the use of all screaming vocals for an attempt at a more classic, straight ahead approach. This album does an excellent job in blending classic influences with a modern metal sound. The album also includes a modern day ballad in Until the World Goes Cold! The title track was born out of the band meeting Dio while on tour with Heaven and Hell. How much more awesome could that be? Blind Leading the Blind, Dead and Gone, and The Ghost that’s Haunting You are songs worth listening to.

Honorable Mentions:

Venom – Bullet for My Valentine

Brainwashed – While She Sleeps

IRE – Parkway Drive

Hot Streak – The Winery Dogs

I Worship Chaos – Children of Bodom

Psychic Warfare – Clutch

Meliora – Ghost

Birth and the Burial – Act of Defiance

Concert Reviews, Reggae

Island Vibes 2015

Leave a comment

Island Vibes 2015 was an experience for the books.  Hosted at Point Lookout on North Stradbroke Island of Australia on November 1st, this reggae festival proved to be one of the chillest concerts I’ve been to thus far.  I don’t think one could fathom just how chill this concert was without first hearing and seeing the location in which it was held.

My friend and I left on the Saturday before the festival en route to North Stradbroke Island, which is only reachable by ferry.  Straddie (what the Aussie’s call Stradbroke) prides itself on its seclusion and small population that proves to breed a large Aboriginal presence, the traditional owners of North Straddie being the Quandamooka people.  Unsurprisingly, Straddie has the small population of about 150 individuals who reside on this sand island, while the forests are made up of wild koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, bandicoots, and echidnas (probably more animals than there are people).

Amity Point is where we set up camp.  The sand at our campsite was like I’d never seen before as you can see in the picture below.  Down the street from our campsite there was a café that served the best seafood that I have ever tasted in my life, honest to god.

pic1

Sunday we got to Point Lookout, at about 8 in the morning to check out the location before the festival started at 11:30am.  The location could not have been better.  The festival was located next to a path that led you through a vibrant green rainforest and to the ocean.

pic2

Inside the festival, there were massive murals, dozens of tents with body and face paint, food, jewelry, and two main stages for the performers.  I had never heard of any of the groups playing at Island Vibes, but it’s safe to say I now have a few Australian reggae bands in my iTunes library after this weekend.

My absolute favorite group that played was named Sun Salute.  This band consisted of two bassists, one lead guitarist, one pianist, a saxophone player, a trumpet player, a tom-tom drummer, a drummer, and a singer.  Two notable songs that they performed were a reggae version of James Brown’s song “I Feel Good,” that required the tom-tom drummer to drip with sweat, and a reggae version of Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice” that utilized the trumpet and saxophone player to their greatest ability.

pic3

The crowd of people at Island Vibes ranged from 5-65 years of age.  This age range just goes to show how laid back and low key the festival was.  Nearly everyone walked around the festival barefoot, and some even brought their dogs inside!

The weather was very warm—about 30 degrees Celsius (85 Fahrenheit).  In between sets people would head down to the sea and take their clothes off (some with bathing suits on under, some without) and jump in the ocean to cool off and drink some beverages on the white Australian sand.

This festival was one of my favorite weekends in Australia.  Everyone was extremely friendly, no pushing and shoving as I am used to at some concerts, the location was out of this world, and the festival provided awesome traditional Aboriginal-Australian dancing that I unfortunately could not get a picture of.  I would highly recommend this festival to those who anyone and everyone who loves being around people with positive vibes, appreciates relaxing music, enjoy people watching, and appreciate nature, because that is exactly what I experienced at Island Vibes 2015!

pic5

Concert Reviews, Hard Rock

Good Rockin’ with Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators

Leave a comment

Former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash with Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators performed Sunday night to a packed house at “The Warfield” in San Francisco in support of their new album “Live At The Roxy”.  For the past 30 years, Slash has been at the forefront of creating some of the most powerful hard rock we all know and love. From Guns N’ Roses, Slash’s Snakepit, Velvet Revolver, his Solo project and now with Myles Kennedy, whom he met during his solo album in 2010, Slash’s unique style and sound has kept center stage in the classic rock world.

Slash feat. Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators' setlist at the Warfield. To see more setlists from the band go to .
Slash feat. Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators’ setlist at the Warfield. To see more setlists from the band go to setlist.fm.

What an amazing show. Slash has surrounded himself with top shelf musicians that allow him to be Slash and just rock the guitar. From the opening song, “You’re A Lie” to the last “Paradise City”; Slash set the world on fire with his furious guitar playing. He is the best guitarist I have ever seen live. When he brought out the double neck guitar with acoustic and electric strings to play “Civil War” and “Anastasia”, it was absolutely amazing. Their GNR cover of “Rocket Queen” stretched out 20+ minutes where Slash again shines where you’re left wanting more. “Sweet Child O’ Mine” came as a surprise when they played it towards the end of the show. They had just played excellent renditions of “Rocket Queen”, “Bent To Fly”, “World On Fire” and “Anastasia” and while I’m still trying to digest what I had just heard, they powered into “Sweet Child O’ Mine” causing the crowd to go insane. I must admit, I’ve heard that song at least a thousand times over the years, and I usually don’t seek out to listen, but to witness live was a whole other experience. It’s like rediscovering a song you forgot about. You know that feeling. The live version was that powerful. There setlist leaned more to Slash’s solo and Myles Kennedy work with the remaining setlist of GNR and 1 song by VR “Slither”. Slash played in his usual spot right of center stage allowing his bandmates the freedom to roam. In fact, Slash did not have a mic and finally spoke to the crowd towards the end of the set to introduce Myles Kennedy. Slash chose to let his guitar do the talking.

Slash has found a diamond in the rough with Myles Kennedy. A current member of Alter Bridge (Creed minus Scott Stapp) and formerly of Mayfield 4, Myles has finally gained the recognition he deserves as one of rock music most outstanding vocalists. Myles vocal range allows him to sing GNR and VR classics while making the songs his own. He doesn’t try to impersonate Axl Rose and Scott Weiland’s sound and style. He must be living a dream writing new music and being in a successful band with Slash. I must mention the Conspirators with Todd Kerns on bass, Frank Sidous on rhythm guitar and Brent Frits playing drums. This is a tight rhythm section which allows Slash to concentrate on his guitar and not concern himself with managing the band during the show. Todd has been showcased on 2 songs “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Doctor Alibi” providing lead vocals on the live album and on tour. He does a fantastic job on the covers providing high energy to the setlist.

I look forward to many more years of Slash creating music adding to his already impressive collection of music. There is a possibility of a GNR reunion in the near future which has potential to knock planet earth off its axis, which will give global warming a whole new meaning.

 

Concert Reviews, Funk Rock, Rock

Kravitz Jams at the Greek

Leave a comment

I had the pleasure of seeing Lenny Kravitz at the Greek theater in Berkeley on September 13, 2015.

This was my first concert at this venue and I was so impressed with the set up and seating arrangement. It didn’t seem like there was a bad spot in the whole venue to watch the show. The upper seats were steep, but helped add to what felt like a pretty intimate location despite the thousands of people there.

Lenny played for a solid 2 to 2.5 hours and played a vast selection of hits from his early albums and off of the newer albums as well. He was energetic and engaging with the crowd as well as his band. You could tell how much fun they were having together and feeding off the crowd by the way the show changed from just a show to a jam session. A lot of the songs morphed from just a live version of the song into a ten minute solo / jam session that all of the musicians were feeding off of.  There was so much spontaneous funk / rock happening between songs that Lenny played straight through what would of been his encore. He stated that that’s what happens when you are playing real music and not off a computer- you jam so hard your run out of time. I couldn’t agree more.

I can not find a set list from this show online. A few of my favorites that he played were let love rule and are you gonna go my way.

Overall this show was one of my favorites this far because of the amazing venue and energy of Lenny and his band and the crowd.

Lenny2

 

Concert Reviews, Heavy Metal

Trivium and Tremonti put on a Fireworks Display at the Reno, NV Knitting Factory

Leave a comment
Lead singer and guitar player, Mark Tremonti
Lead singer and guitar player, Mark Tremonti

The electric night at the Reno, NV Knitting Factory kicked off with a spectacular set from Tremonti. The band opened their set with the title track off their second album, Cauterize. Opening with Cauterize set the theme for the show by showing the ability of the band to play some clearly thrash influenced songs while mixing in some songs with incredible melodies and sometimes songs with both characteristics. Cauterize being one of the latter. After Cauterize, Tremonti turned up the heat by playing a few songs leaning toward the thrash side from their first album, All I Was. The change in pace from the melodic songs that Mark Tremonti is known to write, from his days as chief song writer in Creed, created a circle pit that would not let up until the conclusion of the show. Intermixed within all of the great songwriting, Tremonti’s guitar sorcery was a spectacle to behold. Intermixing incredibly fast solos with melodic that you can sing to the man is a force on the guitar.

Tremonti's setlist for their co-headlining show at the Knitting Factory in Reno, NV
Tremonti’s setlist for their co-headlining show at the Knitting Factory in Reno, NV

Towards the middle of the set, Tremonti unveiled some more of the melodic tracks from the repertoire. Including songs such as The Things I’ve Seen, Providence, and Dark Trip. To my surprise, Tremonti passed off some of the lead guitar duties to Rhythm Guitarist, Eric Friedman. Eric impressed with some tasty blues licks that showed that he is more than just a Rhythm guitar player.

The final quarter of the show included what I think is the highlight of Tremonti’s set, Brains. Off of All I Was, Brains put the unison of the rhythm section and the incredible vocal delivery center stage and showed how much more power one song could have live than recorded. The set concluded with the thrashiest song in Tremonti’s repertoire, Wish You Well. After an incredible set from Tremonti I could not believe that there was another headlining act to follow.

Trivium's setlist for their co-headlining show at the Knitting Factory in Reno, NV
Trivium’s setlist for their co-headlining show at the Knitting Factory in Reno, NV

Trivium continued the night of melodic heavy music with the title track off of their brand new album, Silence in the Snow. Typically known for his incredible screaming on earlier albums, Matt Heafy, Lead Singer and Lead/Rhythm guitarist, displayed his incredible clean vocals during Silence in the Snow which I thought could not be replicated from the album. Following Silence in the Snow, the band’s performance of Down from the Sky ignited a mosh pit that would burn for the rest of the set. More fuel was added to the fire with the guitar virtuosity and epically heavy breakdown of Becoming the Dragon.

Lead guitarist, Corey Beaulieu
Lead guitarist, Corey Beaulieu

Towards the middle of the set, Trivium introduced their lead single off of Silence in the Snow, Until the World Goes Cold. Until the World Goes Cold encapsulated what Trivium is about at this point in their careers with excellent vocal harmonies from bassist Paolo Gregoletto in addition to the sweet guitar harmonies between Matt Heafy and lead guitarist Corey Beaulieu. The guitar virtuosity continued with an incredible performance from Corey in the always pleasing A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation. This was not the only time that Corey’s lead playing was impressive. He also dazzled during Becoming the Dragon and Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr. Trivium concluded their phenomenal performance with the title track from their fifth album, In Waves. The band displayed excellent stage presence throughout the show and did not disappoint.

I felt that the pairing of Tremonti and Trivium by the HardDrive Live was a good move. It brought together two bands who have a very different approach to metal. Tremonti’s sound being more melodic and closer to hard rock while Trivium’s sound being closer to the extreme genres of metal. Going into the show, I was already a huge fan of both of these artists, but I can’t help but think that if you attended the show to see one band that you would leave being a fan of both. You can get Trivium’s new album, Silence in the Snow and Tremonti’s new album, Cauterize at their respective websites or on iTunes and Amazon.

Corey Beaulieu (left) and Matt Heafy (right) trading guitar solos during A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation
Corey Beaulieu (left) and Matt Heafy (right) trading guitar solos during A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation

 

Concert Reviews, Hard Rock

Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators: Setting the World on Fire, One Explosive Lick at a Time

Leave a comment

Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators played a headlining show at the Warfield in San Francisco, CA on October 18, 2015. The band includes Brent Fitz on drums, Frank Sidous on guitar, Todd Kerns on bass and vocals, Myles Kennedy on vocals and some guitar, and of course Slash on lead guitar.

This band performed a rock show that left me awestruck.  They are tight, and it is evident they enjoy playing music together.  The set list was a great mix of old and new, including some Guns with no Rose epic anthems, with Todd Kerns taking the lead vocals on Doctor Alibi and Welcome to the Jungle and Myles Kennedy on You Could Be Mine, Civil War, Rocket Queen, Sweet Child O’ Mine, and Paradise City. Both performers vocalized masterfully, with power and passion. (I did not miss Axl).

Myles Kennedy has an incredible rock voice and a sensual presence, and when he sings Bent to Fly with this band I feel completely enthralled, similar to how I felt when I saw a young Robert Plant perform, though not to the Whole Lotta Love level. I understand that Myles tried out for Led Zeppelin after they played at the O2 arena in 2007, when Plant determined he wanted to focus on his solo career.  Jimmy and John Paul, dial Myles digits!  I would love to see Myles try some Led Zeppelin, because I feel like his voice and performance combined with those lyrics and music could knock us to our knees.

Some of my favorites from the show were Civil War, with Slash on the double necked guitar and Rocket Queen with a killer solo (how can anyone play like that for so long?).  Slash is incredible.  Also loved Slither from Velvet Revolver, Halo, Bent to Fly- still playing in my mind.  “..the sky is calling, wind is at my shoulders….”, World on Fire, and Anastasia.

Don’t miss this explosive rock show. You can find tour dates near you on Slash’s website.

Concert Reviews, Hard Rock

Kyng Crushes for Small Crowd at Brick by Brick

1 Comment

Kyng headlined a four band bill at Brick by Brick in San Diego on October 10th. The bill also included: Clean Room, Dirty Work, and Quor. It became obvious that most of the show’s attendees were there to see Quor, a local San Diego band who blends the styles of heavy metal and indie to achieve a unique sound, since most of the patrons left before Kyng’s set even started. And I’ll tell you, what a mistake.

Kyng's setlist for their show at Brick by Brick in San Diego, CA.
Kyng’s setlist for their show at Brick by Brick in San Diego, CA.

Kyng opened their set with their title track off their second album, Burn the Serum, seemingly unfazed by the lack of attendance for their headlining show. Despite being a three piece, Kyng produced an incredibly sweet sound while maintaining a heavy hard rock/metal energy. In particular, Eddie Veliz, lead singer and guitar player, was incredible. The guitar tone that he has achieved in a live setting has to be one of the best around and on top of the guitar sound the man can sing with the best of them. His vocal performance during Self Medicated Man was dazzling. However, Eddie’s performance didn’t over shadow the rest of the band. The rhythm section of Tony Castaneda (bassist) and Pep Clarke (drums) pummeled you throughout the set with tasty grooves and some faster double bass and borderline blast beat sections. Kyng’s set even included a cover of Van Halen’s Hot for Teacher where Tony and Eddie (Veliz) traded off vocal duties that would have made David Lee Roth dance the night away.

The band was obviously disappointed in the turn out for their show. Eddie made numerous comments throughout the show about the lack of people present for their set and how most everyone was there to see Quor. However, low attendance did not impact their performance and most likely led to a few new fans that will support Kyng in the future.

If you have never heard of Kyng you should pick up their second album, Burn the Serum, and be on the lookout for their third album which is supposed to be released sometime during 2016. You can find Kyng’s albums for sale and tour dates on their website. Do not hesitate to go to a Kyng show if they are playing in your area. You will not be disappointed.

Eddie Veliz

Concert Reviews

AC/DC at AT&T Park San Francisco, CA

1 Comment

This show had two firsts for me, it was the first time I would be going to a stadium show and I was seeing AC/DC perform for the first time. The show appeared to be sold out, easily 70,000+ in attendance. I thought that the atmosphere that AT&T Park provided was outstanding. I would not have wanted to see the show anywhere else. I knew going into the show that AC/DC was going to sound good, but I didn’t think it would sound as good as it did. The clarity of each instrument while maintaining a sound as a band was exceptional. Although, I felt that it could have been louder since I love the vibrations you feel from Marshall Stacks and crushing drums. This is really a minor complaint and didn’t take much of anything away from the experience overall. I was a little a little surprised with the lack of frontmanning going on with Brian Johnson. I can’t recall any time during the set that he interacted with the crowd between songs. That must be the benefit of being one of the biggest bands on the planet, you don’t have to engage the crowd since there isn’t any need to! I was impressed with the way Brian and Angus flew around the massive stage the whole night at their age. They exerted a lot of energy and the crowd matched their energy. I was also impressed by the showmanship of Angus. He did everything that he would have done back in the 1980’s and early 1990’s, the signature duck walk, the spinning in circles on the ground, and the interaction with the crowd. I can’t seem to think of many guitar players who are on his level in the showmanship category. I’d say that this show checked all the boxes in being one of the most memorable shows that I have seen. The only way this show could have been better is if Malcom was healthy and able to perform with the band.

September 25th 2015 Rock or Bust Tour, AT&T Park San Francisco. To see other AC/DC setlists visit setlist.fm

I am happy that they are pushing their new album Rock or Bust with them performing three songs. I don’t like it when bands become a pure nostalgia act without anything new to offer. I would have liked to see a couple more deeper cuts, maybe another song off of Powerage, maybe some Problem Child from Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, a song or two from Flick of the Switch. It has to be really hard for them to choose a setlist. They have so many hits that they have to play and a gigantic catalog to fill the other remaining slots with. With only twenty songs they don’t have much room for deep cuts.

There were so many great moments during the show, the bone chilling opening of Hells Bells, the energy and speed of Whole Lotta Rosie, the shred fest that is Let There be Rock, the crowd involvement of TNT. My highlight was the performance of Sin City. The execution was fantastic and sounded better than the original recording!

Angus