New Release: Slipknot- All Out Life

We are a ways out from a new Slipknot album but, they seem to have been keeping busy. Today, they released a new song called “All Out Life” which is supposed to appear on their upcoming album. Enjoy!

Slipknot- All Out Life:

 

Album Review: Daughters- You Won’t Get What You Want

It’s never easy for a band to come back from a lengthy hiatus and pick up where they left off. There are a few anomalies over the years where that has happened, Failure, Alice In Chains, and Death From Above 1979 are just a couple that come to mind. You can now add Daughters to that list. Releasing their first album in over 8 years, You Won’t Get What You Want is an album that continues the legacy of what Daughters created at first but now, takes it a bit further and almost reinvents what the band once was.

You Won’t Get What You Want is not accessible or mainstream by any means. Instead you get a visceral album that stretches and pushes the boundaries of art rock, post punk, a bit of industrial and rock. From the well crafted songs to the production, the final product is every bit a Daughters album and then some. There are songs that border on the chaotic like “Long Road No Turns,” “Satan In The Wait,” and “Less Sex.” Then there are others that expand upon different elements of atmosphere and aggression like “The Flammable Man,” “The Lords Song,” “The Reason They Hate Me,” and “Ocean Song. The opening and closing songs “City Song” and “Guest House” have a way about them that not only set and end a mood but, they also hit you like a ton of bricks.

Daughters are a band that aren’t easily describable. Sure you can throw around different genres to see if they stick but, in the end, the experimental nature of the band and what they create is in itself art. You Won’t Get What You Want is an album that is much needed in this day an age. It will make you think, as well as take you places you and your mind might not have gone before. Daughters are back and have delivered an album worthy of their past as well as what the future holds for them. What an album. Every time I listen, I hear something else that makes me dig this album even more. This record is most certainly in my top 10 of the year.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

 

Daughters- You Won’t Get What You Want:

Behind The Scenes of You Won’t Get What You Want:

 

On The Rise: Monuments

 

There’s something in the water over in the UK. Over the past decade there has been a new explosion of bands coming out of the United Kingdom and leaving a mark on the heavy music scene. Bands like Architects, Sylosis and Bring Me The Horizon are leading the new UK scene. There is another band that deserves to be mentioned along with those above, and that band is Monuments. Formed by Fellsilent’s Josh Browne and The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza’s John Travis, Monuments released their debut album Gnosis in 2012 (via Century Media Records). Their follow up album, The Amanuensis, really saw the band hit their stride in terms of songwriting and style. Their proggy djent sound along with groove driven elements, started to make Monuments more of a household name. The band would go on to tour with groups like Born of Osiris, After The Burial and Jeff Loomis. Not long after, lineup changes occurred and  new members were brought in. Now in 2018, Monuments have released their third album Phronesis. The album was recorded in various studios in different countries. Interestingly, the vocals were recorded with Ill Nino singer Christian Machado. The album itself is Monuments doing what they do best, delivering groovy djent with a bit of prog. This album sees the band exploring differnet territories and not going down the “play it safe” route. They seem to understand that evolution is necessary in order to prolong the longevity. Sure, some fans of the band might not dig on certain tracks, but the core essence of the band is still there.

 
Monuments- Phronesis:

Monuments-The Amanuensis:

 
Monuments- Gnosis:

Band Of The Week: Wrong

The 90’s sound has influenced and inspired so many bands. That distinct guitar sound or the was the bass rumbles to the way the drums punch, there is no denying that “that” sound changed the world. There is a band hailing from Florida, that has captured the essence of the 90’s sound and expanded on it in a very cool experimental and noisy sort of way. The band is called WRONG and they are badass. Made up of members of Torche and Kylesa, WRONG has taken inspiration from 90’s stalwarts Helmet and Unsane and made bombastic heavy rock. Their new album entitled Feel Great, is rifftastic and full of groove that will get your head banging and your feet moving. Wrong is unrelenting and aggressive yet they understand the dynamics of their craft.

 
Wrong- Feels Great:

 

Wrong- Pustile:

 

 
Wrong- Gape:

 

Cover Song: Will Haven (Pink Floyd)- Brain Damage/Eclipse

So I just found out about this rad cover Will Haven did of Pink Floyd’s classic “Brain Damage/Eclipse.” This is a b-side from their new album, Muerte, which came out earlier this year. What a cool cover!

 

Will Haven- Brain Damage/Eclipse:

 

Cover Song: 10 Years (Nirvana)- Heart Shaped Box

On the bonus track edition of the new 10 Years album, (How To Live) As Ghosts, they did a cover of Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box.” It’s quite a cool cover with a very moody approach. It’s one of those covers that when you hear it, you’ll enjoy it. They did the song justice and put their own spin on it. The vibe of this song would be great in a movie trailer.

 
10 Years- Heart Shaped Box:

 

In Defense Of: Lou Reed & Metallica- Lulu

There is an album that came out back in 2011, that the world seemed to really take a rather negative turn on. You’ve all heard about the collaboration of the great Lou Reed and the mighty Metallica and their album Lulu. The majority of people that heard the album immediately called it atrocious and worthless. I’m probably, no, I am in the minority of people out there that actually like the album. Now before I tell you why I dig it, let me give you a little backstory on how all this came to be.

The inception of this collaboration began in 2009 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Concert. Metallica was chosen to perform with a variety of different artists from the rock world. Lou Reed was one of the rock contemporaries that joined Metallica on stage for a renditions of The Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane” and “White Light/White Heat.”  After the show Lou suggested to the band that they should work together. It wouldn’t be until 2011 that this finally came to fruition. Metallica was originally brought in to re-record various unreleased songs Lou Reed had written. There were a batch of songs that Lou had from a piece of work called Lulu, based on the plays of German playwright Frank Wedekind. Metallica brought a slew of different arrangements to the table and the rest played out with the band and Lou working together to create the album. Lulu is a piece of art that is very misunderstood. The full story of where the material comes from is quite dark and horrific and comes from a place that most people wouldn’t dare tread. There are two pieces Earth Spirit and Pandora’s Box that sum up all the parts of what Lulu is all about.

 

The critics of the music world truly denounced the album calling it one of the worst albums of all time. This is where I come to the albums defense. First of all, if you are not a Lou Reed fan, you are one, not going to like this album, two, if you’ve never listened to Lou Reed, you won’t “get” this, and three Lou had picked Metallica to be his backing band on this project due to the intensity of the content that Lou had written based on these plays. As a Lou Reed fan since I was a very young child, when I first heard about this collaboration, I was overjoyed. I was going to get to hear two of my favorites working together. Lou has and always will be one of the best songwriters of all time. His influence since the late 60’s is astounding. Many bands wouldn’t exist today if it weren’t for Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground. Lou has always been an unorthodox artist. Anyone that has taken the time to delve into his catalog can attest to that. The choice of Metallica for this project is one that is pretty astounding. Having a band that has gone against the status quo for most of their career link up with a guy like Lou is like kismet. The 5 of these guys created an album that is an art piece through and through. It’s not a Metallica album. This is a Lou Reed album.

If you were Metallica and one of rocks biggest titans asked you to work with them on a project, you’d jump at the chance to do that. You know you would. To the guys in Metallica, this was one of those instances when doing this would be fulfilling artistically. Metallica has never been a band about quantity, thankfully. They spend time crafting their material. Some of their output hasn’t been what the “fans” wanted, i.e. Load, Reload and St. Anger but, they have always stuck to their guns and did what they felt was right.
Don’t be so quick to dismiss this album. It’s very involved and not for everyone that’s for sure. Lou Reed isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but if you give him a chance and take a deep look into the works of Lou, it will all make sense. Lou was an artist first and foremost. His lyrics told stories and hit on subjects many would find taboo. One day I will write up a whole thing about the greatness that was Lou Reed so you all can really delve into his works.

Lulu is like scotch, it’s acquired taste. As I’ve mentioned already, this is not an easy listen and you should not be expecting a Metallica album. If you really want to give this a chance, I highly recommend looking into what the plays are all about then go in knowing this is Lou Reed’s album with Metallica as his backing band.

Lou Reed & Metallica- Lulu:

 

Lou Reed and Metallica- Live:

 

 

 

Lou Reed and Metallica- Sweet Jane (Live):

 

 

Lou Reed and Metallica- White Light/White Heat (Live):

 

Video Rank: Depeche Mode

Since I’ve been on my Depeche Mode kick the past couple weeks, it has made me truly realize how amazing this band really is. Not that I didn’t think that before but, after delving deep into their catalog, starting with album number 1 till their newest, it’s not hard to come to the conclusion that Depeche Mode is one of those bands that will live on forever. While on this journey, I started to really look closely at their visual aspects. Over the years they have released some of the most artistic and unique music videos. Naturally, you know what that means… it’s time for a video rank! Here are the top ten videos by the one and only, Depeche Mode.

 

10) Enjoy The Silence:

 

 
09) Strangelove:

 

 

08) Personal Jesus:

 

 

07) Dream On:

 

 

06) Where’s The Revolution:

 

 

05) Heaven:

 

 

04) Soothe My Soul:

 

 

03) I Feel You:

 

 

02) Walking In My Shoes:

 

 

01) Wrong:

 

Soundtrack Only Songs: Mastodon- White Walker from Game of Thrones

A couple years back the folks who make Game of Thrones released a “soundtrack” album of songs written about the show. One of the most stand out songs from that release was Mastodon’s contribution to it. The song “White Walker” is one of the bands most experimental yet wonderfully crafted songs. It’s also worth noting that a few of the members of Mastodon have appeared on the show and yes, they were killed, hahaha. Anyways here’s Mastodon’s awesome song!

 
Mastodon- White Walker:

 

New Release: Memento- Legacy

A while back I posted about how the band Memento was back and well, they officially are. The have released their first new song in many years and it’s fan-fucking-tastic. This new track entitled “Legacy” is one hell of a rocker. The vocals and lyrics of singer Justin Stewart Cotta are top notch. He hasn’t lost a step at all. The riffs and leads of guitarist Jason “Space” Smith are killer. He’s always had a knack for writing catchy yet riff-tastic jams. If this is just the beginning for what’s to come for Memento, then the future looks pretty bright. Welcome back gents!!!

 

Memento- Legacy:

 

 

Memento- Beginnings (Debut Album):