A Second Look: Trivium

 

There are times that when a band first comes on the scene people tend to be very cynical. Especially when the band is made up of teenagers. About 12 years ago, Trivium was thrust onto the heavy music scene, and was met with mixed thoughts. These kids could play their instruments and shred, but that wasn’t enough for most people. Trivium’s first couple albums Ember To Inferno, Ascendancy, and The Crusade, were barely showing the full potential of what the band could be. I first took notice of Trivium when Ascendancy came out. I bought the album and enjoyed it for what it was, a solid piece of metal, that played off the “metalcore” genre that was big at the time. I saw them twice on that cycle, and they did put on a great live show, and were very gracious and humble guys. When it came to The Crusade, I didn’t bother with it. It didn’t seem to have a sense of real depth, and it lacked a real direction of what the band was. Fast forward a few years, to a night when I was searching for something to listen to, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Trivium had put out a new album. So naturally I was curious to see and hear what they had become, and I was genuinely intrigued with what the band had become. For the first time I really thought that Trivium had come into their own.

I took the time to go back to all the albums I missed, and I have to say, since their album Shogun, Trivium has really found their sound, and honed their songwriting craft by leaps and bound. Shogun, was thrashy and heavy, with moments of melody that didn’t let it get too extreme. The follow up the very epic In Waves, is an album that really took it up a notch. You can really hear the amount of work and passion in this album. The next album Vengeance Falls, is somewhat of an experimental album for the band. They chose to work with David Draiman of Disturbed (who is a big fan of Trivium), and the results of their work turned out to be quite interesting. The vocals on the album featured a more dramatic singing approach, which seemed to have given singer/guitarist Matt Heafy, better control and understanding of what to do. Their latest album and the one that got me to listen to them again, Silence in the Snow, is everything you would hope the band could evolve into. The songwriting, playing style, vocals, lyrics and all around performance, shows a band that has really come into their own.

Trivium has defied the critics and have finally matured into a band that can really deliver. Not that they couldn’t before, but with anything, time and growth can make things that much better. I highly recommend taking a second look at Trivium.

 

Shogun:

 

In Waves:

 

Vengeance Falls:

 

Silence In The Snow:

Did you miss Episodes 1 & 2?

If you missed out on the first 2 episodes of the Audioeclectica Podcast, it’s never to late to start listening!!! Episode 3 will be up next week for you to enjoy!!!

Put this web address in your bookmarks!

soundcloud.com/audioeclectica 

 

Episode 1:

 

 

Episode 2:

Second Chance Albums: Metallica- Load

In every bands career there are times when the band changes things up and tries to take a chance and expand upon what they’ve already done. Sometimes this works out great, and other times it seriously backfires. In 1996, coming off the monster success of their “Black Album,” Metallica shocked their fans and released “Load.” Granted Load came in at number one on the billboard charts, it seemed to have left many of Metallica’s fans wondering what the hell is going on with the band. Gone was the band’s trademark thrash metal style and instead of that, the style was replaced with a more blues centered structure. The speed and complexity that the fans had grown to love was entirely disregarded on Load.I still remember seeing the video for “Until It Sleeps,” wondering what happened to Metallica.  I was one of those fans that was left scratching their head as to why Metallica would do this. Then as the years went on and I experienced more of what life has to offer, I took another listen to Load. What I found was an album that was ahead of it’s time. This was Metallica being vulnerable and laying it all out there. This is a great example of a band growing up and stepping outside their comfort zone. It is also an album that takes on a different meaning once you’ve lived life a bit. One of the best songs Metallica has ever written appears on Load. That song is “Bleeding Me.” The lyrics alone are enough to resonate deep. The music is solemn and moody, allowing all the emotions to flow with the song. Other songs like “Until It Sleeps,” “Hero Of The Day,” “Ain’t My Bitch,” “King Nothing,” and “The Outlaw Torn,” are steeped deep in misery and toil. The entirety of Load is astounding. There might be a song here and there that seems out of place but this album is a true gem. There is something about this album that, like a fine wine or a really good scotch only gets better with age.

Load wasn’t right for the time it was released. The fans still wanted more heavy from the band, and were caught completely off guard by this. This record is an exceptionally underrated metal/hard rock experience that takes the band’s music into entirely new territories.  Load is an excellent album with great songwriting and a high level of diversity. Giving something for everyone. Sure it’ll never top what Ride The Lightning, Master Of Puppets, And Justice For All and The “Black” Album are, but it’s definitely an album worthy of your time and patience. Give it another chance and you’ll see what I mean. Leave all your preconceived notions about Metallica at the door when you listen to this album.

 

Metallica- Load:

 

Metallica- Bleeding Me (S & M Version):

 

 

A Second Look: Baroness

There are times when I hear a band at first and write them off for sounding too much like another band I really enjoy. Over the years I’ve come to the realization that in doing so I’ve missed out on a lot of great music when it first arrived. When I first heard Baroness right after they released the Red Album, I totally passed them off as a Mastodon wannabe band. Even going as far as calling them Mastodon Light. Then something in my head changed when they released their follow up The Blue Album. They finally developed a blend of influences to make it their own. Then as bands do they progressed and created a double album of everything they enjoy. A lot of fans dropped them when they released the Yellow and Green album, due to its more laid back nature and mellowness. Yet for myself, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it made me really start to love Baroness. Now in 2015, the band are gearing up to release their newest album The Purple Album. Following a huge ordeal with a bus accident a few years back, it took time for the guys in the band to get back in the swing of things and work thorough all of the pain and agony they endured. Recently, they released the first single from the new album entitled “Chlorine & Wine.” It’s an epic of sorts that tells a story of what they all went through during their time away from music. If this is an inclination of what is to come for Baroness, I’d say they are truly paving their own path and making something they truly believe in.

Chlorine and Wine:

Making of Purple Part1:

Yellow and Green Album:

The Blue Album:

The Red Album:

https://www.facebook.com/YourBaroness

http://yourbaroness.com/

Why Metallica’s Death Magnetic Deserves Another Listen

Since the release of the “Black” album most Metallica fans have written off anything they have put out. The “purists” claim they haven’t put out anything good since …And Justice For All. For arguments sake, there are some really great songs that the band has written but as far as albums they really haven’t been able to capture much since after Justice. Though in 2008, Metallica released their first new album since the very disappointing St. Anger. This album was a throw back of sorts to what made Metallica great in the 80’s. And one of the biggest improvements was getting rid of working with Bob Rock. When Death Magnetic was released, it debuted at number one but has lots of people saying that the recording and mixing was terrible. Part of the problem was working with Rick Rubin. Granted he can at times bring out the best in bands to deliver great albums, his ear for compressing things is terrible. The album itself if mixed too loud leaving many listeners disgruntled. Barring all that listening to the album as a whole and taking it all in, Metallica delivered just what people wanted. A hard, fast, crushing album. Lyrically it’s more mature. Songs like “All Nightmare Long,” “Cyanide,” “The End Of The Line,” the great instrumental “Suicide and Redemption,” really capture that old school vibe. James Hetfield really took stock of where he was at in life  and went for it lyrically. Sure there are moments where it seems a little post rehabesque, but it’s undoubtably a Hetfield lyric. Kirk Hammet’s solo’s are classic. Lars is actually playing with passion again. Robert Trujilo’s bass (even with it being mixed low) is better than anything Jason Newsted ever did. These songs live are brutal. I’ve heard a majority of these songs played live and they kill. If you have a moment look up any of the songs from this album and you’ll see what I mean. Metallica are one of those bands who take chances and do what they want. It might not always be what the fans expect the Load and Reload albums come to mind. Death Magnetic is the album that should have come after …And Justice For All. Give it another shot and you’ll see what I mean.

By: Brian Lacy

A Second Look: 10 Years

It’s often easy to dismiss bands you hear on the radio. Most are just plain generic bands with no substance or truth behind them. For every 10 of those types of bands there is usually 1 in the bunch that really stands out, and defies those standards mentioned above. One of those bands is 10 Years. 10 Years was initially formed in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1999. In 2005 they released their major label debut, The Autumn Effect. The songs “Wasteland” and “Through The Iris” were released as singles and garnered solid radio play. During the album cycle for their debut, they toured with Korn, Sevendust, Deftones, Mudvayne and others. The follow up Division was released in 2008. This album has a different feel to it. Rick Parasher (Pearl Jam Ten) was chosen to produce this album. Some of the members of the band have gone on to say that this was a very difficult album to make, hence the name of the album. Songs like “Beautiful,” So Long, Goodbye,” “Actions and Motives,” are all standouts amongst others like “All Your Lies,” and “Focus” which was co-written by Dean DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots. Touring saw 10 Years share the stage with  Sevendust, Chevelle, and was apart of the 2008 Projekt Revolution tour. For their third album Feeding The Wolves, Howard Benson was picked to produce (on a personal note, I think Howard Benson’s production is too polished and clean, taking away from the raw feeling of the band). During recording, the band went back and forth between putting on live shows and working on the album. During this time, they debuted a few new songs live, including “Dead in the Water”, “Now is the Time”, and the new album’s first single “Shoot It Out.” Other standouts from the album include “Fix Me” and the epic closer “Fade Into (The Ocean).” When it came time to write a new album, 10 Years had announced that they were leaving their label to become independent again. The result was Minus The Machine, which was their most organic album since The Autumn Effect. It was released on August 7, 2012 through their own independent label called Palehorse Records. Songs such as “Minus The Machine,” “Backlash,” “Knives,” and “Forever Fields (Sowing Season)” are all standouts from the album.  The bands live show has always been full of great energy and true emotion. Listening to singer Jesse Hasek, you can hear in his voice that the words really mean something. Guitar wise Ryan “Tater” Johnson has great ability to play heavy and delicate songs without overplaying. Lewis Cosby plays the bass with enough force to make the low end shine and it balances extremely well with Brian Vodinh’s powerful drums. 

10 Years is the real deal. They aren’t your typical radio friendly band. If you wrote them off, give them another listen. They really are a gem amongst a sea of nothings.

 

The Autumn Effect:

 

Division:

 

Feeding The Wolves:

 

Minus The Machine:

 

http://10yearsmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/10yearsmusic

 

By: Brian Lacy

 

 

 

A Second Look: Sevendust

 

For many years Sevendust has been one of the hardest working bands in the hard rock community. Their energetic live shows, constant presence on the road, and solid songwriting have gone noticed but not by the masses as one would think. Formed in Atlanta in 1994 by Vince Hornsby (bass), Morgan Rose (drums), John Connelly (guitar), Clint Lowrey (guitar) and Lajon Witherspoon (vocals), Sevendust have released 10 albums in their career. Their self titled debut featuring songs, “Black,” “Bitch,” and “My Ruin” was a heavy forceful record, that would help to leave their mark on the scene. Their follow up Home featuring “Denial” “Waffle” and “Bender” (featuring Chino Moreno of Deftones) brought even more attention to what Sevendust was doing. On their next release Animosity, their ability as songwriters got even better and they created a gem of an album. Songs like “Praise,” “Trust,” “Live Again,” “Shine,” “Follow (Featuring Aaron Lewis of Staind),” and the ballad “Angel’s Son” which is dedicated to Lynn Strait of Snot. Their next album Seasons was a bit of a departure from their more raw sound and more so in to a produced cleaner sound. While the songs are strong the production of the album does tend to take away from what could’ve been a really great album. After the release of the album Clint Lowery left that band to focus on other musical endeavors. Over the next few years Sevendust kept at what they have done, and release albums and continue to rock stages with former Snot guitarist Sonny Mayo now in the band. Though the albums they wrote without Clint tended to fall flat, there were still some bright spots amongst it all. Then in 2008 Clint returned to the fold and brought a reinvigorated focus back to the band. The end result was a fantastic album entitled Cold Day Memory, which combined the intensity of Animosity and their first album, only sounding older (in a good way). Stand out tracks featuring “Unraveling,” “Forever Dead,” “Splinter,” and “The End Is Coming,” brought back the signature Sevendust sound the fans had been wanting. Their next album Black Out The Sun continued with their revitalized nature and delivered a more raw sounding album.

Sevendust has always been a heavy rock band, though they happen to come out at the height of “Nu Metal,” one can argue that they are not to be lumped in to that sub genre. Their is something to be said for a band to really put their all into everything they do. If you’ve seen them live you know what I mean. Vocally they are one of the strongest. Lajon has a very unique and soulful voice that reflects the lyrics beautifully,, and Clint when he chimes in has the ability to take the melody into a darker nature with more of a baritone feel, plus Morgan and his shouting and screaming really creates a trifecta of blistering vocals. Guitar wise Clint and John can shred but they seemed  to restrain themselves on earlier releases, on their last two albums though their progress as players really show through. Vince has a very loose bass sound that fits right in the pocket of the rhythm of how Morgan swings and beats his drums.

Give them another listen and you might be surprised that you missed out on something. Sevendust are currently getting ready to release an acoustic album featuring old songs redone and new jams that are sure to be fan favorites.

 

Albums to check out: Animostiy, Cold Day Memory, Home, Black Out The Sun, Sevendust

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.sevendust.com/

By: Brian Lacy

A Second Look: DOWN (and 2 For Tuesday)

Many “supergroups” have come and gone. Some have been great while others were put together to capitalize on the members names. One group that has always stood out to me is Down. During it’s inception, Down was meant to be a side project for the members during their downtime while in Pantera, Corrosion Of Conformity, EyeHateGod, and Crowbar. Comprised of Philip H. Anselmo, Pepper Keenan, Jimmy Bower, Pat Bruders, and Bobby Landgraf, (Rex Brown and Kirk Windstein have since parted ways with the band to focus on other projects) these gents have put together a formula of righteous heaviness. A lot of people pronounce Pantera as the holy grail of heavy, but I’ve always though that Down was the better band. Sure I get a lot of flack for this opinion, but I stand by it. All you have to do is listen to the songs. There really is something special about the music that these guys made. Not to take anything away from Pantera, Down just has had more of an impact on me.

Their first album NOLA, is quite a classic in todays heavy rock circles. Songs such as Temptations Wings, Stone The Crow, Losing All, Jail, and Bury Me In Smoke, all portray such vulnerability and strength in the delivery of them. After NOLA was released and a few shows were played, Down was put on the back burner until 2001. When Down reconvened, they did so at Phil’s home and transformed his barn into a studio and wrote and recorded their next album Down II: A Bustle In Your Hedgerow in 28 days. While the album wasn’t as solid as their debut, there are still quite a few gems on the album such as Ghosts Along The Mississippi, Learn From This Mistake, Beautifully Depressed, The Seed, and New Orleans Is A Dying Whore. In 2002 Down toured as part of Ozzfest, only to take another break soon after. Then again in 2006 they reformed in the wake of the travesty of Hurricane Katrina and the death of Dimebag Darrell. The result was Down III: Over The Under which proved to be every bit of what fans would expect the album to be. It’s raw and filled with anger, remorse, sadness, and hope. Quick side note it’s also the only of their albums not to have any profanity on it. The album features some truly great well written songs including The Path, On March The Saints, Beneath The Tides, In The Thrall Of It All and the epic Nothing In Return (which has become one of my favorite songs ever). In 2012, the release of part 1 of their 4 EP set was released. The Purple EP was a slight return to the raw unpolished sound of their original material. Misfortune Teller the closing track on the album really showcases this return.  Down are now gearing up to release part 2 this year.

Down has been able to wrangle themselves into quite the group. They are honest musicians that create music that satisfies the savage beast in all of us. They can write songs that are heavy as heavy can be but also can take you on an epic trip. If you’ve never really given Down a listen you should really sit back and enjoy what they have to offer.

Nothing In Return: I love listening to this song to end my evening after a night out or just when I’m coming home from work.

Bury Me In Smoke: Another great song to end the night to, also a great song to just listen to while driving with the windows down.

Why Alice In Chains 2.0 deserves your attention

Since the reformation of Alice In Chains, there have been many debates. The most common is that since Layne Staley is no longer with us they shouldn’t call it Alice In Chains. Another one is that William DuVall is no where near close to Layne. Granted I never got to see Alice In Chains with Layne, I have seen the new Alice In Chains 4 times. And let me tell you it is something special. Rather than try to be Layne, William pays tribute in a very meticulous way. His voice bellows over the music in a beautiful way. He is also the only one that has come close to complimenting Layne’s voice. There are moments during the show if you close your eyes and just focus on the music you can hear Layne. I know that sounds cheesy but it’s very true. In particular when Nutshell is played. William DuVall really gives it his all during every song. While the subject matter might not rully resonate with William, there are always different ways the songs meanings can be taken.

Their new music is something that also needs to be given a second chance. Many people won’t give it a listen. I know of a few people that are complete naysayers. Though after playing certain songs they’ve started to come around. The return album Black Gives Way To Blue was a wonderful sentimental album containing tributes to Layne and the content we’ve all come to expect from an Alice In Chains album. Songs like  A Looking In View, Private Hell, Your Decision and the title track Black Gives Way To Blue really shine and capture the essence of the band, without compromise. The live performances during that time were quite special. The set lists were chock full of the great songs of the past with large sing alongs, and the new songs really striking the audience’s ears.

Alice In Chains most recent release The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here is almost a pick up where they left off musically from way back when their self titled album (or as some call it tripod) was released back in 1996. There are moments where the real classic Alice is summoned. Songs like Hollow, Stone, Scalpel, and Choke all have that feel to them. One of the most standout tracks is Phantom Limb, which was written primarily by William Duvall. The music on the song is pure Alice In Chains , and the lyrics have the emotional, raw take on life that Jerry and Layne were able to capture.

There is a reason that Alice In Chains came back. I honestly don’t think it was a cash grab. I really believe it’s because they still have something to say. They came back without compromising their artistic integrity or ability to write great songs. They have the written some of the best songs in the last 25 years and put out albums that are epic and real. Layne is undoubtably one of the best ever and will forever be recognized as so. The new Alice In Chains does every bit of justice as the old. Give it another chance and see what you’ve been missing.

By: Brian Lacy