Title Tracks: Black Map- And We Explode

Since I first heard about Black Map, I’ve been super stoked about them. I’ve had the pleasure to see them a few times as well as sit down with Ben and Mark for an interview. They are one of the best rock bands out there today and continue to impress and get better with each release. Their debut album has one of my favorite title tracks I’ve ever heard in “And We Explode Parts 1 & 2.” This song (let’s just call it one song), packs so much passion and awesomeness in it. The melody that accompanies the riffs and rhythms are pristine and are smooth as butter. It’s really a great showcase for how good of songwriters Black Map are along with players. If you haven’t heard Black Map before, you should definitely change that! Also, if you are in the Los Angeles area at the end of September (Sept 28 to be exact), Black Map is playing at The Whisky with my homies in Centershift.

Black Map- And We Explode Part I:

Black Map- And We Explode Part II:

Album Debate: Dredg- El Cielo vs Catch Without Arms

Dredg is one of the most underrated, artistic and intriguing bands of the last couple decades. They have been been one of the most consistent bands that chose art over the easy way out. During this time, Dredg have released 5 full length albums all of which stand on their own artistic integrity. There are 2 albums that I’d like to focus on. The bands second and third albums El Cielo and Catch Without Arms are not just artistically sound but also two albums that have helped to influence and inspire countless of other bands.

Album Review: Black Map- In Droves

Rock music is alive and well. Armed with inspiration, influences and artistry, Black Map has officially cemented their place in rock with their new album In Droves. Consisting of 15 songs, well technically 12 if you don’t count the three interludes, In Droves breathes a much needed breath of fresh air to the rock world. Ben Flanagan (Bass/Vocals), Mark Engles (Guitar) and Chris Robyn (Drums) play off each other tremendously. They have the ability to be heavy without compromising melody.

Starting off the album is “Run Rabbit Run” this is a great start to the record. It’s rifftastic, heavy hitting and thumping with soaring vocals. From there the album takes a turn towards the melancholy with “Foxglove” then back to the rock with the melodically heavy “Ruin.” As the album continues with songs like “Heavy Waves,” Dead Ringer, “Octavia,” and “No Color” you can tell that Black Map has really dialed in their sound. By the time “Indoor Kid” kicks in, you can tell you that you’ve been experiencing an “ALBUM.” “White Fence” is drenched in atmosphere. While “Just My Luck” is a solid rocker. ” Cash For The Fears” is a solemn track that is full of depth and emotion. Closing out the album is the epic “Coma Phase,” which is a great summation of the album.

Black Map is a band for the times. Their sound is full of 90’s rock without being a copy. If I were asked to describe what Black Map sounds like I’d say Failure mixed with Helmet. The vocals and lyrics of Ben Flanagan are full of melody and deep. Mark Engles guitar work is showcased brilliantly. Bringing some of the ambience and atmosphere from Dredg, really helps to make the heavy riffs, their own. Chris Robyn is one of the most underrated drummers. His work in FAR alone deserves that nod, and his playing on this album is just as good. Black Map are the “X marks the spot” type of band if you are looking for the next great rock band.

Overall Rating: 9/10

Run Rabbit Run:

Ruin:

Just My Luck:

Heavy Waves:

No Color:

Top Ten Bands A-Z: D

The letters keep on coming… Here are the top ten bands with the letter D. Again these are in no particular order!
1. The Doors

2. Deftones

3. Depeche Mode

4. Bob Dylan

5. Down

6. Def Leppard

7. Dio

8. Danzig

9. Dead Kennedys

10. Dredg

Unsung Masterpieces: Dredg- Catch Without Arms

There are quite a few bands that really work to create a piece of work that is special. They don’t compromise their artistic integrity just to sell their albums. Instead they grind it out in hope that people will listen and grasp just what they are doing. One of those bands is Dredg. Never one to follow a trend or sacrifice their art for a buck, the guys in Dredg stand by their vision and don’t disappoint. Their third album Catch Without Arms just passed the ten year mark, and it still rocks just as much as when it came out. Catch Without Arms was released on June 21, 2005. This album showed a change to a simpler, and more straightforward musical style for the band but still had a bit of the etherial tinge that El Cielo had. The album was produced by Terry Date (Deftones, Pantera, Soundgarden) and had some additional help from Queensryche guitarist Chris DeGarmo.

Catch Without Arms features great songs such as “Ode To The Sun,” “Bug Eyes,” “Not That Simple,” “The Tanbark Is Hot Lava,” “Sang Real,” and “Jamais Vu.” These songs show the forward movement of the band and it’s members ability to write individual songs. Catch Without Arms is a concept album about opposites, mainly focused on positives and negatives. Each member brings something different to the table. Singer/guitarist Gavin Hayes has a very intriguing voice that makes his lyrics come to life. Drummer Dino Campanella is one of the most underrated drummers in music. His ability is astounding, not to mention his ability to play drums and piano at the same time. This is truly something awesome to watch. Mark Engles has a guitar tone that is his own. It’s melodic and clean that fits perfectly with the nature of each song. Bassist Drew Roulette grooves right along with Dino’s drums, and his bass lines add another element to each song.

Dredg is one of the most underrated bands to come out since 2000. They really know themselves and what they are capable of. Their ability to push the boundaries of their art is uncompromising and satisfying. Give this album another listen and you’ll see why it is an unsung masterpiece

https://www.facebook.com/dredg

Dredg- Catch Without Arms:

By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: Black Map

I’ve talked about this band a lot, reviewed their shows and interviewed them. They are one of the best new bands I’ve heard in a long time. I can’t stop listening to their Driver EP. They deserve all the good that is coming to them. Their balance of being a heavy rock band with melody is beyond intriguing. For a power trio they really put out a lot of volume. The drums are thumping and pounding courtesy of the heavy hitting Chris Robyn. The guitars are delicate and crisp when they need to be and then change in to distorted crunchy heaviness thanks to Mark Engles. The bass is driving and plays off the riffs so well. Vocally the range of Ben Flanagan is astounding. His ability to hit high notes then go to a gruff scream is tremendous. Black Map is one hell of a gem to see live. There is so much energy that it permeates through the crowd. Be on the look out for their debut fill length soon!

http://www.blackmapmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/blackmapmusic

http://blackmapmusic.bandcamp.com/album/driver

By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: Disquiet

The alternative music scene is flooded by a lot of generic music. To be absolutely honest, it pretty much is terrible. Though amongst the sea of monotony there are a few bright spots. One of those is Massachusetts Disquiet. Combining their influences of Dredg, U2, Kings Of Leon mixed with some art rock and a dash of shoe gaze, Disquiet stands out amongst their peers. 2013 saw the release of their first album, April Distance. This three-piece is comprised of guitarist Derek Juliano, bassist and front man Jonas Boinay, and drummer/percussionist Dirceu De Rossi Pereira. Disquiet has the ability to be both powerful and subtle. They have a real knack for steadfast beats mixed with seductive riffs.

http://www.reverbnation.com/disquietsongs/songs

https://www.facebook.com/Disquietsongs

http://www.disquietsongs.com

 

By: Brian Lacy

Interview with Black Map

 

Recently I had the pleasure of sitting down with Mark Engles and Ben Flanagan of Black Map before their show at The Wiltern as part of Chevelle’s La Gargola tour. Here’s what went down.

Thank you guys for sitting down talking and hanging out. My fiancé and I were at the Viper Room Show and even with technical difficulties, which made it punk rock, it was still a great show.

Ben:
Yeah glad it was towards the end, we had a good time, we had a good show. Last 2 songs were totally fucked, but I still left the stage thinking that was good show, even though we couldn’t play the last 2 songs.

Being that this is your first tour as Black Map, what has the crowd reaction been like and what are the ups and downs so far?

Mark:
It’s been amazing. Spoiling even. Having a headliner who’s so kind. I already had a relationship with them, from when Dredg did some touring with Chevelle. So that part is spoiling. We walk into the venue on the first show and there is no awkwardness and just start talking right away. Some tours it takes weeks to even talk to each other. On this tour we are playing great venues in front of great crowds. The crowd is very open-minded. The Chevelle crowd wants to listen to some rock n roll. And if you’re good at what you do they’re gonna accept it.

Ben:
This crowd wants to like us and the other band Highly Suspect who is great. It’s been nice getting out there. It’s warm from the get go. And it’s been our job to elevate that. Their fans are a bunch of sweethearts. It’s been great

Mark:
Nothing’s been thrown at us so that’s a great start.

The Driver EP came out earlier in the year, I bought it when it came out. My fiancé has it in her car, we both can’t stop listening to it. With everything that’s on your plate, I know you’ve been working on your full length. What is the time table on that?

Ben:
We are close to done with it and that some Tuesday in mid October we hope to release it. We have one more full song to record and some tweaks, mixing and mastering. We’re about 85% done with the whole thing.

What made you want to be in a heavier band considering that you’ve been in more of experimental/alternative melodic bands?

Mark:
We’ve been talking about it loosely for quite a while, when we’ve been out to dinner at a bar or watching a baseball game. We both know that we have the type of chops the way we play music. We know we are capable of it. I grew up listening to heavy stuff, we both did. Also, having Chris Robyn being down to do it, he’s a heavy hitter, it’s what he specializes in. So with all that, why not go back to a power trio or simple rock band. It’s just fun. When we walked in the room the first day, we said let’s just have fun. We had a 12 pack of beer and just rocked like we were 18 again.

Ben:
There is kind of a void to fill. I loved and still love the type of music the Trophy Fire is, the lighter alternative rock. I miss when I was younger, just playing the drop d brutal just kind of heavy riffs. Getting in a room and be able to do that as very cathartic, and then to still apply that sense of melody that we have in our other bands, brings out a really good feeling.

What bands really brought you together, especially in the writing?

Mark:
The obvious are our former bands. There are elements of Dredg, Far and The Trophy Fire. And other things from that era. Failure came up a couple times. Sepultura and Entomed on the guitar side of life, Helmet’s in there. I think all the stuff that influenced us in the mid nineties. Even the stuff that we looked as that was kind of underrated, like Faith No More, bands that did well, but weren’t the big pop radio hit bands.

What’s the driving factor of being a power trio? What really encapsulates your sound?

Mark:
I really like the fact that Ben is playing bass. He’s a guitar player and we really lock up on riffs and it allows us to get more intricate. I think when a trio is tight, it sounds so much tighter than that of a quartet being tight. You can really back up what you are playing. That was a fun part for us at first. Let’s write things that are very tight and intricate. It’s just simpler that way. And when you load into shows you have a lot less gear and all that other shit that goes with it too. It’s great.

While in Black Map, do you have any ideal tour mates or what’s your ideal bill?

Mark:
I think any band we enjoy that’s a loud, guitar-driven band would be great for us. Chevelle is actually one of them. Ben brought up months ago, before we were offered the tour.We’d be happy to play with any band that sounds similar or we’ve been influenced by. With my previous band, we’d over analyze things more. Like if someone offered us a tour, we’d think is this good for us. It this a good look? With this band, if the band is loud and we respect them, we’d probably say yes.

Personal Influence wise, who is the one that made you pick up the guitar and sing?

Ben:
It’s pretty simple for me and actually cliché. When I was 11, I got Nevermind. I basically wanted to be Kurt Cobain. That’s why I started playing guitar. So definitely that started it and went in a million different directions after that. I almost got a little sentimental the other day when we pulled into Seattle. We’re on this tour and it’s going great and I was kind of back to where it all started for me wanting to play guitar and be a singer.

Mark:
I gotta go with a lot of the metal from the 70’s and 80’s. I was listening to music at a young age. I had an older brother, but it wasn’t until Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Randy Rhodes, that sort of thing. That whole group of bands really made me want to start playing.

That’s really cool actually. Ok If you could pick your top 5 favorite albums and I know its one of those crazy put you on the spot questions…

Mark:
How much time do you have?

Until you need to go to sound check

Mark:
It’s tough for me, because whenever this question is asked I automatically go to certain albums like Dark Side Of The Moon and OK Computer. Then I start thinking of genres and different stages of life too. For me Pink Floyd and Radiohead, bands like that came a bit later, even Portishead. But early on it was the metal stuff. Sepultura Chaos AD is in there. Though it all becomes very convoluted in my mind. Like when I was 10 this album changed my likes, then you go through a renaissance of other styles in your 20’s and makes you listen to other things.

Ben:
We’ve talked a lot about different bands with their records that influenced us like Fantastic Planet by Failure, King For A Day Fool For A Life Time by Faith No More, The Shape Of Punk To Come by Refused. Albums like that. From start to finish they are beautifully executed and tell a story.

Mark:
I know one for you and me too. California by Mr. Bungle.

Did you get a chance to go to any of the Failure reunion shows?

Mark:
Saw them twice got to see them open for Tool and their headliner.

Ben:
Them opening for Tool was cool but their headliner with the 2 sets was fucking cool.

Oh I’d throw Tool Aenima in the mix too.

You guys mentioned that you are going release the album in October. Are you going to do a fall winter tour or wait till the next year to get out there?

Mark:
It’s all up in the air. We are trying to get anything we feel would be productive. We are definitely thinking about what we could be doing and what not. There are things in the works but nothing confirmed so I really can’t say much about it…

Ok for my one cliché type question, what’s the status of Dredg and The Trophy Fire? I know you Mark went with Dredg over to Europe recently.

Mark:
Europe was great and successful. We all agreed we have another record in us but there isn’t a rush to do it at this point.

Ben:
Same with Trophy Fire. Love the guys and we all get along, I’ve just been focusing on this and there are only so many hours in the day. Cool thing about being in a band is that there is no boss looking over your shoulder telling you to clock in.

Ben and Mark:
We’ll do it when we feel the time is right to go back to those projects.

Thank you guys for sitting with me and letting me ask you some questions and taking the time.

Ben and Mark:
Oh you are welcome, it’s our pleasure.

 

 

Interview by: Brian Lacy

Live Review: Chevelle and Black Map at The Wiltern

With the times changing and album sales decreasing, longevity isn’t one of the most promising things to relate to in the music industry today. There are a few bands that have been able to really hold their place and still pack a punch. Chevelle is one of those bands. Since the release of their album Wonder What’s Next, they have been packing venues and releasing a steady catalog of solid rock albums. Friday night at the Wiltern, was tremendous. Chevelle’s 90 minute set blazed through their hits, deep cuts from their album Wonder What’s Next, and songs from their latest release La Gargola. The light show that accompanied the band was stunning. The blasts of light matched perfectly with every beat of Sam Loeffler’s drums. Pete Loeffler’s voice live, mixed with that of brother-in-law, Dean Bernardini (bass/vocals), were in perfect unison. The crowd’s age ranged from late teens all the way to late 30’s and even early 40’s. You could definitely tell the long time fans, especially when songs like “Closure,” “Forfeit,” “Comfortable Liar,” and “Grab Thy Hand” were played.

The direct support was the exceptional Black Map from San Francisco. This power trio of Ben Flanagan (bass/vocals), Mark Engles (guitar/vocals) and Chris Robyn (drums) left the Wiltern in shambles after their set. Formed only a year ago and featuring members of Dredg, Far, and The Trophy Fire, Black Map is definitely a site to see! All the songs off their debut EP Driver and those from their upcoming full length were played and to great reaction. Ben’s voice is one of the purest and uncompromising voices in the rock genre today. The tone of the guitar of Mark still has some of the elements from Dredg, but adds more of a heavier grit. Chris still has the fury he played with in Far and some new energy, thanks to his new bandmates. Black Map has come out at the right place and right time. They are on their way to stealing the show from anyone they play with and making a name for themselves.

Opening the show was another trio called Highly Suspect from New York. While they were a decent opening band, there was something missing with them. The singer/guitarist was the most enjoyable part of the band. His voice was stellar and reminded me of the singer from Kings Of Leon (in a total good way). Though, throughout their set I couldn’t contain my excitement for seeing Black Map and Chevelle.

All in all this was a great night for rock music. Having Chevelle firing on all cylinders (no pun intended), and Black Map rocking the stage was the perfect blend of melodic heaviness.

Chevelle Set List:

1. The Clincher
2. Grab Thy Hand
3. Send The Pain Below
4. Sleep Apnea
5. Take Out The Gunman
6. An Island
7. Closure
8. Forfeit
9. Vitamin R (Leading Us Along)
10. Envy
11. Hunter Eats Hunter
12. Hats Off To The Bull
13. I Get It

Encore:

14. The Red
15. Comfortable Liar
16. Face To The Floor

Black Map Set List: (abridged names)

1. Code
2. Gold
3. Hills
4. Eyes
5. Ropes
6. Mellee
7. Chinaski
8. Gemini
9. I’m Just The Driver

By: Brian Lacy

Photos by: Alisa Diaz

Black Map: Live at The Viper Room

When it was first announced that Dredg’s Mark Engles, Far’s Chris Robyn and The Trophy Fire’s Ben Flanagan had gotten together to play music, the hairs on my arms stood up (all in a good way). The three formed the band Black Map, a melodic hard rock band that shows the harder side of what they all have to offer. In a live setting they are undeniably awesome. Their live show is intense as it is raw and powerful. Chris plays with the same intensity that he’s played with since back in the FAR days, only this time he has added more groove to his playing. Mark has a very unique tone with Dredg and parts of that carry over but in this band you can tell his love for the heavier side of things, especially with the riffs he plays. Ben has a great sense of melody with his voice and his bass tone is thick and driving. All three of these guys make what a power trio should be. Their set at the Viper Room on Saturday night was inspiring. Despite a few technical issues, they were on fire. Playing the four songs from their EP and others yet to be released, everyone in the audience was really into it. The unreleased songs has a great balance of melody and heaviness. Even their banter in between songs provided a few chuckles while at the same time engaging to everyone. I can’t wait to see them again.

Their debut EP DRIVER is 4 songs of nothing but fantastic. Kicking off the E.P. is “I’m Just The Driver.” This song is what a lead of track should be as well as a great introduction to what the sound of the band is.  The next track “Gold” has a melodic edge to it all the while rhythmically driving. “Head For The Hills” showcases Ben’s vocal ability as powerful rock singer. The music that accompanies the song is melodic in nature and shows off more of what Mark can do on his guitar. The closing track “Ropes” is a great song that features a rocking sing along (which has been missing from rock music in general). Musically this song has a nasty vibe to it with it’s dirty bass and pounding drums, but also has a sheen to it with the guitars bouncing back and forth between clean and distorted.

Black Map has recently stated that they have enough songs for a full length which they hope to have out later this year as well as lots more shows to come. These guys are the real deal, they know how to write great songs and bring back hard rock with melody!

 

 

http://www.blackmapmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/blackmapmusic

http://blackmapmusic.bandcamp.com/album/driver

 

By: Brian Lacy