Bands That Should Return: Human Waste Project

Before there was Korn and Deftones, there was a band that really started it all and they were called Human Waste Project. The band formed in 1992 when Jeff Schartoff and Scott Ellis decided to start a band. Aimee Echo was picked as the vocalist/singer after finding out she could “scream.” After going through different guitarists for a bit they finally found Mike Tempesta and off they went. The next thing they were playing with large bands like Helmet, Korn, Deftones and Sublime. Eventually the band signed with Hollywood Records. Human Waste Project also wound up in the UK and Europe with bands like Tura Satana and Coal Chamber and also part of Ozzfest 98 in the UK. Human Waste Project was enjoying a bit of success especially in the UK but back in the states, things weren’t the same. Their debut album, E-Lux, which is an absolute fantastic album and debut, was considered a commercial failure and that led to the band being pegged as a nu-metal band and it left Aimee feeling uncomfortable and being typecast as such. So on July 8, 1998 at the House of Blues in Los Angeles, Human Waste Project performed their last show as a band. From there, Aimee Echo and Scott Ellis went on to form The Start alongside former Snot drummer, Jaime Miller. Scott Ellis would also later go on to be the drummer for She Wants Revenge. Jeff Schartoff would go on to form Professional Murder Music and be a part of Peter Murphy of Bauhaus’s solo live band. And Mike Tempesta would go on to join Powerman 5000.

Their album E-Lux was produced by Ross Robinson and it’s not your typical nu-metal album. While there were definitely some ties to the incoming music movement, Human Waste Project had more in common with the likes of Jane’s Addiction in that they were always a step ahead of the curve. They had more to their music and lyrics than their peers and it shows very much on E-Lux. There was also a versatility to HWP that other didn’t have. Aimee had a range to her voice that could go from sweet and innocent all the way to rip your face off. Musically, there was more than just dropped tuned guitars, as they explored different styles and gravitated more towards 90’s alternative rock than metal.

Over the years, there have been a few reunions of Human Waste Project. I happen to have been at a couple of them and it was quite awesome. At a show for The Start in 2008, the remaining three HWP members came on stage and played “Dog” and “Shine” with Aimee to end the night. I have to say that was one hell of a surprise. I do remember seeing Mike Tempesta at the show and wondering if perhaps he’d jump up on stage for something and low and behold he did. Later in 2008, Human Waste Project reformed for one night (minus Scott Ellis) to be a part of Snot’s return (the one they did with Tommy Vext, we don’t need to go into that) at the Key Club in Los Angeles. I was at this show too and HWP was absolutely awesome. If anything they actually stole the night for me. Aimee stated that this would be the only full scale reunion show and the band would not be getting back together to tour. And finally at a couple other shows for The Start in 2009, Mike Tempesta joined them on stage to perform “Dog” and “One Night In Spain.”

Human Waste Project was a band that never got their due and should’ve been one of the biggest bands of that era. For whatever reasons why they didn’t, it’s a shame. They were one of the best bands of the time and their debut album is still one of my favorites of that time. In fact, the other day while on a drive up to Santa Barbara we had it on the stereo on the way up and it was glorious. So much so that I felt compelled to write this piece today. Human Waste Project was such a talented and wonderful band. If you never got to see them live, you truly missed out. I for one would love for one more show to happen. There is such a need for this band, it’s not even funny. They were true pioneers of the time and their style would show all these young bands who are trying to cop that style how to do it and do it right. Plus, how awesome would it be to just have them back again! So let’s put it out in the world that we need another go round with Human Waste Project!

Human Waste Project- E-Lux:

Human Waste Project w/ Jonathan Davis of Korn- This Town:

Anticipated Albums of 2022

I have hope that 2022 will be a good year. Not that 2021 was all that bad, at least it wasn’t 2020 all over again. We did after all get some amazing new albums in 2021. Now that we are in 2022, there are a ton of new albums that I’m sure will make the end of the year lists vert difficult to put in order. Here’s a list of the bands with the most anticipated albums of 2022 (I’m sure I missed some. So If I did, let me know)!!!

Centershift- A Different Shade Of…
NVision-
Black Map- Melodoria
Cave In
The Cure
Coheed and Cambria
Crosses
Dead Cross
Ghost
Greg Puciatio- Mirrorcell
H09909 (Horror)
Korn- Requiem
Loathe
Megadeth- The Sick. The Dying. The Dead
Rammstein
Author & Punisher
Once Human
Machine Head
Jimmy Eat World
The Smashing Pumpkins
Chelsea Wolfe
In Parallel
Nine Inch Nails
If It Kills You
Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals
Be Well
Anthrax
Baroness
Cult Leader
The Cult
Darkest Hour
Deadsy?
Filter
Jane’s Addiction?
Placebo
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Rollin Coffin
Deaf Club
Kiss The Scientist
Duhkha

New Release: Korn- Start The Healing

Korn have unveiled their brand new track “Start The Healing” along with an official music video for it directed by Tim Saccenti. It’s the first single to be launched from the band’s fourteenth studio album “Requiem“, which will receive a February 04th release date through a new partnership the band have struck with Loma Vista Recordings. The band recorded the new album during the height of the pandemic. Created without pressure of due dates or anything, a new creative process energized the band. The additional time allowed the band to experiment together and diligently recording to analog tape — processes which unearthed newfound sonic dimension and texture in their music. The new album was produced by Chris Collier and Korn.

“Requiem“ track listing:

01. Forgotten
02. Let The Dark Do The Rest
03. Start The Healing
04. Lost In The Grandeur
05. Disconnect
06. Hopeless And Beaten
07. Penance To Sorrow
08. My Confession
09. Worst Is On Its Way

Korn- Start The Healing:

Memorable Live Performances: Korn at Woodstock 99

Woodstock 99 is a story all on its own. There’s a new documentary about it but, it’s such a biased and bullshit take on it, that it glosses over the positive aspects of the weekend. Yes, there were many many issues but, that is for another time. What I’d rather focus on are the performances that took place. One of those that has always stood out is Korn’s performance during night one. The sheer intensity from the stage to the crowd is astonishing. The waves of thousands of people all in unison during this set is legendary. The band was at an all time high and just about to release their fourth album, Issues. They played “Falling Away From Me” and “Beg For Me” that evening. The version of “Beg For Me” is a totally different version than what’s on the album. You can see it in the band as they rip through their set that they are all in awe of what’s happening. The energy that permeated during this hour is absolutely one of those moments that will always live on in live music history. Watching the people in the crowd singing along to every song and feel it all too, that had to be an out of body experience. Even Jonathan Davis said he had an out of body experience at the end of the night as he gave that performance his all. Soon, I’ll get into a whole thing about Woodstock 99 but, until that time, just enjoy this badass performance Korn left us all with!

Korn- Live At Woodstock 99:

Korn Setlist For Woodstock 99:

01) Blind
02) Twist
03) Chi
04) Got The Life
05) Good God
06) A.D.I.D.A.S
07) Porno Creep
08) Shoots And Ladders (with Snip of Justin)
09) Beg For Me (Alt. Lyrics)
10) Freak On A Leash
11) Falling Away From Me (Alt. Lyrics)
12) Faget
13) My Gift To You (with Snip of Seasons In The Abyss)

Alternate Versions: Korn- Beg For Me & Falling Away From Me

Woodstock 1999 has a very interesting history. Despite the riots, fires, rapes, price gouging and the other atrocities that happened, there were quite a few outstanding performances. One of those that I remember being a stand out was Korn’s set. This was before they were finished with their fourth album (and my second favorite album of their’s) Issues. Their set that night included 2 songs from Issues, “Falling Away From Me” and “Beg For Me” both with different lyrics than what is on the final versions. Both of these versions are quite different and give a bit of a different vibe than you’ve heard. I’d personally love for this set to be released officially. If you haven’t heard these before you are in for a treat and if you have, well now you can enjoy them again!

Korn- Beg For Me (Live at Woodstock 99):

Korn- Falling Away From Me (Live at Woodstock 99):

Great Music Videos: Korn- Freak On A Leash

The other day, I was talking with a friend of mine about how music videos these days just don’t have the allure and luster of the days before. Yes, we all know about the industry changing and all that but, there was something really cool about the way so many music videos had an effect not just on the song or band but, how it shaped filmmaking in general. One of th videos we were talking about was Korn’s “Freak On A Leash.” This video was directed by Todd McFarlane (of Spawn fame) and assisted by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (who would go on to make the Californication video for the Red Hot Chili Peppers). The “Freak On A Leash” video is over 20 years old now and it’s still one hell of a cool video. The way the animation and real world footage comes together is quite intriguing. The whole following the bullet aspect was pretty cool too. It’s not a surprise that the video would go on to win multiple awards.

Korn- Freak On A Leash:

2019 End Of The Year List: Best Vocalists

Next up on Audioeclectica.com’s 2019 End Of The Year Lists, the Top 10 Vocalists. The stipulation is that, an album/EP had to have been released this year.

Vote for your favorite in the comments section. At the end of the month, I will release the results of the readers poll.

This list is also in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!

 

01) John Carbone- Moon Tooth
02) Cameron Miller- Seizures
03) Jonathan Davis- Korn
04) Courtney Swain- Bent Knee
05) Schuylar Croom- He Is Legend
06) Dennis R. Sanders- Spirit In The Room
07) Daron Beck- Pinkish Black
08) Deb Demure- Drab Majesty
09) Jacob Bannon- Wear Your Wounds
10) Itarya Rosenberg- Low Dose

 

2019 End Of The Year Lists: Best Guitar Duos

Next up on Audioeclectica.com’s 2019 End Of The Year Lists, the Top 10 Guitar Duos. The stipulation is that, an album/EP had to have been released this year.

Vote for your favorite in the comments section. At the end of the month, I will release the results of the readers poll.

This list is also in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!

01) James “Munky” Shaffer and Brian “Head” Welch- Korn
02) John Dyer Baizley and Gina Gleason- Baroness
03) Stephen Brodsky and Adam McGrath- Cave In
04) James Root and Mick Thompson- Slipknot
05) Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz- Killswitch Engage
06) Albert Navarro and Nathan Najera- Seizures
07) Joe Trohman and Scott Ian- The Damned Things
08) Richard Kruspe and Paul Landers- Rammstein
09) Chelsea Wolfe and Bryan Tulao- Chelsea Wolfe
10) Andrew Diaz and Matthew Wright- Harborlights

Live Review: Korn- The Nothing Album Release Show

It’s pretty crazy to me that just a couple weeks ago, I was in Irvine to see Korn and Alice In Chains, and then this past Friday, here I was seeing Korn again. Only this time, it was one of the coolest most intimate performances ever. I had no idea what to expect as I walked into this warehouse/sound stage. I really thought this was going to be a listening party with a pop up merch shop and a couple of the guys from the band would be there. What happened was, I walked into this giant room and there, all set up was the bands equipment. At that point, I knew it was on. Looking around there couldn’t have been more than 150 people there and we all were surrounding the barricade waiting for Korn to come out and play.

After about 40 minutes of waiting, the room went dark with the exception of a few scattered lights, and the band started to appear. It was then that the notes began to ring and the intro for the classic “Falling Away From Me” started, and as soon as that one note hit, the crowd was fully engulfed into it. Following that was “You’ll Never Find Me” from their new album The Nothing. They had been playing this song on their summer tour and it surely sounded huge and the crowd knew every word. After that, Munky was playing with his talk box and some effects, and after a couple minutes of noodling, “Dead Bodies Everywhere” took the audience by storm and the place erupted at that point. That song has always been a favorite of mine and live it sounds soooo good. From there, they debuted “Can You Hear Me” for the first time. This song is a standout on the album and live it sounded even better. “Here To Stay” was after and again the crowd was going nuts singing along. “Cold” another new song from The Nothing was debuted this evening and this song hit so hard, it almost felt like an eruption occurred underneath us. At this point you could tell they were playing old songs than new songs and that was pretty awesome especially, as they then blasted out “Clown.” One thing I’ve noticed over the years is when Korn plays songs from their first album, the audience absolutely is taken over by these songs, and this was no different. The sheer volume of the audience singing along with Jonathan Davis was nuts. The next song was another new one called “Finally Free.” This song is one of those songs on the new record that leaves you with chills and live, let’s just say if you go see them and they play this song live, you’ll love it even more. Ending the night with “Faget” was pretty damn awesome. That song has always been a fan favorite and it was a great choice to be played this evening. This was another one of those songs that just hit the crowd in the right way and the rest is history.

The band’s 9 song set was perfect. It was a great performance and one of the best I’ve ever seen Korn do. Looking at each member as they played, you could tell they were enjoying it and having a great time. The crowd reaction as they alternated between old and new songs was astounding as well as how loud the crowd was singing along to the new songs. I was thinking over the weekend as I replayed the show in my head and had the new album on repeat, that it’s pretty surreal to know that I’ve been listening to this band for 25 years. I’ll be honest there was a period of time that I didn’t dig on what they put out but, for the past few years I’ve been reinvigorated as a fan by their new material. The new album The Nothing, is phenomenal and outstanding. It’s surely the best album that have put out in years and it stands up with their ground breaking debut as well as my favorite album, Issues. I mentioned this in my album review but, it’s worth noting again, the original core 4 members have found their footing again in this band and having Ray Luzier on the drums really helps to elevate the band and allows them to go to different places musically. Korn is back in full swing and I couldn’t be happier to say that.

Set List:

01) Falling Away From Me
02) You’ll Never Find Me
03) Dead Bodies Everywhere
04) Can You Hear Me
05) Here To Stay
06) Cold
07) Clown
08) Finally Free
09) Faget

Review and Photos By: Brian Lacy

 

Korn- The Nothing:

Album Review: Korn- The Nothing

13 albums in and 25 years since the beginning, is it still possible to be relevant? Well, In Korn’s case, yes, yes it is. For many years and albums, Korn has tried new things and the results were very hit or miss. Then, Brian “Head” Welch returned to the fold and things starting getting back on the right track. The bands previous album, The Serenity Of Suffering was surely a step in the right direction in terms of sound and getting back to what they do best. Now, on their new album The Nothing, Korn has really stepped up and made their best album since Untouchables. This new one has bits of Untouchables, Issues and their debut all wrapped into one. The end result is something that the band can look back on and be very proud of what they created.

The over arching theme of The Nothing is obviously the loss of Jonathan Davis’s wife and how he’s dealt with it. Never one to shy away from his pain, this album has some of the most vulnerable performances from JD in a very very long time. Opening the album is “The End Begins” which features bag pipes, rumbling percussion, and fuzzy bass along with JD putting himself deeply into this and uncontrollably sobbing as he asks “Why did you leave?” From that point, the album then begins to take shape as “Cold” hits with an impact that harks back to the way Issues started. “You’ll Never Find Me” is part 2 of the 1, 2 punch of how the album starts. The riffs and rhythms that accompany these two songs are some of the best of Korn’s career. One of my favorite songs on the album “Idiosyncrasy” is one hell of a song. The Pantera-esque riff along with melodic chorus makes this song one of the true standouts on the album. This album has a bit of everything for Korn fans. It hits the heavy, melodic, and experimental aspects that have made up the bands career. Such songs like “The Darkness Is Revealing,” “Finally Free,” The Ringmaster,” Gravity Of Discomfort,” and “H@rd3r” are great examples of that and showcase the different vocal approaches of Jonathan Davis as well as the band at a very creative turn that hark back to the origins of the band while adding a more modern approach. In true Korn fashion, these few songs have a life of their own but stay true to desperation and realism that the album carries. “Can You Hear Me” has a very cool Queen Of The Damned vibe along with a bit of a Follow The Leader melodic tinge. “This Loss” is one of my other favorite songs on the album. The band really honed in on the melodic aspects they’ve become known for. The interludes that appear also give the album a bit of a schizophrenic aspect but, help to tie in the thoughts being conveyed.

The Nothing stands up quite high in the bands catalog. There are some really classic Korn elements on these songs, along with memorable hooks and catchy choruses. The dueling guitars that became signature to Korn are extremely prevalent on this album and Munky and Head really shine. Fieldy’s bass hits the way it used to along with his percussive style bass that balances the guitars and drums. Ray Luzier finally sounds like he fits on a Korn record. His groove on this record is reminiscent of what David did on the older albums but, it’s done in a way that doesn’t sound rehashed and it stays true to the beast of a drummer that Ray is. Jonathan Davis’s vocals and melodies on this album are some of the best since Issues and Untouchables. Obviously the pain and grief of loss is ever noticeable but, they catharsis through the performances really makes the whole thing shine.

I’m sure many people have given up on Korn over the years. I know there was a point that I just didn’t care but, on the last album and on this one, Korn has recaptured what they do best without it coming across as forced. Working with Nick Raskulinecz has been a blessing for the band. He’s one of the few producers out there today that really understands the essence of what bands are and how to capture that magic again. The Nothing is an album that will draw older fans back into the fold while giving those skeptical ones something to sink their teeth into. Are there moments that are hit and miss, sure, but that doesn’t take away from how genuine and pure this album is.

 

Overall Rating: A

 

Korn- The Nothing:

 

Review By: Brian Lacy