In The Court Of The Crimson King

Today I've decided to go with one of the most influential Prog Rock albums ever. 'In The Court Of The Crimson King' is widely hailed as King Crimson's masterpiece and landmark album in the Prog Rock movement. Originally released in 1969 the album stands up to the test of time combining elements of rock and jazz and blending it into a wonderful Prog Rock album. King Crimson were in the company of Prog Rock bands such as Genesis and Yes after this albums release. The band continued to make incredible records up until the mid 2000's. This album is definitely a headphones record. Set aside some time, put on the big ol headphones and space out to this record.

I got into this band in two different ways. Some years ago during my first tour of St. Louis I saw Saxon live. They had just released their album 'Killing Ground' which featured a cover of 'In The Court Of The Crimson King'. They played the song live and it blew me away. I went and cheeked out the original version. And while I found it to be trippy I didn't really go much further than that. Some years later when I moved back to California my Dad asked me to track down a copy of 'In The Court Of The Crimson King' for him. I did and as soon as I gave it to him he threw it on the stereo and turned it to 11. This time around perhaps with my mind a little more open I realized what a great album this really was. I listened to it when I wanted a break from the heavier and darker stuff I was into at the time. Few years later once I moved to Arizona I started to seek out their other albums. Albums like 'Red' and 'Larks Tongue In Aspect' cemented my love for the band. Even the later albums were good. Amazing live albums too. Great band that more people should really listen to.

Download

In The Arms Of Devastation

New week and another short run. Up to K now. This week will feature some different metal so be prepared. Starting the week off with some Northern Hyperblast from Canada. Kataklysm have been putting their spin on death metal for twenty years now. Their brutal assault has even branded them their own genre 'northern hyperblast'. One listen to any of their albums and you'll see why. Excellent metal drumming on display here. Over the years the band has released some quality albums,but for the selection here I'm going with 'In The Arms Of Devastation'. Now some people won't agree with my description of a good album here. But for me this along with 'Shadows And Dust' is their best work to date. Feature appearances by members of fellow Canadian bands Kittie and Into Eternity, this is simply a brutal album start to finish. Got way to get that aggression out on a Monday.

It seems that this album is a perfect fit for my Monday mood, dark and brutal. I got into this band around the time of their 'Shadows & Dust' record. It was brutal and perfect for getting the anger out. I got the chance to see Kataklysm few years back opening for The Haunted. Short and sweet set that made me want more. The drumming here is outstanding. What good death metal drumming should be.

Download

British Steel

Closing out the week with some Judas Priest. Priest along with Sabbath are credited as the Godfathers of Heavy Metal. Led by the Metal God himself Rob Halford, 'British Steel' marked a high point in the bands career as a definitive heavy metal band. Originally released in 1980, 'British Steel' kicks off with 'Rapid Fire' and from there the album doesn't look back. Containing the fan favs 'Breaking The Law' and 'Living After Midnight' this was every metal heads go to album. The band of course continues on today and continues to tour all over the world despite losing KK Downing. This is one of the albums every self respecting metal head needs to own. The version uploaded is one with the two bonus tracks of 'Red, White and Blue' and 'Grinder (Live)'.

Priest was one of those metal bands I got into very early on in my metal youth. There is no one who can match Halford's scream or voice. I saw Priest live last year on the Epitaph Tour and the band still has it, Halford still has the pipes. Priest just stands as one of the timeless metal bands. Always a good choice when you driving down the road in your Camero. Perfect for that drunken evening too.

Download

Maniacal Renderings

Lazy days of Summer means another round of double postings. Starting things off with some Power Metal. Jon Oliva's Pain picks up where Savatage left off in the mid 90's. Featuring the mainman of Savatage, Jon Oliva's Pain can be seen as sort of what if Savatage never broke up. Of course Jon claims Savatage never did break up it just simply morphed into Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Which given the direction the bnd was headed at the time is sort of true.'Maniacal Renderings' is JOP's second album and features songs based off riffs from the old days of Savatage, hence why the late Criss Oliva gets writing credits on the tracks. This album is really a good slice of American Power Metal. It still shows off Jon's vocals mixed with epic imagery and solid guitars. If ya dug the mid period Savatage records then this is one you should check out.

Like the majority of Americans I really like Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I've seen em on a few occasions and always marvel at the level of work they continue to do with the live shows. And most people don't realize that TSO basically came out of Savatage. Albums like 'Hall Of The Mountain King' and 'Gutter Ballet' paved the way for TSO. So naturally picking up something like JOP for me is a natural progression. It's good epic American Power Metal and while it may not have the epic chorus parts like the Euro counterparts in the genre, it's still meant to be played in front of a large crowd. The band has released a few more albums and continues on despite the recent passing of their Guitarist. Given the immense talent of Criss Oliva and the tapes left behind, I'm sure there will be plenty more JOP albums in the future.

Download

Selling Your Soul

Another genre jump here back into some Blues. Robert Johnson is one of the most influential Blues musicians to have graced the genre. While his career was short, he died at 27, his works remain an influence across multiple genres of music. His entire career can be summed up in two recording session. The first one taking place in a hotel room in San Antonio Texas in 1936. Those sessions yielded such tracks as 'Cross Road Blues' and 'Last Fair Deal Gone Down'. In 1937 he traveled to Dallas Texas for another session, yielding more cuts. Most of the songs that survived were multiple takes. Just a year later he would die. Although no official cause of death was ever listed, the rumor that fills the mystery is that he was poisoned with Strychnine in a whiskey bottle after flirting with a married woman at a bar. Of course the larger mystery that surrounds him is the Faustian legend of him selling his soul to the devil in exchange for become a great Blues musician. 'The Complete Recordings' features all original 29 tracks and 13 alternate takes that survived the 36-37 recording sessions. This is a 2 CD set a pretty much should be in every blues/rock fans home.

Robert Johnson's music has been widely influential across all genres. To give a reader a small example, 'Cross Road Blues' years later was reworked and made famous by Cream. Further reaching Clapton released a record called 'Me and Mr. Johnson', the album focused on covering his songs. Swedish death/doom/gothic metal band Katatonia named one of their records 'Last Fair Deal Gone Down'. Even Porky Pig can be heard singing 'They're Red Hot' in a Looney Tunes cartoon. This isn't necessarily where the Blues began, but it in fact is a rather important part of Blues history.

Download

 

The Audacity Of Hype

Double posting but on two different ends of the spectrum today. The first post deals with one of the more iconic punk frontman if you will. Jello Biafra of course was the outspoken frontman for the legendary Bay Area punkers, The Dead Kennedy's. After releasing a handful of seminal records and turning the world on its ear, Jello went on to do several spoken word records, found a record label in Alternative Tentacles, oh and run for office. Needless to say the man is always outspoken and busy. Someone in 2009 though he manged to release a new studio album under the moniker Jello Biafra And The Guantanamo School Of Medicine. Yes, that's actually the bands name. The band consists of some unknown musicians, but does feature Faith No More bassist Billy Gould. 'The Audacity If Hype', a play on an Obama phrase, is what you might expect from Jello. Political topics set to some punkish up tempo music. While it's not a bad record, it does have it's moments, mainly the hidden track which should have never been put on the record. Nevertheless it's a great album for fans of the Dead Kennedy's.

I've been a fan of the Dead Kennedy's for some years now and I've always loved how outspoken Jello has been. The is some truth to his madness and it's usually a good laugh. One of the better frontmen to emerge from the Punk movement of the early 80's, he made the Dead Kennedy's the band they became. I found this album prolly on some punk news board and decided to give it a listen. It's not bad, but it's not great. In a weird way it makes you long for a true Dead Kennedy's reunion. But seeing how that's probably never gonna happen, this will do in a pinch.

Download

Thane To The Throne

New week and new letter. Time for a week long run of the J's. Short run again this week as I appear to be lacking in the J department. Mix of genres this week, ranging from Power Metal to Blues and some whatever thrown in there. Starting off this week with Jag Panzer. A power metal band hailing from another unlikely spot, Colorado. Starting off in the early 80's as Tyrant, the band soon changed their name to reflect that of a WWII era German tank. Jag Panzer released the critically acclaimed album 'Ample Destruction' in 84. However the band would wait ten years before releasing their next album. Of course the next album 'Dissident Alliance' featured a new singer and the album bombed outright. The band reunited with singer Harry 'The Tyrant' Conklin and spent the rest of the 90's honing their power metal sound. In 2000 the band released 'Thane To The Throne' which was based on Shakespeare's play 'Macbeth'. Released to high praise the band continued on until they unexpectedly called it a day in 2011, shortly after releasing their new album.

'Thane To The Throne' remains as one of my favorites in the power metal genre. It took some balls to put out an album like this. As crazy as it sounds, this album really did work really well. The vocals are strong and the guitar work of Mark Briody and Chris Broderick is nothing short of stellar. I got into the band solely based on this record alone. I was finishing up High School and was deeply immersed in Brit Lit at the time. The concept fascinated me and after a spin I was sold. Jag Panzer has released some solid records over the years and sadly gets overlooked sometimes in the Power Metal discussion. I was bummed to see them call it a day. If the name Chris Broderick sounds familiar it's cause he's currently shredding in a little band called Megadeth. By the way he is an amazing guitarist both live and on the record. This is an album for people who dig the US Power Metal scene and for those curious to see how a band can pull of a concept record based on Shakespeare.

Download

Maiden

Closing out the week and the I's is the mighty Iron Maiden. Without a doubt one of the most influential metal bands of all time. Even the mascot, Eddie, is iconic. Some three decades after first emerging on the scene Iron Maiden still remains a force to be reckoned with. Currently on tour reliving the Maiden America phase, the band still puts out quality records. The band has any number of classic records, whether you're a fan of Paul D'ianno or Bruce Dickinson, the albums are all timeless. But for my money it's the self-titled debut. The album opens with 'Prowler' and ends with 'Iron Maiden' not a single bad track in there. Every one worthy of an epic singalong. Sure I can argue 'Number Of The Beast' or 'Piece of Mind' was better, but the raw energy on the debut is what sells it. Plus c'mon the iconic Eddie album cover. A must for every self respecting metal head.

Maiden was prolly one of the first metal bands I got into, along with the likes of Metallica, The Misfits, and Motorhead. I remember knowing a dude in High School who had the debut Maiden record and I would listen to it all the time. The bass lines, the vocals, the twin guitar attack, it was all there. It drew me in, it made me want more. And once again, Eddie, what an awesome mascot. And with every album or single he took on another persona. Eddie is up there with the Motorhead skull, or the Misfits skull, or even Metallica's Scary Guy. Simply a genius mascot. There's always been something so epic about Maiden too, every record pushes the envelope. Still one of my favorite metal bands.

Download

Buried In Oblivion

Double posting of metal today. First up is a band from Canada, Into Eternity. The band has been around since the early 2000's with an ever rotating lineup. Seriously the first 4 records have a different vocalist.  The band received some praise in the metal community for their progressive thrash sound. Musically it's prog metal with dashes of speed, thrash and classic metal. Their third release 'Buried In Oblivion' is a wonderful mix of that. This album is one of my modern metal favs. I bought this on the day it came out and haven't looked back at the band since. Now fronted by a semi stable vocalist in Stu Block, who actually is currently fronting power metal favs Iced Earth, the band has settled into the own niche of metal. Although touring again, minus Stu, and with a female vocalist doesn't seem to be a great idea. In any case give this one a listen.

I got into the band via a sampler, 'Absolution Of The Soul' was on a Century Media sampler I had got. I was impressed with the wide range of vocals and the guitar work. I picked up 'Dead Or Dreaming' and was sold on the band. The band of course with time got better. 'Buried' is still my fav release from the band. So much I own it on vinyl, and by the way it sounds way better on vinyl. I got the chance to see Into Eternity some years back in Los Angeles with Amorphis. Both band were kinda of displaying their new lead singers. Stu's voice just is all over the place in a good way. From the growls to the falsetto's, his voice fits the band perfectly. Really nice guy too, as he was helping change over sets he was nice enough to take the time and chat with me and sign my copy of 'Buried'. And while I'm not an Iced Earth fan, the new album with Stu really does sound good.

Download

The Dream

Let the metal continue. Today some female fronted metal. In This Moment are a female led metal act hailing from Los Angeles. The band is known for being one of the early bands to get signed from posting demos on MySpace back in the day. Yes that's right the band basically got signed from their demos they had posted. I guess in today's tech savvy world the art of hawking a demo is quite different. The band also gains attention for being fronted by the lovely and tattooed front woman, Maria Brink. While the pretty looks are a plus the woman has a voice on her. Alternating between the screams and the melody, the band finds a nice balance of modern metal. With soon to be four releases under their belt, the band continues to progress with their work. 'The Dream' is their second album and opened up the doors for some more exposure. The single 'Forever' gained modern rock plays on the radio, while also managing to pull off a cover of the Blondie classic 'Call Me'. I've decided to upload the deluxe 2 CD version of 'The Dream' which does feature 'Call Me' and some other bonus tracks. Very solid record for a newer band. Worth a listen if you're craving something newer.

Like the rest of their fanbase it seems, I too was lured in by their demos on MySpace. The songs while rough did have some potential behind them. Their first record was really good and 'The Dream' carried it to a new audience. Relentless touring doesn't hurt either. However with the new album 'Blood' set to released next month, the band has kinda taken a nu-metal/industrial approach and is using perhaps a wee bit much of the sex appeal side to sell the music. For the record I love women who play in metal bands. It's great to see strong females in what's pretty much a male dominated genre. Problem is the gross use of sex appeal sometimes to sell the music. That just seems like a shady tactic. The music should be sold on the fact that's it's quality and that the band has put their collective hearts in it. It should always be about the music, sadly the business end of things tends to kill that sometimes.

Download

Clayman

The blog the rest of the week is going to focus on metal.Today it's some Gothenburg Sound Metal. In Flames along with the likes of Dark Tranquillity and At The Gates furthered the melodic death metal sound that became known as the Gothenburg Sound. In fact In Flames and Dark Tranquillity actually swapped vocalists early on in their careers. While the hardcore In Flames fans have their favorites rooted in their early records, my favorite is 'Clayman'. This was the first 'metal' album I bought. For me this album is solid from the track opener 'Bulletride' to the closer 'Another Day In Quicksand'. Some critics will call this their sellout record, but I think it's the band that pushed them into a new fan base. Enjoy this slice of melodic death metal.

This is one of my favorite metal records, not just cause it was my first real metal album. This actually was the last CD I bought in California before I left for Missouri for the first time. Leaving high school and finding all this new metal was really great. I still love finding new bands and finding a new favorite. I've in a way outgrown what In Flames has become, although 'Come Clarity' was a solid record, it seems the newer stuff is just too mainstream. Nevertheless one of the last shows I saw while in Missouri was In Flames. Oddly enough there were supporting Slayer. I wasn't there to see Slayer, I really just showed up for In Flames. They played a solid set, showcasing some of the newer tunes off 'Reroute To Remain'. I got to chatting up some folks that had driven a few hrs to see the show. We decided to bail a few songs into the Slayer set and go outside by the buses to see if we could get our In Flames CDs signed. Sure enough we did. I had the pleasure to talk to Peter, Anders, and Jesper. Anders was cool enough to have the entire band sign my 'Clayman' CD. We joked around with Jesper for liking 'The Phantom Menace' and talked touring with Peter. It was one of those moments for me where I was kinda dumbstruck. It was the first time I had got to meet a band I really dug. It also started my signed CD collection. Still have that CD signed and proudly displayed some ten years later.

Download

The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move

New week and this week a short run at the I's. Solid week of metal, both old and new. The oddball of the week of course comes today with The Infectious Grooves. The band was a long time side project of Mike Muir from Suicidal Tendencies. The band got off the ground when bassist Robert Trujillo joined Suicidal. The two shared a love of Funk music and decided to cut an album. Joining the band was Stephen Perkins of Janes Addiction fame. 'The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move' is a solid funk metal debut. Capturing Rob's excellent bass playing and the fun of funk, the album does in fact make the booty move. Hell even Ozzy makes an appearance on the song 'Therapy'. The band has released a few other albums, but has remained fairly quiet in the past few years. The band did jam on a few numbers at the Orion Music festival earlier this month. Sort of an obscure side band, but if ya like Suicidal than this should work for you.

Once again we stumbled onto my secret love affair with funk. I've been a fan of Suicidal Tendencies for a while and at times had forgotten Rob had actually played with them for a few years before branching off to play with the likes of Jerry Cantrell and Ozzy and eventually Metallica. Rob's bass playing on this is nothing short of stellar. Nothing like a damn good bass line to make ya wanna groove. While it's more on the metal side of funk with the slap bass technique being applied, it's remains more to the funk side of things as opposed to that slap bass we'd hear oh so much on cringe worthy nu-metal albums. Like I said great side project, would love to see something again with this band in the near future.

Download

Howlin' Wolf

Closing out the H's with another Blues legend. This time it's the big man Howlin' Wolf. The man was large and had a booming voice the belted out the blues like no one else. Best known for tracks like 'Smokestack Lightning', which sadly has wound up being used in a Viagra commercial. Also known for 'Killing Floor' which Zeppelin later worked into 'The Lemon Song'. I decided to put up 'His Best' a collection released by Chess Records back in 97. Solid collection of his well known songs. The thing about this collection is the people who play on some of the the tracks. Featured are the like of Sam Phillips, Ike Turner, Buddy Guy, Willie Dixon and Freddy King. A rather who's who's in the terms of great musicians. Many musicians have covered his tunes. Worth checking out if ya dig the blues or wanna hear the originals that the Brits covered.

I got into Howlin' Wolf through band like Led Zeppelin and The Electric Flag. 'Killing Floor' is such a great song, I wanted to see what the original sounded like. You got everyone from Sam Cooke to Zeppelin covering his tracks, each putting their own spin on it. Not to mention playing with the likes of Clapton, which is some high praise there. Clapton reportedly payed for his gravestone. Howlin' Wolf left a pretty large mark on the blues scene, it's only fitting he get some more respect in today's world.

 Download

John Lee Hooker

The final two postings in the H's are going to be some Blues. So first up we have the legendary John Lee Hooker. John was one of the more influential bluesman who developed his own unique brand of the blues. Developing a sort of "talking blues" style that made him stand out from other musicians. Hooker throughout his career released over 100 records. Let that sink in. In an era where most musicians are lucky to make 5 records, the man cut over a 100. Oh and toured right up until his death in 2001. He was 83 in case you were wondering. Hooker's music has been covered by a wide range of people. Most notably George Thorogood, worked a couple of his songs together to make his version of 'One Bourbon, One Scotch and One Beer'. There are a lot of best of records for John Lee Hooker, however this one from Rhino is a good starting point for those unfamiliar with his music.

Hooker was a influential bluesman. 'Boom Boom' is one of his more well known songs. I got into his music via The Blues Brothers movie. He's seen outside the restaurant playing his signature blend of blues. He truly did have a unique style about his music. People say singing the Blues is easy and that anyone can do it. But ya gotta have something that stands out if you wanna get noticed. And I think having that unique style helped quite a bit. Being unique transfers over into reality and being yourself. I think everyone is unique and perhaps that's what makes life shall we say more interesting. So what makes you unique?

Download

The Nightcomers

Time for some more NWOBHM. Cause we're feeling nostalgic over here today. Holocaust were one of the many NWOBHM bands to come out of Europe during the early 80's. Originally hailing from Scotland, the band make their mark with their EP 'Heavy Metal Mania' in 1980. A year later they release their debut 'The Nightcomers'. An album that captures the NWOBHM sound perfectly. Now the Holocaust name may sound familiar that's because Metallica covered their song 'The Small Hours' for their Garage Days EP. The song wouldn't appear on a Holocaust record until 83. The band never really made a splash after 83, their second album wasn't well received and the band went on hiatus for a few years. Somehow the band in various forms stayed together and actually released an album back in 03. Great debut record in 'The Nightcomers', definitely recommended for all the old school head bangers.

I got into Holocaust via Metallica's cover of 'The Small Hours' actually. I always loved the intro riff to theat song, somewhat maddening if you will. This album was a great record, angry in parts, loving Heavy Metal and just having a good time. This was a great slice of NWOBHM and the band really gets overlooked sometimes in the discussion about great NWOBHM bands. Granted the later period albums weren't that great, they had a few good tracks. The band did actually cover Metallica at one point, choosing 'Master of Puppets' as their cover. Which wasn't that bad actually. Sometimes you long for an album that is simple and just makes ya wanna rock some. This is one of those albums. You can be pissed off at life and still bang yer head.

Download 

Here Comes The Funk

Time more some more Funk. Cause that's exactly what the blog needs. Here Come The Mummies are somewhat of a novelty funk band you could say. Sort of gimmicky even. See the catch here is there about a dozen guys who are actively in the band, and wait for it, dress like mummies. Sounds pretty amusing right? Granted the songs are pretty amusing, the use of puns and entendre's are childish but solid. Musically though it's a really tight group of musicians. 'Carnal Carnival' delivers a good mix of the two. Of course the band members identities are remained hidden. It's been said that most are well known musicians who between em have won several awards and must hide to do the legal wranglings of the music business. Whatever the case is, the music is fun and funky. Perfect music for that house party you've been meaning to throw.

I got into these guys couple years back. There on some radio show in the morning and provided the soundtrack to my morning commute. I went home late dug up some of the tunes on the interwebs and was hooked. Solid horn section, jokes about sex. Ahh every adolescents dream. The band has put out several albums and tour around the south and midwest. 'Carnival' for me is the album with the best jokes in songs and all around solid funk. This of course is one of the records you put on when you're in a silly mood or ya wanna dance around awkwardly around the house. Either way, it's worth a listen.

Download

Are You Experienced

Another round of the H's. This week is going to be a little odd in the musical sense. First up we have the classic debut album from The Jimi Hendrix Experience, 'Are You Experienced'. The first of three albums under the Experience banner. Released in 67, this is the album that introduced the world to Hendrix. This album reads like a best of album is most regards. The album opens up with the classic 'Purple Haze' and rolls through other hits like 'Hey Joe', 'Fire', 'The Wind Cries Mary', and 'Foxy Lady'. I've uploaded one of the reissues, which includes six bonus tracks, mainly B-sides from the singles, but strong enough to have made the album. The hidden gem for me on this record is 'Third Stone From The Sun'. Great jam song. In fact Metallica used to cover this during live shows during the Black Album touring cycle. If fact you can hear a it on their 'Live Shit: Binge And Purge' record, check the intro before 'Of Wolf And Man'. Wildly influential album that has transcended genres. Should be in everyone's collection.

Hendrix has played an important part in my life. Hendrix was a gateway for me into getting into different bands over the years. Even finding some hidden gems along the way. I grew up in a very music driven house, there was always something on the stereo. Whenever Mom was out of the house, Dad always threw Hendrix on 11.  To me as a guitarist Hendrix was so far out there with what he was doing. And the thing is he had what seemed like a never ending supply of songs. Given all the posthumous releases over the years, you can see why I say that. Each Hendrix release has it own charm. Every record has a high point. For me 'Are You Experienced' never has a low point. For me this is one of the most solid debut's ever. On a personal level the music will always have a connection to my father.

Download

Voodoo Jive

Ending the week with some shock rock. Early Shock Rock. Screamin' Jay Hawkins was one of Rock's early shock rockers. Best know for his song 'I Put A Spell On You' and his bizarre live shows, Hawkins was somewhat labeled as a one hit wonder. Originally starting out to be an opera singer, he switched to more of a standard bluesman after the opera thing fell through. He was a well rounded person, serving in the Air Force in WWII and was the middleweight boxing champ of Alaska in 49. He recorded 'Spell' in 56 and shortly there after was offered $300 by DJ Alan Freed to come out of a coffin on stage. The gimmick stuck and he became an early shock rocker. Musically nothing ever topped 'Spell' most of the songs he wrote played up to the Voodoo personality he had adopted. However while never reaching success, 'Spell' remains a song that shaped the early history of Rock 'N Roll. So we salute the early Shock Rocker with 'Voodoo Jive, The Best Of'.

Hawkins died in 2000 after surgery to treat an aneurysm. The thing I took away from him was hearing on day that he fathered over 55 kids. Let that sit in for a moment. 55 Kids, majority of course by different women. The number in fact has been reported to be as high as 75. All poor taste jokes aside, Hawkins along with Arthur Brown were the earliest shock rockers. That paved the way for many to follow, including the likes of Alice Cooper, King Diamond, and Marilyn Manson. Great deal of influence is somehow lost in all of this. Many claiming him a one hit wonder or a gimmick that worked well around Halloween. Granted some of that is true, musically he was a forced to be reckoned with. His vocal delivery was unmatched. Just listen to the album. Of course the other standout track here is 'Constipation Blues', which is pretty much what it sounds like. At one point later in his career he actually performed this on stage with a toilet. All craziness aside Hawkins was an amazing vocalist that somehow gets forgotten in a lot of discussions.

Download

Coleman Hawkins

Time as always to switch gears and put up something a little off the normal pace. Time for some Jazz. Gotta have some cool down after all the metal posted this week. Coleman Hawkins was one of the premier Tenor Sax. Hawkins gains some notoriety for being one of the first prominent Tenor Sax players. While he started out his career in the 20's, he is mainly known for swing music and the big band era, he did have some role on the development of Bebop. Hawkins spent many years in Europe playing with people such as Django Reinhardt and Benny Carter. Upon his return in 39 he cut 'Body And Soul' which some see as a huge leap in Jazz progression. After failing to start up a big band of his own, he worked with such greats as Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Max Roach, and Dizzy Gillespie. By the late 40's Hawkins had divided his time between playing in Europe and in New York. But by the 60's the heavy drinking toll put a strain on his records. Although he did manage to cut a record with Duke Ellington in 62, the end was near. Many years later, the greats of Jazz widely regard Hawkins as a major influence in their playing. So we look back on the career as a whole with his 'Greatest Hits'.

Jazz is one of those genres that can be a little tricky to get into. There are some good starting points and Coleman Hawkins is one of em. His work isn't all that extreme and the swing and big band era material is a great focal point at Jazz's progression during the 20's and 30's. This is a good starting point for someone new getting into Jazz. So if you're looking for an album to start the journey into the strange world that is Jazz, welcome to it.

Download

The Dead Eye

Back from celebrating freedom by drinking quality beer. Returning with some thrash metal from Sweden. The Haunted were born out of the ashes of At The Gates who called it a day in the late 90's. Armed with the fire still, The Haunted set out to expand on the Gothenburg sound. The band has somewhat of an issue keeping a vocalist. Dolving started out on the debut only to be replaced by Marco Aro for the next two albums. Aro leaves and Dolving comes back for a few more releases to much fanfare, then recently abruptly leaves the band again. Now the peak of the band in my book comes around the time of Dolving's return, 'rEVOLVEr' was an amazing comeback record, but the follow up 'The Dead Eye' sealed the return. The album is solid through and through. First half dozen tracks are stellar to say the least. My only gripe with the album is all the song titles start with "The", kind of annoying, but hey whatever. Good solid album for some thrashing around.

I've had the pleasure to see The Haunted twice. And even better with both vocalists. I saw them first with Aro shortly after 'One Kill Wonder' came out. I was still living in California at the time and found out day of show they were playing in LA. So i made the trip down and actually got to meet Marco and drummer Per Jensen a few hours before the show. Nice guys and got my CD signed so even better. Also got a poster signed that hung and the venue in Vegas the night before. The show was solid, very tight band that sounds better live than on record. Few years later I saw em on The Blackest Of The Black tour with Danzig out in Arizona. This time with Dolving on vocals. I hadn't been in the state long and the was the first thrash metal show I took the ex wife to. Second time was around was amazing, Dolving just killed it onstage. I still maintain he is one of the best frontman in metal. The man leaves everything on stage, the are no words on how intense he is on stage. You know it was a good show when then ex wife, who wasn't a big metal fan, leans over and goes, "damn, that guy was amazing". The Haunted are still one of my favorite metal bands and to me have one of the more modern iconic logos. Great band hopefully they can secure a vocalist and continue on.

Download

King Of All Kings

Day before the 'holiday' here so lets throw some brutal death metal in to the mix. Hate Eternal have quietly been putting out quality Floridian death metal for over a decade now. The band continually gets positive reviews but seems to never make more than a splash outside the underground. 'King Of All Kings' is the bands sophomore effort and to some their most solid and brutal one to date. Little over half hour of just good ol Floridian Death Metal. The title track and the final track 'Powers That Be' are the highlights here. Wonderful thing about this record, no edits were done in the making. So if you're into the whole mic eating genre chances are you'll enjoy this.

I saw Hate Eternal right after this record came out in LA. If I recall correctly they opened up for Arch Enemy. I remember my jaw hitting the floor at some point during their brief twenty minute set. Drumming was amazing, and Erik was just up there killing it on vocals. This is one of those albums you just spin after a bad night or while making the long drive to nowhere.

Download

The Bastard

New week and since much of the world is under a heatwave from hell, it's time we dive into the H's. And be forewarned it's gonna be a grab bag of stuff this week. And what better way to kick it off then with the Bay Area outfit Hammers Of Misfortune. This band is another one of those forward thinking smart man's progressive metal acts. 'The Bastard' is their debut and is a story that's broken down into three acts. Act 1 is Tracks 1-5, Act 2 is Tracks 6-9, and Act 3 is Tracks 10-14. This album was recorded on an eight track analog machine. Simply put, the sound is genuine and epic. The lineup for the debut consists of members from bands such as Slough Feg, Ludicra, and Fireball Ministry. That right there is a diverse bunch unto it self. This one is for the people seeking something new and amazing.

I got into this band a few years back and have been awe struck by all their records. The band started out as a black metal band but has since evolved into the wonderful progressive metal act that really does some epic albums. This is one of the headphone bands. And by that I mean you plug in your giant headphones and you turn it up and disconnect from everything else. You zone out and take the musical trip. And I love bands where the sound matters. I don't come across too many of those bands or albums that often any more. Everything is now run through a PC and Pro Tools it loses its pure sound. Everything is so processed nowadays it's stupid. So kudos to the bands that stay true to their work.

Download