Arson Panda

Baptists-Beacon of Faith

Canadians aren’t supposed to be this angry. Seriously, what the hell are you raging against, boys? Having universal health care got you down? Seeing an American team win the Stanley Cup again for the 25th straight year? I kid, I kid. I love Canada. Go Leafs Go!

Honestly, this album feels really breezy. It just feels like you put it on and within a few moments it’s over. It’s like a cathartic spasm of aggression and spite.

Crusty hardcore punk I think is probably how you could describe Baptists sound. There’s no fundamentalist bullshit to be found here. Well, now that I think about it, there may be some speaking in tongues and some handling of snakes, but none of it is going to be done in the service of the Lord. This is all about getting the shit out. Throwing it down in the pit and slamming up against your neighbor with something a little less than brotherly love.

I can’t say that this band is totally my cup of tea. They’ve got chops, but there’s a grinding monotony to the proceedings that just doesn’t fully pull me in. I need a bit more dynamics to my anger therapy.

3 flip flops out of 5

Kataklysm-Meditations

Kataklysm is just macho. And not macho in that sassy Village People manner. They are just a manly damn band. Its music is heavy as shit. Their lyrics are about war and revenge and inflicting much pain and other manly type endeavors. Just reading through some of the song titles on this latest album should give you a pretty clear image of what you’re wading into: The Last Breath I’ll Take Is Yours, Born To Kill Destined To Die, …And Then I Saw Blood, Narcissist, What Doesn’t Break Doesn’t Heal. I mean, hyperbole much, dudes? That is some serious over the top shit. I really want to take these guys on a nice long walk into a flowery meadow or have them eat a cupcake or something. I’m seriously kind of afraid to give this album anything less than a 5 flip flop review because their lead singer could probably snap me like a toothpick.

This is Kataklysm. This is what they do. No frills death metal with tons of attitude and quite a bit of groove. Overall, this isn’t a bad album. Nor is it really a good album. I kind of feel like Kataklysm has hit a bit of a rut over the past couple of albums. For some reason, there just aren’t any songs that really stand out or feel inspired. Past albums such as Serenity In Fire and In the Arms of Devastation had a certain manic energy in them. It was as if the guitar riffs, drum blast beats and Iacono’s death shriek were going to reach right through your speakers and squeeze the life right out of you. That feeling is just missing on this latest album. It just feels as if the band just went through the motions when creating this one.

3 flip flops out of 5

Ghost-Prequelle

Well, damn. These guys have always been a tad controversial in metal community. Are they metal? Are they pop? I’ve been on the side that considers them firmly in the metal camp. Sure, their songs have pop sensibilities and hooks, but the songwriting was always strong and their albums were full of tasty guitar chops. That was always the key facet for me. Take away the characters, costumes and imagery, are the songs good? Up through the first three albums, I considered the answer to be a solid yes.

Unfortunately, shit started to hit the fan a few years ago. Tails of turmoil and turnover amongst the members who make up the Nameless Ghouls started to leak. Lawsuits were filed and the band seemed to become more of a solo project of Tobias Forge (aka Papa Emeritus I, II and III and the newly unveiled, Cardinal Copia). I found myself hoping that all of the extraneous matters wouldn’t start to take focus away from the songwriting. I was concerned that all of the focus on creating new personas for the frontman and internal feuds over who was due credit for the entity of Ghost would start to deteriorate the band.

Now, we have our answer with the release of their fourth full length, Prequelle. I’m sad to report that my fears for the band have come to fruition. Overall, the sound on the album is most definitely Ghost. You’ll recognize it immediately. So, it’s not like they have completely strayed from who they are. It’s just that the songs are just not that good. On previous albums, you could count on at least 5-6 downright classic songs. Songs that would get their hooks in you and not let go. On the new album, opener Rats is about as close as you’re going to get and I would honestly view that song as one of the throw-away tracks on one of their previous albums. The album is also very breezy. You’ve got a total of ten named songs, but one is a short opening intro into Rats and there are two very uninspired instrumentals. I know this thing is selling well right out the gate, but I have to wonder how well this album is going to do for Ghost in the long run. This was an important album for them and my initial impression is that it isn’t an album that will have much staying power. They are about to embark on their first massive headlining run across the U.S. I just wonder how these songs are going to come across live.

I hate to see a promising young band hit a snag like this. I’m hopeful that they can pull it together in the future. It just would have been nice if they could have provided us with a satisfying filet minion instead of this puff pastry of an album.

2.5 flip flops out of 5

Graveyard-Peace

Whew. It’s good to see this album released. Graveyard is one of the more accomplished bands to come out of the wave of retro blues/psyche metal bands. It was with great sadness back in 2016 to hear that they were calling it quits. If it had stayed permanent, that would have resulted in a fairly large void in the soulful area of the metal world.

Luckily for all of us, the Graveyard dudes pulled their shit together, recruited a new drummer into the fold and came out with this dandy new album. And dandy it is! It’s a solid slab of ten brand spanking new Graveyard tunes that sound, well, like Graveyard. You’ve got the retro sounding guitars. You’ve got Joakim Nilsson’s plaintive wail of emotions. Seriously, since the passing of Chris Cornell, Mr. Nilsson has to have taken over the throne of most gut-wrenching vocal style out there today. He just hits those high notes with such power. Overall, this album is a bit of a bounce-back for the band. I wasn’t overly happy with the last album, Innocence & Decadence. The new album isn’t as strong as their earlier material, but it is a solid addition to the discography and a step in the right direction going forward. Hell, it is just good to have them back as an active entity.

4 flip flops out of 5

Insomnium and Oceans of Slumber at The Scout Bar, Houston, TX 6/12/2018

insomnium

This show was a long time coming for me. Insomnium is one of those little bands that I latched onto with the release of their debut album back in 2002. I’ve been a big fan of their melodic and progressive style of death metal since my first listen. For whatever reason, I had never had the chance to see them perform live. There have been a couple of tours roll through Texas where they had an opening slot and I just wasn’t able to make it work. However, it all worked out this past Tuesday when they came to Houston as a part of their first headlining tour of the U.S. I’m really glad I waited to witness a full set rather than an abbreviated opening set.

The showcase of this tour is Insomium’s latest album, Winter’s Gate. This album is composed of one song that last a little over 40 minutes. So, obviously, they open the set by playing the whole damn thing all the way through. And it was awesome. The second half of the set was a good seven or eight additional songs from throughout their catalog.

So, I drove to Houston the afternoon of this show and then drove back to Austin immediately following the show. So, I had a lot of time to reflect during the drive (and also lots of time to realize that I may be getting a little old to pull a three-hour drive from midnight to 3am). Music is just amazing. Let me explain why. So, you have this group of hairy dudes (OK, one of them is bald) growing up in Finland. They get into metal. They learn how to play instruments. They all run into each other at some point and realize they all like the same kind of music and they decide to start a band. They start to gel and they get good enough to start composing their own songs. They start playing gigs and eventually get noticed by a record company who signs them to a contract. They release an album. This album is featured is some random metal magazine that a dorky metalhead in Texas reads. He thinks the album and band sound like something he would enjoy. He goes out and buys the record and becomes an immediate fan. 16 years later, this group of Finnish dudes have the opportunity to tour the U.S. and on a random Tuesday night in Texas, the dorky metalhead sees this band of Finnish dudes play an awesome set of their music. The lead guitarist for said band even fist bumps said dorky metalhead Texan while making his way on stage. It is a cool moment in time between people who have never met and grew up on different sides of the planet that is made entirely possible by the music being played. Metal brought us all together. It almost makes me want to tear up a bit.

Like I said, it was a long drive home.

Also, opening this show was Houston’s own, Oceans of Slumber. This is the third time I’ve seen these guys perform live. They have been in the midst of doing a lot of touring in Europe in support of their latest album and the touring is paying off. Their live set is getting more and more confident in its performance. It’s really cool to see this band starting to come into their own as a live entity. Definitely a band to keep an eye on.

Insomnium-The Primeval Dark

Insomnium-Winter’s Gate

Insomnium-While We Sleep

Oceans of Slumber-The Decay of Disregard

Burn the Priest-Legion: XX

Those of you who know me personally know my stance on cover songs/albums. They’re cute, but really serve no purpose. Sure, there have been some decent to good cover songs over the years, but honestly, when I listen to a band, I wanna hear some original shit, ya know? Cover songs for the most part are just kind of lazy and generally don’t really do much in regard to the original version of the song.

That being said, one of my favorite bands just decided to dump out an album full of cover songs. Burn the Priest, for the uninitiated, is the former incarnation of the current metal band, Lamb of God. They put out one album of original songs under the Burn the Priest moniker and then decided to switch up to the less offensive Lamb of God name going forward. From what I gather, this album is made up of a bunch of punk and crossover bands that helped influence what ultimately became BTP/LoG.

So, how is it? Well, it’s like every other album of cover songs. It’s cute. In a way it was cool because, not being a huge punk fan, I was unfamiliar with a lot of the songs on here. Some of them were interesting enough to make me want to seek out the original versions of these songs. And I guess in that respect, the album was a worthwhile listen. You’ve got songs on here from The Melvins, Bad Brains, The Cro-Mags, The Accused, Quicksand and Stormtroopers of Death. Honestly, the biggest surprise and most fun song on the album is a ripping redneck version of Ministry’s Jesus Built My Hotrod. This is really the most inspired track on the album and sounds like the dudes had a blast coming up with this version.

All in all, it would have been nicer to have a new slab of Lamb of God tracks, but I suppose this will serve as a tide-me-over until that day comes.

3 flip flops out of 5

Power Trip at Mohawk, Austin, TX 6/7/2018

Well, this show was downright nuts. I’ve been through quite a few pits over my years of going to shows and this was right up there as being one of the more intense ones I’ve ever experienced. I really hope you people sincerely appreciate the sacrifice to life and limb I go through to bring you these first hand accounts. Let’s face it. Not only am I middle age, I’m very feeble and a tad on the dainty side. And I wear flip flops. I’m not exactly cut out for a mass of humanity slamming into one another. But, I do it for you, dear reader. I do it for you because I care.

OK, I do actually really enjoy this shit. It’s where I feel at home. You haven’t really lived until you’ve had a hairy dude who probably tips the scales at 250 pounds unintentionally bring his combat boot straight down onto your exposed toes. Woooo! It will make you feel alive! The pit is cathartic. It’s a release. It’s fun to be in a controlled environment of aggression where it’s OK, even welcomed, to slam into your fellow concertgoers and, in turn, be slammed back with equal fervor and zeal.

Oh, and did I mention the smell. Every pit has its own distinct fragrance, but underlying them all is a bouquet of B.O., cheap beer, weed and frustration. Man, if Chanel could ever find a way bottle that smell, they’d really be on to something. Eau de Moshpit, if you will.

OK, enough on the scene setting. Power Trip is nuts. They are a high energy crossover thrash metal/punk band out of Dallas. Heavily influenced by the mid-80s thrash scene, their guitar sound is the epitome of metal. It is that perfect pitch of crunch that is my reason for being. This is a live band through and through and last night showcased them in top form. You could tell that they really fed off of the energy of the crowd. This was a really fun one and they are a band that should get you off of your couch next time they roll through your town.

I can’t recommend enough that you watch the limited video I was able to capture. It was a struggle to stay in place and not drop my phone. Video is not the greatest quality, but it should give you some sense of the sheer mass of chaos that reigned at the Mohawk last night.

Power Trip-Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Ax)

Alkaloid-Liquid Anatomy

So, today we have a death metal band that is doing its damnedest to break some of the traditional tropes of death metal. This one is not so much just blast beats and growls. These guys are trying some different things to mix things up a bit. And it makes sense because this is a band made up of musicians who have other gigs in more traditional death metal bands. It figures they would use this project to explore some different ideas.

Do they succeed? By and large, yes. The album as a whole is a fairly enjoyable ride. From the opening riffs of the album, you get a sense that this is going to be a bit odd. The clean guitar parts that herald opening track Kernal Panic are almost pop-like in their sound. Rest assured, the metal kicks in shortly.

In certain respects, this album reminds me a lot of Allegaeon. It isn’t as blisteringly technical as Allegaeon, but it has the whole “we love science” bent to its lyrical themes. With song titles like “Rise of the Cephalopods” and “Chaos Theory and Practice”, you can get a sense of where their heads are at.

Also, this album is recorded extremely well. This is how metal should sound. Especially the drums. It just sounds so precise and immediate. It’s a really good album to crank up loud in the car.

3.5 flip flops out of 5

Abraham-Look, Here Comes the Dark

Post-Metal. It’s one of those made up terms coined by music dorks to describe a certain sub-genre of metal that has evolved during the 1990s and 2000s. It kind of sucks as a descriptor though. I mean, you get a pretty good idea of what is coming with Power Metal or Thrash Metal. Post-Metal just sits there looking stupid as a term of art.

Discordant Ambient Metal. Harsh, Yet Somehow Soothing Metal. Bleak Resonant Songs of Around 7 to 12 Minutes In Length Metal.

These are all better genre descriptors than Post-Metal. But, no one is listening to me. So, Post-Metal it is!!

This album was my first exposure to Abraham. These are some dudes from Switzerland who (surprise!) deal in post-metal. This one is a load in that it is a double album. So, you’ve got a shit ton of music to work through. Everything on here is really pretty decent. It’s not really anything Earth-shattering, but it’s cool. Kind of like a poor man’s Cult of Luna or Neurosis. That’s the vibe these guys project. The music is harsh, but it is presented in a manner in which I find very relaxing. I get this feeling a lot with post-metal bands. Abraham employs a wall of sound approach that ends up collapsing in waves over the listener. It’s powerful, but not overbearing. I even hear a touch of The Cure in some of the cleaner vocal portions. It’s not pronounced, but it’s definitely in there if you look for it.

Overall, this is a really good swing by a band that is still early in their development. It will be interesting to see where these guys take their sound going forward.

3.5 flip flops out of 5

At The Gates-To Drink From the Night Itself

Another day, another death metal album from a Scandinavian band. It’s the cycle of life.

So, this feels like a whole new discography for At The Gates. These guys were pioneers in the mid-90s when they helped establish the Gothenburg death metal scene with In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Soilwork and the like. The early part of their career was a quick burst and then it was over. The group disbanded with the members going on to different projects. There had been a few reunion shows and rumblings of some new material, but nothing materialized until 2014 with the release of At War With Reality.

So, here we are a few years down the road and we have the sophomore release of At The Gates’ second coming. It’s nice to see that the band has stepped up to the plate and surpassed the first reunion album. This is a solid, straightforward death metal album. There aren’t any tricks or diversions. This band knows what they are good at and they deliver it in a no-nonsense professional manner. It always amazes me that many of these band who break up and take double-digit year long hiatuses can reform and hit the pavement going forward as if no time has passed at all. These two post-reunion albums are as if there was no break at all. You here the new music and you’ll know immediately that it is At The Gates.

4 flip flops out of 5