Chris Cornell, 7/20/1964 – 5/17/2017

Dammit.  This one was a surprise.  My alarm went off at its usual 6:05 and I check my news feed.  Ugh…I’ve spent the morning trying to process this one.  Cornell wasn’t a mess.  He seemed to be in really good health.  52.  This really sucks.

Whenever playing the game of naming which musicians would make up your fantasy all-star band, Cornell was always my go-to guy on the mic.  This dude’s pipes were so strong.  I think he’ll be known for the high notes he could hit, but to me his voice just had that heft that most singers will never have.  It had substance.  It had weight.  There was a power there that just pushed Soundgarden and Audioslave to places they couldn’t have reached without him.  I’ve always said that of the Big 4 grunge bands to come out of Seattle, Soundgarden is the one that always stood out above the other three.  Cornell was the main reason why.  I’m glad I got a chance to see the reunited Soundgarden play live a couple of years ago.  I will cherish the memory and will really miss never getting to hear him sing again in a live setting.

I’ve seen a lot of people posting songs and videos.  Here’s mine.  I remember hearing this song for the first time while watching Headbanger’s Ball on a Saturday night during my early days of college.  It was just fucking weird and intense and chaotic and dangerous and unlike anything I had really heard before.  I honestly wasn’t sure I even liked it, but I certainly couldn’t get it out of my head.  This is the song that has been rolling around in my head since I heard the news this morning.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Cornell.  We will all be forever looking California, but feeling Minnesota.

Pallbearer at Barracuda, Austin, TX, 5/13/2017

Pallbearer just seems like one of those bands that might have a chance to breakthrough to some mainstream success.  I get a sense from reviews of their albums that the media has a soft spot for these guys.  It really reminds me of Mastodon’s rise in fame over the years.  Looking back at the first couple of Mastodon albums, I never would have predicted how big of a band they have become.  I have a feeling I’m going to be looking back in a few years and have the same exact feeling regarding Pallbearer.  Their first album is damn near inaccessible in its dreary presentation of doom metal.  It is pure sludge and pure despondency.  However, they have lightened the sullen weight of their presentation over the last couple of albums (see review of Heartless from April 10).  I could be wrong, but I can see heady days coming for these guys.  All they really need is some decent exposure from a nice supporting slot for a larger band.

I’ve seen Pallbearer a couple of times in the past, but this was the first headlining show I’ve seen them perform.  It was nice to get a full presentation of songs from them instead of the usual short opening set (which were normally only 3 songs long due to the epic length of most of their songs).  I have to say that the band’s performance radiated a new level of confidence from the prior times that I have seen them.  This is a band that is in complete control of the stage and you can tell that their past touring has resulted in a tighter live band.  I have to say that it is sometimes jarring hearing the voice of an angel come out of lead guitarist and singer Brett Campbell, who bears a striking resemblance to Dewey Crowe from the TV show Justified.

Some samples:

Thorns

The Ghost I Used To Be

Worlds Apart

Evergrey at The Rock Box, San Antonio, TX, 5/11/2017

On my way out the door to hit the road for this show, my punk rock fiancee asks derisively, “Is this going to be one of those weepy, emo-metal shows?”  My response was a somewhat defensive, “Ummm, NO!  Whatever. Your face is emo-metal.”  Of course, after listening to a shuffle of Evergrey tunes on the way down to San Antonio, I kind of had to be honest with myself and say, “OK, maybe they are a little on the emotive side of metal.  There may actually be some weeping this evening.”  So what?  Metal dudes can be in touch with their feelings, too.

At any rate, I’ve been waiting to see these guys for some time now and they did not disappoint.  This band has been creating a solid catalog of progressive power metal for close to 20 years now.  Even though their lyrical content does center more on the emotional side of things, these guys create a wall of crunchy guitars that are as heavy as any other band going today.  I would have enjoyed hearing a few more songs from their earlier releases, but the songs they did play were delivered in a very strong fashion.  The only real downside to this show was the paltry size of the crowd.  There were probably less than 50 people in attendance.  However, the people that did show up were apparently huge fans and still managed to supply a fairly boisterous response that the band clearly appreciated.

So, did I embrace my inner emo and openly weep in public during the show?  Ummm…NO!!!  Your face is weeping!

OK…maybe I did.  Piss off.

Here are some samples.

Passing Through

The Grand Collapse

A Touch of Blessing (along with a squawking parrot-like creature)

King of Errors

 

The Sword at Mohawk, Austin, TX, 5/5/2017

After this show was over, I really had the feeling that our little band from Austin is all growed up.  These guys put forth a set that proves that this is band with some heft.  After watching these guys come up from the local Austin scene and blossom into an international act, it is impressive to see them at this stage in their career.  No gimmicks.  No b.s.  No cheesy crowd banter.  Just song after song after song.  These guys have become a truly professional band with serious musical chops.

The Sword is still out promoting their High Country and acoustic re-imagined Low Country albums in addition to last week’s release of a live album entitled Greetings From…  The set list pulled heavily from the latest album with a fine sprinkling of classic tracks.  I was somewhat on the fence when High Country came out.  The marked change of direction from their earlier albums didn’t quite click with me.  However, the more I hear these songs and, especially hearing them in a live setting, I really believe that I kind of missed the boat on my early impressions.  The newer material seems to have more in common with ZZ Top or Molly Hatchet than the Sabbath influences of the earlier albums.  Even the older songs were delivered with a dash of southern fried flavor. The new direction just works really well and the songs really exhibit a diversity that bodes well for The Sword going forward.  I think they’ve made the move to distinguish themselves from the rabble of Sabbath-influenced bands active today and are beginning to create a more original space for themselves.  I really believe that good things are coming down the road for these guys going forward.

Some samples:

Arcane Montane

Tres Brujas

Mist & Shadow

Mother, Maiden & Crone

Lawless Lands

Cloak of Feathers

Labyrinth-Architecture of a God

Italian power metal is what we have here.  Bombastic vocals, breakneck riffs, serious guitar wankery, over-the-top orchestral keyboards and melodramatic emotive lyrics are the order of the day.  If you’re looking for subtlety, you should probably pull your horse up to another saloon.

I think I’ve developed a love/hate relationship with power metal over the years.  On the one hand, this style of metal was inspired by the bands that had a massive influence on me becoming a metalhead…namely Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.  So, there’s a part of me that is going to be drawn to this style of music.  On the other hand, it really feels like the great majority of bands that deal in this style of music go way over the top with the grandiosity of the lyrical themes, the soaring vocals and the pure saccharine gloss of the music.  Sometimes the proceedings just veer into cheese.  It’s kind of like watching Nicholas Cage in Con Air.  It’s entertaining to listen to in small doses, but after a while the extravagances can start to induce eye-rolling.

Labyrinth has been one of those bands that always seems to walk right up to the dividing line between cool and cheese.  By and large, they have managed to stay on the cool side. There’s nothing on this album that is breaking any new ground as far as the Labyrinth sound goes, but it isn’t just a paint-by-numbers job either.  I have to say that upon the second listen, my reaction to the album as a whole really improved.  So, I’m saying give this one some time and it might just sink into your brain as it did mine.

3 flip flops out of 5

The Black Angels-Death Song

Man, I really have to think that the members of The Black Angels legitimately believe that it is still 1968.  There is no possible way you wake up as a member of the planet Earth in 2017 and manage to produce music that sounds this organic and trippy without some sort of mind game in which you’ve convinced yourself that it is still the Summer of Love.

Every single aspect of this band brings forth the image of a flower child spinning around in a muddy field while expanding her mind on the tripped out music pouring forth from whatever hippy music fest she is attending.  Alex Maas’ vocals over the fuzzed out guitars and keyboards are the perfect vehicle to power the dreamscapes created here.

However, not everything is peace and love in these environs.  The music being put forth always contains a sinister underbelly.  It’s as if Charlie Manson is hovering just on the periphery of the proceedings; watching and waiting for the precise moment to manipulate the peaceful scene into something out of a nightmare.

I love these guys.  They have been producing music to their own special psyched-out vibe since dropping 2006’s debut, Passover.  I don’t think they have managed to match that album’s perfection with this current release, but there is an awful lot to like on this new album.  This is the kind of album where you will find something new to enjoy on each successive listen.  I’ve only listened to this thing a few times and it really feels like an album that is going to grow in time.

Go check these guys out when they hit your town.  They have an insanely psychedelic light show to accompany the music that enhances the proceedings nicely.

3.5 flip flops out of 5

Royal Thunder at Barracuda, Austin, TX, 4/27/2017

Soul.

It’s a word not normally associated with a metal band, but it just fits in this instance.  This show and this band are all about soul.

Even calling these guys a metal band might be a stretch, but I’m claiming them anyway.  They aren’t your run-of-the-mill metal band, but their sound has a definite heft which I feel places them safely under the all-encompassing umbrella of Metal.

This was a very tight and focused set.  The band brought their A-game this evening to a set list that focused primarily on their recently released third album, Wick (see review from 4/13).  The only real downsides of the show were that 1. it wasn’t a headline set and they only played for around 45 minutes; and 2. that the crowd was just so very small.  I really hope these guys can manage to latch on to a larger touring package at some point because it just feels that if you see these guys perform live, you are going to be hooked.  Vocalist Mlny Parsonz is truly one of the gifts the music gods have bestowed upon us lowly mortals.  I would put her head to head against any vocalist today working in any genre of music.  Such great depth and range of emotion pours out of her on stage.

Going to see a national headlining act at an arena or amphitheater is cool.  However, if you want to be moved, go see a small band playing in a small club for an even smaller crowd.  You can see them up close them pouring everything they have into trying to keep their dream alive and the small wave of appreciation that washes over them when they receive a positive response from the crowd.  This is not a glamorous life.  You can see it in the weariness on the musicians’ faces and in the shitty looking vans parked out in front of the venue in which they live for days on end.  Last night was a prime example of why I go to so many shows.  Those of you who know me personally know that I am kind of a jaded asshole who is generally not impressed by much.  However, one thing that has always tempered my apathetic side is music.  Scrappy little bands like Royal Thunder give me hope and make me feel a tad better about life.  Life would just be a giant cesspool without music like this and without people who are willing to take a chance to get their music out to the world.  Go support these kinds of bands.

Some samples:

Burning Tree

Anchor

Parsonz Curse

A Perfect Circle at HEB Center, Cedar Park, TX, 4/25/2017

So, as we wait…and wait…and wait…and wait…and wait for Tool to just finish the damn album, Maynard just keeps plugging away with his other two bands.  This year he has dusted off A Perfect Circle and is taking them out for a spin.  I dig A Perfect Circle.  They are a nice tide-me-over while we wait for the new Tool album.  I always kind of thought of these guys as Tool, Jr.  Maybe Tool Lite?  Tiny Tool?  Basically a mellower, more emotional and atmospheric version of Tool.  Got it?  Good.  It looks like we may even be getting a new album out of these dudes later in the year.  Hooray!

Not only do these guys sound an awful lot like Maynard’s main gig, but the stage show they bring has quite a few similarities to the Tool live show.  Lots ‘o lights to mesmerize and amaze.  Maynard is on his little darkened perch toward the back of the stage while guitarist Billy Howerdel and bassist Matt McJunkins prowl the main stage.  Other guitarist, James Iha, seems to have gravitated to Maynard’s idea and had his own little perch to Maynard’s right.  They put together a fairly nice slice of songs across their discography with an added highlight of a new song entitled, “Feathers”, to end the set.

I’ve got to talk a bit about Maynard and his shadowy little perch for a bit.  I get it.  You’re deep.  You’re mysterious.  You’re an artiste.  You want to create a live dynamic where the focus is on the music and lyrics rather than you.  You need a little privacy so you can get all weird up there by yourself.  Cool.  But how do we actually know it is you up there actually singing?  I have no friggin’ clue if that was actually you up there last night.  It could have been a body double up there lip-synching to a pre-recorded track and the crowd would have been none the wiser.  Maybe just once during the set, come on down to the lower stage and let us see your magnificence.  Don’t be shy.  We like you.  We really do.

OK…end of rant.  Keep on being your weird self, Maynard.  Just yell at the other guys in Tool to get their shit together.  I mean, it has been over ten years, guys.  Seriously.

Here are some samples from the show.  Not the greatest quality because our seats were a bit back from the stage and my attempts to avoid the Phone Nazi patrolling our area.

Magdalena

The Stranger

I feel like a failure on this one, but I seriously can’t place what track this is.  Anyway, enjoy.  Let me know in comments if you know the name of this song.

Amorphis and Swallow the Sun at Fitzgerald’s, San Antonio, 4/15/2017

So, this show was well worth braving the always lovely drive down I-35 to San Antonio Saturday evening.  Amorphis is one of those seminal melodic death metal bands that started out in the mid-90’s and has somehow managed to escape being seen in person by your truly until this night.  Their album, Tales From the Thousand Lakes, is one of the pioneering that helped codify the Scandinavian melodic death metal scene.

Everything about Amorphis is epic: their sound, their image, their subject matter.  Most of their albums are rooted in Finnish folklore and this results in everything coming across in a very grand and very epic feel.  You can definitely tell they grew up listening to Iron Maiden a lot.  I think the only downer on the evening was that the show wasn’t in a larger or outdoor venue.  Shooting flames would have been a nice touch to the stage show.  But, that being said, it was cool getting to finally see these guys up close in an intimate venue with around 100 or so people in attendance.

Fellow Fins Swallow the Sun opened the show and brought a very tight performance.  They provided a very doom-influenced death metal set that helped set the stage for the headliner.

In the videos below, check out vocalist Tomi Joutsen’s two-handled microphone.  It really looks like something handcrafted for a Mad Max set.  Also, guitarist Esa Holopainen is pretty much a dead ringer for Ned Stark.

Under the Red Cloud

Hopeless Days

The Smoke

Death of a King

Swallow the Sun

Royal Thunder-Wick

I don’t know why, but this album is always going to be entitled the John Wick album in my head.

Royal Thunder is a hard rocking band from Georgia.  These guys were the darling of my friends and I’s SXSW fest a few years ago.  I think we probably saw them play 3 or 4 different times that fest.

This is their third album out and they just keep consistently putting out really solid rock tunes that have a ton of soul.  Lead singer Mlny Parsonz is simply one of the most powerful vocalist going in the entire music industry today.  Seriously.  She is a tiny little thing, but she just owns the songs in which she sings.  The latest record is a definite showcase for her talent along with the understated guitar work of Josh Weaver.  I have a feeling that this album is going to be one that grows upon each listen.  There is a lot of really good stuff packed on here that will be well worth revisiting.

They hit Austin on April 27 at The Barracuda.  I highly suggest you get your butts over there to check them out.

3.5 flip flops out of 5