I know this is probably blasphemous but some aspects of Pighammer, the debut solo album from Static-X front man Wayne Static, greatly remind me of Godflesh. Now, I’m not saying that Wayne Static is by any means in the same ballpark as Justin Broadrick, but you can’t deny that the minimalist approach to his solo album, especially the static (no pun intended) guitar drones and the lo-fi production, are very much in the Godflesh vein. If you think I’m crazy, […]
Metal Monday
Metal Monday Volume 40 (10.17.11)
Five Finger Death Punch’s latest, American Capitalist, is a concise slab of 21st Century thrash metal. On their third album, FFDP really deliver the goods. Zoltan Bathory’s guitars sound nastier than ever, Jeremy Spencer lays down a slick and solid drum groove while Ivan Moody sounds better than ever behind the mic. The third album is the defining moment for any band. On the first, you get an introduction. The sophomore album can go either way: an experiment or more […]
Metal Monday Volume 39 (10.10.11)
In Jesseworld, no band compares with Will Haven . They’re this weird mix of hardcore and sludge with this air of evil floating above that sounds like nobody else. If you’ve never heard them then you’re missing out. When they disbanded shortly after the release of 2001’s Carpe Diem, I was heartbroken. They announced a return in 2005 which was promising until vocalist Grady Avenell dropped out of the mix resulting in their fourth album, The Hierophant, being recorded with a different […]
Metal Monday Volume 38 (10.3.11)
This is really the seventh full-length from Machine Head? It’s crazy to think that there was a time when it was doubtful they would survive through the nu-metal craze of the ’90’s yet here they are after their second coming with 2003’s Through the Ashes of Empires bigger than ever, stronger than all and being handpicked to open for Metallica. Since TTAOE, Machine Head rediscovered themselves, found a songwriting structure that worked and took the time to create songs and […]
Metal Monday Volume 37 (9.26.11)
At this point in Mastodon’s illustrious career, I have to ask: Is it even possible for them to make a bad album? If their latest, The Hunter, is any indication then the answer is a resounding “NO!”. Stepping away from the concept album concept (pun intended) for the first time in almost 10 years, The Hunter sees the behemoth known as Mastodon at their most loose, raw, and yet still experimental. With but just two songs on here crossing the […]
Metal Monday Volume 36 (9.19.11)
Coming at you on September 27th is a split by two bands you better know in 2011. Their names: Junius and Rosetta. One is a Philadelphian band named Rosetta who released their third album, A Determinism of Morality, last year. The other, Junius, a band from Boston whose last record (2009’s The Martyrdom of Catastrophist) took almost 3 years to complete and was inspired by the works of Immanuel Velikovsky . Yeah, they’re deep. “A Dark Day With Night” begins as if […]
The Singles Bar: Mastodon’s “Spectrelight”
From the three tracks previewed so far, it seems as if Mastodon’s The Hunter is gonna be fast, heavy, and short. Which is good. I often joke that the only band capable of following up a concept album with a concept album (with a concept album with a concept album!) is Mastodon (I don’t know why you even tried My Chemical Romance and Green Day!) so to have them finally decide to free themselves of the constraints of such grand […]
Metal Monday Volume 35 (9.12.11)
Let me start off with this, I got into Anthrax during John Bush’s tenure. I know Persistence of Time, State of Euphoria, Among The Living, etc. well but I’ve always liked Bush better. That said, I was very cautious coming into Worship Music because this is not MY Anthrax anymore. That said and with a biased opinion already laid out, I can say that this is one un-fucking-believable Anthrax album. Worship Music is such a metal as fuck album that […]
Metal Monday Volume 34 (9.5.11)
Every song on MonstrO’s debut is a deeply layered opus. From the opening wail of “Fantasma” through the gentle chord fade out of 8-minute closer “April”, MonstrO deliver a solid album comprised of seasoned veterans who’ve been through the motions before and have the musical chemistry to guarantee staying power. Look at the line-up: There’s ex-Torche axemaster Juan Montoya, ex-Bloodsimple members Kyle Sanders on bass and Bevan Davies on drums along with vocalist/guitarist Charlie Suarez. Then you have their first album (available […]
Metal Monday Extra: Will Haven Post 2nd Voir Dire Preview!
Just for the record, Will Haven could make a video that centers on a stationary drawing of stick figures and I’d still be captivated for however long the song lasted. The set up: Tombstones, some girl mourning, a dead body, maybe some foul play? The soundtrack for this piece of morbidity is of course provided by Will Haven. Who does dark and foreboding better than them after all? A choir opens “Held To Answer”, the lead song off of October’s […]
Metal Monday Volume 33 (8.29.11)
What defines “being metal”? Is it the heaviness of the music? The members involved? Do you review a Hank Williams III album because he frequently plays in bands with Phil Anselmo? Do I put an R.E.M. album in here because their current drummer used to play in KMFDM and Ministry (Really!)? While Crosses , the self-titled debut EP from Shaun Lopez of Far and Chino Moreno of Deftones, is definitely not a metal record, its’ member reps certainly warrants that it […]
Metal Monday Volume 32 (8.22.11)
Who would’ve thought combining CKY with death metal would be such a great idea? It’s another one of those times where, on paper (I’m looking at you, The Damned Things!), this should not work. But pop it into the player, press play, and you’ll find out that surprisingly it does. Really well, actually. What you get is World Under Blood whose debut, Tactical, effortlessly mixes death metal with CKY frontman Deron Miller’s very melodic layered vox which fits in well […]