This is a really good metal album. That may sound like an overly-simplistic statement, but I open by saying that because I was braced for metal supergroup mediocrity. Instead, what was delivered is a nice surprise of competent, aggressive, and often interesting songs that dance closely on both sides of the line between traditional metal and the more commercial metal sound of the past few years. In case metal isn’t your usual primary genre (or you claim to be […]
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Spin Cycle: Metallica – Beyond Magnetic
Three years. That’s how long it’s been since Metallica released Death Magnetic (which was their first studio LP in six years, following the universally-hated St. Anger). Three years since Metallica released what is arguably their best collection of songs since And Justice For All. Three years since fans and critics alike balked at the horrendous mix full of clipping and compression. Three years since Death Magnetic made the sound of a golden nugget of kickass dropped into a toilet. Three. Freaking. Years. And […]
The Singles Bar: Givers’ “Up Up Up”
Ok, ok, ok, I know what some of you are saying: “hey, Grez, this isn’t a new single!” Well, I know that, but it’s a recent single. So why I am covering it now? Well, because I think it’s a great song, we never gave it its well-deserved coverage, and because the upcoming Hipster-laden lineup of Coachella fest features Givers. Festivals are always best when you go knowing what bands to check out when you have a lot of choices. These guys rocked […]
Spin Cycle: Derek Sherinian’s “Oceana”
To say that Derek Sherinian is a musical outlier would be an understatement. Most keyboard players are either jazz-focused or members of goofy hair metal bands. Sherinian is neither, although he dabbles in bits of both. Here’s a guy who loves rock-jazz fusion (with emphasis on the former, straying into the latter sonically on occasion, and time-signature-wise very frequently) and, at the same time, has played keys for the likes of both KISS and Alice Cooper. He’s probably most recognized, […]
