Revenge of the Quick Ripple Bursts -

Sinem Saniye- I'll Confide

This. Is. Fabulous.

I must admit, before I go on about how you need to locate this woman's music if it is the last thing you do, that when I first hit play I went “Damn. Another freaking carbon copy female pop singer.” I am so glad I stuck it out. Yes, the music is pop, but has something about it that keeps you listening, without groaning.

The vocals are strong, feminine, and perfectly in tune. The music may be pop but it also has jazz elements that take it from tacky pop, to something sexy and nice for your ears. Plus, the bonus of catchy lyrics!

“I was looking to my left when I almost saw you pass me by,
I've been lost on my own, that's why I chose you for the drive
Cause you know who I am, only on the inside”

Phlying Saucer -Breaking Down Takes Two

It has been a while since Racer has sent me anything that is very heavy pop/rock and I was very grateful for Phlying Saucer!

They have the sound that comes with the territory of pop/rock, but they do it extremely well which makes it awesome to listen to. The riffs hold the pop hook, with the rock heavyness, the drumming keeps the beat and takes the song up another level. The vocals are clean, and the lyrics catchy. It is a tidy song, stripping away the pointless pop, and taking in the rock for something that is simple and full.

“I want to go, if I can bear
I want to stay, but why should I care?
You know it's just a matter of time,
Before you end up in my arms again”

If you are after some high quality pop/rock, follow Phlying Saucer around for a while.

--Koala

Switchblade Jesus - EP

Out of Corpus Christi, Switchblade Jesus fire up a value-packed combo (i.e., a 3-song ep) of melodic raspy vocals (think Dave Wyndorf), short, well written songs and obvious enthusiasm for the material. “Joyride” features a nice riff, well constructed songs... nearly catchy! Love it when pop hooks and stoner riffs come together. “Negative Planet 11”: very cool riff in D, a bit Hendrix and a bit Badlands; and “Copperhead,” which sounds vaguely like Seduce (almost certainly coincidental); very heavy but still a recognizably rock (late-80s) type tune. The weakest tune here, but probably only because of its relatively longer running time of 5 minutes (versus three for the other songs). Probably great for a 70mph road trip.

--Horn

http://switchbladejesus1.bandcamp.com/album/switchblade-jesus

Backwoods Payback – Momantha

For many years I thought I was the only one who remembered Kinghorse, the obnoxious band from Louisville who blended Black Flag/Misfits hardcore with Black Sabbath and The Damned during the early 1990’s. When my band had the pleasure of sharing the stage with Backwoods Payback it turned out that singer/guitarist Mike Cummings was a fan, too. The shadow of Kinghorse looms large over the new Backwoods album for me since it combines several styles of heavy music I love into one hot n nasty rip ride. There’s a strong Misfits/Samhain/Danzig influence for sure and Mike’s howling vocals bring to mind Glenn (Anzalone) Danzig as well as Sean Garrison’s powerful screaming with Kinghorse. There’s also a lot of post-My War Black Flag mixed with Sabbath spawns Trouble and Kyuss. Diversity is always a good thing as long as it’s heavy. And loud.

Momantha is a helluva album. So was their 2007 self titled debut but this new one is a major leap forward. The songwriting shows off many more layers, the musicianship is tighter and the production is much improved. The guitars of Mike Cummings and Rylan Caspar are heavy and crunchy but never get mushy sounding. Jessica Baker’s probably got the 10-and-a-half in this band based on her ballsy bass tone and W.S. Curtiss murders his drums to form a very tight and in the pocket rhythm section.

Opening song “You Know How This Works” begins with the sound of a guitar throwing up, then the drums come in and an almost happy sounding riff starts up. The mood changes once the vocals start “I’ve got no one on my side, what the fuck else is new?” The negative vibes continue with “Flight Pony” an excellent “Hole In The Sky” style stomper. “Knock Wood” and “Mr. Snowflake” are mid-tempo ragers with tortured vocals and some nice melodic lead guitar fills.

The middle of the album has a bunch of mid-tempo heavy rockers like “Parting Words,” “Lord Chesterfield” and “Velcro” that maintain their groove from start to finish but will keep you amped up behind the steering wheel without getting a speeding ticket. “Velcro” is the longest cut on the album (just under 6 minutes) and contains positive thoughts like “if I had a gun I’d clean it everyday to keep it in its finest working shape.” Things speed up and get really pissed off on “Timegrinder.” This one really reminds me of Kinghorse at their most furious with an early C.O.C. intervention. Album closer “Ballad Of A Broken Horse” is kind of a summary of the entire album. Parts are fast, parts are slow, there’s some Sabbath (maybe even from Born Again!) and the thing flat out rocks.

Backwoods Payback has come up with a real winner with Momantha, one of the better heavy music releases so far this year. As good as the album is I’m sure all of the songs will be even better live. If you’ve never seen Backwoods Payback before you’re in for a real treat. They will play at just about any dump that will have them and they always go insane even if there’s only one person in the crowd. As a matter of fact, I think they go even more insane when there are fewer people. They’re also some of the coolest people you’ll ever meet. Whether you’re a new friend or old they will always offer to take you out to their van and share their Wild Turkey with you. I’ve had the hangovers to prove it. The album is currently available on itunes and physical CD’s will be available shortly. Don’t snooze on this one, mutha!

--Woody

Buy here: http://www.smallstone.com/albuminfo.php?album=115

www.myspace.com/backwoodspayback666

 

After School: Blue vs. Red

I've been meaning to write a review on either and/or both of the singles since they came out last week, but I was swamped with schoolwork and all I wanted to do this past weekend was sleep, shop and eat. Then, last Sunday I thought of a decent excuse for not writing a review earlier, so I decided to write this post up anyway. So here I am. My excuse? I was waiting for them to wrap up their comeback stages, and although they haven't gone on Music Bank yet, they've done 2/3 of the shows - that's good enough. This will be a little more than just two single reviews slapped together, because it's an analysis of the sub-groups as a whole - the members, the single, the delivery.

After School Blue

The Concept:

According to Pledis, they're supposed to be the cute ones. Cute, "fresh" (whatever that's supposed to be) - mainly cute. When I first heard of this, I instantly knew this was the AS sub-group that would make cringe. And the sub-group with Raina in it. I was right!

The Line-up:

Raina - Fits this subgroup like a glove, and you need someone in this subgroup who can actually hold a melody, so Raina it is. I would've been more surprised if they put her in Red, where she most definitely does not belong. That and they finally took her away from Jung Ah so Jung Ah can finally get majority of the vocals.
Lizzy - Lizzy's pretty versatile, to be honest. She's young so you would assume she'd fit more in Blue, but actually I'd like to see her in Red. She has the vocals to do it, seeing as they thought UEE was okay for Red. But we'll get to UEE later.
Jooyeon - Thank goodness she's here and not in Red. At least she can hide her non-existent vocals with cuteness, which isn't really happening but you can tell they tried.
E-Young - It's too early to really judge E-Young's voice, seeing as she's only been around for 1 single (plus this) and she gets minimal lines, but at least here in Blue, if she's really good it'll show. We'll see.

Who should have been included:

UEE - Enough said. I'll talk about her more when we get to AS Red, but UEE should've really been in Blue.

The Single:

"Wonder Boy"

Plagiarism issues aside (Have you people not gotten tired of all these stupid plagiarism claims already?), it's not a bad song. To put it in modern terms, it's very SNSD circa-2007-meets-Orange Caramel. For the people who have bothered to learn their kpop history, I do agree when people say it kinda reminds them of "Forever Love" (the Fin.K.L version, not the DBSK one), but I wouldn't go as far as to say that it was plagiarized. There are similarities, yes, but the melody isn't a 100% copy. Humor me. Anyway. It matches the entire idea of this subgroup, and seeing as majority of them really do this type of singing in the first place, the vocals were decent, when taken in context. Cute with a bit of spunk - come to think of it, that kind of matches what the new generation of After School are being marketed as.

The Performances:

Because majority of the members are really made for this kind of material, it doesn't surprise me that they can actually pull it off, again relative to the material. And, there were quite a few revelations - E-Young actually has a voice, Lizzy has a nice timbre but not that much of a voice, and Jooyeon still can't sing. Unlike the Orange Caramel performances which were really exaggerated and annoying, their first set of performances for "Wonder Boy" were pretty strong. Not my personal taste, but they did it well.

After School Red

The Concept:

Basically the opposite of AS Blue. Fierce, sexy - that type. Even before the song came out, I was already placing my bets on AS Red. As if I'd bet on AS Blue. Really now.

The Line-up:

Gahee - Duh. As if they'd even attempt to put Gahee in Blue - not gonna happen, Pledis. Gahee is the epitome of the entire idea of AS Red, she cannot not be in this sub-group.
Jung Ah - They finally let Jung Ah show off her vocals again after ages. Red is definitely the right subgroup for her, even if I was a bit disappointed with what she got on the song. But I'll get to that later.
Nana - Interesting member choice here. I don't know who else to put in Red either, so I guess Nana will have to do. She isn't that bad, in fact she's a lot better than she was when she first joined, it's just that there are better and more consistent singers in the group. And she tends to sound squeaky.
UEE - What. The. Hell. Why is this girl even in this subgroup. Why. She should be in Blue. Come to think of it, all of the members who weren't in the original line-up, bar Jooyeon because she's always been the useless one, should be in Blue, because basically they turned After School into a cute-fest plus Jung Ah and Gahee. UEE is on the useless side, but maybe we can put her on the cute side to save face. And training fees.

Who should have been included:

I'm not too sure of this myself, to be honest. No one for now.

The Single:

"In The Night Sky"

When I first heard the song, I was rather disappointed because this is hardly sexy or fierce or whatever they'd been telling us that AS Red would be. Of course I wasn't expecting them to strip or pole dance or anything, but for "fierce", this is really tame. Really tame. People have compared it to "Shady Girl" because of the loop and the synths and the talking guy in the background (who I assume is the same guy) and to a certain extent it does sound like the SISTAR song (the only one I can stand, to be honest), but again - it's not plagiarism if a significant part is not a 100% copy of another song. So anyway. After the initial "but this isn't fierce!" stage, it's not a bad song either, and I like it a lot better than the AS Blue song. But then again I hate anything that's in a similar realm to the AS Blue song. The chorus is extremely catchy while keeping a pretty melody throughout the entire song, and it's actually very pleasant to listen to - I've had just this on loop all weekend and I'm not sick of it yet. However, like I said a while ago, I was disappointed with the melody because it didn't give Jung Ah a chance to show off those stunning vocals I know she has, but never get shown. Jung Ah needs something like her "Bang!" verse, only longer - that was what I wanted, and what she needed to prove to everyone that she still has the upper hand in AS when it comes to vocals. But alas, they made her squeaky.

The Performances:

I was really disappointed with the live performances for this. Really disappointed. First you have UEE, who can't sing. At all. Then you have Gahee, who does have a voice, but isn't the most stable singer around. You have Jung Ah, who's singing in a pre-meditated cutesy voice most probably demanded by the agency. And you have Nana who really sings cute and isn't the best live singer either. Such a let-down. They carry themselves really well, even without backup dancers, but I'm afraid they, once again, cannot pull this song off live. PLEASE, Pledis, I beg you - give these girls a song they can actually sing live. For their sake. And your money's sake.



So now that I've laid down all the important points - which side are you on, Red or Blue? I think you know which side I'm on. :D

I Just Want To Sing! - Featuring Redefine and Brandon Jarod

Waveriders, Penfold here.  As you may or may not know I love me some experimental, genre-blending, wild music performed by experimental, genre-blending, wild bands.  Love it!  But there are times when this type of music just won’t do.  Here’s a perfect example.  I’m driving in my car on my way to work.  What do I want to listen to?  Do I want to listen to that stunning new black/death/thrash/etcetera hybrid band that takes all of my attention to enjoy to its fullest?  No.  I can’t listen with my full attention in the car.  There would be an endless parade of damages to my automobile and several unfortunate fatalities.  Plus, I can’t really sing along to all that growling/screeching/yelling stuff that seems so prevalent with extreme music today.  To be clear, I want to sing along.  Oh please…as if you don’t sing while driving.  Yeah okay, I guess I’m the only one.  Right.

So, I need some road music with clean vocals feeding strong melody lines that will allow me to sing along and maintain a groove, all the while keeping my attention on the road.  What’s that?  Why don’t I just listen to the radio?  Who said that?  If I find you I’m going to smack you!  Seriously.  Don’t provoke me like that.  Anyways, thankfully I’ve found a couple of acts recently that really fit the bill.  Let’s talk a bit about them, shall we?



Redefine - Blur On The Horizon EP

This five piece rock band hails from Dallas, Texas.  Perhaps simply living in such a large state affects these guys.  Perhaps it does not.  Regardless, the band has a massive sound.   Redefine’s music is hefty, in your face, and consistently shifting to keep the listener on their toes.  On this EP, their third release and second with singer Scott Headstream, they come roaring out of the speakers like a bat out of Hades!  Guitarists Chris Apaliski and Ryan Maynard lay down riff after righteous riff, along with several frenetic technical passages worthy of study.  The rhythm section of drummer Daniel Taylor and bass player Mike DiQuinzio join together in perfect lockstep to anchor the musical pyrotechnics while managing to provide excellent and tasteful flourishes throughout.  Oh, and the singer?  Let me tell you; this man can sing!  It is abundantly clear that Mr. Headstream puts his heart and soul into his performance.  The term emotive does not begin to do this man justice.

Alright, that’s enough talk of personnel.  Let’s get down to the nitty gritty.  The main reason I find this band so satisfying is that they effortlessly jump from influence to influence, all the while maintaining their own identity.  Listening to these songs I can clearly identify moments which evoke strong comparisons with other bands of note.  For instance the first song, “Arcana”, exhibits verses that have a significant Mars Volta feel to them, but then the song transitions to a thrashy bit reminiscent of Megadeth.  And that’s just the first song.  Track two, “Motorcade”, has a gang vocal chorus towards the end that has Belladonna-era Anthrax written all over it.  “Like A Vision, A Ghost” has guitar lines that scream Dream Theater.  “Take Your Medicine” offers up some rapid fire start-stop riffage reminiscent of Tool to my ears.  Keep in mind that all of this is wrapped neatly into an ear pleasing modern rock bundle.  No song ever sounds disjointed, and no individual moment sounds unnatural.  Everything flows together flawlessly.

The bottom line here waveriders is that I recommend checking into Redefine.  Heck, I’d even go so far as to say that this music should be played on the radio!


buy here: Blur On The Horizon
Listen Here – facebook

Brandon Jarod - The Crush EP

Well hey there!  Say, do you like your rock ‘n roll with a heaping dollop of soul?  You do?  No kidding?!  Me too!  But wait…what’s that you say?  You demand this new music to be unique and memorable?  And you want it to be filled with heartfelt emotion?  Okay then.  You do realize that this is a pretty tall order to fill right?  Whoa, calm down!  Look, I was just kidding around.  I’m going to see if I can find exactly what the doctor ordered…no, I’m not skipping over you.  There is no actual doctor.  You ARE the doctor!  Look, I know just what you need.  This is the debut EP from Brandon Jarod, and it is going to rock your world!  Pay attention.

Brandon Jarod is a self-taught guitarist from Virginia.  Together with drummer “B.A.” Bryan Adkins he recorded The Crush EP.  In a live setting the group is completed by Tyrone Jordan on bass, but the EP in question was recorded without him (perhaps before they even met).  I mentioned that Mr. Jarod is self-taught on the guitar because I think it is of the utmost importance.  According to historical record he learned to play by imitating other guitarists whom he admired from all walks of music, and it really shows.  His playing sounds fresh and organic and is clearly not limited by established stylistic structures.  I think the only rule he applies is that no matter what the music has to sound good, and boy howdy does it.

The six songs that make up The Crush EP run the gamut.  An insistent drum beat opens “Falling Into Place” before the guitar and bass kick in to bring on the good times.  “No Solution” is the heavy rocker of the collection with a slithery guitar line preceding the main crunchy riff and a huge bass presence.  There’s also this really cool bluesy flourish thrown in every so often that always draws a smile to my face.  “Luv ‘Em And Leave ‘Em” is a fairly short instrumental (excluding a message at the beginning of the song) that reminds me of Led Zeppelin and Chicago (“25 or 6 to 4”).  “Put It In A Love Song” is a darn near perfect pop-rock gem.  “The Crush” is a wonderful rock/r&b hybrid ballad that swings like a wrecking ball, and “Cream” wraps things up nicely with some killer up-tempo blues rock.  All of these songs are great, but there is something else that stands out.  Brandon Jarod’s vocal performances are something else!  He mixes your standard rock vocals heavily with what you might hear from an r&b/soul singer.  The result is unique and decidedly memorable.

Waveriders, Brandon Jarod is an artist you need to check out right now.  Think.  If his debut EP is this good, what does he (along with his musical cohorts) have in store for us down the road?  I’m eager to find out and after you listen to The Crush EP, you will be too!



Buy Here - http://www.bjarod.com/musicstore.cfm

Eric Lindell - Gulf Coast Highway

 

There was very little change in my pocket.  The jingle jangle of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters had been replaced by the swish swish of the inner cotton pocket of my jeans.  I was quickly walking through the dark side streets of the French Quarter.  The glow of cigarette cherries in dank doorways and side alleys, and the smell of urine made me anxious.  I started to trot, then jog, out to Rampart St.  It was getting late and I needed to get back to my dingy hotel on Bourbon Street. 

To tell the truth I was lost and scared.  I hurried past Dauphine Street and pulled up at Frenchman Street.  That is when I first heard the sound coming from a bar called the d.b.a..  As I approached I could see this slender white boy belting out some of the best funky New Orleans-tinged blue-eyed soul I had ever heard.  I stood in the entryway transfixed. A melodious cacophony of electric guitars, organ and Creole horns accented the funk, blues and roots-rock. All of the sudden it didn’t matter that I needed to get back to the hotel to sleep since I had a 5:35 a.m. plane to catch.  I asked the bouncer, “who is this guy?”  He said two words “Eric Lindell” and then said, “If you’re gonna listen you got to pay them dues. Cash only.” I made rabbit ears out of my empty pockets, asked for directions to my hotel and left.

I woke up the next morning and could not get that sound out of my head.  Eric Lindell, hmmm?  I vowed to see if he had a recording or two. Half awake, and humming some unfamiliar melody, I made my way to the airport for my flight home via SFO. Before I made it over the Bay Bridge I stopped at a Rasputins in the City to look for Lindell recordings. I found a few, and grabbed the then most recent, a CD called Gulf Coast Highway.  I took my choice to the clerk at the cash register and pulled out my plastic. I think the clerk was a dude, however, it was hard to tell with the black leather, orange hair, heavy black and blue eye makeup, tattoos and dozen or so piercings.  I handed him, her, it Gulf Coast Highway and he, she, it said, “Oh, Eric Lindell, I grew up with him.”  I looked the cash register being in the eye and said “Really, where?”  The clerk responded “In San Mateo.  He used to play in bands throughout the Bay Area before he moved to New York then to New Orleans back in ‘99.”  I responded, “You don’t look like much of a blue-eyed soul fan.”  He, she, it said, “Well, his early stuff was influenced by Fishbone and Black Flag, that was more my style.  I’m told he’s now quite well-known in the Big Easy.”  I thanked the clerk for taking my credit card and set off for home.

I got back in my car and popped the CD into the stereo.  Out came the funkiest, coolest,  mix of roots-rock, blues, swamp R&B and honky-tonk soul I had heard.  Gulf Coast Highway features 12 original Lindell songs and three amazing covers - Buck Owens’ "Crying Time", Delbert McClinton’s "Here Come The Blues Again" and Waylon Jennings’ & Willie Nelson’s "I Can Get Off On You".  Backing Lindell are Stanton Moore and Robert Mercurio of the funk band Galactic. The inimitable New Orleans fixture Jimmy Carpenter shows up on tenor sax.  Lindell adds an incredible lead guitar and vocals to this Crescent City Cajun musical stew.  Lindell’s voice is like Delbert McClinton’s but on steroids. His style is a hot mix of cool rhythm and blues ("If Love Can't Find A Way"), backroom honky tonk ("It's A Drag "), and country western soul ("Lullaby for Mercy Ann").

I pulled into the driveway just as the fifteenth and final cut, “Raw Doggin’,” a bump and run funk band bit of bluesiness, cleared the speakers.  Since that trip I have acquired every single one of his recordings and can’t wait until his newest West County Drifter is released on August 30, 2011.  Lawdy lord, I’m ready to pre-order.  What about you?

- Old School

The Cars – Move Like This

 

“Captain, we have flux moderator ready.”
“The time is near.  Engineering, are you prepared.”
“Yes.”
“Dimensional Shift inducer armed?”
“Yes.”
“Einstein-ian Physics bypass?”
“Engaged.”
“Then prepare for warp-phase shift. Time-dimensional overlap on . . . one . . . two . . . three.  Now, move like this.”

Ok, a little overdone, for sure, but it must take some sort of disruption of Einstein’s physics and understanding of time and space to understand how – 24 years after recording their last album and 11 years since losing the essential Benjamin Orr—The Cars managed to leapfrog to 2011 as if time had never passed. 

There’s been lots of reformations recently – The Pixies, Devo, Smashing Pumpkins to name a few—but none have made that reformation sound nearly as easy and definitely as necessary--dare I say essential--as the Cars.  Move Like This doesn’t sound like a good old Cars album.  It doesn’t sound like a band jumping back and trying to recapture their lost sound.  This isn’t a retread or last stab for glory.  Move Like This is simply a killer pop-rock record that picks up right where the boys left off with Heartbeat City.  Back in the day, The Cars truly were the most accomplished, most successful, and best of the new wave pop bands, unleashing hit after hit from their first five albums.  And everything I loved about The Cars is here on Move Like This, fresh and invigorated and ready to take it’s place on the mantle with the best of The Cars work.

Simply put, Move Like This is essential Cars.  There, I said it.

Forget the Todd Rundgren led New Cars, these are the real boys.  Ric Ocasek unleashes another furious set of instantly memorable pop anthems.  Elliot Easton brings in the textures with his animated, hook-infused guitar work, David Robinson keeps the train running right on time, and the indispensable Greg Hawkes continues to demonstrate just how vital he is to the trademark that is The Cars sound.

“Blue Tip,” kicks things off with its quirky keyboard runs and catchy-as-hell beat.  Ocasek’s voice is in fine form, off-kilter, hesitant and nuanced as ever.  Hawkes has a field day laying down the big fills as the song motors towards its hook of a chorus.   The production, whether here by Jackknife Lee or elsewhere by The Cars, is spot on, giving the song a huge, timeless sound, full of The Cars characteristic stylish throb. This is pure Cars. A lost hit from the Shake it Up album perhaps? A top hit today?  It’s all the same.

No one can write of this album without mention of Ben Orr.  He was a huge part of the band, both as founding member with Ocasek as well as musician.  His tasteful bass played perfectly around Ocasek’s stuttering compositions.  Since Orr shared lead vocal duties with Ocasek and sang with the same stammering cadence as Ocasek, it took me years to be able to tell the difference in their two voices.  Then I read an interview with Ocasek and it all made sense when he said that Orr sang the romantic songs while Ocasek sang the neurotic ones.  So it was Ben’s voice that graced the most beautiful of The Cars tracks, like “Drive” or the smooth glide of “Let’s Go.”

While the band does an admirable job of carrying on without Orr, it has to be said that his presence is missed.  Second song “Too Late,” with its gentle keys and glossy melody is the natural successor to “Drive.”  Ocasek does a fine job with the vocals, but anyone who knows the band knows that this would’ve been an Orr song, his perfect tenor breezing smoothly through the melody, draping over the hooks.  Adding that romance that only Orr could.   In the liner notes, the band dedicates the album to Orr, saying “Ben, your spirit was with us on this one.”  And it was.

“Keep on Knocking,” is perhaps the heaviest Cars song ever, ranking right up there with "Down Boys.".  Deep and shadowy, this sounds like something that could’ve come from their lost, darkened masterpiece Panorama.  Easton sounds like he’s having a ball, laying down some thick chords, his fingers squeaking across the strings and Ocasek’s in fine form, his vocals eccentric as ever.  “Soon” is another Orr-inspired ballad of uncommon beauty while “Sad Song” brings back the sputtering guitar intro of the classic first album found on songs like “Best Friend’s Girl” and “Let the Good Times Roll.”   “Free” moves and pulses with the best of em.  “Hit’s Me,” stumbles out of the starting gate like many classic Cars compositions before picking up the pace down the back stretch for a true winner. 

Despite the references to past hits, Move Like This doesn’t ape any of them.  It merely uses the past as a launching pad to fire off some tasty modern, quirky, purely-Cars pop rock.  Space and time continue to exist, and Einstein hasn’t been proven wrong, but somehow The Cars have made the unlikeliest of reunions seem as natural as time marching on.  This isn’t just a great modern new wave album, it’s a great Cars album.

Of this or any other time. 

--Racer

Buy here: Move Like This
Buy here vinyl: Move Like This [LP]
Buy here: Move Like This (Deluxe Edition with 3 Bonus Tracks & 2 Bonus Videos)

Toxic Holocaust - Conjure and Command

Portland, Oregon’s Thrash Masters, Toxic Holocaust are at it again! For three years I have been waiting for the follow up to 2008's An Overdose of Death. I must say, it was well worth the wait. Toxic Holocaust give an epic thrash album in Conjure and Command. My thrash loving brethren: take notice, this ain't your daddies thrash.

Damn Waiveriders, the album is fucking rad. If the Zombie Apocalypse, World War 3 or some other totally fucked up End of The World type situation went down, Toxic Holocaust would be my soundtrack. Every song is pure thrash aggression.

“Judgment Awaits You” is the lead off track. It's 1:57 of pure thrash bliss. Thrash purists will love the aggressive guitars and vocals. Instantly this song starts off with a full on wall of sound. The furious drums, aggressive guitars and Joel Grind's vocals are top notch. “Judgment Awaits You” leads us into the song, “Agony of the Damned”. This song starts off with a drum beat that is very doom like. This doom feel soon ends as the tempo rises and bam!, the wall of thrash hits you.

My personal favorite track on the album is “Bitch” . This song starts off with a nice mid tempo d-beat. Anyone who is big on awesome riffage will love “Bitch”. From the opening guitar lick they keep the onslaught going throughout the entire tack. Grind's vocal delivery is intense to say the least.

Some other awesome tracks on Conjure and Command include: “I Am Disease”, “In The Depths (Of Your Mind)”. Let's stop right there for a moment, “In The Depths (Of Your Mind)” is fucking awesome. This is truly a stand out track and deserves to be talked about. This is to me a very classic thrash song. The guitar work is insane! It so fast and the solo work is amazing. I'm not even a big fan of solos but damn, Toxic Holocaust does it well. The vocals are aggressive but you understand every word. When I first heard this song it seriously lit a fire under me and I wanted to punch something. It's easily one of the big head banging jams.

So, Toxic Holocaust, Conjure and Command...buy it now! You won't regret it. While you're at it pick up their other albums...all of 'em! You won't be disappointed. There aren't a lot of new pure thrash band out there. Toxic Holocaust definitely rank highly among the best of a dying breed.

Toxic Holocaust goes good with: Warbringer, Suicidal Tendencies, Municipal Waste, early Metallica, Death Angel and of course Slayer.

--Cic
Buy here: Conjure & Command
Buy here mp3: Conjure and Command
Buy here vinyl: Conjure & Command