In a Metal Mood

Forced to make an emergency trip home due to a slightly suicidal laptop, I found myself yesterday with no ability to make my usual random mixes for long boring drives. These mixes contain the most bizarre transitions possible, creating a jarring mixture of every genre I can think of. Without such a mix, I often find myself falling asleep during the more repetitive parts of the drive. And when the entire drive is composed of highway nothingness and flight farmland, the repetitive part is the entire drive.

However, I discovered my saving grace while searching through the random cds hanging around my dorm room. Metal. Or more specifically, super fast scumbag thrash-until-your-ears-bleed metal. It's the perfect accompaniment to driving, keeping a nice fast tempo that matches the speed of the car while being loud and obnoxious enough to keep a narcoleptic awake.

In tribute to remembering this saving grace for the road, here are three bands to look for if you need something for those long drives.

1. Metallica- Alright, so picking one of top three metal bands ever, at least in popularity, is a bit obvious, but still it has to be said. Take anything from their first, Kill 'Em All through the Black Album, Metallica. After that, things start to get a bit iffy, slow, and occasionally boring, which is the last thing anyone needs while trying to stay awake on the road.

2. Megadeth- To those who know of metal but aren't really fans, Megadeth can seem like the K-Mart to Metallica's Wal Mart. They're mainstream and have a large fan base, but they seem to be the lesser of the two, with a lead singer who's a Metallica alumni. However, Megadeth is probably even faster than Metallica, more ridiculous and therefore more fun, and also have some awesome songs. "Peaces Sells...," "Symphony of Destruction," and "Hangar 18" are incredible.

3. DragonForce- A more recent pick, these guys take pride in how fast they play. The drumming sounds more like heavy automatic weaponry rather than any kind of instrument. Of course, there's also the disadvantage their lyrics sound like Dungeons and Dragons rejects, with more over-the-top fantasy and falsetto singing than anyone could reasonably desire. However, if you ignore the lyrics, the playing is amazing and the songs are energizing. And anyway, sometimes driving on the highway with semi-trucks and bad drivers feels like an epic life-or-death battle.

There is plenty more metal music out there (Sepultura is amazing, but South American death metal is a little too much for most people), and plenty more music that's perfect for driving. Anyone else have any particular favorites for the road?

Review: Era Vulgaris

The release of every Queens of the Stone Age album brings some level of mystery. It’s impossible to tell what exactly the new album will sound like, as all of them have featured a change in musical style. Starting with the repetitive but efficient rock of their self-titled debut, their songs have explored new ideas expanding the boundaries of what can be called “hard rock.”

Era Vulgaris, their latest album, is supposedly their dance album. It leads off with “Turnin’ on the Screw,” a track that is too weird for dancing. Instead, it revels in Silence of the Lambs while grinding to a slow industrial beat. First single“Sick, Sick, Sick” points towards the dance direction with a breakneck punk pace that retains that new industrial sound.

The next couple songs and the last few fly completely off the rails and seem to each explore their own musical territory. “I’m Designer” mates drums and guitar that sound schizophrenic to lyrics bashing youthful apathy, while “Into the Hollow” and “Suture Up Your Future” are gorgeous songs of dark longing.

However, it’s the middle of the album where the dance party really occurs. “Misfit Love” and “Battery Acid” are industrial punk metal dance songs, creating one of the world’s weirdest new genres. They’re propulsive, loud, and simply fun. “Make It Wit Chu” is the slow dance, a slow boogie rhythm that makes no attempts to disguise what its really asking for.

Although the last few songs of the album are too exploratory for their own good, the album as a whole proves to be another awesome addition to the Queens of the Stone Age’s catalogue.

5 out of 5

Random Thoughts #1

1. Indie record labels are thoroughly amazing. Not because of the music, but because they give you tons of free stuff. I'm going to make this point in an article I'll get around to eventually, but this week's haul was particularly amazing. From one cd and one vinyl single I ordered online, I received about 5 stickers, several cool tiny mini-posters, and a free promotional vinyl single from some artist I've never heard of. Remember, order indie!

2. It's amazing how much a cd can brighten someone's day. I let a friend of mine borrow my British copy of Era Vulgaris by Queens of the Stone Age, and he was so excited he called me out on his campus radio show the next morning and played one of their songs dedicated to me. Brings on the ole' warm fuzzy feelings.

3. Apparently Zack de la Rocha has finally finished his solo album. I'm expecting it'll actually get released right after Axel Rose completes "Chinese Democracy." I.e., right after never, and right before not going to happen. Of course, I'm a pessimist sometimes.

Sublime Songs: "Black Friday Rule"

The Song: "Black Friday Rule"
The Artist: Flogging Molly
The Album: Swagger

"Celtic punk" is one of those musical combinations that should be horrendous, but somehow works brilliantly. Maybe because the music of Ireland, even when gentle or beautiful, has always possessed a strong sense of rebellion and freedom, much like punk rock. The Pogues are the standard bearers for celtic music with punk attitude, while The Dropkick Murphys play punk rock with a strong sense of their Irish heritage. Flogging Molly has always tread the line in-between the two, and "Black Friday Rule" is their ultimate anthem about belonging to two different tribes.

At 7 minutes and one second, it is unusually long for a punk song, but not excessively so. Still, on the extended live version released on the Whiskey on a Sunday album, lead singer Dave King quips once finished, "I don't know about you bastards, but I grew about five years fucking older during that song." The song works so well at its length because it allows the band to explore their entire sound, from punk fury to celtic beauty and back again.

The entire song feels like a journey, which fits the lyrics so well. The song speaks of a mournful departure from native Ireland to strange California, in search of oppurtunities and jobs no longer available "in the old free state." Flogging Molly covers many classic Irish tunes, and though original, Black Friday Rule feels like it belongs with those great songs. The theme of departure and stubborn survival are universal while the sound could inspire a teetotaler to raise a pint of lager.

Download the song from iTunes:

Further Despoilment of My Childhood

Parental Advisory: For extreme animated violence against villagers, puppies, and kittens.

I was raised a child of Disney. My favorite movies were Disney movies, many of my favorite characters are Disney characters, I longed for the Disney channel when we only got back cable, and I dreamed constantly about the next trip to Disney World. Even to this day, I love Disney for its history and imagination, and can't wait to see Ratatouille when it comes out on DVD. And I'm still a little disappointed I never got to Disneyland Paris when I was in England for the summer.

So why have I tagged this with a parental advisory? Well, in my random journeys through the internet, i.e. my wasting time so I don't have to read literature, I came across a video that wonderfully violated a classic Disney movie. Set to the tune of the Little Mermaid's "Part of Your World," "Slaughter Your World" follows an evil undead being as it slaughters an entire town of villagers in the most graphic of ways while joyfully singing all the way. Its all animated and tongue-in-cheek, so nothing too graphic, but it is completely hilarious. Especially since I never liked Little Mermaid much anyway, much preferred the older Disney Princess movies like Snow White or Sleeping Beauty. I mean, at least Sleeping Beauty had a giant dragon as the ultimate threat, rather than a narcissitic octopus woman.....

Anyway, I digress horribly. Without further ado, here is "Slaughter Your World":

The King is Dead, Long Live the Prince

Music is filled with royalty and titles. Elvis was the King of Rock and Roll, James Brown was the Godfather of Soul, and Solomon Burke is the King of Rock and Soul. Unlike real titles, however, these titles are not handed down upon death or disgrace. So, I see its time for a coup against one of the longstanding music nobility. The King of Pop must abdicate his crown, and let (the) Prince take up the throne.

Michael Jackson and Prince were electrifying opposing forces in the 80s, providing a musical rivalry comparable to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Though Prince never lacked in success, Michael Jackson took greater success and the King of Pop title in the end. Both artists seemed poised to continue their brilliance through the 90s and into the next century.


The rest of the story everyone knows. Both artists went completely nuts, and their careers seemed over. In this aspect, Prince's insanity seemed more interesting. He seemed tortured by conflicts of faith, freedom, sex, love, and creative control, bubbling over into wars with his record label, disavowing his name, and generally acting really strange. Michael Jackson, on the other hand, overdid the plastic surgery, became obsessed with young children, and spent too much money. I'm sure you could find a few guys like that in every county prison.

Michael Jackson has steadily grown more bizarre, and his musical output ceased completely. Which isn't such a bad thing, since his last album was a complete disaster with more time probably spent on the music videos than on the music. No new albums, no new live performances, and backstabbing moves like stealing The Beatles' catalogue out from under an actual Beatle all show that Michael Jackson has abused his power and position.

It is time to recognize our mistake and give the title of King of Pop to he who is truly deserving, Prince. Although his musical output in recent years has ranged from great to relatively uninspired, he is still extremely prolific and releases albums in unique ways, such as with concert tickets and the infamous Daily Mail giveaway. Prince's greatest achievement is that he remains possibly the greatest live performer in the world, selling out the largest venues and receiving rave reviews. He even managed to put on an amazing show at the Super Bowl, after years of aging rock stars phoning it in and young stars lip syncing their hits. Prince's music even holds up better, with mature and controversial themes like social disorder, religion, and sex, not just the mostly harmless dance songs like Jackson's.

It is time for Prince to become the one and only King of Pop. Viva la revolucion!

Sublime Songs: "O'Malley's Bar"

The Song: "O'Malley's Bar"
The Artist: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
The Album: Murder Ballads

Johnny Cash summed up his musical influences when he released a box set entitled "Love, God, Murder." Add an obsession with the nature of evil, and you pretty much have Nick Cave's musical output as well. Especially with his collective The Bad Seeds, he has meditated on all of these three topics through three decades of dark, theatrical alternative-rock. On Murder Ballads, Cave set out to master one of his obsessions with an album containing one of the highest body counts in music.

The epic centerpiece of the album is "O'Malley's Bar," 14 minutes and 28 seconds of sheer carnage. The song is essentially the ending of a novel without the rest of the story. A lone man enters a bar, orders a drink, and then proceeds to murder everyone inside, providing detailed narration of all his actions. He provides no explanation or reasons, but its obvious the man has deranged spiritual inspiration, often referring to his "wings" and lack of free will in-between snide remarks about his victims.

There are two things that save the song from being intolerably bleak and unsettling. First, Nick Cave is a master of dark humor, and its here in abundance. Punch lines are set up and completed a minute later, while the narrator/murderer switches between elegant and vulgar without missing a beat. The other wonderful part is the music itself, a piano led tune that takes back seat to the narrative, but still manages to create an almost danceable barroom shuffle. It sounds like a song that might be played in an O'Malley's, at least before everyone died. Altogether, its a brash achievement, a 14 minute long song that never grows boring or less shocking.

Sympathy for the Independent: Vincent Black Shadow

My favorite author is Hunter Thompson. I may never be able to give a favorite director, movie, musical artist, song or album, but I can easily name my favorite author. Hunter Thompson was insane, cared nothing for what people thought, but managed to write some of the most insane and truthful journalism while under the influence of copious illegal substances.

Thus, when I found a band named after one of Hunter's great obsessions, the Vincent Black Shadow motorcycle, I was ecstatic. It was serendipity, fate that I would find this band, who sounded so much like what one of Thompson's acid trips must have been like. It was perfect. Until I realized there were two bands named Vincent Black Shadow.

The one I'm not talking about is The Vincent Black Shadow, due to the fact that they're:
A. More well known
B. Goth/Punk/Cabaret

Really, if you're going to pick a weird genre, do something that wasn't played out by a single band, The Dresden Dolls, over only two albums. In truth, I've never listened to this Vincent Black Shadow, but when a band has promotional photos like this:

I tend to be wary. Anyway, they aren't the point of this article, so let's move along.


Now this:
This is a band worthy of a Hunter Thompson reference. The other Vincent Black Shadow doesn't need a "The" attached to their name. If there was a "The", one of their songs probably disintegrated it. These guys are loud and brutal listening, but in the good way. Though hailing from Baltimore, Maryland, VBS sound like they belong to the same desolation in the desert that spawned Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, and Nick Oliveri (See nude bass playing).

They've released one self-titled album with only 8 tracks, but every single one sounds energized and deranged. VBS cite Iggy Pop as their sole musical influence, and it shows. They sound alternatively like vintage Stooges and aforementioned stoner rockers Kyuss. The singer sounds like he gargles battery acid every morning, and the music is disorienting and bottom heavy. Dumb, unpracticed, and a lot of fun.

Though definitely not for everyone, Vincent Black Shadow are a wonderful treat for those of us with calloused ears. They're currently on Heartbreakbeat Records, who are so small they don't have much more than a website and a cool name. VBS plan on releasing a new album within the year, and they're current one is still available online, with a limited pressing of only 1000 cds. Get them while they're still available:

Heartbreakbeat's Mail Order Page: http://www.heartbreakbeatrecords.com/mailorder.htm
Vincent Black Shadow's MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/vbskicksoutthejams