Category Archives: metal

BRIDGES LEFT BURNING – Disappointment, Disapproval, Disbelief EP

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Having already released the ‘Life Behind Boundaries’ EP in 2007 and ‘Breath of Loss’ full length in 2010, Zweisel’s Bridges Left Burning had already begun to make a mark on the German hardcore punk scene. The first thing that’s notable about their third release ‘Disappointment, Disapproval, Disbelief’ – released by German DIY label Down The Drain Records – is its professional sound; one that’s almost tailor made for the cult American label Victory Records. The band is much stronger than before, both musically and lyrically, and this EP features some very hard edges and even harder messages.

From the opening bars of ‘Creationists Are Idiots, As All I Can See Is Stupid Design (the handrail on our way to idiocracy)’, the band power head on into a world of fiercely political messages backed by sledgehammer riffs, somewhere between hardcore punk and metalcore. Following a chunky opening, Christian Schwarz’s drums kick in and have a fantastic sound bringing lots of bottom end. Matthias Peschl’s vocals are harsh, adopting a raspy Gallows or Give Up The Ghost approach as opposed to Sick of it All style hardcore shouting (though the band resort to this on occasion). This is a vast improvement on his under-produced metallic growl on parts of the band’s earlier releases. There are moments where metal influences creep in via a musical motif which utilises a twin guitar sound, but there’s no mistaking the band’s punk roots, especially once those guitars are overlaid by a chorus of voices at the track’s end.

‘You’re The Change’ ups the pace, and with that comes more of a punky ethic; there are slight influences from post-‘Today’s Empires’ Propagandhi and Strike Anywhere, while the bulk of the number is still being driven by heaviness. The lead vocal is backed by gang vocals, while the guitars bring rhythm based riffs which have a very generic quality. Lyrically, once again, it shows Bridges Left Burning as a very politically charged band (“it’s time to make a stand, let’s turn these common wrongs to ethically acceptable rights. There are alternatives. Let’s cut the blinds! We must be the change we wish to see.”) ‘Slaughterhouse of Glass’ follows suit but has a slow mid section, bringing in a slight chuggy metal influence, before the twin lead guitars build up tension before returning to straight-up hardcore punkiness. ‘Horus of Disapproval (Adding God To Misery)’ bring nothing greatly different to the table musically (though a brief guitar solo makes an appearance), but lyrically previous messages of fighting for change make way for an anti-religious stance which, in places, is far more direct than those suggested on the opening track.

‘Call It Treason If You Will’ presents the band in best form though, featuring some great bass work from Benedikt Hain whose playing has a thunderous live sound on occasion. Once again, the content is extremely angry with anti-war and anti-propaganda themes (“And there we are, calling to arms again, fighting a war for no reason but one: The hegemony of few. A nation trapped in self-delusion, unwilling to change. Patriotic you follow blind, shun to think for yourself. You’re governed by an elitist group, depredating, raping, killing, searching for idiots like you, who do not demand answers nor doubt.”) Lyrically it’s very harsh…often making Bad Religion’s punk dissertations sound like whimsy. As before, the drum work is extremely tight, while the twin guitar attack of Daniel Rothkopf and Andreas Quandt provide riffs fusing hardcore punk and metal influences with fantastic results.

With a much better production than on their previous releases, Bridges Left Burning have an unshakable sound, with the best parts of ‘Disappointment, Disapproval, Disbelief’ recalling the work of the great 90s hardcore punk bands like Strife. In all, it’s a great EP, one worthy of a release on a bigger label.

[All proceeds from the sale of the EP will be donated to PETA, with it being offered on a “pay what you want” basis; click on the widget below].

May 2011

LIMP BIZKIT – Gold Cobra

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During the first half of 1997, nu-metal had really started to make an impact in the UK. KoЯn had a couple of albums under their belt which had gained them a sizable cult audience, some of the cooler folks had the Coal Chamber album (which they’d likely bought for extortionate import prices) and nu-metal/rap-metal crew Limp Bizkit made waves with their cover of George Michael’s ‘Faith’ and their debut album ‘Three Dollar Bill, Yall$’ – an album which would go on to sell several million copies. The band saw increased popularity with their next couple of albums, reaching their commercial peak in 2000, when ‘Rollin’ scored a number one hit in the UK and its parent album ‘Chocolate Starfish & The Hotdog Flavored Water’ hit the number one spot in seven different countries. Between 1999 and 2001, Limp Bizkit was one of the world’s most popular alternative bands with their genre-mixing sounds seemingly appealing to so many music fans.

By the time of their last album, 2005’s ‘The Unquestionable Truth, Part 1’, the truth was, the tide was turning. Limp Bizkit’s popularity had plummeted, with many viewing Fred Durst and co’s arrogance and swagger as an embarrassment. Whereas only a short time earlier, they gathered awards for their million selling records, ‘TUQP1’ failed to chart in various countries, including the UK. The album is now all but forgotten by many. At the height of the band’s fame, Q Magazine praised ‘Chocolate Starfish’ for “great knockaround songs” and “gonzo bluster”, yet after the band’s demise, that same magazine claimed it to be one of the 50 worst albums of all time, placing it at #11.

Six years after their flop swansong, Limp Bizkit returned with ‘Gold Cobra’. On the opening track ‘Bring It Back’, once the DJ loops and handclaps mixed with hefty guitar chug hit their stride there’s an instant familiarity. And once Durst steps up to the mic and claims he’s “gonna turn this place into a muthafuckin’ danger zone”, it feels like their six year vacation could have been a mere six months. In fact, the best tracks on could have been released a decade earlier and sounded exactly the same. ‘Shark Attack’ reinforces these feelings, being an equal match for the most memorable numbers from ‘Starfish’. The track features one of the album’s funkiest grooves, and while there’s still a bottom-end metallic riff, it’s not overdone. Each of the musicians has a solid role to play here – and even Durst manages to reign in his arrogance and sound like he’s advocating fun.

With a hard mix of drop D riffing, funky grooves and solid rap performance, the amusing ‘Autotunage’ offers another stand out. The heavy riffs and catchy chorus are joined by a humorous streak (most obvious on an intro slagging off autotune abuse). These elements combined present Limp Bizkit at their best; these five minutes are a sharp reminder why you used to love the band (even though you may have spent years denying that). Likewise, ‘Why Try’, features great performances from all concerned. Durst’s rap comes with a solid delivery and lyrics which aren’t too cringe worthy, while Borland’s riff offers a decent level of funkiness as well as the required amount of bottom end.

On a couple of softer numbers where Durst pushes aside rap for actual singing, the band manage to sound professional and self-assured without the accompanying bucket of arrogance. ‘Walking Away’, in particular, is surprisingly mature. It shouldn’t be forgotten that for all of Bizkit’s childish shouting, musically they have a lot of experience – and here, that really shows. With reverbed, clean guitars and a reasonable vocal, this number (heavily inspired by Incubus, it has to be said), presents a side of Limp Bizkit which doesn’t surface nearly often enough. Even a more metallic climax with Durst screaming doesn’t spoil the mood – at least he’s not being threatening. ‘Loser’ manages to meld Limp Bizkit’s rap stylings with those softer alternative rock elements incredibly well. The vocal features understated rapping (almost a spoken word) and a strong (sung) chorus, while the music itself has just the right balance between atmospheres and hard rock riffing. Borland’s heavily treated guitar solo should have sounded out of place with its sharper edges, but somehow it works.

Obviously, there are plenty of tracks featured where the heavy-handed anger and tough talk actually gets in the way of anything decent. ‘Get A Life’ is structured around a juggernaut-sized riff, over which Durst shouts “get a life, get a mothafuckin’ life / You don’t wanna see what I can do when I’m nice / You don’t wanna be my enemy, I promise you / If you do, muthafucka bring it on!”. After a few listens, it’s the kind of thing which gets tiresome. Even worse, ‘Douchebag’ is little more than rap metal by numbers with “harder than you/better than you” themed lyrics which reach their zenith on a chorus with Durst repeatedly shouting “douchbag, I’m gonna fuck you up”. While ‘Shotgun’ has a decent tune and even better fuzzy guitar solo, the message contained within (regarding the US’s lack of gun control) is hampered by too much repetition. While somewhat better than both ‘Get A Life’ and ‘Douchebag’, any good work is undone by the end, when a looped sample of a shotgun being cocked and loaded provides “entertainment” for a bit too long.

‘Gold Cobra’ suffers the same major pitfall as all of Limp Bizkit’s releases, post ‘Three Dollar Bill, Yall$’: the formulaic grooves and OTT arrogance both wear a little thin if you attempt to get through the whole album in one sitting. In fairness, there’s about half an album’s worth of good tracks to be found on here, but you’ll have to be willing to wade through the trash to find them. With the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality, ‘Gold Cobra’ is hugely unlikely to win Limp Bizkit any new fans just as it’s equally unlikely to gain any real respect from the press following years of backlash. In reality, despite plenty of inconsistencies, when it comes to the rap metal/nu metal sound, Limp Bizkit are still among the best when they get it right. It’s a shame they couldn’t get it right a bit more often here.

June 2011

GLEN DROVER – Metalusion

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glenGlen Drover will be best known as having been the guitarist with King Diamond and Megadeth, as well as having been a touring member of Testament. As its title suggests, Drover’s solo debut moves away from the purist metal stylings of his previous employment and into a world of metal guitar meets jazz-rock fusion. With a selection of guest performers, Drover offers five original cuts and also puts his mark on tunes by Al Di Meola, Jean-Luc Ponty and the legendary Frank Zappa, often with mixed results.

The rather aggressive ‘Ground Zero’ works its main riff around some decent staccato work with a tune which is closer to jazz fusion than metal. Things soon fall apart when the lead guitar section presents itself. The main bulk of the number features furious (and often ugly) three-way showboating between Drover and his featured guests – in this case, UFO’s Vinnie Moore and sometime Megadeth guitarist Chris Poland. While guitarists may marvel at the level of metallic fretboard wankery on show from the three performers, for anyone else, it’s not always so interesting. While some guitar instrumental stuff is great, for non-musicians the best stuff is often about tunes as opposed to flashiness – and if it’s a tune you want, you won’t find it here. The second half works slightly better once the guitars settle into chorus style harmonies (overlaid by a busy piano, courtesy of Saga’s Jim Gilmour), but overall, it’s hard work. ‘Egyptian Danza’ (originally by Al Di Meola) opens with a superb, eastern sounding riff, it’s off-kilter jazz rock qualities bring out the best in Drover’s guitar style. With a slightly edgy style, Drover weaves a riff that’s jazzy in a progressive metal way, his occasional use of whammy bar adding extra interest. This would have make for an okay track alone, but the middle section is rather more interesting. With a soft, clean guitar tone, Drover plays a busier eastern sounding motif, which gets faster as it goes building excitement and a little tension. Chris Sutherland’s complex drum part alternates rock and jazz, occasionally settling for a playful shuffle. While Drover’s playing is more aggressive in places than Di Meola’s original work, the end result is great, demonstrating a clear understanding of the piece’s intended mood.

That’s more than can be said for his take on a couple of Zappa tunes. While it could be argued that it takes a very brave rock musician to take on the works of Zappa, Drover’s often metallic approach to his instrument kills both the Zappa pieces almost instantly. A minute’s worth of ‘The Purple Lagoon’ (used as an intro) takes cheeky fusion style of the original, takes one of its riffs and then hammers it into a heavy metal stupor, before Drover launches into a particularly uninspired, heavy-handed take on ‘Filthy Habits’. The dual guitar parts are ugly and the widdly-widdly (technical term) parts are even worse. It’s only by the time we get a couple of minutes in things start improving, but even then, any improvement is slight. Obviously, Zappa had a very unique style which it would’ve been wrong for Drover to attempt to copy, but one would suspect that Zappa would not necessarily approve of this jazz-rock freakout being overlaid by very metallic soloing. The keyboard laden free-form section which closes the original is reproduced here in an uninteresting manner; while Jim Gilmour is a great musician, his keyboard skills are a world away from those of George Duke. Since much of Drover’s chosen guitar tone seems far better suited to metal as opposed to jazz fusion, Jean-Luc Ponty’s ‘Don’t Let The World Pass You By’ could have easily suffered the same ham-fisted approach. However, the piece is ultimately saved by a blanket of keyboards from Gilmour and a staggering bass part courtesy of Paul Yee. Throughout most of the number, the bass lays down interesting, busy funk lines which never fall short of amazing. Even the crystal clear rhythm guitars work well within the arrangement; however, once Drover and Opeth’s Fredrik Akesson exchange showy guitar leads, it suffers the same fate as ‘Ground Zero’ in that it’s often just too much to take in. A take on Ponty’s ‘Mirage’ is preferable thanks to an easier melody, but once again, the subtleties of Ponty’s 1977 original are often lost here.

The self-penned ‘Colors of Infinity’ presents the best side of Drover’s playing. A much cleaner tone and use of vibrato lends plenty of atmospherics on a number which, in places, hints at Gary Moore’s mid-eighties work. He still has a tendency to lean towards metallic playing in places (but then, that’s his forte), but in all, the softer side presented here makes far more interesting listening. Just as you think you know how the rest of the piece will sound, Drover throws in a jazz-funk-metal refrain over the mid-section which at first throws the listener off a little; he then returns to a more standard rock arrangement where multi-tracked guitars provide some great chorus sounding work. The layers of keyboards and off-kilter rhythms driving ‘Illusions of Starlight’ are a dead ringer for Dream Theater’s softer, more accessible works; Drover appears very comfortable playing in a progressive metal style and while the sweeping notes get overtaken by showmanship on occasion, the six minute piece makes fairly smooth listening. A special mention must go to Saga’s Jim Gilmour guesting on keyboards here; he provides some great atmospheric accompaniment throughout.

In general, Drover’s metal-fusion works well on most of his own compositions; these are tunes which, naturally, are very sympathetic to his playing style. Bringing the metal aspect of his playing to numbers by Jean-Luc Ponty and Frank Zappa doesn’t always seem appropriate – the heavy guitar style smothers the quirkiness which should be found within the works of two highly original composers. With that in mind, it’s hugely surprising Drover managed to capture such a good performance of Al Di Meola’s ‘Egyptian Danza’, but even so, it’s certainly one of this album’s standouts. Despite help from the aforementioned guests (plus Nevermore’s Jeff Loomis and Forbidden’s Steve Smyth), ‘Metalusion’ is a hit and miss affair, and one which may have been stronger if more of Drover’s own compositions had been included.

April 2011

BENEDICTUM – Dominion

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benBy the time Benedictum recorded their debut album in 2005, you could say their founding members were already veterans. Vocalist Veronica Freeman and guitarist Pete Wells had been members of a band named Malady for ten years previously and in addition, Veronica also performed as part of a Black Sabbath tribute band, Evilution, with Benedictum’s bassist Chris Shrum and ex-drummer Blackie Sanchez.  Given their past, it’s unsurprising that their debut album (‘Uncreation’, released on Locomotive Records) featured two Dio-era Black Sabbath songs and also featured guest appearances by ex Dio band members Craig Goldy and Jeff Pilson, as well as ex-Dio/Rainbow bassist and Thin Lizzy cohort Jimmy Bain.

Benedictum’s third album, ‘Dominion’, brings another huge slab of metal. Throughout the disc, the riffs are huge and the drummer attacks his kit as if he has a third leg. With the music being of such powerhouse qualities and the level of musicianship being of a mostly high standard, you’d think ‘Dominion’ would be an unmissable release. However, despite some great qualities, none of its songs manage to be especially memorable. Most of the tunes blend together after a while; there’s very little light and shade.  Although it could be argued that Freeman has a metal voice that commands attention, it’s mostly commanded through volume and force – there’s no real charisma in her performances.

The title cut opens with a few quirky rhythms and keyboard parts but the tune quickly descends into manic, sledgehammer riffing. By the time Freeman’s vocals hit their stride, there’s little of interest melodically. However, those keeping a close ear on Mikey Pannone will hear the work of a great metal drummer – not only is his playing fast, but many of his fills are fairly complex. ‘At The Gates’ is equally as subtle… Although there is the occasional hint that Freeman could sing in a melodic style – as demonstrated on the chorus sections – the verses in turn display a voice that’s as aggressive as it had been on the title cut. The track’s best moment comes from Pete Wells, whose featured solo is reminiscent of old-school 80s thrash.

Occasionally, when things lighten up, Freeman’s vocals show signs of potential power. During the verses of ‘Loud Silence’, she retreats from her usual metal approach, attempting to bring emotions other than anger into her performance. There are fleeting moments here where she could pass as metal’s answer to Grace Slick, but her best efforts seem at odds with music that’s still really heavy. The epic ‘Epsilon’ moves further away from full-on power metal and brings in elements of progressive metal, allowing some interesting (if slightly pneumatic) interplay between Wells and Pannone. A few eastern musical motifs add a small amount of extra interest and there are fleeting moments where Freeman adopts a more tuneful style, but if it’s prog-metal you’re after, there are a thousand better examples of the sub-genre than this.

The album’s best track is ‘Seer’, a number which features a melodic vocal, a heavy yet melodic riff (due to a slower pace) and a chorus which at least has an attempt at being memorable.  Imagine something which combines the best elements of ‘Rage For Order’ era Queensryche, Dio and a pinch of power metal and you’ll have a fair idea where this number’s musical interests lie. Against the classic sounding riff, Wells’s clean lead notes wail like it’s 1989 and, for once at least, Benedictum offer something that’s a little broader in appeal.

This release features two bonus tracks, one of which should be familiar to many.  In all honesty, though, you probably don’t want to hear Benedictum hammering their way through a version of Rush’s ‘Overture/Temple of Syrinx’. The layered guitar parts of the original version are reproduced here in a much heavier style – and without any of the finesse that was really required. Freeman’s take on Geddy Lee’s vocal is little more than a full-bore metal squeal. Oh dear.

While (from a metal perspective, at least) most of ‘Dominion’ could be described as musically sound, it’s certainly a release for power-metal die-hards only. There are a couple of moments which stand out – and individually, some of the players show a decent level of talent – but more focus on songs would have been useful.

March 2010

MOTÖRHEAD – The World Is Yours

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Twenty studio albums and various live albums into their career, it’s only Lemmy who remains from the “classic” Motörhead line up, but in many ways, that’s all you need. On 2010’s ‘The World Is Yours’, Lemmy, drummer Mikkey Dee and guitarist Phil Campbell (celebrating seventeen years together – Motörhead’s longest serving line-up) add little to their back-catalogue with regard to new ideas. However, this far into a career which has stuck almost rigidly to Lemmy’s original musical vision, they’re preaching to the converted. If you didn’t get the Motörhead ethos by now, you never will. And if you are someone who doesn’t get it, it’s likely Lemmy doesn’t care.

Recycling an already familiar title, ‘Born to Lose’ opens with a solid riff from Phil Campbell and it soon becomes clear very quickly that this isn’t a re-recording of an earlier Motörhead number. The riff may be decent, but it’s Mikkey Dee’s drumming which provides the moments of real greatness. Here, Dee pulls out all the stops, delivering something worthy of “classic” early Motörhead. His kit thunders out of the speakers with a great amount of power – spending so many years playing the intro to ‘Overkill’ must have left its mark. The guitar riff from the opening bars is replaced by something more rudimentary during the verses, but makes a timely return on the chorus sections. Campbell’s featured solo is full of wah-wah goodness and features a decent level of aggression. Meanwhile, the rhythm guitar riff placed underneath beefs things up further by delivering something reminiscent of ‘Mars: The Bringer of War’ from Gustav Holst’s ‘The Planets Suite’.

‘I Know What You Need’, ‘Devils In My Head’ and ‘I Know How To Die’ are archetypal examples of the sound which made Motörhead world famous. Although short on surprises, Lemmy, Dee and Campbell sound as tight as ever on these tracks – the furious solo on ‘I Know How To Die’ is possibly one of the album’s best and there’s a catchy edge present on ‘Devils In My Head’ thanks to a great shout along chorus.

With most Motörhead discs, there’s a slower, chugging number and ‘Brotherhood of Man’ offers one of their most threatening. Over a brooding riff, Lemmy recounts the fate of a world ravaged by war; a corrupt place where everyone has blood on their hands and murder is law. Lemmy’s vocal delivery steps down from its usual shouting croak and drops to an even lower register. In an almost spoken word delivery and Lemmy growls his way through some incredibly heavy lyrical content. A mid-section picks things up briefly as Dee sounds as if he’s gearing the band up for Campbell to deliver a killer solo, but after a couple of bars, the band drop back into the main riff in time for Lemmy to deliver the last verse. Naturally, Campbell squeezes in a solo at the close, but it’s quite understated. The chugging riff and doomy vocal are the big draw here – and this ‘Orgasmatron’ inspired number really hits it’s mark.

Lemmy and co sound at their most enthusiastic when they’re let loose upon a couple of numbers which are less influenced by hard rock and metal and lean farther towards old style rock ‘n’ roll. ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Music’ does exactly what it says on the tin, with Lemmy rasping his way through a number which borrows a musical aesthetic from very early AC/DC. It ends up sounding unavoidably like Motörhead, of course (especially on the choruses), but there’s a sense of fun delivered with a slight arrogance that’s often absent elsewhere. ‘Bye Bye Bitch Bye Bye’ takes the love for such rock ‘n’ roll tendencies to a whole new level as Motörhead speed their way through something which sounds like Status Quo’s take on Chuck Berry’s ‘Bye Bye Johnny’, but played with twice the aggression, served up with some mildly distubing misogyny. While Motörhead can often be accused to recycling tried-and-tested musical formulas and lyrical ideas, the energy behind this number proves the sparks of brilliance are still very much there.

Measured up against a few of their other 21st Century releases, ‘The World Is Yours’ may not match the greatness 2004’s ‘Inferno’, or deliver it’s songs at the blistering speed of the best moments of 2000’s ‘We Are Motörhead’, but it’s almost certainly as good as ‘Kiss of Death’ or ‘Motörizer’. The unconvinced are likely to remain unconvinced, but for the dedicated Motörfan, there are more than enough gems here.

December 2010