Album Of The Week: Lateralus by Tool

For most of 2018 and 2019, the biggest talk of the rock and metal world was always the prospect of a brand new Tool album and when it was going to come out. The album is going to come out on August 30TH according to the band and it’s the band’s first album since 2006’s 10,000 Days, but to help us while we wait, I am going to check out the bands third studio album in Lateralus which Loudwire ranked 13TH on their 50 Best Metal Albums of All Time list.  Lateralus was released on May 15, 2001 via Volcano Entertainment and it featured Maynard James Keenan (Vocals), Adam Jones (Guitar), Justin Chancellor (Bass), and Danny Carey (Drums) and the album was produced by David Bottrill who produced the band’s previous effort Ænima. When the album was released it instantly went to number one on the Billboard Top 200 charts and it also went number one in Australia, Canada, and Poland. It also peaked at number one as the top Internet album selling over two million copies and the rock and roll hall of fame has it ranked number 123 on their definitive 200 list.

1. The Grudge– The track starts with what sounds like someone hitting play on a tape machine before Chancellor comes in with an amazing bass riff. One of the great signatures is all the time signature changes you’ll hear in one track, but I think this song is about Maynard throwing how stupid holding grudges can be. 5/5

2. Eon Blue Apocalypse– an instrumental track on the album that is all about Danny Carey’s dog Eon who passed away from Bone marrow cancer. 4/5

3. The Patient– The track starts off a little slow with a persistent and driving guitar riff, but when it gets to a certain point it explodes into one hell of a track that is all about that point when you reach a certain mindset that you are centered. 5/5

4. Mantra-a small instrumental interlude that is actually just Maynard James Keenan squeezing his Siamese cat. 4/5

5. Schism– This track beat out tracks from Black Sabbath, Slayer, Slipknot, and System Of A Down for best metal performance at the Grammys in 2002. Keenan described the science and math behind the track saying, “They’re all about relationships. Learning how to integrate communication back into a relationship. How are we as lovers, as artists, as brothers – how are we going to reconstruct this beautiful temple that we’ve built and that’s tumbled down? It’s universal relationship stuff.” 5/5

6. Parabol-To create the sound of the Buddhist monks chanting on the track, Carey sampled himself breathing through a tube in this very melodic track. This one is about dealing with your problems. 4.5/5

7. Parabola– If the last track was the melodic version, this is the in your face Tool track that everyone loves from them. It’s driving when it needs to be and calculating at others. The track deals with how our minds create an illusion of what we think we are. 5/5

8. Ticks & Leeches– Another great track on the album that is all about the struggle on your journey to enlightenment because of all the leeches that try to suck you dry. 5/5

9. Lateralus– The track is known for it’s signature time changes which go from 9/8 to 8/8 to 7/8 during the chorus. Danny Carey commented saying, “t was originally titled 9-8-7. For the time signatures. Then it turned out that 987 was the 16th number of the Fibonacci sequence. So that was cool.” Keenan described the lyrics saying, “I use the archetype stories of North American aboriginals and the themes or colors which appear over and over again in the oral stories handed down through generations. Black, white, red, and yellow play very heavily in aboriginal stories of creation.” Reports also say that the song could be based on LSD trips. 5/5

10. Disposition-I love the melodic beginning that has a nice and soothing bass riff that opens up the 1st track that forms a sequence with the next two tracks. I think the track is all about realizing that we as people change all the time, it’s just a fact of life. 4.5/5

11. Reflection– The second part of the sequence that really is eye opening lyrically as he tells us that we are really capable of great things if we put our mind into it. The tribal beat from the previous track continues on this one and Chancellor’s bass playing is amazing. There are some great sounds on this 11 minute track. 5/5

12. Triad-The last part of the sequence is a two minute instrumental and a great way to close it out. 4.5/5

13. Faaip de Oiad-The title of the the last track on the album is Enochian for Voice Of God and it features samples of a radio call of a 1997 radio show phone call for the Coast To Coast show by Art Bell of a man claiming to be an Area 51 employee. 4.5/5

My Final Thoughts– The album took four years to come out because of a dispute the band was going through with Volcano Entertainment, but nonetheless the album was definitely worth the wait. We’ll have to see if the same boast true for the new album when that is released. There are a lot of great songs on the album with a lot of amazing playing and some enlightening, but easy to interpret lyrics. That is why I am giving the album 4.7 stars out of five for a final grade.

The 8TH Annual Monster Entertainment Awards: Vote Now On The Music Side

It is that time of the year where we begin celebrating all the best of the previous year and as usual, we here at Moshpits and Movies are once again handling the music and movie side of the awards. We are unfortunately not working together with 365 Movies Challenge blog any longer, but we have reacquired Mr. X’s Punch Out who will handle the wrestling side of things. For right now though, we are looking at the music side of the awards which is now in it’s eighth year and we are pretty excited. Besides the usual awards for Album of the Year, Metal Album of the Year, etc., we have added a couple of new categories to the awards which are Cover of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Every year, there are plenty of bands that record covers of famous songs they love from bands and we want to celebrate by voting for the best one. Much like cover of the year, there are always new bands that pop onto our radar and we want to celebrate them as well. We tried our best to not include supergroups, but rather if it’s their current and only focus then they are allowed. So, now we just want to hear from YOU guys and see who you pick to win each award. You have until March 13TH to decide so choose wisely and just have some fun.

Album Of The Week: Cereal Killer Soundtrack by Green Jellÿ

Every year since I started the album of the week posts on my blog, I have always dedicated every post to celebrating the great holiday of Halloween. That means that all of the posts in October are Halloween and horror related whether it be from shock rockers like Alice Cooper, Marilyn Manson, horror metal like Murderdolls and White Zombie, or masked men like Mushroomhead, etc. This week’s album of the week comes from a band that I always thought was pretty interesting and their name is Green Jellÿ. Green Jellÿ was a comedy metal/punk group in the same sense as GWAR (Beefcake The Mighty showed them how to make their costumes). The album I decided to cover from them this week is their firts album they released as Green Jellÿ in Cereal Killer Soundtrack (it was the soundtrack to their video album of the same name). It was debatable to who was actually in the band, but according to the record it was Bill Manspeaker (Vocals) a.k.a. Moronic Dicktator & Marshall Staxx, Joe Cannizzaro (Vocals) a.k.a. Dunderhead, Gary Helsinger (Vocals) a.k.a. Hotsy Menshot, Greg Reynard (Vocals) a.k.a. Reason Clean, Steven Shenar (Guitar) a.k.a. Sven Seven, Michael Bloomquist (Bass) a.k.a. Rootin’, Joe Russo (bass) a.k.a. Mother Eucker, Danny Carey of Tool (Drums) a.k.a. Danny Longlegs, and many more guest appearances. The album peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Top 200 charts in 1993, but I don’t have sales figures on it.

1. Obey the Cowgod– an in your face punk/metal track that would make Motorhead proud with the injections of Ace of Spades like riffs. The track makes a reference to Beefcake The Almighty during it. 4/5

2. Three Little Pigs– One of my favorite tracks on the record that is a retelling and re-imagining of the classic tale. Rambo makes an appearance on the track as well as teh track features guest vocals from Maynard James Keenan and Pauly Shore.  5/5

3. Cereal Killer (edit)– Sabbath like riffs start off the track before they speed up the tempo in this track about killer cereal. 4/5

4. Rock-N-Roll Pumpkihn– A cool bass riff starts off the track followed with some great drumming from Carey before it goes full speed ahead. He just repeats the same line over and over again. 4/5

5. Anarchy In The UK– The band’s cover of The Sex Pistols classic. 4/5

6. Electric Harley House (of Love)– The track starts off with an acoustic riff before they launch into overdrive with a Barracuda like riff. Apparently the band was sued by Metallica because the rhythm and bass section of the guitar solo sounded too similar to Enter Sandman. 4/5

7. Trippin’ on XTC– a style parody of the Red Hot Chili Peppers right here on this track that honestly sounds like them if you close your eyes. 4/5

8. Misadventures of Shitman– the misadventures of a man who I believe cleans shit, either that or he is always in the shit. Midway through the track the band gets bluesy like something out of George Thorogood’s book. 4/5

9. House Me Teenage Rave (Long Version)– The band gets techno-ish for this crazy dance track in a track that gets very sexual. 4/5

10. Flight of the Skajaquada (edit)– a track that could be about the Skajaquada highway in Buffalo which is known for it’s high accident rate. 4/5

11. Green Jellÿ Theme Song– A track that starts with a burp until it gets funky with a cool bass riff. The track could be the band’s FU to the Jell-O company who sued the band and made them change their name. 4/5

My Final Thoughts– It’s a pretty decent record to listen to with so many different styles of rock and metal on it. You have to check out the videos for a lot of these songs, they are amazing and do em justice. I am going to give the album four stars out of five for a final grade.

Unsigned Band Of The Week: Bloodline Theory

For this week’s Unsigned band of the week, we are checking out a band that is local to me as far as location. The band I am talking about is Bloodline Theory who hail from Taunton, MA and I was introduced to these guys through a friend. I saw them live in concert when they opened up for Bobaflex and Orgy and these guys brought the intensity to the gig. The band is very versatile when it comes to their sound as they mix a little of everything from rock, metal, hardcore, etc. If you don’t believe me, these guys did an Eminem cover mixed with Tool live onstage. That should tell you something about being versatile and it was intense. The track I chose for you guys is the band’s big hit called Bombs Away and the song is a prime example as well of how versatile they are as it mixes a little of everything. It can be heavy and intense one minute and cool the next. If you want to know more about the band, check out their Facebook page here.

Album Of The Week: Ænima by Tool

With the announcement of a brand new tour and an album that we’ll hopefully see in the future, I found it fit to review an album from one of my favorite Alt Metal/Progressive Metal bands in Tool. The first time I had ever heard the band Tool was while the band was touring Ozzfest in support of their second album Ænima. The name of the album itself, Ænima, was a combination of the the words Anima (latin for soul) and enema (which is that fun medical procedure). It was the band’s first record with former Peach bassist Justin Chancellor while the rest of the band was made up of Maynard James Keenan (Vocals), Adam Jones (Guitar), and Danny Carey (Drums). This album could be considered the band’s breakthrough record as it peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Top 200 Charts in it’s first week of release while the track Ænima won the Grammy in 1998 for Best Metal Performance (Back when the Grammy’s sort of got it right). Since then, the album has been certified triple platinum selling over three million copies worldwide. The packaging for the record was even up for a Grammy and it should have one with it’s holographic cover with various images on the inside like Cam De Leon’s painting Ocular Orifice, picture of contortionist Alana Cain with her legs wrapped around her head, and so much more.

1. Stinkfist– Starts off with a cool drum riff before it explodes into the track with a killer bass line. A lot of people perceived the song to be sexual due to the title, but during the tour Maynard said it was about, “choosing compassion over fear.” 5/5

2. Eulogy– It starts off with what sounds like them drumming on pipes or something as the music starts to fade in slowly. This is an 8 minute epic piece by the band that really makes you think. It has that feel like it’s talking about people who think they are better than everyone. 5/5

3. H.– Maynard James Keenan one time described this song during a live showing saying, “So, any of you ever watched those Warner Bros. cartoons? Sometimes there’s that one where that guy is having a tough time trying to make a decision. He’s got an angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other. Seems pretty obvious, right? Usually it’s the angel who is kind of the one trying to give him the good advice while the devil is trying to get him to do what’s bad for him. It’s not always that simple though. Most times they’re not really angels or devils. They’re just friends giving you advice, looking out for your best interest but not really understanding what’s going to be best for you. So it kind of comes down to you. You have to make the decision yourself… This song is called H.” 4/5

4. Useful Idiot– The beginning of the song sounds like a vinyl record that is at the end and it just keeps repeating the sound. 4/5

5. Forty Six & 2– A very evil sounding song with a cool bass riff, but for the most part it keeps the same tempo throughout the track, but when the chorus the band kicks the tempo up a notch as they are mostly playing in 4/4 time. The song references the works of Carl Jung who talks about the possibility of one day having two extra chromosomes due to evolution and then it talks about the shadow if you noticed. Change through the shadow is this idea that of exploring that side of the brain that hates, fears, and represses. 5/5

6. Message to Harry Manback– it’s a track that is basically a piano track playing a recorded message over it. 4/5

7. Hooker With A Penis– This has to be the heaviest track on the record and probably in the history of Tool with elements of hardcore punk and thrash about a fan who once accused the band of selling out after the success of Sober.  5/5

8. Intermission– kind of a cool intro that sort of sounds like intermission music (hence the title). 4/5

9. Jimmy– A very interesting track as far as composition and it’s about Maynard himself as a boy. Apparently at the age of 11, his mother was paralyzed and so he was forced to live with his father. 4/5

10. Die Eier von Satan– a very interesting track which is basically a recipe in German and the song is sung by Marko Fox (Zaum). 4/5

11. Pushit– A very cool track from the band about Maynard’s internal struggle with his past and religion. 4/5

12- Cesaro Summability– a intro track with a crying baby with some echo thrown in there.

13- Ænima– This is by far my favorite song on the album that uses the concept of Hemiola which according to wikipedia is, “a musical technique in which the emphasis in a triple meter is changed to give the illusion that both a duple and a triple meter occur in the song. For example, during the first verse, the beat appears to be in 12/8 timing, while toward the middle of the song when the lyrics from the first verse are repeated, the beat can be perceived as being in 6/8 timing. The double bass drums are played in a triplet using the floor tom in the middle of the song making them seem twice the speed. It’s by the far the best apocalyptic track telling you that you better learn to swim. 5/5

14. (-) Ions– a very cool instrumental on the album 4/5

15. Third Eye– “Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration. That we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Here’s Tom with the weather.” This is a quote that Maynard says at the beginning of the sing that belongs to Bill Hicks and it’s basically what the song is about and it also contains some Buddhist philosophies as well. 4.5/5

My Final Thoughts– This is still by far my favorite record from Tool because top to bottom the album is just amazing. This really showed the world what Tool was made of and what you could do with music that was different than what was being made at the time. My hats off to Tool and here is to the future and hoping for a new album. I would defintiely suggest checking out this album if you haven’t in the meantime. I am going to give this record 4.5 stars out of five for a final grade.

Rock & Metal News: Abbath, The Cure, Tool Announce Tours Plus More

There is some big news concerning the upcoming year which looks to be one hell of a year as far as touring is concerned. The first piece of news involves the band The Cure, the English Goth rock kings have announced that they will be heading on a 27 show, 22 city North American tour that kicks off in New Orleans on May 11 and ends in Miami. The band which is made up of Robert Smith (Guitar/Vocals), Simon Gallop (Bass), Jason Cooper (drums), Roger O’Donnell (keys), and Reeves Gabrels (guitar) will be performing 37 years of hits as well as, “mixing hits, rarities, favourites, and as yet unreleased tracks in a brand new stage production.” Here are the tour dates:

The Cure 2016 Tour Dates:
05/11 – New Orleans, LA @ TBA *
05/13 – Austin, TX @ Frank Erwin Center *
05/14 – Houston, TX @ TBA *
05/15 – Dallas, TX @ TBA *
05/17 – El Paso, TX @ Don Haskins Center *
05/19 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Chelsea Theater at the Cosmopolitan *
05/20 – Chula Vista, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheater *
05/22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl *
05/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl *
05/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl *
05/26 – Mountain View, CA @ Shorline Amphitheatre *
05/31 – Vancouver, BC @ Festival Lawn at Deer Lake Park *
06/03 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Maverik Center *
06/05 – Denver, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre *
06/08 – Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre *
06/10 – Chicago, IL @ UIC Pavilion *
06/11 – Chicago, IL @ UIC Pavilion *
06/12 – Toronto, ON @ TBA *
06/13 – Toronto, ON @ TBA *
06/14 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre *
06/16 – Boston, MA @ TBA *
06/18 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *
06/19 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *
06/20 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *
06/22 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion *
06/24 – Atlanta, GA @ Aaron’s Amphitheater Lakewood *
06/26 – Miami, FL @ Bayfront Park Amphitheater *

* = w/ The Twilight Sad

With more exciting tour news on the mind, we turn to the heavier side of things with a big announcement. Abbath, the former singer/guitarist of legendary Norweigan Black Metal group Immortal is heading out on tour here in America on the 2016 Decibel Magazine Tour. Abbath who will be touring the states for the first time as a solo artist is joined by High On Fire, Tribulation, and Skeletonwitch. Abbath decided to go solo after a long legal dispute with his former bandmates and rather than drag it out, he took the high road and decided to go solo rather thna continue Immortal even though he wrote most of the music. Abbath will be releasing a solo album in 2016 and his band features King Ov Hell (ex-Gorgoroth, ex-Sahg, God Seed, I) on Bass and Creature (real name: Kevin Foley — Benighted, ex-Disavowed, live session Sepultura, Sabaton, Decapitated). High On Fire will continue to support their amazing record Luminferous which the band released back in 2015. Meanwhile, Skeletonwitch will be touring with a new singer for the first time on this tour as his identity will be revealed soon. Ina very excited mood, guitarist Scott Hedrick talked about the tour, “Cheers everyone! We are proud to announce that we will be a part of the mighty Decibel Tour. They had us at Abbath, then tripled the ante with High on Fire and Tribulation! All three artists are in my personal top tier of heavy music. Definitely going to have some embarrassing ‘fan moments’ on this one. Just ask Matt Pike – as an overly excited teenager, I punished him with a game of 20 Questions when I saw them on their first U.S. tour. He still regrets giving me his phone number! New tunes, new singer, new tour, new chapter for Skeletonwitch. Looking forward to seeing you all out on the road.” This is definitely one tour that you are not going to want to miss out on. Check out the tour dates below:

The Decibel Magazine 2016 Tour Dates

3/17—Baltimore, Md. @ Baltimore Soundstage
3/18—Charlotte, N.C. @ Amos’ Southend
3/19—Atlanta, Ga. @ The Masquerade
3/20—Ybor City, Fla. @ The Ritz Ybor
3/22—Dallas, Texas @ Gas Monkey Live
3/23—Austin, Texas @ Emo’s
3/25—Scottsdale, Ariz. @ Live Wire
3/26—San Diego, Calif @ The Observatory North Park
3/27—Santa Ana, Calif. @ The Observatory
3/28—Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Regent Theater DTLA
3/29—San Francisco, Calif. @ The Regency Ballroom
3/30—Portland, Ore. @ Roseland Theatre
4/01—Seattle, Wash. @ El Corazon
4/02—Vancouver, British Columbia @ Commodore Ballroom
4/05—Denver, Colo. @ Gothic Theatre
4/06—Lawrence, Kan. @ Granada Theater
4/07—Minneapolis, Minn. @ Mill City Nights
4/08—Chicago, Ill. @ Metro
4/09—Cleveland, Ohio @ Agora Ballroom
4/10—Toronto, Ontario @ The Opera House
4/12—New York, N.Y. @ Webster Hall
4/14—Boston, Mass. @ Royale
4/15—Philadelphia, Pa. @ Union Transfer

Everyone’s favorite Art Rock, Progressive rock band Tool have announced in a message that they are going on tour in 2016 as well. The band has been promising fans a record for quite some time and after fans showed their impatience, the band is rewarding them with a tour to try and hold them over. All we know right now is that we think the band is in the studio reocrding the new record which would be the follow up to 10,000 Days. Here is the announcement from the band:

TOOL TOUR VISIONS

SOMETHING WICKED THIS… YOUR WAY COMES!
For those of you who only like NEWS about TOOL, here’s something that should be of great interest. The impenetrable veil of my dark scrying mirror FINALLY CLEARED today – enough so, in fact – that I could perceive a large heptagram on a complexly lit stage where four performers were dwarfed by dramatic video projections. Evidently the sonic and visual extravaganza that I was receiving is a rare glimpse of future TOOL U.S.A. TOUR DATES in the month of JANUARY, 2016 e.v. However, with some of the images in the depths of the black glass not being clearly distinct… YET, fans will have to keep checking back (SOON) on the Tool websites and Tool facebook page for an official announcement containing a list of the SHOW DATES, CITIES and VENUES, as well as for info about a tour support act(s). Regarding an opening band(s), what I was able to discern through the ever-shifting veil will in all likeliness be exciting to many Tool enthusiasts. STAY TUNED, FOLKS… as my trusty SCRYING MIRROR CONTINUES TO CLEAR…

If you’ve been living under a rock lately then you may not have heard a rumor that is going around the internet that would involve one of the biggest reunions in rock history that every fan has begged for since 1996 or so. The rumor going around is that Guns N Roses are going to be reuniting which means we are going to get Axl and Slash back together on stage again. When I first read the reports that Duff McKagan’s wife let the cat out of the bag, I was jumping up and down like a girl with excitement. I kept telling myself not to believe all the hype and that it was just rumors, but they are things that are letting me think otherwise. Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue basically came out when a fan on Twitter asked him if they should reunite and he basically answered, “They Are, Everybody Knows.” Now another report has emerged that says that if something does happen that it won’t feature all the original members of the band. The report from Blabbermouth.com basically says that the band will feature Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan as far as original members are concerned. The line up will be rounded out by Richard Fortus and Frank Ferrer on drums with Dizzy Reed on Keyboards. That means no Izzy Stradlin, Steven Adler, or Matt Sorum. Knowing this information that is present, would you still go and check them out on tour or are you holding out for the original lineup?

 

Single Of The Week: Money Shot by Puscifer

While the whole world waits for that new album from Tool, we have brand new Puscifer to hold us over until then. If you don’t know who Puscifer is, this is Maynard James Keenan’s other band (not side project) that he does besides A Perfect Circle and Tool. Maynard and Puscifer are getting ready to release their third album Money Shot on October 30TH and they have a single for all of us to enjoy in the title track. The song is a real tour de force as it’s driving and has a killer bass line all the way through the track. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Keenan talks about the history of Puscifer and their sound, “There was a little more schizophrenia with the first record. We were in hotel rooms, and we were recording in a different studio every day on the road, but the hardest part was, ‘Okay, you’ve got two other bands; how do we make this third thing not sound like the others?’ With the second [Conditions of My Parole], I felt we kind of settled into ourselves — and this one [Money Shot] is more about me in that place, if that makes sense.” This is definitely a track that is worth checking out especially if you are a fan of Keenan’s work Later in the interview, he talked about Puscifer’s direction as far as the stage show was concerned saying, “With Puscifer, we realize that the digital age is just endless possibilities, and nothing is written in stone. So whatever stage show we start off with on this tour, it might change and go in a complete opposite way. We’ve built an audience that, for the most part, is open enough to whatever we present them. They’ll go, ‘That was awesome,’ even if it’s something like us playing AC/DC covers for the entire show.” As far as a new Tool album is concerned, here is what he had to say about that, “I write lyrics and melodies to music. If I don’t have music, I can’t.” Check out the track below:

Album Of The Week: White Pony by Deftones

Since we missed a week at one point with the album of the week posts, we have decided to give you a second album of the week this week to make up for it. The Deftones are currently on tour right now with Incubus and they are about to play in my home state of Massachusetts on Friday. Out of all the bands that came out of the Nu-Metal scene, the Deftones were by far one of my favorites from the scene just because they were different. While the band was known to have some hard hitting material at times, they were times where you could see Chino’s other influences which bands like Depeche Mode and even The Cure being put into their material. At the point of the release of this record, the scene was changing and the Deftones wanted to separate themselves from the Nu-Metal scene as much as they could and this album White Pony would help launch them further into their careers. The band which was made up of the late and great Chi Cheng (Bass), Chino Moreno (Vocals), Stephen Carpenter (Guitars), Abe Cunningham (Drums), and the newest member of the band at the time Frank Delgado (Sampling, electronics). This album was huge for the band as it peaked at number three on the Billboard Top 200 charts as it was certified platinum.

1. Feiticeira- Chino describes the track saying, “The name Feiticeira is some Portuguese name that I read in a magazine and just liked. It’s based on the scenario of being taken captive. It’s completely fictional. I want that people who listen to it feel like they are the ones in the situation. Because of that I sing it in first person. It’s up to people to figure out if i’m having fun (with them) or not, even though it sounds a bit eerie.” 4/5

2. Digital Bath– The track has a trip hop sound from the drums with some warm and inviting guitars about a man who kills a girl while she is bathing by electrifying her. 5/5

3. Elite– this is an in your face track reminiscent of music from the first album with some hardcore signing from Chino. Moreno once described the song saying that it, “is laughing at everybody trying to become what they already are. If you want to be one of the elite, you are.” 45

4. Rx Queen– a touching and “most futuristic song in the album” according to Chino with some cool percussion effects o a track that is about a guy who falls in love with a girl despite her being sick. 5/5

5. Street Carp– Much like the track Elite, the song is very aggressive and in your face. Moreno has said, “It’s a classic Deftones song, with a rolling riff and some really interesting chords in the chorus. the vocals are kinda crazy – I’m singing out loud over the top of the music, like (The Smiths front man) Morrissey or something, a cool contrast.” 4/5

6. Teenager– the track starts with some real atmospheric beats over that Trip hop sound about a young romance coming to an end. Chino has said that he wrote the song when he was 15 and that it was originally meant for Team Sleep. 4/5

7. Knife Prty– This is an excellent track on the record from the band that is really atmospheric as Moreno described it, “It’s a seductive song with a lot of violent imagery. People don’t tend to like sex mixed with violence. The mid section has amazing vocals from a girl called Rodleen who worked next door to our studio.” 5/5

8. Korea–  According to the guys, this was the first song written for the record which is pretty heavy and Moreno says its about, “the white pony, strippers, and drugs.” 4/5

9. Passenger– This is one of the coolest songs on the record that features guest vocals from Tool’s Maynard James Keenan and it’s one of the grooviest tracks on the record. 5/5

10. Change (In The House Of Flies)– This was one of my favorite tracks on the record that reminded me a lot of Be Quiet And Drive (Far Away) and it was also the first single from the record. 5/5

11. Pink Maggit– Moreno describes this moody track saying, “The title comes from a Kool Keith song. We just thought it was some funny stuff. The song is meant to be triumphant. I’m trying to spread a little confidence. Lots of artists try to make songs for the kids who are tormented in school, telling them it’s okay to be tormented. But it’s not okay. Don’t be ridiculed. Become the leader of your surroundings. Confidence is one of the most important things in life. If you are confident, you can do whatever you want.” 4/5

My Final Thoughts– This was definitely the break out album for the band that made you pay attention to them if you hdn’t already before. I remember that this album was being pushed as far as the date of release was concerned because everyone in my high school (not everyone, just the metalheads)was salivating to buy this when it came out. I am going to give the album 4.3 stars out of five for a final grade. While you’re at it, like the official Facebook page for Moshpits & Movies here

Rock And Metal News 2/12/2015

How many Supergroups can any of the members of Mastodon be a part of and where are they finding the time to do so. Well, so Troy Sanders was the only member so far to be in a supergroup, but now guitarist Brent Hinds is in a supergroup with a member of the legendary Tool. Hinds has teamed up with Danny Carey of Tool, OFF!’s Dimitri Coats, and Jimmy Heyward (director of Jonah Hex) who will serve as the producer of the album to form the supergroup The Legend of the Seagullmen. The band has unleashed two new songs that if you would like to hear them, you can do so by visiting the consequence of sound website by clicking here. One thing that we do not know about this band is whether it’s a one off collaboration or whether it will continue forward. One thing is for sure is that while we wait for a new album for Tool, we have this to listen to from Carey.

Bullet For My Valentine were supposedly in the studio recording  new album, but the band has just hit a temporary road block along the way as longtime bassist Jay James announces that he is no longer in the band. The whole bit of news has hit everyone by surprise as an earlier statement on Facebook made things seem like they were going as usual as the band was in the studio with Colin Richardson to record their fifth record. Jay James joined the band in 2003 and he was apart of the band’s four landmark records and was a big part of the vocal scheme along with lead singer/guitarist Matt Tuck. The band released a statement that read as follows:

To all our fans around the World,

It is with regret that Bullet For My Valentine has to announce that Jay James is no longer a member of the band. Jay has been a part of this band for well over 12 years and part of our lives forever, and we’re gonna miss him as much as we know you guys are too. We wanna wish him all the best and success with whatever he chooses to do next and will always be grateful for his contribution and sacrifices he made for this band.

We’ll announce a replacement for Jay when we feel the time is right, but until then we’re gonna be busy and focused recording our next record and making sure its the best album we’ve ever made.

2015 is already shaping up to be a massive year for us with lots of exciting things going on behind the scenes which we’ll be announcing as soon as we can.

Thank you all for your continued support.

Matt, Padge, Moose.

There is an awesome tribute album that is coming out that honors the legendary Randy Rhoads with artists playing each one of his tracks. The tribute album is called Immortal Randy Rhoads: The Ultimate Tribute and it features players like Rudy Sarzo, Tom Morello, Serj Tankian, Chuck Billy, Alexi Laiho, Jon Donais, Gus G, Bruce Kulick, Frankie Banali, Tim “Ripper” Owens, Vinny Appice, and so many more. The track that I am going to link to this piece is Tom Morello and Serj Tankian doing a cover of Crazy Train. You can check that out by clicking here. There is also a video that surfaced that is included in a bonus disc where the producer of this tribute album Bob Kulick conducts an interview with Rudy Sarzo. Bob asks Rudy what it was like to work with Randy and other questions. Check that video out here. The album drops on March 3 via UDR Music.

Michael Vescera who sang with Yngwie Malmsteen made some comments earlier in the week in an interview about his former employer. He says, “I think the main thing with Yngwie — [fellow ex-Malmsteen singer] Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens and I were talking about this earlier — Yngwie could have been the biggest guitarist in the world today, by far. And he’s destroyed his career, just by burning bridges and just pissing people off. And it’s unfortunate, because he changed the face of guitar. And to be where he’s at today is kind of sad. But, look, I don’t have anything bad to say about Yngwie. It was an experience. There was some crazy s**t that went on. But I wish him well, and I hope he straightens out his stuff and comes back. But… you know, we would need about two years [to tell our] stories [about] him.”

VH1 Classic has developed and is getting ready to release a new series titled Rock Icons which promises to be different than Behind The Music. It seems to be in the style of ESPN’s 30 for 30 series and it will feature episodes with Judas Priest’s Rob Halford, Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott, Slash (ex-Guns N’ Roses), Rush’s Geddy Lee, Ted Nugent, Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine, Mötley Crüe’s Nikki Sixx, Heart’s Ann Wilson, and many more. Here is how the network describes the show, “10 groundbreaking 30-minute episodes that go past the veil of mystery and beyond the velvet ropes with in-depth, intimate portraits revealing who these rock stars really are, and the road that lead them to their iconic status today. Each episode is jam-packed with exclusive interviews, never-before-seen footage with featured artists and key people who helped shape their exemplary careers.” The show will debut on February 21 on VH1 Classic.

The voters for the 2015 Radio Contraband Rock Radio Awards chose legendary nationally syndicated rock radio host Lou Brutus as the Best Nationally Syndicated DJ Award Winner. This was the second year the award was handed out and the second time that Lou won the award beating out Nikki Sixx, Jackie Kajzer, The Chop Shop, and Skratch N’ Sniff. Lou is the legendary man behind great shows such as hardDrive and hardDriveXL and he was the first to play many acts like Slipknot, Five Finger Death Punch, Halestorm, and Sevendust. So, congratulations are in order for Lou Brutus on winning the award.

Zakk Wylde is taking Black Label Society back out on the road, but in a very diffent capacity. A couple years back the band played a one off show in LA and released it on disc called Unblackened which is pretty much an acoustic record. So, they will be taking that record and style out on the road with very intimate shows. Zakk said, “I always wanted to take ‘Unblackened’ on the road, we just didn’t have the time until now. You can take a song that you’ve played thousands of times and rearrange it, and all of a sudden it’s something totally fresh. The attitude of the songs doesn’t change when we play them acoustically — the tunes are gritty regardless.” It will be a very interesting show to see live and one of those once in a lifetime experiences. Check out the tour dates below:

4/3 — Huntington, N.Y. — The Paramount
4/4 — Hampton Beach, N.H. — Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
4/6 — Sayreville, N.J. — Starland Ballroom
4/8 — Baltimore, Md. — Rams Head Live
4/9 — Fort Wayne, Ind. — Piere’s
4/11 — Grand Rapids, Mich. — Orbit Room
4/12 — Milwaukee, Wis. — The Rave
4/14 — Wichita, Kan. — The Cotillion
4/16 — Grand Junction, Colo. — Mesa Theater
4/17 — Salt Lake City, Utah — The Depot
4/18 — Sacramento, Calif. — Ace of Spades
4/19 — Anaheim, Calif. — City National Grove of Anaheim