Rock Star Journalist

Listening to Waxeater‘s Baltimore Record makes me really wish I’d been able to get into The Wire. I certainly would like to be able to analyze exactly how the lyrical content specifically relates to the plight of Omar or the whole Baltimore drug trade.

But I didn’t, and I can’t, so rather than blather on about what I’m missing in analyzing Waxeater’s latest, let’s discuss what makes it so appealing for those such as myself, who came to the band only knowing that their split 7-inch with Lawrence’s Jabberjosh a few years back was flipping intense.
read more »

Jim Mahfood, aka Food One, aka one of our favorite artists ever, has released some dope shit over the course of his career. Ask for Janice, his ‘zine about the Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique, might be one of the coolest things we own. The man does amazingly with everything he touches, such as turning his online strip Los Angeles Ink Stains from JPGs to a massive book that lets you see everything in tight detail.
read more »

Listening to Joseph Bishara‘s scores for 11-11-11 and Insidious Chapter 2 have made for a really uncomfortable week. Bishara’s work, which is currently available on vinyl from Void Recordings, isn’t exactly easy listening. While the majority of horror movie soundtracks that have been making the rounds lately have their roots in more synth-driven avenues, Bishara’s work hearkens back further to the likes of Bernard Herrmann. Utilizing a string quartet as the bed, then augmenting with piano and vocals, Bishara’s work is familiar in spots — in opening movements and recurring themes, you hear the uncomfortable build and release inherent in most traditional film scores.
read more »

Dayal Patterson‘s immense tome, Black metal: Evolution of the Cult, is a book you appreciate more than enjoy. In terms of exhaustive interviews, historical detail, and organization, it’s absolutely on point. The organization of Patterson’s book is spot-on. Breaking everything down band-by-band, yet keeping everything in a linear timeline, allows the reader to see the evolution of this music from artist to artist. It’s also absolutely necessary for the casual metal fan such as myself. While acquainted with black metal’s other seminal work, Lords of Chaos (also released by Feral House), I’m by no means well-versed in many of the bands presented here, to say nothing of the myriad name changes and lineup shifts.

Name changes, by the way, are not just something which bands experience, but individuals, as well. It’s necessary to remember the birth names of these Norweigian, Swedish, German, Austrian, Greek, and Italian musicians, as well as their nom de metal, which in some cases can be more of a mouthful than the umlauts and ‘ø’s which they replace. The author does an excellent job of picking one descriptor by which to refer each musician, however, allowing the reader to keep everything straight.
read more »

In what seems to be unanimous agreement from all of the friends who were at Friday night’s show with me, High on Fire was one of the loudest fucking concerts most of us have ever seen. Given that this is a crowd of musicians, mostly, that’s not a small thing about which to quibble. For as loud as it was, and as much of a concrete box the Granada is, it sounded amazing. Every band was crystal clear, yet ear-splittingly loud.

Indeed, though: High on Fire blew some hair back at the Granada. It’s always wonderful when a an act’s not touring in support of a new album. I mean, yes — High on Fire released the two live EPs, Spitting Fire volumes 1 and 2, earlier this year, but it’s not like they had an album of all-new tunes to flog. This meant they were able to play whatever, and it made for a set full of blazing rock ‘n’ roll.
read more »

It’s a damned good thing that Strike to Survive exists, because the Bronx sure as shit isn’t putting out albums like this anymore. Bands change, blah blah blah — whatever, all I know is that what I liked about the Bronx isn’t there in their music any longer, so a band that puts out severely heavy rock ‘n’ roll is greatly needed these days.

At first, it’s pretty great, because Yesterday’s News is essentially a Bronx record with different vocals. Maybe a little less low end. Other than that, it’s got that declamatory shout in the vocals, the pauses where everything drops out but a sick little guitar riff, and a bunch of filler songs that exist to make one song shine like a brilliant fucking diamond.
read more »

Listening to Joint D≠‘s latest, Satan Is Real Again, Again, or: Feeling Good About Feeling Good About Bad Thoughts, is not something I recommend while jacked up on half a pot of strong coffee. The album’s so tightly wound, you’ll find yourself grinding your teeth and tensing up in your chair, wondering when it’s going to relent.

Here’s the secret: it doesn’t. From start to finish, through all nine songs, Joint D≠ moves with coiled rhythms, shredding your nerves while they’re attacking their guitars. It’s almost as if the band has decided that the intensity from their first album, Strike Gently, needed to be cranked up and spewed forth in greater quantities.
read more »

Windhand‘s latest full-length, Soma, is their first for Relapse Records. It’s a selection of massive tunes that both soar and plumb the depths, and some tracks are monumental works. The group’s currently on tour, opening for High on Fire, and they play the Granada in Lawrence on Friday, November 29. We were lucky enough to get guitarist Garrett Morris to answer a few questions for us via e-mail.
read more »

The two-minute intro that starts out “The Curse of the Cross,” the first track on Police Bastard‘s Confined, just about did me in. Intros — especially when they choose to simply cycle around one riff / drumbeat / bassline — can wear out their welcome and kill a song before it really kicks in. Considering “The Curse of the Cross” is a slow, plodding track, it takes a bit to get through.

It’s a good track, don’t get me wrong: it just fucking drags for a bit. It pays off with a song that creeps along, using lines like “the virus has spread” to compare religion to a plague taking over the world. “Sick Sick System,” in addition to a clever fucking title, continues the idea that man and religion have scoured the planet.
read more »

Is is possible for something to be both frantic and chugging? Something about the Love Triangle‘s music makes me think of a biker movie — everything synced to the sound of wheels on blacktop. Clever Clever, out now on Sorry State is like that sound, only jacked to the gills on mini thins and truck stop coffee.

Which isn’t to say that this is surf rock or country trucker music — no, no. The Love Triangle fall somewhere in the meeting ground of early British punk like the Damned, Buzzcocks, and the Adverts and any act to have splintered off from the Marked Men (Mind Spiders, Potential Johns, et al).
read more »