Muggin's Top 20 Of 2011- No's 19 and 18

No.19- The Interbeing- Edge Of The Obscure

    It is always exciting to see a brand new band come out of the woodwork and make an impact. Part of the burgeoning Djent scene/genre/style, which ever you prefer, Danes The Interbeing have, with their first album, instantly become ones to watch.

    It is complicated to decide whether or not Djent, which is pretty big news in today's scene, is its own stand alone genre or even just a technique, and I personal can't fully explain what it even represents or consists of other than Meshuggah influences in style of play and sound and progression, but it is a pretty recognisable sound and encompasses a wealth of talented bands, and The Interbeing seemingly came out of no where and climbed to near the top of the mountain.

    As a Djent act, Edge Of The Obscure has a great progressive element to it, but manages to do so and still be instantly catchy. It manages to be accessible yet very complicated. Whilst it shares many characteristics of it's peers with complicated riffs and time signatures, The Interbeing also know to not go overboard with the complexity and do write songs; there are plenty of clean passages to draw you in as well. There is even a subtle electronica element at work as well, which is subtle enough that it doesn't overpower at all such as in album highlight 'Face Deletion'.

Edge Of The Obscure is a fine album which is accessible enough at first to draw you in, but on repeated listens reveals new subtleties and tricks that keep it fresh. The Interbeing are definitely on the radar and their next moves will be exciting to see.

Listen to: Pulse Within The Paradox, Face Deletion, In The Transcendence
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy3bteFz350


No.18- Saxon- Call To Arms


    Barnsley's finest sons Saxon are enjoying arguably their biggest surge of popularity of their entire careers. Always embraced by their old guard fans from back in the day, the NWOBHM legends have in recent years been embraced by younger generations, probably helped by the fact that they are still making some of the finest music of their careers.

    Call To Arms first and foremost, could not be a more British heavy metal record if it tried. The album artwork of the famous Lord Kitchener recruitment poster alone says it all, it couldn't be a greater visual representation of Great Britain's metal heritage if it also had a giant red, white and blue hammer with a cup of tea and biscuits. This is old school heavy metal album which has both nostalgia and relevence.

    There is no deviation from the classic Saxon sound, yet despite the fact that you have heard this all before it still sounds fresh and powerful and brilliant. Call To Arms will have you head banging, raising a beer and the horns and screaming a long. So many highlights to choose from which could all stand toe to toe with anything from classics like Wheels Of Steel, The Long Arm Of The Law, and Denim And Leather. One of Britain's great musical establishments show us why they are on top of their game and being embraced by a new generation.

Listen To: Back In '79, Surviving Against The Odds, When Doomsday Comes (Hybrid Theory)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJGFmoHwsPI

Muggin's Top 20 Of 2011- Intro And No. 20

    It's that time of year again, where Christmas adverts and songs begin to creep into our lives, us students draw nearer to deadlines with the realisation we have done sod all and need to pull our fingers out very quickly, whilst all the while the weather gets much colder and everyone gets a runny nose and a cough that sounds like they are dying. But it is also that time where people start thinking about their favourite albums of the year in magazines, webzines etc; and as it is that time of year once again and I have actually managed to listen to quite a few albums out this year (thank you Spotify) I thought why not do a top 20 myself, after all I bet you're all dying to hear my thoughts again.

    I would like to point out a couple of things first off. A lot of you are bound to disagree with my opinions, you may feel that I have overlooked an absolute classic, or given praise to a bigger turkey than the one that will be sat on your dining room table come Christmas day; of course we aren't going to agree 100%, so I apologize if you think I have it all wrong, but this is simply my opinion (and if you have read my blog before you may already know I am an idiot). Secondly, despite the use of Spotify there will still be many albums I have missed. With Metal Blade and Century Media record labels removing their back catalogues from Spotify's database as well there are certainly a few albums I have missed. Some notable examples that come to mind are Skeletonwitch, Vallenfyre and The Black Dahlia Murder; which perhaps makes this exercise redundant....but we will move on anyway.

    I will be doing a different number (or a couple of numbers per blog entry, I'm sure you'll work it out) and try and post regularly as possible (feel the tension in the air). So here we go *drum roll* Chris Tippell's top 20 albums of 2011. Obviously starting with number 20.

No.20- Toxic Holocaust- Conjure And Command

  First emerging during the mostly nostalgic Thrash revival a few years ago, Toxic Holocaust; whilst not sounding terrible by any means; never seemed to really impress. Conjure And Command quickly made up for this. Whilst previous Toxic Holocaust albums (certainly with their artwork) have had a somewhat cartoon like vibe to them, Conjure And Command is a much darker and aggressive work that doesn't so much grab your attention than lock your neck tightly in a vice and roar in your face.

    This is the first Toxic Holocaust album that see's a fully cohesive band rather than just main man Joel Grind performing full vocal and instrumental duties himself, and although it is uncertain how much to do with the writing process these extra members have had, it has to have helped Joel perfect his vision. As much inspired by blackened metal acts such as Bathory and Venom as by thrash, this has a darker edge which stands it out from most other 'Thrash Revival' acts into  Kreator territory (and they are surely a major influence).

    Each and every song on here is a highlight, no filler whatsoever, and at only 32 minutes it does not feel too drawn out in the slightest, in a time where too many people are making albums that are far too long to keep the listeners attention this is a massive welcome. Conjure And Command sadly doesn't seem to have grabbed the attention that I feel it has deserved because I was gripped upon the first listen and it only improves after every listen. This is a mighty album that easily sits with other thrash albums from classic and newer bands in the last couple of years.

Listen to: Agony Of The Damned, Nowhere To Run, Sound The Charge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iSzL26B2HI

N0t S0 Unluc5y Th1rt3en

     If you are a fan of Thrash titans Megadeth things have been looking very rosy as of late. After a short lived hiatus, main man Dave Mustaine brought them back to the fold and since which they have been on pretty fine form with The System Has Failed to United Abominations. This then led to 2009's excellent Endgame; an album which genuinely sits easily with the band's all time classics, and the finest albums of the 21st Century.

     Since the release of Endgame, original member David Ellefson returned to the fold, and the band have participated in the highly sought after and historical 'Big Four' shows across the globe, highlighting the band's impressive legacy, longevity and relevance. Megadeth are in one of the strongest positions of their careers, and with the release of a brand new album, the stage is set, are we about to have another classic?

    Th1rt3en (which rather cryptically, is the bands 13th studio album), unfortunately is not quite the triumph that Endgame was, but it is a great album none the less. Reverting back to the more mid pace efforts such as Countdown To Extinction and Youthanasia (there are worse benchmarks to live up to) rather than the all out, in your face, 1.320mph shredding approach of earlier gems and Endgame, it is certainly more accessible than those efforts, but not quite as hard hitting as perhaps could have hoped. What is interesting about this album is how many of the featured tracks have either seen previous release or were recorded at differing periods of time: 'Millennium Of The Blind' for example was written in and recorded as a demo in 1991, 'Black Swan' was awarded to fans who pre-ordered United Abominations back in 2007 and 'New World Order' was written on the 1991 Clash Of The Titan's tour. This coupled with the fact that this is the band's final album in their Roadrunner Records contract and that the two parties, while not having a torrid time together have had previous disagreements; it is possible that this album was created in this way to finish the contract and to move on.

    Despite these negatives however, Th1rt3en is a very good album and is certainly worth checking out. It opens on a high with 'Sudden Death', a song initially recorded for inclusion on the latest Guitar Hero game, and contains the comforting opening of guitar shredding which we have come to expect from a Megadeth album, before moving into one of the album's true highlights and one of the albums faster songs. Otherwise much of the album (as mentioned before) has a more mild pace; following track 'Public Enemy No.1' a prime example. This is not necessarily a complaint at all however as this a collection of very stellar songs. The aforementioned two are very strong, 'Whose Life [Is It Anyway]' is an instant anthem to which many can relate, and 'Black Swan' is another song definitely worth checking out.

    What Th1rt3en also has going for it is that none of the songs are too long and taxing to endure. What has been too common as of late are albums that are far too long and needlessly long songs which do not grab your attention throughout. Th1rt3en on the other hand has only two songs above the 5 minute mark, whilst the rest sit around 4 minutes, and with only 13 (ho ho) tracks it definitely does not out stay it's welcome.

    After the grand release that was Endgame, and with big pluses happening for the band as of late, expectations were certainly high for another instant world beater, and while this is by no means a bad record, Megadeth have not quite delivered the true great we could have hoped for. Regardless, this is a great record  and very worthy of your time, and is much better than this years' output from a certain other 'Big Four' member.


[7/10]

Recommended: Sudden Death, Whose Life [Is It Anyway], Black Swan

   

"I'm a red blooded, red-neck son of a bitch."; well bully for you

    Five Finger Death Punch are one of those bands that either generate a large degree of love for, or are purely despised by others. Undoubtedly not a thinking man's metal band, they instead dwell in the 'simplistic but fun' territories with music built purely for mosh pits and nothing more. Some people deride them for this simplicity, others enjoy the band for their non thought provoking charms. I myself fall in the latter category to some extent.

    I myself became a fan upon buying their début album; 2008's The Way Of The Fist; it was as I expected, a very simple, no thrills collection of fast paced, shout along ditties; and it was good fun if not spectacular. The following years' War Is The Answer was much the same. It had stronger song writing, increased (marginally) maturity, much more memorable songs, and best of all a ballad that wasn't completely cringe-worthy (unlike TWOTF's 'The Bleeding'),  but was still not an amazing, awe inspiring record, merely a quick blast for amusement. Third album American Capitalist however is not fun, whatsoever.

    Five Finger Death Punch have not changed their formula whatsoever. Another personnel change with Matt Snell leaving his formidable bass position and replaced with Chris Kael has not affected the direction of the band musically whatsoever so there are no surprises here. What is quite shocking is how unmemorable and in most cases how plain boring the album actually is. Choosing any highlights from this album is quite a futile task as virtually none of the songs seem to stand out (other than 'The Pride' but purely for the wrong reasons). Musically the band is very talented, on previous albums we have seen how strong guitarists Zoltan Bathory and Jason Hook have been at writing catchy hooks and riffs, on American Capitalist however they sound like off cuts from the previous two albums, and not one solo grabs you like 'Hard To See' did on WITA. First single 'Over And Under It' should be making you want to get up and smash everything in sight, not feel just a bit 'meh'. The only worthwhile song for me is 'Generation Dead' with its low bass growling intro and nu-metal era verses.


    The biggest problem by far on the album however is vocalist Ivan Moody. I am quite a big fan of Ivan's vocals on the previous two albums. At times he has a ferocious growl and his clean vocals are particularly strong for this form of metal and that is once again the case here; but his talents here are vastly overshadowed by the terrible and at times embarrassing lyrics. Now these have never been the strongest part of FFDP's arsenal, not by a long shot, but here they reach all new lows. The opening lines to album opener and the title track made me feel ashamed as to what I was listening to: "I'm a red blooded, red-neck son of a bitch."; well bully for you. These kind of lines are simply un-relate able for much of their intended audiences, and they only manage to get worse. 'The Pride' see's Ivan apparently quick firing any words that spring to mind in an attempt to sound aggressive and menacing: "Disneyland, White House, JFK and Mickey Mouse. John Wayne, Springsteen, Eastwood, James Dean...." These lines could have been written by a child on a Cola high. At least Fred Durst we know not to take seriously.

    Admittedly I wasn't expecting a classic album from Five Finger Death Punch but another good fun album wouldn't have gone amiss. Instead they appear to have forgotten to put any memorable music in and couple these pedestrian songs with some of the worst lyrics I have ever heard. This is a poor showing, and next to some of the major quality albums we have seen this year, absolutely appalling.


[4/10]


Recommended:  Generation Dead...that's it.

Worship Joey

    It cannot be ignored that the coming to life of Worship Music has been dogged with several issues and problems which have brought into question whether the album would ever see the light of day at all. It has taken 8 years since 2003's release of We've Come For You All for Anthrax to release another studio album, in which time the band has had enough vocalist issues to make Velvet Revolver envious. New permanent vocalist Dan Nelson was initially brought in and was revealed on the festival tour circuit a couple of years ago, only for him to depart, then replaced on tour with John Bush only for him to leave quicker than you can say "Who goes there?". He was replaced with original vocalist Joey Belladonna (a somewhat less popular choice than John Bush).

With the vocalist issue, plus the length of time it had taken for the album to see release, there was genuine concern that the album in the end would not live up to expectations and be overshadowed by these problems (Chinese Democracy anyone?). Fortunately by the time you have listened to the opening trio (excluding the intro) of 'Earth On Hell', 'The Devil You Know' and teaser track 'Fight 'Em 'Til You Can't' there is no doubt that Anthrax are back and mean business.

Sonically this is undeniably an Anthrax style thrash album; old- school, pure and simple. There are precious few surprises here other than the slight Faith No More like tinge on 'Crawl' there is nothing unfamiliar, and to be honest that's what is preferable in this case. Lyrically Worship Music sits in the 'call to arms' variety rather than the quirkier, light hearted affairs of the earlier Belladonna albums, which suggests that these were made with Bush rather than Belladonna in mind, and many people will comment on whether Bush would have been more suitable, but Belladonna is not to be underestimated, as he does an admiral job, and his vocals and range are stronger than ever before, especially on the likes of 'Fight...'.

That's no to say the rest of the band should be ignored as the entire band is in full force here. Charlie Benante and Frank Bello are an ever formidable rhythm section, whilst Messrs Ian and Caggiano are writing some of the best and memorable riffs of their careers, such as the mighty 'In The End'.

There are precious few complaints here, but alas there are a couple. Firstly the interludes 'Hymn 1' and 'Hymn 2' seem rather pointless and add nothing to the album other than to break the flow of the album and so could have easily been done without. The other (albeit minor) complaint is that much of the album sounds very similar, with very little to differentiate with one another other, but when the songs on display are of such a high quality this is not a serious problem whatsoever.

This had a lot of weight upon its shoulders, but Worship Music is the finest Anthrax album in a long time and is pretty much essential listening. Hopefully this will see some more stability in the Anthrax camp and will see the band truly living up to its reputation as one of the most important bands in the Thrash genre.

[8/10]

Recommended: The Devil You Know, Fight 'Em 'Til You Can't, In The End

Shock Rock Meets Kermit The Frog

If you even claim to have a fleeting interest in metal or hard rock music, hell, even wider than that, you have to give a huge amount of respect to Alice Cooper. Without a shadow of a doubt this guy is one of the most influential musicians in recent history. With an excellent back catalogue bursting to the seems with classic albums and massive hits he is simply one of metal's greatest and beloved characters, and his infamous stage theatrics have been an influence to artists as wide as the likes of Twisted Sister, Rob Zombie, Slipknot, to even the likes of Lady Gaga. Frankly if you enjoy any musician who has a penchant for massive, eye catching stage craft, you owe old Vincent big time.

Alice Cooper himself is enjoying quite a ride at the moment with popularity seemingly at a greater high than it has been in years. Festival appearances as of late at Sonisphere and Download, hugely successful tours, even Johnny Depp getting up on stage and playing guitar with him, things are looking rosy in the Alice Cooper camp, and with a new album out, things are looking pretty perfect for him. It is such a shame that this highly anticipated album is a major disappointment.

Reverting back to his classic Welcome To My Nightmare solo début; name and cover wise, this was hailed by many as potentially his best album in years, especially with famed producer Bob Erzin at the helm. Welcome 2 My Nightmare however has not lived up to this hype whatsoever and for me is one of his least worthwhile works to date.

The biggest problem here is the personality of the album. Previous albums by Alice Cooper have not necessarily followed a strict routine nor have they always been the most serious. Often his works have had a sinister vibe as his character is that of a villain, but you have works such as The Last Temptation which dabbles in morality, even albums such as Hey Stoopid while by no means a stern faced example was at least believable. Welcome 2 My Nightmare is far too much like a cartoon for much of it and unconvincing at that. Obviously influenced by new best mate Rob Zombie and his more OTT, animated style to shock rock, W2MN sounds as if Alice Cooper has spent far too much time with The Muppets.

This isn't to say that W2MN is completely flawed, there are some real good moments here. W2MN is classic sounding Alice Cooper mostly but with some changes of pace and style which at times works a treat. Lead single 'I'll Bite Your Face Off' is the perfect Alice Cooper song; sharp and dirty and infectious as hell, it is a brilliant song and perfect for Cooper fans everywhere, 'Caffiene' similarly is very catchy. Rob Zombie pulls a decent cameo appearance in the eerie 'Congregation' which also sounds military and Marilyn Mansonesque.

However for me the flaws outweigh the positives. 'Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever' sounds like he has lost ideas and quickly becomes irritating as hell and is one of the examples of the album being too much like a cartoon ('Ghouls Gone Wild' has a similar effect but at least is a half decent song), whilst ballad 'Something To Remember Me By' and semi- ballad 'I Am Made For You' are simply dull with unconvincing attempts at emotion. There was a lot of hype surrounding this album and I for one was genuinely excited for it; it is such a shame that at much of the album, it sounds like Alice Cooper is making a parody of himself. There is no denying his influence or his legacy or ability, but Welcome 2 My Nightmare is a serious lull in his legendary back catalogue.

[4/10]

Recommended: Caffeine, The Congregation, I'll Bite Your Face Off

They Grow Up Too Fast

                                                     

Do you remember a band a few years ago by the name of Black Tide? Released a decent enough album back in 2007, did a lot of touring then seemed to fall off the radar completely? Well ladies and gentlemen, they are back! Sort of.

2007 saw the release of Black Tide's début album, Light From Above, which was far from flawless it has to be said, but was a very enjoyable effort and showed the band (who were merely in the teens upon its release, vocalist and guitarist Gabriel the youngest member at around 16 years of age) to have a lot of potential. It had moments of fantastic guitar work and some really catchy songs, which often came across sounding like Ratt being covered by Megadeth. So whilst not the finished article, it did guarantee that Black Tide would be on the right path towards bigger things, including places on the likes of The Warped Tour and support slots with Avenged Sevenfold and Bullet For My Valentine, to name a few. But then they seemingly disappeared until finally, 2011 saw the release of the follow up. Unfortunately it isn't as interesting as the début.

The swagger that the band showed on their first album has mostly diminished for a more generic sound. Now Black Tide have pushed into more commercial territory dominated by previous tour mates BFMV and A7X. Not that their début was not completely suited for radio play, but its obvious they have pushed into that direction considerably. In doing so there is nothing new or hugely interesting here.

That's not to say it is terrible though as it is enjoyable enough, and in some cases the band has improved. Gabe for example, was an incredibly shy front man live and his vocals maybe weren't the strongest, but on Post Mortem he has shown vast improvement and even widened his arsenal with the scattered use of harsh vocals.  They also show some greater maturity by some experimentation (Post Mortem includes a ballad, which I shall come on to again later). However it is obvious that they (at their or their record label's will) tried to push into more mainstream territory with some mixed results.

At times the album seems to have several personalities coming through. Opening track 'Ashes' is definite BFMV styled (and that's not just  because of the Matt Tuck cameo), then following track 'Bury Me' is more A7X sounding, and it doesn't just end here. 'Honest Eyes' initially sounds like it could have been taken from Trivium's Ascendency album, then 'Fight 'Til The Bitter End' tones down on the guitar work and has a Nu- Metal feel to it. That all being said all those mentioned songs are very enjoyable and should work wonders in rock and metal clubs. Curiously previously released songs 'That Fire' and 'Walking Dead Man' are some of the weakest songs on here.

Unexpected highlight is the stripped down ballad 'Into The Sky', partly in that it comes out of the blue against the fast pace of the rest of the album (although quite clichéd, it really works) and even has great use of an orchestra towards its end.

Post Mortem does suffer however from a lot of filler ('Take It Easy' and 'Alone' for example are very forgettable). Another problem is it's longevity; far too many songs over reach the four minute mark and creep to five minutes when there is simply no need to, these songs don't grab your attention for that long. Over all here, a change in musical direction, while not being catastrophic, has meant that Black Tide have become a far less interesting proposition, and Post Mortem is simply not as strong as the break taken to make it, or the change in direction has warranted. Black Tide seem to have become a metal band for people who maybe are just getting into metal, or maybe delve in every so often. This in itself is not a huge criticism as those bands are needed, but as a band that once incited a hell of a lot of interest, their second move is a big disappointment. 

[6/10]

Recommended: Ashes, Fight 'Til The Bitter End, Into The Sky