Clarksdale

Would you pardon the Cricket for shamelessly plugging his friends’ band in this Chirp? You wouldn’t, would you? Clarksdale is the new blues rock sensation in Beat City The Hague, Holland. Guitarist Sander Kaatee formed Clarksdale late last year with drummer Rob Kramer after they both split from a previous formation. Sander has been playing guitar since he was eleven and from the age of seventeen has been performing with various bands, including Breathtaking Angels. Rob has been marching to the beat of his own drum for over thirty years, playing in various jazz formations and accompanying almost every Dutch artist on record or on stage for television or radio broadcasts. Sander invited Hans Kühbauch to take up bass duty in Clarksdale. Hans was already making waves with his bass at an early age, enjoying local success with The Davies and The Groovy’s in the 70s and 80s. Singer/songwriter Kevin Burns was soon added to Clarksdale, and he brought along his blues harps, and acoustic/electric guitars. As Sander is playing in Boris van der Lek’s Breathtaking Angels, it seemed only natural that Boris would return the favor and join Sander’s band. Boris is a renowned tenor saxophonist in his own right, who was played with greats such as Herman Brood & His Wild Romance, Golden Earring, Hans Dulfer, Frits Kaatee (Sander’s father), and Laura Fygi, and has made sixteen appearances at North Sea Jazz festival.

Currently, Clarksdale are working hard rehearsing for their first performances, with a try-out show this Saturday. In line with the city that inspired their name – Clarksdale, Mississippi, home of the blues – they are influenced by blues legends such as Robert Johnson, Blind Willie McTell, Elmore James and Muddy Waters. They add a deep appreciation for the Allman Brothers, the Rolling Stones, Taj Mahal, the J. Geils Band, the Black Crowes, Lester Butler, Tom Waits and Willy DeVille. Songs on their setlist presently include “Cross Road Blues,” “Got My Mojo Working,” “Not Fade Away,” “Statesboro Blues” and “Cruisin’ for Love.” The other day I was witness to a magical moment when Kevin started playing one of his own three-chord compositions. It sounded like a cross between acoustic country and psychedelic pop. Tentatively the other guys joined in and soon we were on J.J. Cale’s veranda watching the sun go down. Then unexpectedly, miraculously the whole thing turned into a free jazz rocker fusing Coltrane, McLaughlin and – one of Sander’s greatest influences – Derek Trucks. And bear in mind that no one in the band had ever heard Kevin’s song before! That’s the kind of exciting music you may expect from Clarksdale – blues as blues can get, but with a beautiful twist. Check them out, friend-request them on Facebook, visit their website, and come taste the band when they stop by your neck of the woods!

Robert Plant – Band of Joy

Robert Plant’s latest album Band of Joy (2010) won’t grab you with hard-rocking riffs, won’t blow you away with heavy blues stomps, won’t wow you with pyrotechnic guitar solos. The music on this album is more subtle than that. Plant has had quite the successful solo career since Led Zeppelin, moving from hard rock via new-wave AOR to folk rock at the turn of the millennium. Last year his bluegrass collaboration with Alison Krauss even won him a Grammy for Album of the Year. Here we get an album filled with mandolin and banjo, wistful harmonies, and delectable percussion, where English folk and country & western meet, where rock and roll rubs shoulders with rhythm and blues, where spiritual and secular, where the sacred and the profane come together musing on love and life and the hereafter.

The album’s opening track is the swinging “Angel Dance,” originally by Los Lobos, which they give an electric bluegrass rocking treatment. The song encourages us to ease our worries, let the children dance, and after a good night sleep all will be better tomorrow. But Plant’s delivery hints at a more celestial, more angelic better day. His refelctions on the End of Time continue when we dive straight into “House of Cards,” by Richard Thompson (Fairport Convention), where they shake things up in a loose folk rocker that could just as well be Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, with some Jackson Brown and CSNY thrown in for good measure. Plant’s sole original composition, “Central Two-O-Nine,” is reminiscent of the country blues of Lightnin’ Hopkins and Leadbelly.

On “You Can’t Buy Me Love,” originally by R&B singer Barbara Lynn (1965), Band of Joy sounds like The Beatles with a little gumption from The Kinks. (Don’t let the rockin’ ‘n’ reeling trick you, this is no ode to love.) They turn Jimmie Rodger’s country & western tune, “I’m Falling in Love Again” into 1950s country soul, with a Sam Cooke feel and Nashville slides. Milton Mapes’ “The Only Sound That Matters” becomes a forgotten Rolling Stones out-take from the late 70s. I’m not particularly partial to the Appalachian traditional that goes by various names, “Get Along Home, Cindy,” “Cindy, I’ll Marry You Some Day.”

For this Cricket the real high points come with the distorted feedback of Low’s “Silver Rider” (already nominated for a Grammy) and “Monkey,” which Band of Joy perform like dirges with Plant well-nigh whispering and Patti Griffin sighing in mourning. Another beautiful meditation on mortality comes with the cover of Townes Van Zandt’s last song “Harm’s Swift Way.” The album ends with two more contemplations on the passing of time. First, the arrangement by Plant and co-producer Buddy Miller of the traditional spiritual “Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down” is as gloomy and ghostly as it is menacing, with a subtle interplay between banjo and electric guitar. Lastly, Band of Joy remake 19th-century abolitionist Theodore Tilton’s “Even This Shall Pass Away” into a rollicking stomper with a grinding, buzzing bass, and screeching guitars from the Book of Fripp and Eno.

Fans of Led Zeppelin may look for clues all they want as to what a Led Zep come back may sound like. They won’t find it here. And may I remind them of Walking to Clarksdale? Case in point. It speaks volumes for Plant that he resists hopping on the reunion bandwagon to milk that cow for what it’s worth and bring home the fat bacon (to mix a few rustic metaphors). Plant’s voice is obviously unmistakable, but don’t be fooled by reviews talking about “misty mountains” and “battles of evermore” and “houses of the holy.” Referencing over a century of musical history, Band of Joy is as timeless as it is fresh. With Pro Tools easily setting sessions in Abbey Road, Carnegie Hall, the Athenian Acropolis, or a Tennessee barn, Miller decidedly evades an overtly slick production in favor of a crisp and clear sound that’s loose and intimate, and entirely in the here-and-now. Let’s be grateful Plant continues refusing to wallow in the nostalgia of his gloriously excessive yesteryears! Get the album now! (It’s downloadable for only $1.99)

Atheist

Your Music Cricket has tossed around the name Atheist a few times before. With their first new album out in seventeen years, this is a great opportunity to praise one of the most influential and interesting bands in progressive death metal. For fans of the genre Atheist needs no introduction, but for the rest of you, let’s dig in some history. Atheist belongs to the Florida scene, including Death and Cynic, that took cues from San Francisco Bay Area Thrashers Slayer, and combined it with the dexterous velocity of Tampa Bay bands like Morbid Angel and Deicide. Atheist further incorporated jazz and progressive elements to create a unique blend of aggressive riffs, syncopated time signature shifts, and incredibly inventive leads. Those leads and solos were courtesy of guitarist Rand Burkey, while the main riffs tended to come from Kelly Shaefer, who also offered hoarse shrieks – rather than the usual death grunts and growls. However, credit is also due to bassist Roger Patterson not only for his impressively complex rhythmic patterns, but also for inspiring many of the songs’ riffs. Among the founding members, in addition to Shaefer and Patterson, there’s drummer Steve Flynn to round up the swinging rhythm sections with more technical talent.

After several demos in the later ’80s, Atheist’s debut album, Piece of Time, was first released in Europe in 1989, and only half a year later in the U.S. With songs between no more than two-and-a-half to four-and-a-half minutes, Atheist here crams in a remarkable mass of shifts and turns, whirlwind riffs, and blistering solos. Lyrically there is more than just the standard metal fare of doom, death, destruction and damnation. Songs deal with the meaning of life and death, the transmigration of the soul, evangelist propaganda, political hypocrisy, and social commentary. Atheist took technical proficiency to an even higher level on their sophomore output, Unquestionable Presence (1991). Although the songs are on average barely half a minute longer, they were somehow able to include even more progressive, jazzy, and latin elements, more baffling riffs, more tempo changes and more time signatures. Unquestionably a classic presence in the progressive/technical death metal genre. Sadly, by the time of its release Roger Patterson had died in a touring bus accident eerily similar to the death of Metallica’s Cliff Burton.

The band returned with their most variegated album Elements (1993), with Tony Choy now performing bass guitar duties. A third guitarist, Frank Emmi, was brought in to share lead responsibilities with Burkey, while Flynn was replaced by Josh Greenbaum. The complex progressive, jazzy, and latin elements take yet greater pride of place on this effort, without losing too much in brutal aggression. Perhaps less intriguing or fitting are a few shorter, atmospheric interludes, and even a samba piece. To these ears the album would have done better without them. The mains tracks, about half a minute longer again than on the previous outing, though, remain personal favorites. Elements was written and recorded in just forty days to fulfill contractual obligations, after which Atheist disbanded. Tony Choy, meanwhile, performed with death metal acts Cynic and Pestilence, while Kelly Shaefer went on to form the more rock-oriented Neurotica. And that, fans had to accept, was it for Atheist.

Rumors of reunions started floating in the new millennium, getting more serious by 2005/6. Fans met the news no doubt with equal anticipation as trepidation – for the chance of disappointment was great. Shaefer, Burkey, Choy and Flynn did regroup for live performances, and after a few more years and some line-up changes later, Atheist released their first new album since 1993 earlier this month, entitled Jupiter. At the opening riff, the first things that comes to mind is tech-death/math-core acts like Ion Dissonance, or, dare I mention the name? The Dillinger Escape Plan. In hardly over half an hour, Jupiter nonetheless packs a terrific punch of ravaging riffs, swirling leads, and rhythmic madness that spells Atheist for the new millennium! By the second track you’ve already forgotten that this is a come-back album. The production is crisp and clean, and allows each instrument to breathe its asphyxiating last breath throughout. The lead parts, now courtesy of Chris Baker and Jonathan Thompson, remain as impressively progressive as before. Choy, alas, chose to give priority to his successful venture into latin pop, while Burkey was prevented from participating due to legal issues. At any rate, this Cricket is mighty pleased that Atheist is back in business!

Tinariwen: Imidiwan

It has been a long while since the Cricket chirped musically, so it is high time to do something about it! Let me thus introduce to you the Tuareg seven-piece musical collective known as Tinariwen from Mali. Their style has been described as Desert Guitar Blues. The irony is, perhaps, that Tinariwen is rooted in traditional West African music that itself is the ancestor of the American Blues. Add Malian influence (think Salif Keïta and Ali Farka Touré), plus Tuareg and Berber, mix in a few sprinkles of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Santana and Dire Straits, and you’ll get a unique blend that sounds simultaneously modern and as old as the world, both pleasantly familiar and surprisingly otherworldly. Other reviewers use words as “hypnotic” and “mesmerizing” to describe Imidiwan (“Companions”; 2009), they refer to the scorching Saharan sun and the dusty desert winds, they allude to their rebel past and their persistence not to cater to Western commercial pop rock expectations. All of this is good and true. Yet it hardly comes close to prepare the listener for the beautiful music of this album. The Cricket hears layers of ragged (mostly electric) rhythm guitars over a dragging bass, droning percussion, hand claps and finger snaps. Above the rhythm section soar sinewy melodic leads that remind these ears of John Lee Hooker and J.J. Cale. Then there are the achingly wistful vocals full of deeply personal emotions that resonate across the globe – even if we cannot comprehend the lyrics (translations are included in the booklet). Celebratory choruses offer occasional reprieve, especially on the upbeat “Lulla.” It’s only the bonus track “Desert Wind” that sounds out of place – as it moves gratuitously into Brian Eno territory. Still, those last few minutes should not detract anything but the warmest recommendations. Have a listen yourself. Tinariwen will soothe your soul.

Arsis (reappraisal)

It’s high time for a reappraisal of Arsis’ last few albums. Upon first hearing Starve for the Devil earlier this year I was rather harshly critical. After repeat listening, though, I have to admit that several of the tracks have started to grow on me. To be true, Arsis set the bar extremely high with their debut full-length A Celebration of Guilt (2004). The album’s opening track, “The Face of My Innocence,” grabs you with the most malicious riff, a celebration of the guilty pleasures of the flesh. Other favorites include “Maddening Disdain” and “The Sadistic Motives behind Bereavement Letters.” This is a technical/melodic death metal feast of triumphantly blazing shredding, melodically scorching leads and remorselessly hammering drums. And take into account that at this point the band was merely a duo consisting of multi-instrumentalist Jim Malone and drummer Mike van Dyne. The band immediately gave the Scandinavian melodic metal scene a run for its money. Of note, too, is that the lyrics deal with scorn and deceit, hurt and hatred, and death wishes that come with broken relations – that is to say, not the usual death metal fare. The album closes on another high note, the head banging “Wholly Night.”

Despite this enthusiastic praise, it’s the title track of their subsequent EP (2005), “A Diamond for Disease,” that remains Arsis’ magnum opus. That song (written as a score for NYC’s Ballet Deviare – no joke) is a flawless fusion of progressive composition, thrashing riffs, technical shredding, melodic leads, interlocking harmonies, intricate tempo shifts, propulsive percussion and pummeling drums, and clocks in at just under thirteen minutes. Think of Iron Maiden, Metallica, Megadeth, Death (ca. Symbolic), Carcass (ca. Heartwork), At the Gates and Arch Enemy blended effortlessly together. To complete the EP, we also get a thrashing rendition of Alice Cooper’s “Roses on White Lace,” as well as “The Promise of Never,” something of a companion piece, not only to the other two songs, but also to the previous album, although it’s actually a remake of an earlier demo track.

Not to be outdone by its predecessor, United in Regret (2006) dives headlong into a breakneck riff. The title track offers savagely punishing riffs and a blistering solo. “Lust Before the Maggot’s Conquest” has everything in speed, complexity and dissonance that I want of Arsis. But the most outstanding song for me is “The Things You Said,” one of Arsis best, with its hurt vocals and its long, searing lines soaring high above the percussive eruptions of volcanic drums. The regret and loss, deceit and pain, hate and vengeance of a broken relationship are the subjects on this album. Their next effort, We Are the Nightmare (2008), opens with a deceptively quiet passage, before busting out in full fury of the whirling title track. The album boasts the usual highly technical lead flurries and rolling drum blasts, fist-pounding brutality, and Gothenburg melodies. All these elements, to me, come together best midway in “Overthrown,” while “Servants of the Night” is a great, kicking and screaming mosher. Lyrical themes on this outing include the frustrations of disenchantment, deception, greed and madness. The last track, “Failure’s Conquest,” features the most progressive composition of the album, gradually increasing the intensity to a fever pitch and then reversing to a quiet ending.

True, I find the opening of Starve for the Devil (2010), “We Are Forced to Rock,” one of Arsis’ weaker moments. But, to be fair, that doesn’t mean it’s terrible. Moreover, the second track, “A March for the Sick,” immediately makes up for it. Here are the lightning-fast shredding and unrelenting drum blasts fans have come to expect. We get some galloping Viking metal on “The Ten of Swords,” which also offers a marvelous solo. The album does contain more than just a few melodic moments, with intricate licks and seething leads (recalling the best of At the Gates and Arch Enemy). Plus, a track such as “Beyond Forlorn” provides occasional respite. There are even some glimpses of Rush and Dio. Although the vocals are buried under the guitar noise, lyrics actually deal with emotional loss, emptiness, anorexia, death and dying – witness the album title or the track “From Soulless to Shattered” (translate: “from heartless to heartbroken”), subtitled “Art in Dying.” For me the highpoint comes midway with the interlocking riffs and soaring melodies of “Closer to Cold.” Nor does the album go out on a whimper, as “Sable Rising” kills with power (die, die)! It will sure bang some heads in the moshpit.

In all, Arsis offer their own unique brand of technical/melodic death metal, combining elements of British heavy metal (Iron Maiden, Judas Priest), Bay Area thrash metal (Metallica, Megadeth), Florida death metal (Death, Morbid Angel), Scandinavian melodic metal (At the Gates, Arch Enemy), Nordic black metal (Emperor, Dimmu Borgir), and Viking power metal (Ammon Amarth). At first their music may be overwhelming – or even boring – what with the unrelenting guitar riffs and drum blasts. (Readers may notice an absence of references to the bass playing, which is due to the fact that on most albums, it’s practically inaudible.) Some listeners may also object to Malone’s vocal delivery, which shifts between the hoarse shouts of hardcore, the shrill shrieks of black metal, and the growling grunts of death metal. But closer listening reveals intricate compositions, and, of course, Malone’s virtuoso playing reminiscent of Steve Vai, Ygnwie Malmsteen and Andy La Roque. In short, Arsis is by no means for your average Joe or Jane, but if you enjoy your metal extreme and complex, by now you should know this band is for you.

What Katie Did

“Here, listen to this,” she said. We had finally sat down on a little bench with a cup of coffee and a ciggie, after looking for half an hour for this cute little coffee shop off Greenwich Street just south of the Meatpacking District. “What Katie Did,” by the Libertines – not my usual cup o’ tea, and she knew that better than anyone. It was one of the great passions we shared, music. We had broken up half a year ago, but she had agreed to meet up again from time to time. I still loved her. It made me feel connected that she wanted to share this new song she found (well, it was new for us). No matter what the lyrics are really about, I couldn’t help but feel that the song was about us – a guy whose life is falling apart and wondering what his girl will do. “You’re a sweet, sweet girl, but it’s a cruel, cruel world.” A simple yet effective arrangement, fuzzy electric guitar, walking bass, a one-two soft punk beat with a jazz feel. “Shoop-shoop, shoop de-lang a-lang.” It’s a cheerful tune that you’ll whistle along to for weeks – once it’s stuck, you won’t get it out of your head. I told her I would get the album, but she said not to worry, because the rest sounded like a bunch of drunks stumbling in a bar fight.

Being who I am (an avid collector of music) I did get the Libertines’ two albums, as well as the Babyshambles and the Dirty Pretty Things. She was right, though, my ex-girlfriend – she always was – most of their music sounds like a bunch of drunken brawls. Despite the steady teaching job, I felt like a drunk fuckup myself, at the time, and I thought this was the perfect music for hanging out in Williamsburg or Bushwick late at night. She’d complained about the hipsters on Bedford. I’d seen them, too, with their ironic inauthenticity, their beards and lumber shirts. I just didn’t care – at least, I didn’t resent them as much as she did. I had come to enjoy hanging out with her sister or other friends in Williamsburg, drinking Stella and Jack until I puked my guts out. Maybe I wasn’t snorting cocaine or shooting heroin, but it seemed fitting. “Vertigo,” “Up the Bracket,” “Road to Ruin,” “The Likely Lads.” Stumbling along Bedford, Union or Metropolitan, Pete Doherty and friends seemed like the right kind of accompaniment for my state of mind. Some two years later – and worlds away from there – that also explains perhaps why it’s rather painful for me now to hear this alcoholic melancholy music.

In addition to “What Katie Did,” my favorites actually tend to be the more quietly wistful, often acoustic songs, like “Radio America” (Up the Bracket, 2002), “Music When the Lights Go Out” and “France” (The Libertines, 2004), “Albion” and “Merry Go Round” (Down in Albion, 2005), “UnBiloTitled,” “There She Goes” and the beautiful “Lost Art of Murder” (Shotter’s Nation, 2007). As their singles, such as “Time for Heroes” and “Can’t Stand Me Now,” illustrate best, The Libertines and their off-shoots were part of the post-punk/garage rock revival of the 2000s – which also include other “The” bands like The Hives, The Vines, The Stokes, The White Stripes, The Von Buddies and The Killers. Not surprising, since Mick Jones of The Clash produced most of their music, a few songs also grab you with a real punk-drunk energy, like “Horrorshow,” “I Get Along,” “Arbeit Macht Frei,” “The Saga,” “Deadwood” and “You Fucking Love It” – Down in Albion often sounds like The Clash.

Some songs sound like garage-rock throw-backs to The Beatles and The Kinks, like “Boys in the Band,” “Last Post on the Bugle,” “The 32nd of December,” “Delivery” (which essentially lifts the riff from “You Really Got Me”) and most of Carl Barât’s Dirty Pretty Things (what with a title like Waterloo to Anywhere, 2006). “The Boy Looked at Johnny,” “8 Dead Boys” and “Gin & Milk,” are other good examples of those alcohol-infused brawls. I’d also wish to mention the opening song on Down in Albion, “La Belle et la Bête,” with its walking bass and rolling drums, shared vocals with Kate Moss and catchy melody. The song indicates a deliberate attempt to shift away from The Libertines, while remaining recognizably Doherty. More so than the Dirty Pretty Things, I am actually quite partial generally to the Babyshambles. Doherty not only has a way with words lyrically, he also has a knack for melody which can be simultaneously cheerful and filled with regret. If you’re not already familiar with their music, and you enjoy some of the other revivalist “The” bands, I’d say give Babyshambles’ Shotter’s Nation a spin.

Progessive Metal

Last week progressive rock, this time progressive metal! Recently your Music Cricket made a new discovery: the early-nineties progressive death metal band Nocturnus. If, like me, you enjoy your Atheist, Cynic, mid-career Death and mid-career Carcass, you will certainly appreciate Nocturnus, too. I can’t believe no one ever mentioned them before. They hail from the same Florida scene as Atheist, Cynic and Death, as well as Deicide, Morbid Angel, Obituary, and countless others. With their raging whirlwinds of blistering guitar riffs, lightening fast thunderous blasts of drum beats, virtuoso solos, odd time signatures, and complex song structures, Nocturnus have also been instrumental in the development of technical and progressive metal. What’s more, they had a keyboard player who added spacey atmospheres, and their lyrics uncharacteristically do not deal with the ghoulish and macabre, screaming bloody gore, death-dealing Armageddon, or hell-raising Satanism, but rather with occult science fiction themes, reminiscent of H. P. Lovecraft. What an amazing find! Please get yourself a copy of The Key!

A friend of mine first mentioned Opeth to me already five years ago now, knowing better than I did then how much I would appreciate their music. Opeth’s sound is a unique blend of progressive rock and (melodic) death metal with hints of gothic rock, folk, classical, jazz and some blues, taking cues from Yes, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Celtic Frost, Mercyful Faith/King Diamond, Slayer, Death and Morbid Angel, as well as fellow Scandinavians Arch Enemy, In Flames, and At the Gates. I guess it’s hard to top their classic masterpiece Blackwater Park (2001), even if Ghost Reveries (2005) comes close. Lately, I have been listening to their most recent album Watershed (2008). On this outing, Opeth treats us on songs averaging seven-and-a-half minutes, meandering compositions, shifting time signatures, beautiful melodic acoustic passages alternating with heavy riffing, thumping bass lines, thunderous drum blasts, mysterious keyboard swaths, and deft guitar solos. I’m particularly fond of “Heir Apparent,” but can recommend the album to any fan of heavy metal.

I’m not sure why I never picked up a CD of Liquid Tension Experiment. It’s not like I never once had one in my hands. Three-fourth of the project consists of (current) members of Dream Theater, Mike Portnoy, John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess, plus longtime King Crimson bass player Tony Levin (who’s also Peter Gabriel’s favorite bassist). How can you go wrong? How about never? At least, not in my book. Well, some tunes are a little tacky, like “State of Grace” and “Hoursglass.” But mostly, we’re talking about hard hitting instrumental rock, mixed with a dose of heavy metal and hints of jazz fusion. All musicians involved are incredibly proficient – not only in the vein of the virtuoso metal of Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, but also like jazz fusion masters John McLaughlin and Al di Meola. The guys feast us on dramatic mood shifts and dynamic tempo changes. We get the overly self-indulgent noodling, otherwise known as musical improvisation, or extemporized group jams – a prime example of which is the near-half hour of “Three Minute Warning” in five parts! Favorites are “Paradigm Shift” and “Universal Mind” from the first album, and “Acid Rain” and “Chewbacca” from the second. I don’t think I need to say more, you already know whether you’re going to like the LTE. So, go ahead, and find ‘em!

Progressive Rock

BBC 4 recently ran a program, Prog Rock Britannia: An Observation in Three Movements. I’ve been a sincerely devoted fan, I mean an avid collector, of progressive rock since the late eighties. In that respect I may have been born in the wrong era, but I was sure raised with this genuinely weird music: King Crimson, Yes, E.L.P. (Emerson, Lake & Palmer), Genesis, Jethro Tull, Soft Machine, Egg, you name it! We skip the light fandango of Procul Harum, gather our psychedelia, our Beach Boys and Bach, Beethoven and Bartok, our Beat Boom and Weed and Jazz, and the crowd called out for more. And so it was that later, two weeks later, to be precise, that the Beatles released Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967). The late sixties were the germination period of the genre, mostly influenced by psychedelic rock (Pink Floyd, the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, the Nice, Tomorrow) and Jimi Hendrix.

The early seventies were the true classical era of progressive rock, when technical virtuosity combined with classical composition, when lyrics explored grand fantasy worlds, when chords revealed unheard harmonies and instruments displayed sounds never met before, when songs extended beyond ten minutes and time signatures shifted from 5/8 and 7/8 to 21 and 25, if you could keep up! This is the period of Close to the Edge and Nursery Cryme, Brain Salad Surgery and Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, and of course the ultimate prog rock send up Thick As a Brick (all ’72-73)! I really adore this kind of music, quaint and outdated as much of it will appear to unfamiliar ears. Perhaps it’s my attention-deficit disorder, my hyperactive mind, but this music engages me intellectually – and while this music may not be gratifying emotionally, prog rock gets me involved, amazes me, impresses me, and in the process transports me to wondrous worlds.

By the mid seventies things went over the top. Yes journeyed across Topographical Oceans with Tales that spanned entire album sides, four extended tracks on a double album. Genesis went all pomp and circumstance where the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Emerson, Lake & Palmer sought fame and fortune to Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never Ends. (All 1974.) Then Queen came and brought the tune back. A Night At the Opera (1975), “Bohemian Rhapsody,” still progressive, still a lengthy three-part composition with the “opera” bit stuck in the middle, but it rocks and people all over the world can sing along with it, drunk or not. “Scaramouch, will you do the fandango?” And then Sex Pistols took a piss and brought three-minute rock back. No fills, no solos, three chords, and crap sound production. Never Mind the Bollocks (1977). “Prog” became a four letter word and it wasn’t until the mid-nineties that people here and there started whispering the term again. That’s not in the program, but it’s thanks to bands like Fates Warning, Dream Theater, Tool and Opeth that “progressive” is no longer a derogatory, dirty word. Thank heavens for small mercies!

Extreme Metal

The Music Cricket says, “Let’s go extreme!” You know you’ll love it! For all you heavy metal maniacs I have a few suggestions, in case you haven’t been keeping up. In terms of extreme, technical metal, Nile is perhaps unsurpassable. I doubt they’ll ever be able improve on their pummeling classic Annihilation of the Wicked (2005), but after the disappointing Ithyphallic (2007), their latest effort, Those Whom the Gods Detest (2009), is a welcome return to form. Much of the lyrical inspiration comes from Egyptian mythology and to a lesser extent H. P. Lovecraft. For some misguided reason they often incorporate North African and Arabic musical instruments, per chance imagining the exotic sounds should evoke Egyptian antiquity, but who am I? Nevertheless, musically I continue to be pleasantly impressed by Nile’s sheer brutal velocity which is interspersed with more atmospheric passages.

What Nile is for Egyptian-themed technical death metal, Melechesh is for Mesopotamian-themed melodic black/death metal. The two albums I am familiar with, Sphynx (2004) and Emissaries (2006), are sure worth repeated listening. Like Nile, they incorporate Middle Eastern instruments, as well as harmonic scales and rhythmic patterns. Again, historically that makes little sense (the musical and lyrical inspiration derives from entirely different geographic, cultural and chronological backgrounds) ... but it makes for an interesting musical experience. On their own MySpace page they refer to their music as “Sumerian Thrashing Black Metal” (and parenthetically mention they are presently located in The Netherlands). Apart from the exotic elements, I can recognize some Kreator in their sound, and maybe Emperor, as far as thrash and black metal influences are concerned respectively. But I also hear some melodic metal in the vein of At the Gates, and there are progressive time changes and whirlwind riffs much like Nile.

If you appreciate your aural assault like an aerial atomic attack, you’ll absolutely adore Anaal Nathrakh (Old Irish: a'na:l naθ'raχ, “Serpent’s Breath” ... at least that’s what they say...), an industrial cyber-grindcore black metal band, replete with violent misanthropic nihilist eschatological doomsday prophecies, delivered in harsh shouts, screams, growls and grunts mixed with victorious clean singing. This is some of the best and most ominously aggressive noise I’ve ever heard! I’ve all their albums and find it difficult to pick a favorite, although Eschaton (2006) comes to mind, but their most recent In the Constellation of the Black Widow (2009) is amazing, too. Their songs have titles like “Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen (The Rage of Hell Boils in My Heart),” “Blood Eagles Carved on the Backs of Innocents,” and “I Am the Wrath of Gods and the Desolation of the Earth”. Perfect music, too, for a one-night stand!

I’ve been a fan of Arsis since I first heard their earliest work. Now they’ve released their fourth full-length album, and I’m unsure what to make of it. Apart from the band’s name (it refers to the stressed syllable in poetic meter, but obviously sounds like something else), I find it difficult to take it seriously when the album is called Starve for the Devil (2010), and has song titles such as “Forced to Rock” and “Half Past Corpse O’ Clock”... C’mon, dude, you’re not Mötley Crüe! Their lyrics used to deal with loss, guilt, regret, resentment, and broken relations. Now this? I also miss the technically complex compositions. This new album is mostly lightning-fast shredding over unrelenting drum blasts, with a few melodic moments that are reminiscent of At the Gates or Arch Enemy... I’ll just go back to A Diamond for Disease (2005)...

A true favorite band of mine is called Nachtmystium (please pardon the barbaric neologism). Their latest effort, Assassins (2008), is what it would sound like if Pink Floyd went black metal. (I remember Glenn got a good laugh when I mentioned I was going to see Arsis at B.B. King’s. To which I replied that “Assassin” was a favorite word of mine.) Assassins runs the gamut from ambient to black metal, with psychedelic rock and progressive metal in between. It’s what Nachtmystium calls “black meddle” (referring to the Pink Floyd album Meddle). So, they offer rasping vocals over brutal drum blasts, shredding riffs like ritualistic troll dances on Walpurgis Night, heavy mid-tempo tunes, indulgently melodic guitar solos, atmospheric passages, and a three-part closing track that’s only metal because of the distorted guitars, but is otherwise an excellent exercise of bringing together all the various aforementioned elements! Get your hands on this one, please!

Bob Seger

If you know his music at all, you probably know Bob Seger from his signature song “Old Time Rock & Roll.” Perhaps you are also familiar with mid-to-late-‘70s songs like “Betty Lou’s Getting’ Out Tonight,” “Night Moves,” “Nine Tonight,” “Turn the Page,” or his rendition of “Nutbush City Limits.” Let’s begin with the basics: Bob Seger is a hard rocking roots rocker hailing from Detroit who started his career in the Sixties. His debut album, Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man (1968), combines rock ‘n’ roll, r&b, and hard rock with hints of experimental psychedelia (witness “White Hall”). I particularly like the stomping blues rock of “Black Eyed Girl.” The album also includes one of the earliest protest songs against the Vietnam War, the marvelous “2+2=?” (released as a single in Feb. ’68). There are also some dull acoustic ballads and country rock duds that I don’t much care for, though.

Most of Seger’s earliest albums are not available on CD, apparently because he is displeased with the result. So, it’s ironic that it’s exactly those albums I prefer... His sophomore effort, Noah (1969), still reveals some remnants of psychedelia, showcases a great title track, some supercharged stomps (“Innervenus Eyes”) and blues rockers (“Lonely Man”). There are a few nice tracks on Mongrel (1970), in the vein of Credence Clearwater Revival (like “Highway Child,” “Lucifer,” and “Teachin’ Blues”). The all-acoustic Brand New Morning (1971) leaves me cold. But then we come to the excellent Smokin’ O.P.’s, an album consisting mostly of covers (hence the pun, “smoking other people’s” cigarettes/tunes). Bo Diddley, Stephen Stills, Tim Harding, Leon Russel, Chuck Berry. Everyone who likes roots rock & roll should listen to this album!

Later, starting with Back in ’72 (1973), Seger recorded with the Alabama Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Who? The all-white session musicians who’ve worked with Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge, Wilson Picket, Johnnie Taylor, the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Leon Russell, J.J. Cale, and the list goes on. J.J. Cale can also be heard on Back in ’72 (another album that has never been reissued on CD) that includes covers of “Midnight Rider” (Allman Brothers), and “I’ve been Workin’” (Van Morrison), plus the well-known originals “Rosalie” (itself covered by Thin Lizzy) and “Turn the Page.” Perhaps the most pleasant surprise in my recent acquaintance with Bob Seger’s early music was a bootleg recording I found of a radio broadcast of his live concert at Ebbet's Field in Denver, Colorado, on July 8, 1974. His next studio album, Seven (1974), still has a few good moments, but when he begins recording with the Silver Bullet Band my interest wanes. It gets too radio-friendly mainstream for me... Well, that’s what the Music Cricket thinks anyway.

ZZ Top

I know, I know, when I say “ZZ Top,” you’re thinking about dudes in matching suits and beards and sunglasses, you’re thinking about cheesy video clips with fast cars and loose women, you’re thinking “Gimme All Your Lovin’” and “Legs” and “Viva Las Vegas” and maybe “Tush”... But before the commercial success of their radio friendly hard rock, ZZ Top were accomplished Texas blues rockers, in league with fellow Southerners Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Marshal Trucker Band. If you like your blues hard with a Spanish tinge, their first three albums are sure worth your money.

I only recently became aware I’m actually quite partial to Rio Grande Mud (1972) and Tres Hombres (1973). They may not be Southern blues jammers like The Allman Brothers Band, but then who is? “Just Got Back from Baby’s” and “Backdoor Love Affair” are hard rockin’ Southern blues tunes from their First Album (1971). “Francine” could almost have been a lick by the Stones of the Mick Taylor era. In my book, “Just Got Paid” and “Waitin’ for the Bus” are the kind of rockin’ stomps that earn ZZ Top a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with great slide guitar and blues harp respectively. “Jesus Just Left Chicago” is a true tribute to the electric blues of Muddy Waters. Even by the time of Degüello (1979) they could still come up with gems like “A Fool for Your Stockings,” with its hard thumbing bass line and razor sharp licks. Let’s not forget “La Grange,” of course, the one-chord “How howhow how” blues tune ripped straight off John Lee Hooker’s “Boogie Chillen.” And then there’s the rowdy “Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers,” which Motörhead covered so well early in their career. Check ‘em out!

Protopunk

Lately I’ve been listening to some protopunk garage rock. Stuff brings back memories, man, though not of the ’70s or 80s, but rather of the girl who stole my heart. I enjoy the raw energy of this music, not to mention the usually leftist political stance, social critique, or otherwise inspired lyrics. I’m talking about going all the way back to The Velvet Underground, circa White Light/White Heat (1968), and Loaded (1970). Great, though harsh, experimental psychedelia. I’m also thinking of the debut live album by MC5 (Motor City Quintet), Kick Out the Jams (1968), “motherfucker!” Talk about raw power and energy! Then there’s Iggy Pop & The Stooges. Like garage glam punk blues with hints of free jazz. Their album Raw Power (1973) says it all! Don’t forget Alice Cooper, whose early-70s output has a great punk garage rock vibe. (All three bands, MC5, The Stooges, and Alice Cooper, not coincidentally hail from Detroit.) Of course we have the New York Dolls (true glam punks) as well as Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers (Like A Mother Fucker!), fun punk rock ‘n’ roll. And Television, with their intriguing interlocking guitars and much more technically proficient compositions.

When I was younger (“so much younger than today”), I didn’t care much about punk rock, not because I disliked it, but because I was listening to progressively more and more complicated and weird music. It was only a few years ago that I started listening to punk because the love of my life spoke about it. That’s when I picked up albums by The Clash, The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, and so on. I remember we listened to Blondie together when we were in Hawaii. (They played “The Tide Is High” everywhere we went, until we got sick of it!) She recommended The Buzzcocks to me after we broke up and I was still hoping we’d get back together. Other bands I (re-)discovered on my own, like The Runaways, The Damned, The Jam, The Stranglers, and so on. I remember taking the bus to her place one day when I had just uploaded Iggy Pop into my iPod. So, those are the recollections I get when I hear punk rock. Bittersweet as these memories are, they are some of the best and some of the worst moments of my life.

Patti Smith

Last month I was talking with people about how I believe that Patti Smith is seriously overrated. But if you want to formulate a statement, you’ll also need arguments on which to base it. To be sure, I realize that she helped female singers explore modes of expression beyond merely singing pretty love songs. In that respect, you can draw a direct line to Blondie and to Siouxsie and the Banshees. Unfortunately, that also means that she often sounds horrible, no Janis Joplin or Billie Holiday (singers who likewise can be said to have been limited in their vocal range, but still were unrivaled in their expression). The spoken word delivery of her own poetry is even more annoying (witness “Birdland,” and “Land” on Horses, “Poppies” on Radio Ethiopia, “Babelogue” on Easter, and the title-track on Wave, for instance).

Musically, her albums provide a link between the psychedelic art rock of The Velvet Underground and the American punk rock of Television, The Ramones, Blondie, and The Runaways, via some garage blues rock. If her debut errs on the artistic side, it lacks the punch on the punk side. I prefer the burst of energy on her rendition of The Who’s “My Generation.” In retrospect I find it hard to believe that critics blamed her for self-indulgence on her sophomore effort, as if Horses (1975) wasn’t overly self-indulgent. You might say she sold out, in that onwards from Radio Ethiopia (1976) her sound became more and more polished and mainstream, until Patti Smith sounds just like Stevie Nicks (not that there’s anything necessarily wrong with that, just that Stevie Nicks does that better). So, to me it seems that her overall relevance is limited to the late-70s NYC punk rock scene at Max’s Kansas City and CBGB... Admittedly, I wish I could have been there!

The members of her band in the 70s (Lenny Kaye, Richard Sohl, Ivan Kral, Jay Dee Daugherty) are no doubt talented, I’ll give her that, but much of the music remains rather uninspiring and unoriginal. Noted exceptions include “Radio Ethiopia” (ten minutes worth of distorted rock guitar noise), “Chicklets” (a nice outtake with fender rhodes), “Easter” (a religious meditation on death and resurrection), and “Dancing Barefoot” (a celebration of falling in love). Perhaps it’s unfair to dismiss her poetry without so much as a word, but I just can’t force myself to analyze her lyrics. I just think she’s trite. (“Hey Sheba, hey Salome, hey Venus eclipsin’ my way, ah! / Her vessel, every woman is a vessel, is evasive, is aquatic. / Everyone, silver ecstatic, platinum disk spinning”; or “She is recreation. / She, intoxicated by thee. / She has the slow sensation that / He is levitating with she” ... ?)

Sorry if I offend any die-hard followers, but my contention remains that Patti Smith is a clear case of being at the right place at the right time – and with the right people: photographers Robert Mapplethorpe and Lynn Goldsmith; producers John Cale, Jack Douglas, Jimmy Iovine, and Todd Rundgren; plus musicians such as Tom Verlaine (Television), Allen Lanier (Blue Öyster Cult), (her own guitarist) Lenny Kaye, and Bruce Springsteen; and the coterie of Rolling Stone writers who praised her to the stars (she was herself at one point an RS writer). That doesn’t mean I find her outright bad, I just could have lived without her music – even if I’ll keep her first four albums in my iTunes...

Heavy Metal

I’ve been listening to so much heavy metal recently, I’ll just throw the list at you (with only the barest parenthetical comments) and see what’ll stick: Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow (melodic hard rock) and Ronnie James Dio (Rainbow’s first lead singer, who went on to take over Ozzy Osbourne’s job in Black Sabbath and then formed his own heavy metal outfit Dio); Alcatrazz (mid-80s virtuoso metal with Yngwie J. Malmsteen and Steve Vai successively on guitar, and with Rainbow’s second lead-singer Graham Bonnet at the helm); Tokyo Blade (now-forgotten footnote to the 80s New Wave of British Heavy Metal); Anvil (the granddaddies of speed metal and practitioners of the “Thumb Hang!”); Queensrÿche (progressive metal, first leaning towards heavy metal like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, but more recently tending to sound like radio-friendly hard rock); Alchemist (Australian psychedelic/progressive thrash/death metal); and Carnage (Mike Amott’s grindcore band before moving on to Carcass and then Arch Enemy). All come highly recommended, but I doubt there’s a single one of you even remotely interested... Heh.

Alt Rock

At the recommendation of my dearest Luloo I’ve recently tuned into some non-heavy metal music... First off, The xx’s eponymous debut album (2009) that has apparently been received with universal critical acclaim. At first it didn’t blow my mind, but after repeat listening it grew and grew on me. Theirs is very nice, dreamy, alternative pop rock, with hints of new age electronica. Or, to state it differently, it reminds me of Radiohead, Björk, Keren Ann (especially her collaboration with Bang Gang’s Bardi Johannsson), some parts resemble The Cure (circa Seventeen Seconds), with a splash of Bat for Lashes or Feist. To these ears their song “Infinity” is a remake of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” (which you might know from David Lynch’s film Wild at Heart, or from that sexy black and white video in which Isaak is rolling on the beach with fashion top model Helena Christensen). I really had to warm up to this kind of music and, to be true, I have to be in the mood for it, which I’m not always, but it sure does pay off very well.

Next, Charlotte Gainsbourg’s collaboration with Beck, entitled IRM (MRI, of the brain scan, spelled backwards). The album similarly reminds me of Keren Ann plus a dash of The Velvet Underground with Nico, and some Portishead, maybe Radiohead, too... It’s sometimes electric, sometimes acoustic, soft, alternative pop rock. Unfortunately I can’t let go of the fact that Charlotte’s father Serge Gainsbourg is a legend in France, that she would most likely never have been able to release this album without her father’s legacy, because in all honesty, Charlotte cannot really sing ... she sighs and moans (much like her mother Jane Birkin), which is nice, too, but not extraordinarily skillful. After giving it some time to sink in, though, it sure grew on me, too. When I was moving these past few weeks, these albums became my soundtrack and gave me a sense of regained cheer and hope and optimism...

Another critics’ fave is the debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago, by Bon Iver (“bon hiver” is French for “good winter”), practically the one-man band of Justin Vernon. This kind of acoustic alternative indie folk rock is definitely not your Music Cricket’s usual cup o’ tea... Yet, I was soon captivated by the tuneful tracks, with remarkable soundscapes in the background here and a beautiful trumpet line there, carefully arranged, especially considering that it was essentially self-produced and recorded in a Wisconsin cabin. There are silent moments where you can practically hear the cracks of the woodwork. “Lump Sum” could almost have been by Radiohead. After making the concerted effort of listen to this music, I was pleasantly rewarded. After just a few days I started humming random bits of melody from “re: Stacks,” “Wolves,” “For Emma” and “Skinny Love.” I can imagine that listening to a song like “Wolves” on a good stereo (to which I don’t have access right now) would be an amazingly powerful, wistfully emotional experience. Thanks Luloo, my love!

[This is a slightly edited version of the original post; BvO - 5/26/10]

Black Metal

The genre “Black Metal” derives its name from Venom’s sophomore album (1982) and its title track. While they functioned as an inspiration in terms of imagery (leather and spikes) and lyrics (mock-Satanic themes), Venom was a New Wave of British Heavy Metal band, and never as extreme as trve kvlt black metal. Other early influences include Mercyful Fate (who added the corpse-paint make-up to the Satanic themes) and Hellhamer/Celtic Frost (who added grim atmospheric soundscapes). The extremely fast distorted riffs, blast drum beats, and shrieking vocals we now recognize as black metal began with Bathory (who also pioneered the Viking metal genre by adding another source of non-Christian/pagan inspiration). By the early 90s, trve kvlt (grïm nekrø) black metal emerged predominantly in Norway and to a lesser extent Sweden. We’re talking about bands such as Immortal, Marduk, Darkthrone, Satyricon, Emperor, Carpathian Forest, Dark Funeral, and the even more extreme bands (I’ve stayed away from) such as Mayhem, Burzum, and Gorgoroth. On the fringes we find Ammon Amarth (melodic death, Viking/power metal), Dimmu Borgir (more commercial, melodic, symphonic black metal), and Cradle of Filth (also more commercial, symphonic, gothic metal). Then there’s the American black metal scene, including acts such as Krieg, Twilight, Nachtmystium, Leviathan, Xasthur, and so on and so forth.

Unfortunately, some members of this “cult” (also referred to as the “inner circle”) take their anti-Christian misanthropy overly serious... Some are known to display slaughtered goats or crucify naked women on stage, others have committed suicide or murder, and several were involved in a series of church burnings... It’s those kinds of disturbing excesses from which I wish to distance myself. I certainly don’t subscribe to their ideology, even if I think it’s healthy to be critical of organized religion, and to promote a strong non-conformist individualism. Another regrettable aspects of this scene is that several bands or their members have outspoken homophobic and neo-nazist sentiments. Perhaps you’d argue that such anti-Christian, sexist and racist ideas are the logical outcome of heavy metal, but I’d counter that singing about death and destruction, devils and damnation, dungeons and dragons, demons and wizards, is something entirely different than actually believing in them. One is a form of entertainment, the other a symptom of insanity! No matter what, I adore the sheer aggression of black metal.

Kiss

“Kiss?” I hear you ask. Yes, Kiss: those guys in make-up, high heels, and flamboyant outfits. Last year (I think I’ve already reported) my friend Sander got me volume one of the Kissology DVD set (covering the years 1974-77). You all know songs such as “Rock and Roll All Nite (and party every day),” “I Was Made for Lovin’ You,” “Shout It Out Loud,” “God Gave Rock ‘n’ Roll to You,” and “Christine Sixteen” ... otherwise you’ve been living under a rock on Mars with your ears closed. Kiss were perhaps my first real musical love. At least I don’t remember being so moved by music, so excited about it, the way I was with Kiss. For me it began with “Sure Know Something” ... and from there my friends and I bought as many of the earlier albums as we could find until the three of us together had most if not all. But even for a fan like me watching umpteen versions of “Firehouse,” “Cold Gin” or “Black Diamond” gets tedious. So, I’ve been checking out a few songs at a time. Looking back, I find it hilarious that people could actually believe these guys were neo-nazis because of the lightning flashes in the SS of their logo... Look at their song titles, man, “Makin’ Love,” “Let Me Go, Rock ‘n’ Roll,” “I Want You,” “Hotter Than Hell,” “C’mon and Love Me,” I mean, really, what do you think these songs are about? The holocaust? Seriously. My favorites are still “Detroit Rock City,” “Cold Gin,” “Parasite,” “Shock Me” (in which guitarist Ace Frehley sets his guitar on smoke while soloing) and “God of Thunder” (in which Gene Simmons breathes fire and spits blood).

For me the larger-than-life characters were part and parcel of the appeal: the spaced-out Space Ace axe man, the starry-eyed Starchild singer of romances, the Demon of sin with his devilish tongue, the wild Catman behind the drum set; there was something in each of them that struck a chord. I was mesmerized by the enormously elaborate sets and brilliant pyrotechnics. Perhaps most of Kiss’ songs aren’t technically complex, but neither are most songs in the Beatles’ catalogue, to name just one obvious example. The strength of many songs lies in their anthemic quality (if that’s not a term it now is), their arena rock aspirations (even in the early days), and thus exactly in their relatively (yet deceptively) simple, uncomplicated structures and arrangements. Listen closely, though, and Ace Frehley’s licks and leads, his riffs and solos are full of melody and pathos! And of course, just like Chuck Berry hit a nerve with every teenager, Kiss sing about sex and love and rock and roll. As a teenager, who wouldn’t wanna rock and roll all nite and party every day?

JSBX

A dear friend recommended that the Music Cricket tries listening to the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (JSBX) with the warning, “Not for Purists” ...interesting... As that tends to go, that means I downloaded a whole slew of their albums and started at the beginning. I heard the name before, I think (although it sounds a bit like the Spencer Davis Group) ... but never checked them out... This is “Blues” in as much as it revives Iggy Pop & The Stooges, and toys with clichés of the genre. Other than that, their earliest output is a supercharged, hyperactive explosion of ironic post-modern, alternative punk rock. I guess they’ve influenced The White Stripes and The Von Buddies. Later they drift more toward less incoherent catchy tunes (adding more textures to their bass-less trio, such as strings, horns and organ), like the funky dance territory of Beck, which I find much less appealing, while sometimes shifting toward the Stereolab of Emperor Tomato Ketchup, which I can appreciate better. When I listen to Thrash Metal, I know instantly weather I like a song or not. With this stuff, I really have to make an effort ... and I doubt that repeated listening will pay off. Overall I guess this is not very much my cup o’ tea ... or my cup o’ soup ... but not awful either. If there were room left on my iPod I’d dump it in there, but my 60GBs are stuffed to the gill as it is...

Early 80's Thrash

I guess your Music Cricket has a deep emotional bond with Thrash Metal. I’ve already shared some of my thoughts on Slayer and Sepultura... But when you talk Thrash, you have to begin with Metallica and the other San Francisco Bay Thrashers. (BTW: have you heard the news that Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax are going to tour together next year for the first time since ever?) When I first heard Metallica (back in 1983) with my best buddies, Sander and Yuri, I was blown away. I loved the raw aggression which provided a terrific release for all my pent up stress and frustration. As I said, I thought that Slayer was a tad too extreme for me at the time. And I soon lost interest in Heavy Metal altogether. Only after I regained that interest did I pay any attention to the other bands in the genre.

You don’t have to be a Metalhead to know that Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine was once in Metallica, but got thrown out in favor of Kirk Hammett (ex-Exodus). Everyone who saw Some Kind of Monster remembers the teary-eyed reunion when Mustaine admits being jealous of Metallica’s fame. But all the Bay Thrashers have, at one point or another, borrowed members from each other. I won’t say I dislike Megadeth, but I’ve never gotten used to Mustaine’s voice ... and I find much of their output after the eighties overly mainstream.

Of the Big Four Thrash Metal bands, Anthrax is the only one not from the SF Bay Area. I like most of their albums, certainly the earlier stuff with singer Joey Belladona. I respect their crossover attitude combining Hardcore Punk elements and even Hip-Hop Rap (even if that means we have Anthrax to blame for Nü Metal crap like KoЯn, Limp Bizkit, Soil, Staind, and whatnot). Trailing somewhat behind the Big Four, are fellow Bay Thrashers Exodus and Testament (both good straightforward Thrash in their early careers and honestly better now than any of the Big Four), as well as the skate-punk crossover Suicidal Tendencies. There was also a Canadian Metal Scene (believe it or not), including Anvil (remember when we saw that movie?), Exciter, Voivod, and Annihilator. Only recently did I finally listen to the classic Teutonic Thrash album Agent Orange by Sodom. Man, what a tremendous album! That’s enough thrash for now.