Lots of bands are playing throughout the weekend at Welcome to Rockville this year, with festival set times compressed, you need to make the most of your time, while still giving yourself time to rest, so you make it to Sunday. Here is a guide to getting the most from your money, with the bands that will give you your money's worth. Let's face it, tickets for the entire weekend are expensive, even on the payment plan. from. I am not suggesting the most popular bands, so if you want to avoid the crowded stages, this list is for you. Given that I hate most radio rock, we are going to avoid it and pick the most interesting artist who delivers consistently live. You can argue these picks all you want, but can the 10 million that read this blog be wrong? I think not, so let's jump into it.
Thursday
Inferno Stage
1:15 - Castle Rat
Fantasy rock that brings 70's Rainbow to mind, being belted out by a siren in a chainmail bikini
Octane Stage
3:20- Behemoth
Nergal's sognwrign continues to improve, and they are the hookiest band to blend black metal with death metal.
Inferno Stag
4:15 - Death Angel
Underrated thrash legends
Apex Stage
5:30 - Alice Cooper
If you are thinking this is a tough choice, even Glen Benton would admit Alice puts on a better show
9;30-Guns N Roses
You can chill out for the rest of the evening to eat, and get hydrated, after Cradle of Filth are terrible live andd if you want to hear a bunch of shrieking, at least Slash will be on stage when Axl is doing it.
Friday
Inferno Stage
12:30- Spiritworld
The wild west's take on hardcore is fun.
1:30- Cattle Decapitation
Their name is more intimidating than the thrashing blend of death metal and grindcore they have mastered
Octan Stage
2:35 -Failure
This band influenced the likes of A Perfect Circle and Deftones
Inferno Stage
4:45 - Carcass
A death metal classic that rips live
Apex Stage
6:05- Poppy
Fun pop music with a little screaming sprinkled in
Inferno
7:30 - Suicidal Tendencies
This crossover band was a huge influence on what we call nu-metal \
Octane
8:55 -Turnstille
Another fun pop band to decompress to, see what the hype is about
Saturday
Vortex Stage
11:50 - Framing Hanley
Wake up to these one-hit wonders, crank out their "Lollipop" cover
Inferno Stage
1:20- PsychoStick
Chances are, if you are here on Saturday, you are into this kind of stupid fun
Octane Stage
2:30- Yelawolf
Is he going to be rapping or playing country? I guess find out
Inferno Stage
4:40 - Devildriver
The singer of Coal Chamber's heavier side
5;55- Napalm Death
The Grind-fathers must be respected
Octane Stage
6:55- Lamb of God
Sure, they are a Temu version of Pantera, but they are good at it.
Sunday
Inferno Stage
2:10- House of Protection
One of the weekend's most interesting bands, a nu-metal revival act that's not in for the nostalgia.
4:30- Make Them Suffer
These kids do metal-core in a little less predictable manner.
Garage Stage
7:55 Coal Chamber
They need to be in a headline spot. These guys blew Mudvayne off stage at the Mid-Florida Amphitheater
Vortex Stage
10:20 Slaughter to Prevail
Not the most devastating thing we are getting from Russia this year, but more fun than a nuclear bomb.
This collaboration between the two bands finds these elder statesmen of Grind Core and Sludge blending what they do in a way that makes sense. The first song, "Tossing Coins into the Fountain of Fuck", sounds like the Melvins are in control of the instrumental arrangements and have Barney Greenway roaring over them. Some impressive riffing kicks off the nine-minute "Somekind of Antichrist." Buzz Osborne's vocals lead into this, with a call-and-response featuring Greenway's more savage snarl. Three and a half minutes, things ebb down to allow for atmosphere. This ambient weirdness consumes the rest of the song.
More electronic elements than you might expect from this pairing comprise the two minutes of "Awful Handwriting," which is more like an interlude than a song. The dark and stormy metal intentions that you might expect from them are the backbone of "Nine Days of Rain". The sludgey mood of "Rip the God" finds Osbourne's sung vocals dripping with melodic unease. It is hard to detect Napalm Death's contributions on this one until Barney's vocals come in later.
The pace picks for "Stealing Horses" which finds them splitting the difference with a more punk flavored riff that still holds the Melvins angular ugliness. There is a fair amount of chaos injected into this. "Comparison is the Thief of Joy" finds a weird synth groove in the midst of a dreamy atmosphere. They rear the metallic head back up with a mean riff driving "Death Hour" that finds Buzz and Barney, layering their varied vocal approaches over this. Once again, the weird wave of experimental ambient noises takes over to wash the song away from going in a more metallic direction. This seems to be the theme of this partnership which is almost too odd for its own good, but works like old Pink Floyd in this regard. I will give it a 9.5 and see how it grows on me. Out on Ipecac Records April 10th.
It is interesting when metal heads take things in a different direction; most tend to go in a darker goth, post-punk, or industrial vein, and Shane Embry's project leans into the latter. Though being from Napalm Death, you might expect things to go head in a Godflesh direction. That is not the case. There is a melodic edge,e and thanks to his collaborator Carl Stokes, there is a trippy element to the sound that brings to mind projects like Tear Garden, Psychic TV, and Legendary Pink Dots. More of a break beat drives "Possessed by the Animus." It does build into a more aggressive industrial-strength vocal.
I like the Lucifer references in the lyrics to "Light". "Thantos Smiles" works off a largely instrumental cruise control, but with a guitar solo in the middle that breaks things up."Crocodile Snaps" taps into Ministry's more brooding moments. The silthering beat glides the groove into the shadowy back alleys of dystopia. "Sylvestris Deus" comes closer to what you expect from the more Skinny Puppy school of industrial.
This mood continues, but from a more atmospheric perspective on "Living in Illusion" with the use of samples setting the narrative. The last song finds the beat accelerating to a more frantic pace. It is more electronic-based and works off keeping the flow of the drum machine churning chaos flowing. This album works for what it is as the dive into sounds that are to my liking will give it a 9.
With the world ending we need the heaviest sound track possible. We continue to countdown the heaviest albums ever. May your ear drums bleed as it all burns down.
30- Napalm Death - " Scum"
This shit storm of chaos hit's your ears like fucking barbwire. In 1987 it was way ahead of it's time.
29-Ilsa - "Corpse Fortress" The raw power of this album shows the difference between sludge and doom is the punk influence that drips from sludge. These guys took that and went darker.
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28 Naga - " Inanimate" These are a sludge band much like Ilsa. They just beat those guys out on this list because their is a black metal influence that brings the evil.
27-Bloodlet - " the Seraphim Fall" These guys were competing with themselves. This album beat out "Entheogen" because it's darker. Darker always is heavier.
26-Acid Bath - "When the Kite String Pops" If this was a list of my top 50 favorite metal bands of all time , these guys who went on to become Goatwhore, would have been in the top 10. But's it's not .
25 - Fistula -"Vermin Prolificus" The higher we get in this list the harder it was to make some of these calls. I like "Longing For Infection" better as an album, but this is not a list of best album's it's a list of heaviest albums.
24-Converge- "When Forever Comes Crashing"
The best hardcore band to come out of the 90s . It is amazing to think there are 23 albums heavier than what these guys dish out here.
23- Carcass- Necroticism, Descanting the Insalubrious" When compared to this album "Heartwork" seemed like a sell out.
22- Disma - "Towards the Megalith" Their guitar tone sounds like it was scraped from the sewers of hell. The vocals are equally ugly.
21-Portrayal of Guilt - " Suffering is a Gift"
Kids today can't be bothered with just sticking to one genre. Grind core fits the best if you need to define them.
With a similar heft the new album from Lee Dorian of Napalm Death/ Cathedral fame relieved right from the the first few notes. Like a more hard core version of Tom Warrior the vocals are exclaimed with a shout and sometimes sung. It' hard to hear where the bass begins and the guitar ends as it's been mixed into one fuzzy frequency. There is less of a doom feel to "Egyptian Tomb" and more of a crusty sludge feel with the vocals shouted in more of a militant punk manner. It has more momentum, but I am sure that they are really giving us nothing that we have not heard before. This is disappointing as as the mood of their previous album was much more unique. There is a similar density to the fuzz that fills "Reincarnation of Yesterday". The pace is picked up and the guitar provides a little more depth. Mostly this song also works off the same kind of stomp this band favors.
You would imagine a song called "Cocaine Phantoms" to move at a more frantic pace, but instead they slow down . The music takes a darker turn and the vocals are not as shouted so it provides a little more color to the album. "Watching the World Go By" feels more like an interlude as the vocals are more of a spoken narrative. It doesn't build up into a song til much later in the piece. The vocals on "Anemia" return to that almost hard core type of shout , though a few degrees more relaxed. I do like the darker guitar melody that flows through this song. Midway into the song, I do begin to wonder where the hell are they going to be able to go from here. They close the album without veering off course from the familiar frequency they stick pretty close to . It might be the production choices , but I preferred the more apocalyptic sense that haunted their first album. Though there is nothing that really justifies this song for being seventeen minutes, they do add the ambiance I like ater but really that more of a case of ...why the hell didn't you do that earlier.
There is not doubt this is am ore raw and straight forward follow up that doesn't cater to what I first liked about this band. I'll be generous and give this a 8, as it does have some strong moments, I just prefer my doom to be more dynamic and layered but there is something for every one and these guys are still good at what they do.
The rule of thumb seems to be that supergroups sound better on paper than what the reality turns out to be. From the first song of With the Dead's self titled album this is not the case. Lee Dorian of Cathedral teams up with some of the guys from Electric Wizard to sludge out some oppressive fuzz dripped in darkness. The effects slathered on Dorian's voice are a good choice as it keeps this from sounding like Cathedral. Cathedral was one of the first bands that made doom hip. They dropped some of the melodrama that cloaked bands like Candlemass and Trouble and chunked it out in the 90s. Granted Lee Dorian's time in Napalm Death didn't diminish this. They are not just a doom band, not that being a doom band is a bad thing, but they hit "the Cross" with too pummeling attack to not be sludge. With this album the first song hit me pretty hard so the rest of the album has the bar set pretty high . The second song tries to over power you with the rumble you have already been hit with so you are braced for the blow. The creepy sample keep going to darken the shadows of their sound.
They take on a more Sabbath like boogie on "Nephthys" and Dorian's voice settles into more of what you might expect from him. The build it up into a commanding chant. These guys are all about the power, leaving a little room for the more subtle melody of the solos to warble over their pound. "Living With the Dead" has a weighty chug that offers a call and response to a creepier riff. The vocals chant the song title over and over, but it self works. In what might be the verses the vocals just add a tormented distant howl, before the song breaks down at the mid way point into something way more melodic than you expected after the dirty overdrive you have been battered with.
Dorian's more effected vocals helps to give " I am Your Virus" more form and function against the dense throb the song drags you into. This one has more of a doom cadence to it's gloom laden cloud of distortion. The album ends with the more formless drone of "Screams From My Own Grave". Not as tightly driven in it's thunder as the rest of the album, this one rings out into murky waters. For their first outing they have all the power to prove themselves, the last song kinda killed the momentum for me , but over all they are solid and look forward to hearing more from this project I'll round it up to an 8.5.
This was a show I had been waiting for since was announced. I think I was looking forward to seeing Voivod as much I was looking forward to King Diamond. So they are without a doubt one of my all time favorite bands. But regular readers know that means the bar is also raised really high for them. We got there right as the band was taking the stage. They opened up with "Warriors of Ice" off "War and Pain". Snake had a big smile on his face and seemed to be having fun right when he stepped on stage in a leather vest and Doom shirt. They followed this with one of my all time favorite songs, not just of their catalogue, but of all time... "Tribal Convictions". This is where sound crunched in and tightened it's guts. At first glance I thought Blacky was on stage and he was just low in the mix, since his bass tone has a growl to it that is just another defining characteristic of the Voi Vod sound, after all Away did not look like he had aged until I saw him up close when I shook his hand after the show, thirteen year old me would have been freaking out at this point.Later on Snake introduced the new bassist as Rocky and asked the crowd if he was greasy enough for them.
One thing that is pretty impressive and speaks to the bands integrity is the fact the didn't just shove a bunch of new songs in your face, not that I mind the new stuff, but almost everything was off the first five albums. This is funny to me because when I listen to 'Target Earth" I sometimes think this is the album that should have come after "Nothing Face". Not taking any thing away from "Angel Rat" or "Outer Limits" as I love those albums too, that just the vibe I get from it. From "Killing Technology" they ripped into the beautifully dissonant thrashing space punk of "Forgotten In Space". This is the first song that grabbed my fiance who was at the bar for the first song and originally came to see Napalm Death. By the time Napalm Death was on and her mind had been blown by Voivod, she was having a hard time taking grind-core seriously after being bathed in what the Canadian metal legends do.
Of course as Voivod's career progressed they became more progressive with each album, so it only made sense for them to play something from "Nothing Face" next.
So the even more winding road of "Inner Combustion" unfolded. Snake's voice was spot on all night. He contorted his face in a series of cartoon like grimaces through out. Away proved he is one of metals best drummers, his feet are insane. Chewy also did a good job with the old stuff, he also proved he can shred when he wants to thanks to his solo in the one and "Astronomy Domine" . Rocky doesn't have the same cutting tone that Blacky had for this era of their work, where the bass has more snarl than the guitar. Chewy does have a more traditional metal tone than Piggy as well, but he knows how to hit the dissonant chords to get their signature sound. The one new song is actually their new single "We are All Connected" which is being released as a split single with At the Gates. It's a good song that blends both sides the old and the new, maybe even more fluidly than "Target Earth" which was pretty spot on to begin with.
They wrapped the show up with their punk fueled theme song "Voivod" and their last song which Snake dedicated to Piggy "Astronomy Domine"...the Pink Floyd cover off of "Nothing Face' which taught metal heads the world over about Syd Barrett era Floyd.I ran into the every one but Snake during Napalm Death's set. Napalm Death like Voivod , had not lost anything over the years. Barney Greenway, looks younger now than he did in their hey day. He was wildly energetic circling the stage like a windmill in a tornado. Their drummer takes a different approach than Away, but is pretty monstrous in his own right. I didn't realize Ringworm played this show until I passed their merch table, if situations were different that day I wouldn't have minded catching those guys. At is was I am glad I got there in the mick of time so I did not miss a second of Voivod's set. This is the show for 2015 others bands are going to be measured by.
I was lucky enough to get the chance to interview the drummer from one of my favorite bands Away from VoiVod. Here is what was said.
Caught the show last night and you guys were amazing, one thing I thought was interesting was that all of the songs except for the new one were from "Nothing Face" and back and when I heard "Target Earth" I thought "Wow, this is the album that should have come after "Nothing Face" just from the vibe it had.
Away -We have three sets and songs from Target Earth are on two of them, but we have been debating that, since we are on tour to promote that album, What do you think, should we play more from Target Earth
I'm the wrong person to ask since I am going to like everything you play. How has the tour been so far?
Away -Amazing, a very fitting bill, us with Napalm Death since we are kind of the same thing hardcore punk and metal
Well when you guys started out you were more of a punk band since in those days punk and thrash were so closely linked, so how did you get from "War and Pain" to "Killing Technology".
In the seventies we listened to a lot of progressive rock, punk and hard rock. Slowly, but surely we began adding what would be called alternative as we began listening to Killing Joke and Psychic Tv. The sound changed, we became better at our instruments and pushing the boundaries with prog and psychedelic . The Legendary Pink Dots were also a big influence during that time. That hard core element has always been important to us , we try to keep it in there except for two albums "Angel Rat and "Outer Limits". But we like that metal energy.
Why does "Dimension Hatross" have such a unique sound? Sonically it's different than the others, how did that come into being?
Away - We recorded with Harris Johns and we started using sequencing like early industrial band were and it gave us a new way of twisting sounds. At that point me had been rehearsing every night for five years, so that allowed us to get pretty good at time changes. Up to that point on the earlier album we were more naive to we perfected our playing.
You mentioned "Angel Rat" earlier what type head space were you in when you recorded that album?
Away - We were totally out of synch with everything else going on at that time , be it the death metal in Tampa, black metal in Norway, or grunge. For us it was commercial, it's some peoples favorite album. We were lost in our own dimension, we try not to over think it , we just go for it. That one and "Rrrrroar" are the most extreme but in different directions.
I think with "Angel Rat" you guys were just ahead of your time. I have always seen you guys like David Bowie in that respect two steps ahead of the game. Which is why you influenced so many bands like Tool and Faith No More. How is it to hear your thumbprint on music like that?
Away - It's impressive to think we influenced Tool. He was in love with those guys when they came out used to play them on the bus all of the time. We toured with Faith No More and Soundgarden and Mike Patton was Voivod freak. He knew every note. He pointed out to me that the Young Gods had sampled "Technocratic Manipulators" and just changed the time signature of it.
Yeah, it's funny because right after that tour they put out "Angel Dust" which has that dissonant Voivod feel to it's heavier moments.
Away - Yeah, I always wondered about that.
So are you guys ever going to throw "the Prow" into the set?
Away - We know the song. We are trying to rearrange the pacing of the set. We want to please every one. We ask people what they want to hear when we are at the merch booth, we have about twenty five song ready to play. But we only get to play eight in the set. So something like "Mechanical Minds" is around eight minutes and the new one is seven and a half.
Always thought you are one of the best metal drummers, there is something very tribal in your playing, how did that work into your style?
Away - From listening to the Pistols, I have always liked toms. I just began to use them a lot more like Killing Joke or Test Dept. On "Dimension Hatross" I just went crazy with them.
So sci-fi is always an element to your presentation and lyrics. Who are some of your favorite sci-fi authors?
Away - Philip K Dick, William S Gibson, "Neuromancer" I'm still waiting for the movie of that to come out. As far as movies go Blade Runner and Mad Max.
Have you seen the trailer for the new Mad Max?
Away - Yes, I can't wait. We stole bits of the soundtrack to the Road Warrior for "Killing
Technology"
Where did you find the new bassist?
Away - He was a childhood friend of Chewy's. He is as talented as Chewy is crazy. Going to be really great writing with him because he be able to add to the psychedelic and progressive side . There is also something angular about his playing as he is also into jazz.
So the new song "We are Connected" is coming out as a split single with At the Gates?
Away - It comes out April 2nd, though it came out earlier on Spotify and Youtube.
Is this going to be one a new album in the works?
Away - We are focusing on 7 inches and touring this year, with a new album early next year.
So whats it like being back on the road?
Away - Amazing, We were supposed to go on a world tour supporting "Target Earth" then Snake got sick and had an operation we got a little antsy waiting around and then we parted ways with Blacky.
Snake must have had an incredible recovery, because I think his voice now sounds better than when you guys did that album with Jason Newstead
Away - I think so two. His range is amazing and power has improved. Like Jello Biafra, I saw him and he has gotten better same thing when I saw P.I.L, Johnny was the same way.
What new bands are you into?
Away - When it comes to metal I'm retro. Priest , Maiden, Raven, Venom. We have played festivals with younger bands and I think Vektor is really good. Then there is stuff I always listened too like when we were talking about the tribal elements of my playing P.I.L's "Flowers of Romance" album is an influence.
You guys changed the way I listen to music. Before I discovered you guys I was listening to stuff like Maiden and Mercyful Fate. But I after I got into you guys then within five years I was listening to Killing Joke and Swans, who are another one of my favorite bands. Speaking of which I know you guys are into punk, but I have always wondered if you were ever into the darker side of it that spun out of punk like ...
Away- Bauhaus?
Yeah, Joy Division, the Cure, the stuff that became goth
Away - Blacky was into all that sort of stuff.
Which makes sense, stuff like the Cure and Joy Division are very bass driven, the guitar more of a layer
Away -Yeah, Snake and I started off into hardcore like Discharge and Killing Joke . Piggy was into the prog As a drummer I tried to incorporate a lot of d-beat, which I got from Phil Taylor of Motorhead. They were as heavy as it got until Venom came along. There was nothing else that heavy.
What about Hawkwind? Lemmy came from those guys.
Away - Oh yeah they were a big influence on Voivod. Can that kind of Krautrock, Van Der Graaf Generator. They are one of my favorite bands.
They had violinist at one point.
Away - And they had this very beatnik sax player, when he left they added the violinist
Well thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me, it's been an honor, great to have you guys back.
For a long time as a young metal head I always assumed Napalm Death were the one metal band most punk rockers listened to so that made them inferior by association. In recent years I have gone back and rectified that oversight. After all they were the launching off point for many musicians I really like such as Justin Broadrick and Bill Steer On January 27th when the 15th studio album from the grind core legends Napalm Death drops with all it's crazed fury. The band could not sound better. I was shocked at how dense this album is. You can hear the influence Napalm Death has had on extreme metal. Listening to this album really schools you. In your face the band is like "Oh, yeah you thought Pantera was good , well here's where they got there hardcore edge from" or "You thought Oderus was a maniacal vocalist, here's Barney Greenway." and "Oh, yes Today is the Day" you can sign your royalty checks over to us now.
While known for being the blasting kings of grindcore, there is much more thought put into these songs. There are actual sung melodies at times. Not in the over done Killswitch Engage good cop/ bad cop trade off fashion, but they come in as needed to vary things a little. Greenway's vocals are extremely well produced. There is the perfect amount of grit distorting them. Right from the wrath of "Smash a Single Digit" the album doesn't relent. In most cases this would bore me, but these guys learned in the 14 albums they recorded before this one how to perfect what they do perfectly. Countless bands try to use their formula, so it makes sense that there is not an element of this album that sounds dated, which might not be the case with the new releases from other bands hailing from the early 80's
"Metaphorically Screw You" is the only song that seems it is rushed by you before you can absorb what hit, even with the really gut wrenching groove they hit midway through and "Timeless Flogging" also works off of a similar formula. "How the Years Condemn" finds bassist Shane Embury really killing with a more thrashy tone that he pounds into place through the jarring sonic lashing the rest of the band is giving. They kept a similar pacing up until the surprisingly melodic "Dear Slum Lord" that falls somewhere between Swans and Jesus Lizard. They continue to instigate collisions of punk and metal, that have recently become more common place with bands like Nails. Napalm Death being the masters of this can mold this feral chaos into effective songs like the lead single from the album "Cesspits". They hit just as hard as any younger band and do so with subtle smarts.
Drummer Danny Herrera who is also Anaal Nathrakh's live drummer earns his keep. He some how manages to hold all of this together with a concise and relentless fury. His playing is best showcased on the powerful pounding of "Beyond the Pale". Napalm Death is no except when it comes to the fact slowing down to savor the chug is the most effective tool in any band's arsenal.When the do numb you out with speed it is done in under three minute doses, and even then the piss and vinegar is given a sweet moshy chaser similar to what their American counterparts S.O.D did in the 80's.
Not devoid of dynamics this album still heeds to words of Bruce Banner and stays angry. Sometimes this anger allows for solos and sung vocals on songs like "Hierarchies". At other times the launch into the blasty mcnasties on "One Eyed", which almost borders on teaching today's crop of black metal a thing or two. They rein themselves in slightly on the closing hardcore madness that sounds like Gwar whacked out on pcp. The energy of this album raises the bar for older bands like Slayer, showing that you don't have to rely on your legacy. This really raises the bar for extreme metal in 2015. I'll round this one up to an 8.5 as I sure it will grow on me, even though grindcore isn't really my thing, I still respect what went into this album and if I am going to have one grindcore band on my iPod, why settle for anyone but Napalm Death.
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