Looking Back in Anger at Metallica's 'Load"

This was the first album by the band that I did not buy. I was working at a Record store when it was released, so I heard some of it and was appalled by all the singles, so I never sat down and gave it an objective listen. With the remastered re-release this week, the time for that listen is now. The opening track is stompy rock n roll and certainly not what I was considering metal 96. James sounds pretty good, and this is a blatant sound of selling out to ensure their footing on the radio. I don't hate the vocals, song is too middle of the road overall, but not the worst thing I have ever heard.

Bob Rock was certainly not helping things, though it feels like there is a rawer production quality than the Black Album. " 2x4" is a pretty terrible song, so perhaps my first impressions were not that off. There is a more metal feel going into "The House that Jack Built". It is moodier and more melodic, so it works better than the first two songs, which were more aligned with the commercial rock radio was heading at the time. I never hated "Until It Sleeps"; is a well-written song that works for me. No more metal than Alice In Chains. 

"King Nothing" feels like they were trying to work off the formula they wrote "Enter Sandman" with, but it's less bombastic. The country flavored 'Hero of the Day' wants to be Thin Lizzy, before I got into Thin Lizzy, I can appreciate it, but it still does not rock my socks off, but more passable than it was."Bleeding Me" finds them in a sticky situation as it's a good song, but not a good Metallica. Though I am not sure they were sure what a good Metallica song was at this point and Bob Rock was likely getting kick backs from the record label to blow smoke up their ass, as they wanted another "Black Album" not a "Ride the Lightning". Lars even sounds good on this one. 

"Cure" finds them wanting to be both AC/DC and Danzig, but not really wanting to be Metallica. It's boring. "Poor Twisted Me" finds them trying harder at the Blues. This one is also boring; it feels like they were just jamming around as they had to write some more songs. They originally were going to release a double album, but I am beginning to think between this and 'Re-load" there might be one solid album out of both put together, and the fat like this trimmed. 

"Wasting My Hate" is an improvement over the previous two songs. But that is a low bar. Though much better than the even more country "Mama Said", I am not sure why the label did not say Wait, this is a far cry from 'The Unforgiven'". "Thorn Within " starts off more like a Dokken song. It goes into a more grunge-laden chug. James makes some good choices when it comes to the harmonies, but is trying to hard most of the time, and overthinking things.  This is one of the album's better songs. This one also has a jammy section in the middle, but it works better. The Southern rock of "Ronnie" is another misstep. 'The Outlaw Torn' closes the album. It's the longest song at almost ten minutes. There is almost a "Stranglehold" feeling to how they jam it out. I'll round this down to an 8, as some strong songs are not great Metallica songs, then there are also a couple of songs hard to sit through, so the fact that they are who they are and very talented means that they can pull off great things even when lost for inspiration. But compared to "Master of Puppets" it is hard to believe it's the same band. 

/div>

pst275

Bleed : "Somebody's Closer

 This is not the first time it felt like we were cycling into a retro 90s come back, This Texas band helped solidify this hunch. They have a very hard alt rock sound, to be more precision, the kind Helmet fined tuned in order to get radio play. There is enough crunch and edge to it to appeal to someone like me, who normally listens to things on the harder side. This is tempered with melody and hook, without the blatant nod in the pop direction that modern bands do. These guys are not the first band I heard to pull from this sort of thing. I am crossing paths with it more frequently these days. 

The second song has a fair amount of groove, while colliding the chords in a way that allows the vocals to gain a more shouted heft to them that is way more Helmet. But if these guys were merely a Helmet tribute band I would find myself instead clicking back into my computer to find what file those albums are in rather than giving this repeat listens to fully digest. With the 90s there also came nu-metal and some of the groove have that kind of bounce to it though more fluid and devoid of any and all traces of hip hop. "enervation" has more of a Deftones feel to it , with a more soaring sonic atmosphere, and room for the vocals to hover over the the guitars. 

The title track closes out the album.  They staples the built the other songs around, like melodically dead pan vocals and staccato guitar riffs are all in place. However none of it captures the magic like the first three songs. Not that this is a bad song. It has more energy than every other song except the opener and a cool melodic break. Aside from that I just do not connect with it like the other songs. While I am interested in what they might have done on a full length album, more songs means more chances for this formula to grow stale, so that remains to be seen. I will round this down to a 9 and see how it sits with me, but 9 is better than mpost which is impressive consuidering how this band wears its influences on their sleeves while managing to make this work.    

2,9   

Sebadoh : "Act Surprised"

This 90's band is back with a sound that is true to who they are. Back when indie rock was the more jangling cousin to punk and grunge. They come on strong with the opener then back off a little for the second . It has a more down trodden slack sound. Melodies as disenfranchised as they might sound still show great song writing. By the third song I begin to remember some of the signature ways their guitars ring out. "Medicate" is pretty honest, but not as dialed in as the first three songs. The pace picks up for "See Saw" this is another one that finds their formula beginning to get a little stale as they are warming up old tricks . It's at this point in the album I begin reflecting the 90s and where I was at with this band. I worked in a record store the bulk of the 90s so I had access to a great deal of music not unlike the internet now. Thee guys were in moderate rotation. Songs like "Vacation" recall my fondness for them where other moments remind me more of parts of the 90s I was indifferent to.

"Stunned" has more shades of punk, where the slacker grunge melodies of "Fool" is almost more in the zip code of R.E.M. This side of the band is more memorable and appeals to me more. There is twang to "Raging River". At fifteen songs these guys were certainly pumping it out which leaves more of a margin for error. They do cover a wide range of sound while still keeping things within their DNA. "Sunshine" takes their quirk and pairs it well against the honest current of their plaintive melodies.  Vocally less was more with this style of singing. Their is a weird disjointed element to the title track. "Battery" is helped out by a more deliberate performance from the bass and drums. "Belief' is a politcal anthem of sorts that is about as in tune with the times as Bernie Sanders.

"Belief" sounds like if the Foo Fighters had stuck closer to the more odd ball side of Nirvana. There is a little more math rock in what they are doing here.The last song is really good so at least the album ends on a high note.   I will give this one an 8.5, if you are a long time fan then they are picking up pretty close to where they left off.

Pixies : "Beneath The Eyrie"

I started listening to the Pixies on 1991.This  is almost that line up except for Kim Deal who is not in the deal and was replaced by Paz from A Perfect Circle. The second song sounds more like the band than the opener. Black's gains a little a little bit of grit , though has mellowed with age. The production comes close to replicating their original sound, but something is a few degrees off. "Catfish Kate" finds the band continuing to remember who they are. This is a broad target for them to hit considering the band's sound could vary wildly from song to song. What is weird is when you hear the influence of another artist come in a side track them. In the case of "This is My Fate" it is Tom Waits who is throwing the curve ball. Black even adds a lower rasp to his voice.

 "Ready For Love" reminds you that behind all the quirk these guys were always good song writers while they transcended their late 80s indie rock pioneer peers. The country to twist to "Sliver Bullet" works well as they still add punch to it and this is so far the first song I really feel holds up to their legacy. "Long Rider" also embraces their more classic sound. Though is on the more upbeat side than the previous song. Paz takes over the mic on "Los Surfers" . It captures the feel of the band. Her harmonies with Black earlier in the album also worked well. I am fine with her replacing Deal. They go for a more rambunctious rock aggression on " St. Nazaire" . Then relax into the more country inflected " Bird of Prey" which the better song of the two.

I do not need them to write another "Gouge Away " or "This Monkey's Gone to Heaven". I am fine with them getting older and writing songs more like "Daniel Boone" It's well done and true to who they are. It ends with the acoustic based "Death Horizon" which almost sounds more like a Tom Petty song. This grows on me with each listen and feels like it stands up well against there other work so I will round this up to a 9.5. Obviously "Doolittle " is a 10.

Looking Back in Anger at Nine Inch Nails' "The Downward Spiral"

This album turns 25 today. I was working at a Record store when it came out. So it was interesting to watch an industrial album go mainstream, though MTV was pointing them in that direction with the videos from "Broken". It starts off with the hammering "Mr. Self Destruct" that I have seen them open with live a few times. I think one of this album's strengths is the lyrics and all the tortured honesty Treznor put into them. Then things simmer down into a sultry groove for "Piggy" which works off of a slinky bass and the refrain of "nothing can stop me now, because I don't care anymore". It pretty much sums up the slacker pathos of Gen X. In many ways this album helped define the 90s as much as "Nevermind" in fact I'll say it's a better album than Nirvana's hit factory which might have gotten more radio play as it opened the doors to grunge pop fodder. This album is more complex and layered. It is more importantly for us here at Abysmal Hymns...darker.

It funny going back to listen to this album, I can almost review it from memory. The synth groove to "Hersey" looks back toward the feeling of the first album. The only difference is the heavier pulse to the chorus of "if god is dead...".  "March of the Pigs" hit's you head on with a blitz.  I think it works better in the smoother groove it breaks down at the minute mark before he asks "doesn't it make you feel better". I however don't think it's as good as the first three songs. "Closer" is pretty much the "Iron Man" of this album. It's an iconic pop song for sure, but I can go the rest of my life without hearing it now. In fact I think "Ruiner" is a better song. I think the groove is better . It gets more chaotic and noisy before the anthemic refrain. If we are talking about songs better than "Closer" , then "Becoming" also goes on that list. Lyrically it rings more true. The chanted refrain of "it won't give it , it wants me dead, god damn this noise inside my head" is one of the albums best moments.

The beat to "I Do Not Want This" is fractured beyond groove. The vocals have to hold the song together, until the more metallic guitar comes in. "Big Man With a Gun" has a more 80s synth groove and almost feels more like a Ministry song.  "A Warm Place" is more of an interlude than a song. Though they make you wait for it the greatest moment of the album are the drums Tommy Lee of Motley Crue played to kick into "Eraser" . This is my favorite song on the album, with the song after that in the number two spot. The vocals are sedate at first but still have a great deal of emotion before things get big and explosive."Reptile" might be the album's darkest song. Lyrically it might be the best on the album.

Oddly the title track is an interlude rather than a song on this album. It ends with "Hurt" which if you are reading this I hope you know, if not go hurt yourself to see if you still feel. If you heard the Johnny Cash cover first then follow those same instructions. This took the power ballad out of the hands of Guns and Roses to show it could be done with half the hair spray. On our rating scale of 1 to 10, this is one of the rare albums that cracks the ceiling to earn an 11. The same volume you should listen to it at.

Warrior Soul : "Back On the Lash"

When I was in high school I went to go see Soundgarden direct support for Danzig. While Soundgarden who was touring for "Louder than Love" was awesome the band before them was Warrior Soul. They seemed to be a bridge from glam metal into something more cerebral. I went out and bought "Last Decade Dead Century" the next day. So I want Warrior Soul to sound just as incredible as they did then. We go way back. I am aware Kory Clarke has drug the name around from various incarnations of this band and none of the members that played on the classic first three album still remain. But at the very least I expect them to be within the same sonic range as they were in 1990. Granted they were ahead of their time. They even played with the former Killing Joke drummer at first so when this album opens with the same style of punk infused metal as Killing Joke, this makes sense. Kory's vocals are more aggressive here not unlike something Jaz Coleman would do.

 It's when they begin to sound more like Faster Pussycat on "I Get Fucked Up" that I begin to question the direction they are now in. Though is this more passable than what happens on the song that follows. It's the title track that dashes my hopes as Kory's voice sounds fucking awful. I am not sure what kind of fucking producer let that fly. His sounds like god damn Lemmy jamming with the Cult. It sounds like he was losing his voice in the recording booth. "Thrill Seeker " is marginally better with a little more balls to the guitar. The riff to "Goin Broke Getting High" is heavier and makes more of an attempt to rekindle their former glory. The rust on Kory's raspy pipes, flakes off a little, but this is far from "Drugs God and the New Republic". The riffs continue to fall somewhere between AC/DC and the Cult on "Black Out". The vocals are more spoken here. The bass really drives this one. 

The very straight forward manner they constructed these songs, feel like there is little trace of the acid fueled sense of space age surreal sonics that colored there older work, with the chorus of "I 've Got the Rock" sounding like a Motorhead b-side. The lyrics are even less inspired so Kory has to take some of the blame for this. When he tries to go up into his higher register it's almost painful though the makes a more successful attempt on "Further Decay". "That's How We Roll" sounds more like the type of rock these guys were becoming an alternative to back in the day. It pains me to have to give this album a 6.5, but even then I feel I am being generous.It id inspire me to go back and revisit all the old albums to hear when this band ruled.


6

Primus : "the Desaturating Seven"

Based off of a children's book this does have the narrative concept album feel.It is not until they get into "the Seven" that we get into the kind of grooves you expect from these guys. There is a tension to the opening song, it just feels like it's an intro to the album rather than a song on it's own two legs. The Rush quality to their music is more apparent in how some of the progressions wind around themselves. The harder quality that used to bring them close to being metal is not present and really I haven't listened to much these guys have done since the "Brown Album", so the direction they are currently in is not much of a surprise to me. They have been through more drummers than Spinal Tap so it is good to see Tim Alexander back in the fold.

In many ways this album flows like "2112" or "Caress of Steel" with the interludes of clean guitar bridging this album together. If you like more progressive noodling then this is an album for you as it takes some time before the drums converge in on "the Trek". Two and a half minutes later the drums kick in. Two minutes later the groove comes back in stronger making the song more engaging. With only two songs over the 7 minute mark these songs are not long wandering jams and fairly compact for these guys. Claypool's vocals take on more of a ranting Tom Waits like pattern as the bouncing "Scheme" comes to life. Alexander's drums sound very crisp and I like what he does with the accents on his cymbals here.

There are a bunch of guitar noises and noodles being boiled going into  "the Dream". Making it another song where we are over two minutes in before the drums kick it. This is darker and harder. The groove stays pretty angular so it doesn't hook me in as strong though I like the mood.  The formula for this album is clearly lets hang on the tension for two minutes before getting into it , though this one goes past that point. The drums mainly just come in as accents. While we know what Les Claypool does, I think once we are past "Pork Soda" the novelty of that had worn off and it's how well does that work in context of a song. The chemistry of the trio is still intact when they hit the groove ,as they recapture some of the feel of their older more classic work on this one. As a whole Primus fits back nicely into their brand of prog rock I'll give it an 8.5 as fans will dig it.

Tori Amos : "Native Invader"

My ex-wife would not let me play Tori Amos in the car after I played Kate Bush for her during our first week of dating and ruined Tori  Amos for her. Well when I was in high school I had already heard Kate Bush before hearing Tori, who is obviously influenced by  Kate , but always had a more emotionally fragmented rawness to her. Seeing her straddle her piano bench and play a harpsichord with one hand and a piano with her other made me forget those comparisons. It also made me not want to play the piano for a year. Tori and I have been estranged for 12 years as "the Bee Keeper" is the last album I bought of hers, and that was back when I still bought albums.  Her 15th album opens with a big dark piano sound. Her voice has mellowed over the years into a warm alto, that can still find it's way gracefully up into her head register. She works well over the groove of "Wings" which finds its shadowy introspection contrasting the more organic guitar oriented sway of "Broken Arrow". I am trying to be open minded about this guitar thing. In the past that is where Tori and I have part ways , as I want the piano to be the focus and for some reason I have not wanted her to have a six string in action on her songs, though I am ok with bass. So I am telling myself this time around to think of it more like I think of Elton John.

The strum of "Cloud Riders" is almost like the Decemberists. The way the melody rolls out there is a slight country twinge but it is still very Tori. I am not sure how to even file what she is doing on "Up the Creek" but I like it and the layered vocal harmonies sound great. "Break Away" has some beautiful piano in it, but it is really just a dialed in Tori ballad, she doesn't feel like she really has anything worth while to say here. "Wildwood" finds Tori indulging her more Joni Mitchell side with a filter of post-rock guitar. This is one of her best uses of guitar in a song to date. With 15 songs there was bound to be some filler and " the Chocolate Song" seems to fall under that. It's not bad just not as inspired as the first few songs. There is a darker undertone to this album and it continues to be felt on "Bang". It has a sultry smoke to it's western swing.  Two minutes it turns into something closer to chamber music which makes it very consistent in terms of who Tori is.

"Climb" finds the album dipping into a more intimate piano piece that reminds me a little of Led Zeppelin's acoustic moments. I prefer her stripped down like this. After the number of artists who do this in such a compelling fashion is fairly limited. "Bats" is more in line with her "Under the Pink"  years. The bass and drums plays around the song like a upbeat version of "No Quarter". It has a very 70s rock feel, like the stuff that floated on a cloud of cocaine and pot smoke from California, Don Henley I am looking in your direction. "Benjamin"  doesn't really connect with me despite staying in that 70s space. "Mary's Eyes" finds her going back into Neil Gaiman's world. So once again she connects with themes from her earlier work.  "Upside Down" and "Russia" close the album on that stripped down piano vibe. Over all it's a pretty solid album, if some of the fat was trimmed it could have been in her top 5, but that's not the case , but it did inspire me to want to go back and here what I have been missing over the course of the past 12 years, so I'll give it a 9. The album drops September 8th.

Giraffe Tongue Orchestra : "Broken Lines"

Right from the first song it's obvious this is going to be a rock record rather than a metal album. With Ben Weinman from Dillinger  Escape Plan  and brent Hinds from Mastodon splitting the guitar duties this is very much a guitarist's album. There are solos bursting out of every nook an cranny. "Crucifixion" was the first song I heard from this album, at the time I wasn't so impressed, but on the second listen it has grown on me. Duvall backing off on the verses with a smoother vocal line, but once they go into the more straight forward chorus it sounds like Queens of the Stoneage. The album continues to improve as it progresses. I really the tension of "No-one is Innocent" . This one reminds me of Mastodon, though that might be in part due to Brent's backing vocal on the chorus.

"Blood Moon" starts off with a more electronic feel and has a more 90's alternative groove to it once it kicks in proper. While this song is certainly an eclectic take on rock it doesn't hook me in on the first listen and the groove seems like it's trying to hard. The guys fueling the grooves on this album are the drummer from the Mars Volta and the bass-player from Zappa Plays Zappa / Dethklok. So this should be easy peas for them. "Fragments and Ashes" sounds like it wants to find common ground between the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Tomahawk. The more angular tension is the songs better moments. Duvall's vocals are not bad they are not always consistent. They do show that he is far more capable than his work with Alice In Chains might suggest.

"Back to the Light" has interesting section, but as a whole is forcing a sonic Rubix Cube or dazzling alt-rock riffs together for better or for worse. The last minute goes off into a funk jam. The female vocals are courtesy of Juliette Lewis. "All We Have is Now"  is more of a ballad. The song is ...nice, but doesn't really go any where. They return to the funk on "Everyone Gets Everything They Really Want". The bass line at one point reminds me of "Sweet Dreams".  There are also echoes of the Cult on this one. A little too happy for me . "Thieves and Whores" starts off with a jazzy guitar interlude before launching off into some 90s rock. At it's heart this song a proggy chaos beating through it. This project could be compared to Faith No More, but Faith No More is both more fluid and aggressive.

The title track is more proggy. The verses make a little more sense than the past few songs. The drumming really shines on this one and Duvall has a lot of soul in his voice here. The vocals are harmonized more like Alice In Chains, though it's unclear what is supposed to be the chorus. I did however enjoy this album much more than I thought I would so rounding it up to an 8.5, though doubt this will make it over to my iPod. If you miss the more progressive moments of 90's alternative then this is for you.

Kidneythieves : " The Mend"

It sounds like no time has passed and they are picking up where they left off. When you are ahead of your time then this is fine. Free Dominguez is obviously a vampire since her voice has not aged. "the Co-dependent Song" finds them letting up on some of the more industrial strength aggression very early on and putting them in a zip-code much close to Guano Apes. The electronics of "Who You Are" is more modern, but more pop than industrial. There is more of a Nine Inch Nails like tension to that what you would typically hear from radio oriented pop. They take a darker turn on "In Love With a Machine". This song has a really cool synth bass line that holds it together. Not as dark is the sultry simmer of "Kush Cloud" that sounds like it's about a drug dealer.  Wouldn't go as far as to call it filler, but it's the first chink in the armor.

The beat to "Migration" reminds me of Katy Perry's "E.T.", which is not a deal breaker for me. This however not as driving of a song as Perry's with a more relaxed vocal that works, but could have used more aggression to really lock me in. There is more punch thanks to the first guitar riff that really stands out on "Let Freedom Ring". There are darker overtones to "the Solution is In the Trees". The overall vibe I get from the song is that it reminds me of when the Gathering first started dabbling in electronics. There is a more trip-hop like beat to "Living Like You Did". The groove and the vocals work together and find them back in classic form. There is a looser ambiance to "World For Us' that is almost a ballad that could be found on a No Doubt album as long as they are in their more new wave phase.

This new kinder, gentler version of Kidneythieves closes out the album with an even more atmospheric piece. I'll around this up to a 9 and ponder if this is what I need in my iPod in 2016 or do I want to upload their first album since it's more industrial sounding. If you are a fan then this will make your day, because even a more pop minded version of this band is better than most of the other shit out today and a reminder that music was once better. They Kick Starter'ed this so there was no labels pressuring them to go one way or another.

Weezer : "the White Album"

This is actually a self titled album, the band's 4th self-titled album so now they are being reffered to by color. This is the band's 10th album and they should have chosen another color as their can only be one "White Album" and this is far from the ground breaking double album by the Beatles. The only Weezer album's I've either dug or owned were the first two which were pretty great. Expectations for this one could not be lower. I mean if people how launched a petition to put together 10 million dollars for you to stop recording in order to not further smear your legacy then Houston we have a problem. River's and the boys have more than likely kept this going to spite them. I'm shocked how much they have changed under the guise of staying the same. The guitar tone pretty much sounds like every other indie rock band that they paved the way for in the 90s. When it does come in it lacks conviction and leaves the bass layer to carry the song. 'Wind In Our Sail" is where things take a more shocking turn, the chorus reminds me more of the Shins. The vocal melody and how the vocals are produced suggests that this might not be by accident and makes me want to listen to the Shins more than this song, though if I never heard the Shins I might think this was genius.

Things get real silly and poppy on "Thank God For Girls". The lyrics are clever and the pop beat works wells and the chorus is pretty infectous and finds somethings that have changed actually working. "(Girl We Got a ) Good Thing" finds them back in Shins mode mixed with a little Ben Folds and some rock tossed in for good measure. This is a little too happy for my tastes, but above and beyond it feels like they just threw a bunch of ideas at the wall to see what stuck. My favorite song on this album is "Do You Wanna Get High", it comes the closest to reminding me of a band I once liked. "King of the World" has a party rock feeling, with River's personality coming through in a way that makes this passable as a Weezer song. This is one of the album's stronger songs, but years back it would have been their filler. They give a wink to the Pixies on "Summer Elaine & Drunk Dori". This is another song that works for what the band does but if you were to compare it to any song from the first two albums it would fall short.


"The Happy Days" era of 50's pop still influences the band on "L.A. Girlz", though even with wittier lyrics it's not as tightly written a song as the air tight "Buddy Holly".  A tad of auto-tune  might lurk on the falsetto notes in the song's build up. River's voice is generally on the better side of decent, though the production is so slick on this one it's hard to tell where it ends and he begins. The beginning of "Jacked Up" works for me, even as piano heavy as it is. This is much more pop than what I would call classic Weezer, but still has it's moments. The falsetto accents and generally frolicking of this song is more pop than rock.The closing "Endless Bummer" is a mix of folky pop with Beach Boys like intervals in the layered vocal harmonies. It sounds good, but has all the substance of cotton candy. I'm expecting too much from fun pop music, you say? Go kill yourself, these guys are making a living making music so just dialing it in doesn't work. If the entire album sucked then I would say"OK, those guys lost it a long time ago." But that is not the case. This album has some songs that are actually worth listening to but is weighed down by half ass bloat and expect more from these guys , this is good enough for a 6.5, which is better than the bulk of what they have done post- Pinkerton.

Faith No More @ the Masquerade Music Park 7/31/15

I was reluctantly indifferent to the thought of seeing the band again after being less than impressed by their last album. The show in contrast to the previous nights under sold Slayer show was sold out. So not liking crowds and hearing the horror stories of how packed the Scion Fest was few years ago , there was even more inner resistance. My fiance had already gotten  her ticket, so the problems to over come became the Refused management who was  less than responsive and the venue wasn't much help either despite having a previous working relationship with them, so I was getting prepared in my head to walk home. I had left my phone at home and my iPod is MIA, so along with being taken off one of my medications the inner world was getting bleaker by the minute. However our friend who bought a ticket from a scalper pitched in with my fiance and helped me gather funds to do like wise. We stood around in the humidity which was every thing you could expect from Georgia in July, the over cast sky did not empty. The crowd was a diverse mix generally older than not, some hipsters , some metal heads some fringe punks, the shirts worn ranged from black metal bands to Jawbreaker. The p.a. began playing 60s pop as the road crew dress like they were in a cult decorated the stage with flowers.

The band took the stage and opened with the first single of their new album, which came across better live than on the album. Then I got two songs from "Angel Dust" the playfully perverse anthem "Be Aggressive" and "Caffeine" which packed a little more of a punch though when compared to music of today Faith No More doesn't strike me as a metal band or even that heavy. Sure they rock and have an explosive edge to their dynamics which gave the show plenty of momentum. They were quick to switch gears on this jerking you back into the soulful " Evidence" where Patton's voice showed little signs of his age and proved him to be  one of the best vocalists to come out of the 90s scene. Sure  " The Real Thing" came out in the 80s, but the bulk of his career was realized in the rise of the alt rock movement. Speaking of the 80s "Epic" was next. He really nailed  the nasal tenor hook in the chorus. The first moment that was less than perfect for me was when they dipped into their new album and played"Sunny Side Up" one of the new albums less ballsy and not quite as focused songs. They bounced back from this with one of the shows better moments "Midlife Crisis" and "Everythings Ruined" from "Angel Dust" at one point Mike Patton asked the audience what they like to do since they seem to be able to do every thing in the Georgia heat, he reported back from the crowd response that some one said twerk, which lead to a him trying to twerk and  mention his enthusiasm for twerking.  In "Midlife Crisis" they broke the song  down into a more disco version. Then from "Album of the Year" came the well executed  "Last Cup of Sorrow" . The slow jams vibe was followed by their cover of "Easy" the first of two covers, the second being the cover of Burt Bacaharach's "This Guy's In Love With You", another b-side that is a live staple for them.  After "Separation Anxiety" off the new album came  came the "King For  Day Fool For a Lifetime" songs, "The Gentle Art of Making Enemies" and "King For A Day".
Much like "Mother Fucker" , the song "Superhero" went over better live making it seem like it belonged along side Faith No More's other work. They closed with "Just a Man" which was dynamic enough of an ending, I would have preferred one more off " the Real Thing" perhaps "Surprise Your Dead", but that didn't happen. After beginning this Top 100 albums of the 90s I became  rather sentimental and Faith No More was at one point in time one of  my favorite bands, so it was good to have some of my faith restored in them after the disappointment their last album caused.

Kings Destroy

In my quest to find more doom I clicked on the new one by Brooklyn's Kings Destroy and this reminds me of what doom used to be thought of in the 90s. Sure there was still real doom like St. Vitus and Solitude Aeturnus around, but this post-Kyuss blend of stoner rock came to the forefront. In someways this also owes something to grunge and even Helmet. The singer has a decent voice. This is however pretty straight ahead and not as dark as what as I normally listen to and that sentence there explains some of the problem if this is being called doomed and I'm saying its not dark. Sure it's way up beat tempo wise. Much in the same way old Queens of the Stoneage engaged in 70's arena rock, these guys have more of an edge to it.

This is their third album and it's pretty polished and well oiled machine of grooving riffs. Maybe not doom, but they do some times lay the smack down on half time riffs. "W2" doesn't capitalize on some of the song writing smarts that were infused into the first two songs. They back off on "Mythomania", this opens the way for new melodic ground to be broken. It is not unlike newer Royal Thunder just without the soaring vocals. I's midway through "Embers" that I realize the other huge influence I am hearing on this album is Quicksand. This ghost from the 90s continues to haunt "Green Diamonds". The closest this album comes to doom is on the closing song "Time For War". Here they simmer at a slower speed and the singer bring more aggression into his vocals.

This album might not be doom, but it's not half bad if you miss Quicksand and that era of the mid 90s. I did a ton of during during that time and this would have been a great addition to that soundtrack , but in 2015 I'll give it a 7.