Live Review : The Misfits & Megadeth @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre

 I am not huge on reunion tours, as it seems too many bands are staining their legacy with cash grabs, there are few exceptions to this rule, however I was not able  to pas up the chance to catch a few of my favorite bands from High School. Committing to venturing to an outdoors concert after May in Florida is an even greater test of your fandom. Really just me venturing out of the house and forcing my misanthropic ass to be around people is a testament to how much I like a band. Thanks to misinformation in regards to the actual start time, and traffic going into the venue we missed Fear, who could be heard playing from the highway as we reached the venue. The half mile walk from parking to entrance and display of  general stupidity from the concert goers who were corralled at the entrance like cattle all helped  the delay so once we set foot inside the Amphitheatre, Fear had finished their set. 

Megadeth took the stage at 7:45 with a rather stripped down stage set up, Dave has been bitching about the cost of touring these days so this was not a surprise. They were surprisingly better than expected. I saw them back in the day a few times with their Clash of the Titans performance being the stand out. They might have lacked key members from that era, but were impressive. Sticking to the hits, they played two songs from their latest album and cranked out all the "Peace Sells" and "Sweating Bullets" you might   and was never that impressed. They stuck to their "hits" opening with "Hangar 18". They only played two new songs, aside from those it was all the songs you might expect from "Peace Sells" to "Sweating Bullets" . They closed their set out with "Holy Wars".  Dirk from Soilwork was behind the drums and pulled every thing off as needed. It was odd thinking how the White Lion b assist was able to take care of business, but that is what happened. They brought out Lee Ving for a cover of "Nothing is Something" which did not go over as well since no one knew it. But I was glad I got to see him sing one song having missed Fear. 

Punk in a massive  20,000 capacity Amphitheatre is an odd oxymoron for outsiders.  If any one was going to do it the Misfits would be the band. In line waiting to enter the venmnue a disgruntled  "punk" was complaining about Megadeth opening , and asked why was it not Minor Threat. The very nature of this question says he had no clue what Ian MacKaye was about, and only a punk in the sense of wasting his life by being wasted. A shame he missed Fear as well. The Misfits are larger than life so that is why this show worked. Their stage was flanked by two giant pumpkins and the back drops of Vegas like video screens, They were not about ideals but teenage aliens and pulp monsters. They opened with "Death Comes Ripping" , which was the most suitable song to start things with. 

Danzig sounded fine which was my main concern as he sounded like he had lost all ability to belt it out on his terrible Elvis covers album. There was an amusing casual attitude to his onstage banter, he at least acted like he was taking requests from the audience, which I find it hard to believe there were not people within earshot screaming for "Angel Fuck" which did not make an appearance. But as Danzig said they do know a lot of songs, I did not expect all of them to be played, though the fact most are under three minutes gave them time to cram a bunch into their set. They have great songs, some of the highlights for me were "Vampira" , "Where Eagles Dare" , "Hybrid Moments" , "Some Kind of Hate" and "Skulls". This was billed as the "Original" Misfits but the line-up was bolstered by the addition of Dave Lombardo on drums, and Dope / Joan Jett guitarist Acey Slade, who stood behind Jerry Only on stage. Dave did his job, obviously this was less demanding than playing Slayer or Mr. Bungle. Doyle has more of a metallic guitar tone, and due to the benefit of the big production this was a much better sound than they had originally.

FIGHTS : "Scampirock"

 

Every scene in every region has their own bandwagons they jump on based on the success of their peers. In the Scandinavian rock scene Kvelertak has set that bar. This band from Norway is urgently following in their footsteps with raspy throat searing vocals taking command of the songs, like a methed out punk rock version of AC/DC. Yes, they have punk energy and aggression. It is not surprising a more aggressive metallic attack possesses their songs. From the opening track they make the most of their momentum, but once we get five songs in every thing begins to sound the same. The first song is more punk in it's frantic pursuit. They allow things to build into a big anthemic refrain that the end that shows they care about songwriting. 

They are all about drinking and doing coke, with sung vocals backing up these declarations, knowing that the main narrative is the cause of all their problems. "We Got This" finds them allowing the chords to slow down, though it's less hooky in it's punch. "Nine Words " offers a little more variation, though the lyrics to "Moonshine" cut through with more fire. It is not about the kind of moonshine you might assume it to be, given their penchant for writing drinking songs. "Sunshine" seems to be about the foibles of dating .It races with the same reckless tempo that dominates this album. This carries over into "Know it All" along with the over all party vibe, even when they are marginally more deliberate. There are sing song vocals doing a call and response that sound like kids. 

"Serenity Now" finds the vocals screamed out at you in a similar fashion to what we have heard, but the purpose seems more intent on maintaining intensity than being angry. The previous song is one of the few where I feel anger is being conveyed. When the vocals are switched up on "Kill the Mood" I feel the overall sound benefits as the album needs more vocal colors. "Turn it Up" sounds like all the other songs on this album where they charge right at you . I will round this album down to an 8, it's a lot of fun, but is more straight forward party rocking that what I am into, my personal tastes aside the redundancy keeps it from being a perfect album but they are polished in what they dO. if you want a soundtrack to drive drunk to this is the perfect album. Drops on Lie Laga Records. 

Institute : "Readjusting the Locks"

The first three songs all kind of sound the same. It has a garage punk sound, like if Iggy had been a less inspired vocalist. Iggy might not have had the best set of pipes even in his peak, but he knew where to put his voice, where this guy seems to be a one trick pony. "Roll Music' is more in the rock beginnings of early punk. While I normally prefer this era because it was more song focused , this seriously lacks dynamics and the guitar might attempt to hold the tension of these songs, but these songs are not holding my attention. Thankfully the bulk of these songs are under 3 minutes. They do not go anywhere that really even needs that long. There is "Sonic Reducer " like riff to " Can't See Nothin" . The vocals are so terrible they don't really give these songs much of a chance.

When the guitars slow down going into "Shangri la" it is clear they are attempting to write a song, but the vocals continue to work against the song. It sounds like disgruntled mumbling.  I think this is the first song on this album that works for me. There is almost a more Sonic Youth feel to their sound here. The next song that stands out to be is 'Dazzle Paint".  The tension on this song is more effective. The rest of the time they seem to be intent on a reckless ramble. Sometimes I can make out the lyrics better than others. This could be any drunk muttering into a microphone. It is not until "Deadlock" that I check back in. There is a strummed guitar that offers another sonic layer.

The vocals are so terrible that I will have to round this down to a 5. I appreciate the knod to old school early days of punk. They captured the rawness of that sound . What they did not do was really connect when it comes to song writing , but the vocals are largely to blame for this . I just reviewed the new Bad Religion yesterday and it was a clear case of how a punk singer cna try to sing and actually add value to the songs. Sadly the opposite happens here.

Valient Thorr : "Old Salt"

This is not our first rodeo here with this band. I find myself questioning if they are a metal band at all on this album, there is some good punk rock that finds itself in the alleyway punk crawled from as rock n roll with the attitude dialed up to 11. Bands like the Stooges, Mc5, Dead Boys and Ramones  broke new ground in this era. Here is where this southern band finds themselves pulling from on the first two songs.  There is some punch to the oddly syncopated "the Trudge". Vocally it owes more to Rollins time in Black Flag, though the guitar carries a little bit metal chug to it. It's more punk in the same way Murder City Devils were punk rather than owing much to Sabbath or Priest. The southern rock thing is dialed back as well, there are hints of it in the guitar solos.

There is a weird angular Fugazi thing going on with "Worm Up". As whole this album indulges in being much more angular that what I have heard from them in the past, but without the beards these guys would almost be a southern rock version of Minus the Bear on this one. If Kvelertak is still to heavy for you then these guys might scratch the itch for quirky punk rock. "Spellbroke" might not be as focused when it comes to the songwriting, but the herky jerky energy seems to compensate. There is a more metallic attack to "the Shroud". It is not the album's most inspired song. There is some Mastodon like riffing on this one, coupled with a more old school Accept like fist pumping.

"Looking Glass" opens with very 80s sounding gang vocal. The album closes with "Jealous Gods" .  It's more of a relaxed boogie groove, with touches of math in the angular way the guitar interacts. Vocally Valient Himself is good for a punk singer, but holds a tune on the lower end of the scale of rock singers with a somewhat similar limited range. But he makes due since the showcase is really the guitars. I'll round this album up to a 9, it's a vast improvement for these guys and the arrangements make the stripping away of the metal trappings more palatable.

Death Index : "s/t"

This one just popped up in my in box with little buzz around it. Carson Cox got his start playing in hard core punk bands before starting Merchandise. It is weird hearing his  croon over the more pounding pieces. It makes more sense on "Dream Machine" which has more swagger and finds them meeting at that cross roads in the 80s that I am such a big fan of where punk got darker and more melodic. "The Meal" finds this throbbing down an even darker sonic alley. It's not smoothed out like Merchandise, and has feedback squealing off the edges. When they throw themselves into a more boisterous punk on the short blast of "Furio Controllo" it  has more in common with more the Stooges that say Negative Approach. The punk spasms come from unexpected places. They jump out at you from places it might make more sense for a chorus to come from.

Carson works with the music on " Little N Pretty" allowing the vocals to carry all the melodic weight and in creating this jagged post-punk feel , while the guitar stick to very straight forward style of punk playing. The first song where they wander out into left field for experimentation is " Lost Bodies". The effected vocals would not be out of place on an industrial album from the 80s. Considering the more radio rock direction Merchandise went on "After the End". "We've A Got Number" feels very honest even with the rambunctious attitude that explodes from it. The over driven thump of bass drags the gritty brooding of  "JFK" out into the daylight.  It's droning lumber has an almost Swans feel. "Patto Con Dio" hits hard  with out relying on aggression. Cox's vocal has enough room to move the melodies around. The final two minutes of this one they let boil on noise.

I'll give this one a 9, though I think it will continue to grow on me"Lost Bodies" has some cool sounds , but it is the only song I don't feel like I will need to have with me when I am on the go. Overall there hasn't been a punk album dark enough to do much for me in sometime so it's good to hear something fresh from an old familar voice.

Whiskey Ritual : " Blow With the Devil"

There is still more black in this black n roll than these guys might want to admit. Some of this is the earlier first wave of black metal as plenty of Venom and Hellhammer  can be felt in riotous power chord they conjure up. It's hard to argue with a song about doing coke with the devil. But after the first song I find myself asking if they blew their wad on that one and what else can they do.  The answer is something slightly more punk rock, mostly due to the drumming . Which influences the vocal pattern. They hit a few more sonic chord progressions, eventually I find myself preferring bursts of the more punk styled guitars, over the mad ranting the vocals take on when they begin to cross over.

"Too Drunk For Love" has a slight G.G Allin feel it , but is one of the more well constructed songs . The guitars dropping out to allow the bass to take over the wheel gives it a little more groove. The vocals are a balanced of growling and punk mania. The have a gnarly blast-fest going into "Satanic Kommando". It's not until the drums drop down into more of a tom roll that things finds their bearings. There is something in the lyrics about a black metal legion, but aside from the chant of the song title most of the lyrics are incomprehensible. To be about amphetamines  they slow down for "Speed & Chicks" which given the subject matter, makes perfect sense that there would be more of a Motorhead like stomp to this one. They continue to romance you with "A.B.I.T.C.H" .  This and other moments where they step away from the corpse paint are more black punk, than rock n roll.  There is some ranting about a flea infested dog, and gang vocals joining in, but it reminds me of Gwar's first album more than Darkthrone. The song that follows is similar tempo, perhaps a tad more gallop, until they find a solid chug to lock onto.

"Nekro Street Dog" is very Motorhead. The lyrics are pretty discernible.  The solos are the most rock n roll thing so far on this album. "Henry Rollins" sounds more like Black Flag than any of his solo. It chugs along and has a pretty driving chorus, for people who wish Motorhead was more punk. They close out the album with "Tank of Intolerance" and you will not be surprised they did not end the album with an epic power ballad, but on a more black metal note. This band would do really well in a city like Atlanta where all the metal bands used to be punk. This album is fun, if I still it would be more worthwhile as this sounds like something to get shit faced too, party black metal. I'll give it a 7.5 .

Protomartyr : "The Agent Intellect"

On first listen it seems like its business as usual for Detroit's Protomartyr as not much has changed since last year's " Under Color of Official Right". Joe Casey's voice is more about attitude of his narration  than melody as he doesn't sing the first actual note until the chorus of "Cowards Starve". There is a more up beat CBGB styled punk to the frantic jerk of " I Forgive You". Some synths are real low in the mix and the guitar tone continues to lean toward the shadows in the more melodic moments. It meets that place in the early 70s where rock n roll and punk rock were more closely connected. "Boyce or Boice" finds the guitar holding down the static line somewhere between tension and a drone. Casey's voice wanders around in a disoriented manner over the upbeat drums. He chant "Let them into our home". The songs b-section hits a smooth reflective mood.

The darker , colder post-punk sounds comes in on "Pontiac 87". Casey's voice takes on more of a croon. They find the right balance between abrasion on melody here. The dynamics are there and its clear to me that this is what I want more of from this band. They pick up the tempo, but stay on the darker side of what they do on "Uncle Mother's". The guitar shifts into more of surf rock tone here. The guitars go into a dizzying and  angular bridge, before dropping out. The guitar gets more  aggressive, but in more of a Sonic Youth fashion. At times things slow down as if they are nodding out under the  "Dope Cloud" waking up and picking up the pace. The dope cloud is descending all over this town according to Casey.

Some weird atmosphere and faint samples open "the Hermit" before the bang back with a more punk like energy. Casey announces he doesn't think so because they lie, they lie , they lie. The drums become more frantic under the gloomy atmosphere of "Clandestine Time" as Casey croons a little more than simply providing a narrative. The guitar tone gets a little more  Cure like here. "Why Does it Shake " in someways doesn't feel as focused more like Nick Cave jamming with Joy Division. Though they eventually rock at with more distortion than Joy Division normally would."Ellen" is simple but effective showing that melody and mood always win out at the end of the day. The guitar tone is somewhat Sonic Youth like on this one. The build up on this one is very subtle.

The album closes with "the Feast of Stephen" which finds the guitars carrying more of a jangle. The vocals are more of a mumble over what becomes more of a drone, until the bass line becomes more prominent. This reminds my of 90s indie rock like Sebadoh. The change is very marginal on this one , it might be a few degrees more introspective than the last album, but if you like this band every thing that works for them is still intact, I'll give it a 9.


11

Calabrese : " Lust For Sacrilege"

Going into this I only know this band plays Dragon-con on a regular basis and also does the horror-con circuit which is why they are one of my friend's favorite bands. They have cool monster themed t-shirts.The opener is like a dark wave Tears For Fears which is better than some of the Volbeat hard-rock. The singer has a good voice, so much so that is carries the otherwise bland "Down in Misery". They use to be a horror punk with a touch of shock a billy, this however is well produced but straight rock.Many punk bands go this route once they gain a little more command of their instruments.  You can hear the Misfits influence still lingering on "Teenage Crime Wave". Making me ask how is what they are doing here different from what Beastmilk does. The answer is the rock is much more connected to 90s alt rock radio where Beastmilk is more post-punk, carrying more sonics to their punch.

When the vocals back off and allow the melody to dominate rather than the guitar it plays in their favor and the hooks win me over on "Flesh and Blood". The title track is heavier and bass driven with intersecting melodies, not the album's most original song. The more straight forward commercially flavored hard rock continues on "Wanted Man", some of the riffs might be creative for Shinedown, but I think these guys are capable of doing something darker. "Serpentflame" doesn't do much to change direction as they take on a tighter palm muted chug.

They do reclaim their punk roots on "Gimme War" that stays in true punk form under two minutes. I prefer the punchier "New York Ripper" over their rather cookie cutter punk sound. This song also has the albums best lyrics.They keep a meaner edge on "Lords of the Wasteland" with the singer putting a little more grit in his delievery.The band closes the album out on the power ballad "Drift into Dust" that uses a few more major chords than what feels right to me, but for what it is the song is decent enough.

My initial thoughts on the album is these guys are better than I thought they would be as it's not just one to three go and all of the rock-a billy elements if they were ever there are shed for a more rock approach. I will give this one an 8.5. In time it might prove to be too straightforward for me, but if you are already a fan of the band would imagine you might want to round this up unless you are just a fan of their punk side then round it down.

Raspberry Bulbs:"Privacy"

I really appreciate when a band challenges you to define them. They mock your efforts to fit them neatly into a sub-genre. There are certain elements you expect then you hear something is black metal or hardcore. Two tags that have been tossed like a salad around Raspberry Bulbs. To some extent they fit depending on how you define hard core or black metal. If Black Flag and Venom are what you have in mind then they are on target. Even their guitar sounds has the abrasive jangle of early Ice Age in places. The opener carries more of a metal rumble than the song that follows which is much more straight up punk and not as compelling as "Lionhead".  Both sides of the equation allow the band to get away with their lo fi sound. The don't pull punches with the feed back.

The album is swarming with noise laden experimental interludes that serve no real part in holding the album together. They stay close to punk rock on "How the Strings Were Pulled". Backing oooohs sing in the distant while the vocalist stays in a punk sneer with enough rasp to be black n roll as well. So here is a prime example where their collision works the best. The often attack the songs with more of a metal intensity, but steer clear of blast beats preferring to drop down into half time stomps.

By the time you get to "Nail Biting" you can see through the hype and recognize these are punk rockers with an affinity for metal. Right now you are going to argue that this goes against the challenge to not be defined. I am not saying the are just a punk rock band, but the are closer to being headed in that direction than they are metal. "VII" is the longest of the noise interludes , but it doesn't make then Swans. The "I Saw Your Mommy" feel to "Finger Bones" offsets the distant growl of the vocals , that layer something decidedly darker than punk. In some ways they do what Midnight does , but much better and from a punk perspective.

There is an old school "Sonic Reducer" style punk to "Behind the Glass". They only thing that sort of irks me about their songwriting is they tend to be a little straight forward, which does them a disservice as their best moments are when they wander out of the box. The even manage to cram a guitar melody into it. A similar paced jaunt into punk is snarls up from the gutter these guys crawled out of on "Hopelessly Alive".  The vocals are the only thing on this one that really brings anything to the table as it becomes more of the same old same old. They let the bass out them out on "Big Grin" ,which is a huge curve ball to momentum  they built thus far. The guitar takes an almost post-punk tone  and the vocals stay in a maniacal rasp, that still manages to not really become growling. There are some heavy punches toward the mid way point.

I think I might get more milage out of this one than I suspect, this album gets a 8 with room to grow on me, they middle of the album becomes predictable and some of the straight forward punk elements don't lend themselves to much of a dynamic range, but I like where they are going with this and will check out there releases to come.

6.1

Nothing @ the Mammal Gallery

If you ever go to the Mammal Gallery do not use GPS. It is hidden away on the outskirts of the GA State campus and the only reliable guides are crack heads and Marta police.The search would have been daunting expect for the fact I have missed Nothing in the past and was not taking no for answer this evening.

 The shop front entrance was deceptive and if not for the gaggle of punk rock hipsters gathered out side it would have blended in with the surrounding area. Inside the venue was a lot bigger than expected, about the size of say the Masquerade.The heat vicious and the turnout which was way more than expected only added to this. I did not know headliners Ceremony, another band I seem to miss every time they swing through was that popular. Iron Lung was the first band we caught. They are a sludgey taken on grind core. The snare was rather flat, but the drummer spent half of his time handling the shouted punk like vocals and the guitarist took to the more growled vocals.They did blend a mix of varied influences, despite the boomy loudness of their set.. Some of the riffs earned a head nod a most.

 We moved up closer for Nothing's set. They took the stage with Bright Eye's "Devil Town" , playing over the p.a as their fanfare.The first thing that stood out about there set and maybe it was do to being on tour with Ceremony, but these guys launched into their set with an energy more reserved for punk bands than shoe-gaze.The band's punk roots might be hinted at on their new album "Guilty of Everything", live they are paraded on full display. So a song like "Bent Nail" came across much more pounding. Thus answering the question I went in with... How is what they do going to translate to this crowd.

Their bassist held the most frantic energy live. He seemed to throw himself into every note.Not to mention I honed right in on the Morrissey tattoo he sported on his forearm, of course making him one of my favorite members of the band. He actually stood center stage while the two guitarists flanked him on either side.This also allowed me to hear which guitarist sang what part on the albums . Dominic Palermo handled the lower more monotone Hum like vocals, while Brandon Setta, took the higher airy more androgynous ones. The vocals were largely buried in the mix though being up close to the stage we more than likely caught the monitor mix so we caught more of Brandon's vocals.

Drummer Kyle Kimball clearly comes from more of a hardcore background the way he held his sticks as if prepared to bust into a break down. He made the most of the four piece set and kept the intensity level higher than the recorded work. Dominic midway through the set apologized with a slurred speech the fact he had way too much to drink, admitting they had come across some Moonshine, which Brandon confirmed was real deal moonshine. It might have made Dominic's vocals come across more mumbled, but didn't seem to after his playing otherwise and truth be told Shoegaze certainly lends its self to conveying an altered state of some sort. The bulk of the set was from their new album and the way in which the band took these songs to the stage continues to challenge and redefine what shoe gaze can be and doesn't limited itself to the 90's. Speaking of the 90's some of their more rambunctious moments gave the songs more of a Mudhoney like grunge feel.

We enjoyed the show, my ears rang the next day, but my girl friend who wore ear plugs was not bothered. The venue's heat did prompt us to leave before Ceremony took the stage as going home and catching up on True Blood after our week long tv cleanse, had more appeal than sweating it out. I hope to catch the west coast punks eventually in a venue with better ventilation or during the winter, my Norse blood just isn't cut out to swelter.    

Perfect Pussy : "Say Yes to Love"

They are much better than Pussy Riot. This New York band formed in 2012, and the name alone is getting them a lot of attention. Their music, is anti music on songs if you want to call them songs like "VII" , but on songs like the opener "Driver" their is a sense of cohesion and it all makes sense. They are volatile, Meredith Graves, is as aggressive as any female punk singer in recent memory.

The very lo-fi nature of what they do is the element I have to acquire a taste for.It's not as far removed from what I sometimes listen to as the hippest of the hipsters might want to think of these guys, they are not unlike Sonic Youth or P.j Harvey in either's more chaotic moments.

When they flirt with conventional songwriting they show a lot of promise, "Big Stars" surprised me as it's a very good song , that flows well despite it's jarring energy. Once I got use to this the punk rock spasms of "Work" made more sense to me. It's funny how I can listen to prog all day long no problem , but when it comes to something as simplistic as the quirky noise these guys make I have to rewire my brain to wrap my head around it. I think a song like "Dig" they bashed out giving little thought to the fine points of songwriting and the lack of detail doesn't .

Most of the songs are quick in and out wham bams at about a minute, when they linger longer and give themselves chance to establish something like the very Daydream lull of "Interference Fits" leads you into the more punk temper tantrum it builds into.One of the longer songs is the 5 minute "Advance Upon the Real" is more noise than song, which just kind of takes up space for no reason, though the elements of song they start with are like angry Kim Gordon fronted Sonic Youth. The song returns later in the album for a more noise laden reprise. .

"Bells" is discordant and starts with a live sample of the singers dialogue making the song feel like it is live and the way this album is recorded its hard to tell if it is or not. "III" follows a similar sonic path though the vocals seem to actually have a pattern to them.The clang the song takes on as it is battered back and forth has a charm to it as clumsy as it is. "I" feels like it hold some of the similar melodic themes in some of the sound layered in this distorted tempest.

I will give this album a 5 as it falls short of really being songs, I think as this band matures and deepens their need for songs and melody in the direction of "Big Stars" that they will be onto something. For now this isn't my thing, but I appreciate some of the notes they hit.

58

Pissed Jeans ;" Honeys"

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Iceage : " You' re Nothing"

The young Dannish quartet have ironed out enough of sloppy garage punk edges that irked me on the new album. You can now make out the notes and chords they are playing rather than just the collision of rusty strings being banged on. The vocals also show much improvement tuneful enough with out compromising attitude. Where the first album was more attitude over substance. It opens with what I think is the albums best song and the only moment where the singer finds his actual singing voice. Not only is it the albums best song but one of the best new songs I've heard this week, when if you take into consideration how much new music I listen to very week is saying something. They cover a lot of ground in under three minutes and I do wish. PRefo this vibe was touched on in the rest of the album as their is a reckless sense of adventure .

"Coalition" is back to business punk and prettymuchloke what the first album dished out with better production on the guitar which still have the garage grim on them but the single note line sound more like Hisker Du to me. "Burning Hand" takes on more of a gallop almost like the riff to Holy Diver if it was dragged throught befitted of Europe and thrown up on , i like it better than the previous song, the noisy quality to what they do has taken on a ore sonic ambiance md in some ways it's even so ice Ike Sonic Youth and in other it's white noise that propels it in more of a post- punk sense.

"In Haze" has lee of a rock n roll feel , particularly in the interplay between guitar which not unlike Ceremony kinda hails back to a band like Wire or Televisio, the vocals are raw and ravaged. H discontent yet hold the melody of a pub song. the simp of the bass juxtaposes against the piano of of "Morals" and the gasping desperation of their singer mumbling towards a melody he can't grasp until the song takes off. It feels pretty sincere , they aren't faking the punk any step of the way nor are they setting of to be anyone but themselves.

Bass begins to hold everything together like duct tape in the ghetto. "Everything drifts" makes up for in heart what it lacks in melodic smarts, the vocals are still spat out with self contempt the guitar parts hum out of the ruckus with more me.oy than you might expect, their assault is simplistically but well placed and this album grows on me the more I listen. "Wounded Hearts" is similar in tone to the previous track as the. Ass anchors every thing for the guitars to drunkenly dance around and the singer to blurt out his coma tie insecurities.During this back end of the album we do get a lot more of the same vibe of almost cockney swagger.

The beginning barrage of " It Might Hit first" has a metal pound to it but it relaxes back into a punkier slouch the song is only a minute and a half so a minimal time frame to really establish much and most of the metal seems to be in the drums. The closing song default back into a sloppier simplistic punk ditty, it's another one that clocks Ina t two minutes so pretty much to the point and the more rudimentary style of punk that has always been to short on shred and dynamic for my tastes, but if you are into that sort of thing they execute it well for what it is and by the next album it would seem at their current rate of progress the will have grown out of the need for that sort of thing. It goes back into the old when a punk band learns how to play their instruments they become metal. Though in their cas I could see them going into Joy Division territory as eighties goth is the new metal.

I this this album as astep in the right direction for Iceage and a big improvement in their sound from their debut, iLife most things in the universe it's assets are the flip sides of its short coming and sometimes it's youthful ness is a little shortsighted, namely their default being sloppy punk rock, when they have some really intresting things to say so I'll give this one an 8 and leave it with room to grow on me fans of punk might round it up a point as they are very genuine at what they do and put their gray hearts into it.

Bad Religion: True North

I have always been more into metal than, though have an appreciation for it and prefer bands with punk leaning or who came after the first wave of seventies punk...post punk which run closely to what became thought of as goth, bu i have always respected Bad Religion who brings class to punk rock, they are educated and have a good grasp of song writing. I think this factors into way the band tends to get their fair share of crossover from metal heads.

Their new one "True North" picks up pretty much where they left off. It opens with the title track which is concise commentary on societies moral. It's concise, no surprises, they don't sound like they have aged despite the promo pictures that came with this. Almost to a fault the vocal follow their signature patterns. However this changes with the second song "Past is dead" that is more sung that shouted, though they revert back into form once the song kicks in. The layered harmonies are congruous with what you want from this band. The solo is very rock nroll but doesn't jump up on the monitors with Slash flair either. "Robin hood in reverse" keeps the tempo and I can appreciate the snickers taken at religion, but it's more of the same and has a blandness to which is typical of this kind of punk rock,

"Land of endless greed" I begin to reevaluate loading this onto my iPod as monotony starts to set in, the break down in the verse leading into the solo works, the drumming is fairly boring despite the guitars best efforts to make this not so. "Fuck you" is loaded with more woah ohs than convincing aggression, but their is an maturity in the melodic nature I can respect and I like how it punches going into the chorus.

"Dharma and the Bomb" the very rock nroll approach to the verse is a needed change, though I could just as easily see Buckcherry penning this. "Vanity" we are back to the 1,2,3 go style of punk, which had been done this way so many times over it loses it's effectiveness. The chorus to "In their hearts is right" is a cool change of tempo and melody.

"Crisis Time" starts strong, but the drummer seems to only have three beats he interchanges. Though this is one of the albums stronger songs. "Dept. of false hope" doesn't do anything different until the chorus which seems to be the albums formula. The first song where the ravages of age begin to show on the old vocal chords. In their down time the guitarists must have been really going back into the history of rock n roll on the sunset strip.

"Nothing to dismay" has more of a chug to it than the previous songs, but the wheel isn't being reinvented here. By and large the guitar playing is pretty solid on this album, the bassist might be sleeping on the e string half the time though. " Popular consensus " the wheel they were spinning when they were going back to stock punk riffs must have gotten stuck here, the melody is lazy and follows the guitar but as he sings the " popular consensus doesn't mean much to him" so I'm sure that applies to the laziness which befalls some of the songwriting here.

By the time I have made it "My head is full of ghosts" I'm almost too bored to be objective because I'm pretty much over this album by this point. I'm guessing if you are a fan of the band then real bland riffs is pretty much your deal. " the Island" they are clearly on autopilot and hoping the are going have this pimped out to an audience to young to know better that these songs are all recycled throw away riffs sometimes put to better use than others.

" Changing tide" is a little bit of an irony when you have just tried to force down and album guilty of more of the same. The lyrics which were one smartly written are now regurgitated cliches. The album is well produced and the songs are solidly presented just uninspired. I'll give this album a four , if you are a fan you might be excited enough to hear something new from these guys but would be fooling yourself to round it up more than a five as the creative tank here is running on empty and if you want tousle the well it's punk rock excuse, this is pretty much rock n roll, less removed from Social Distortion than it once was, though they share a similar fan base.

Primate: Draw Back a Stump

This is as close to covering punk rock as I will ever allow this band to get.  Mastodon Guitarist Bill Kelliher and former Brutal Truth growler Kevin Sharp step up to the plate with this side project. It hold none of the chaos either of their other bands once played with, instead stays very basic pummel style in the vein of Black Flag , yet the metal roots betray it with some of the sonic chug of this assualt.

The only melody to be found lies in Kelliher's playing, as Sharp is every bit as abrasive as the guitars. This is consistant with his preformance in Brutal Truth, a band who in all fairness I abandoned after their first album. The snarl Sharp default's to is at times very Rollins. While aside from Ringworm there is not alot of good new crossover coming out so sweaty drunk kids every where are looking to get this kind of pit going.
I don't see this making the trip over to my i-Pod as I'm not the target audience, I recognize this so I'm not going to score it as I can't tell the songs apart. They are all well played but at a similar tempo, influenced by an era before the hardcore break down. The songs clock in in the traditional under three mintue mark in fact this entire album is the length of one songs from "Crack the Skye". Several memebers of  this band are from the Atlanta punk band the Despised, who kept.an underground following, like the Despised , Motorhead would be the closest metal band comparisons could be drawn to even factoring in the rest of Primate's family tree, I suppose those lines of distinction could be drawn with most punk of this flavor.

The album is well recorded , clarity and grit present in a well rounded balance, an achievment considering this sort of thing normally works best live.While dense, I wouldn't say this album holds a very dark, so this factors into why it would not resonate with me.I think younger metal heads with punk leanings will enjoy this as much as the old school who has G.B.H patches next to the D.R.I and Slayer ones on their denim vests. I think as far as hard core punk goes , the hype surrounding a band like Off! would be better served on these guys. I think the bands age or more vetran nature is transcended in their preformances, making the attitude this music is about hold more weight than coming across as a loud suburban brat.

I guess the restraint Kelliher's playing here exhibits, lends creedence to some of the punk vs metal compare and contrast examined earlier in the week, it must bring out this inner 14 year old to dummy down after the winding prop epics. Earlier Mastodon utilized as some what more straight forward attack at the onset of some of their songs. This is 75 percent punk 25 percent metal so if you are dying for a score on this move the decimal point and round it up or go dig up Slayer's "Undisputed Attitude" album and you will be in the same zip code just on a steady diet of  " My war " .  

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2012/06/primate_readies.html