The Ghoulstars : "the Dark Overlords of the Universe"

 

This band from Finland plays an upbeat brand of shock rock that opens with a gritty throaty anthem that makes you think they are going in a more Lordi direction. Then things get darker for "the Dead in Purgatory."  As far as horror goes, it's more in the light-hearted side, like if a rock band were playing at Disney's Haunted Mansion. Vocalist Arthur Thure is more versatile than just a leather-lunged howler. There is nothing all that original about what they are doing here, but it does have a charm. Until we hit the thunderkissed chug of "the Brain that Wouldn't Die," the use of samples is the only part that brings White Zombie.

Four songs into the album, it fees like they are sonically closer to post-Brockie GWAR mixed with the 69 Eyes, as I am sure fans of both those acts will find plenty of Halloween fun that is up their alley. "Graverobbers From Outerspace" has more of a Misfits feel, though the vocals are grittier.  "The Wolfman" might be one of my favorite movies, but this song is not my favorite on the album, as it's more aggressive but not as catchy. There are some decent riffs in it, but cool riffs alone does not make a good song, is the motto here. 

"The Ballad of the Cursed Bandits" is not a ballad at all, though that should not be a surprise considering the album up to this point has been paced more like Motorhead-style thrash than not. The more brooding metal mood of "Vampire" works for me better, which makes snese as I prefer vampires to werewolves. Most of these guys are in death metal bands aside from this band in fact the bass player was in Hooded Menace, so some of that influence comes out on the last song  I will give this an 8.5, as I like where they are going with this since horror movies and metal are pretty much what I am about, but with that said I personally already have a ton of bands that fill that need for me , as these guys are almsot too happy for my taste, these guys would be a great entry point for younger European auidences that are just discovering that sort of thing. They care about songwriting and set the stage with a fun mood. Drops on Season of Mist on May 15th.

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Gwar : "the Return of Gor Gor"

 

This ep is a bit of an odd release as it's 3 new songs and 4 live songs from various junctures in their careers. The mix on the first song is a little weird, as there are lots of odd synth effects, and the guitars feel a little on the mix. The title 'The Great Circus Train Disaster" seems outside of the normal Gwar mythology, which used to be the thread ever since 'Hell-o" and they have gradually strayed from this. "Lot Lizard" has more rock n roll in its veins. With big gang vocals chiming in. Just generally, tales of human depravement are on theme for the band. 

There are a ton of weird sounds on this album, which I am fine with. "Tyrant King" seems to be more of a metal song. It is also the first song to mention the title character. It is as inspired as their other post-Brockie songs, not really. They are staying on the road and playing a ton of festivals so I guess the money is there, and this is just part of the machine they have become. "Crack in the Egg" is the first live song. The guitars are on point. It still grooves like it once did. He is great at singing his own songs, but when it comes to taking over Oderus's songs, when I saw them open for Mudvayne a few years ago, they sounded better. 

"Founding Fathers" is a skit that needs to be seen more than it needs to be heard. The title track of "America Must Be Destroyed" is unexpected but reminds me to give that album another listen.  Though it's an interesting industrial-influenced instrumental, it is an odd choice for a live song.Unless they were killing time to chop somebody up on stage, which is better seen. 'Fish Fuck" is another choice, from a band that continues to lose their minds while maintaining a brutal tour schedule. I will give this one an 8.5, it's not their best, but certainly worth the time of Gwar fans who miss Oderus. 

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Alice Cooper : "the Revenge of Alice Cooper"

 The first album with the original Alice Cooper band since "Muscle of Love".  Bob Ezrin is also producing it. The first song, "Black Mamba" was the first single released from the album. Does it perfectly capture the fire enough that it picks up where they left off on "Muscle of Love"? Almost, it is pretty energetic for a band in their mid-70s who have not played together since the 70s. I like the first song better than "Wild Ones." This is because it is darker, and darker is what sets them apart from other bands on "Love It To Death". 

For 77, Neal Smith's drumming is solid, though "Up All Night"  feels more AC/DC  than what these guys used to do, and Cooper's vocals are way up front, and we have 77 year 77-year-old Alice singing about how he can keep it up all night. Um, ok.  'Kill the Flies ' finds things starting off with a creepier atmosphere before going into more 4 on floor rock n roll. Cooper's vocal does bring back a more theatrical feel. The chorus could be better. Just think of the songs this has to stand up against if you think I am being too critical. There are things like harmonies that sound like they have not aged. 

''One Night Stand' is darker, which is an improvement, and lyrically it's about a serial killer, which is better than him diving back into the "Poison" mood of his hair metal albums he went on to make without these guys. "Blood On the Sun" feels like a cross between a country song and the Doors, mixed with their more rock strut. Cooper's voice sounds amazing for his age. The arrangement might not be as progressive as their earlier work, but it takes some interesting twists and turns. "Crap That Gets in the Way of Your Dreams" makes fun of rock songs and struggling musicians with little self-awareness.  It is almsot as mean-spirited in its social commentary as Frank Zappa, but effective. 

"Famous Face" is another song that finds them grooving more than expected. It feels a little like early punk but with a more depressed attitude. This makes sense considering they came up playing with bands like the Stooges. His voice once again wins the day for "Money Screams."They pull from varied sides of what they once did with "What a Syd" sounding like it could have come from 'School's Out'. Then "Intergalactic Vagabond Blues" sounds more like a jam than a song, as it is not the most focused thing on the album. 

As for rocking out, they next another stab at straight-up rock n roll with "What Happened to You". He has been chasing more of a garage rock jam feel on some of his other, more recent albums, so things like this are not a surprise, but I prefer it when he takes a harder edge. He comes closer to this on "I Ain't Done Wrong," though there's more of a blues feel to the overall mood.  "See You On the Other Side" is more melodic than some of the rock jamming they were doing in the album's latter half. I will give this one a 9.5, so not at the level of his most classic work, but way better than other rockers close to his age are doing, it's closer to "Muscle of Love" than it is "Love it to Death" which might play into why I am not blown away by it, as it's not what I expected, but still congruent with what these guys used to do. 

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Wednesday 13 : "Mid Death Crisis'

 The two previous albums reviewed by these guys found their sound harkening back to 80s metal in a manner that won us over. The opening track of their new album moves like a Rob Zombie song, while the vocals are more like Alice Cooper. The determined chug to "When the Devil Commands" has more of a "Dr Feelgood" groove. Things are big and anthemic. This does recall this kind of thing when it found rock morphing in the 90s as it tried to find its identity. They make a good argument for becoming Alice Cooper's backing band here.

The vocals are less sneered and more sung on "Rotting Away". This brings WASP to mind, not the first comparison we have drawn between the two bands. "No Apologies" features Taime Downe from Faster Pussycat, who sings the second verse, and he pretty much sounds like he did back in the day. I would say for cock rock Faster Pussycat was one of the most under rated bands, and they clearly influenced these guys. They break out the hairspray for "Decapitation." Lyrically, it feels like it could have come from Alice Cooper's "Constrictor' album, which might not have aged well, but was one of my favorite albums as a kid. 

"In Misery" feels like it could have come off of Cooper's "Trash" album, though it rocks a little harder than he did back then. They race off in a more punk direction for "Blood Storm", but it's their more WASP-like moments where they shine, since WASP doesn't sound like that anymore.  "My Funeral" sounds like post- "Countdown" Megadeth. Dave Mustaine was influenced by Alice Cooper as well, so that tracks. The last song is not as inspired as some, but if you are looking for straightforward 90s-flavored metal, they have you covered.  I will give it a 9, as it's a solid sound that hits the right places down memory lane while still injecting some personality into them. No one does this very well these days , so these guys get credit for bringing the rock to the intersection of metal. 

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Marilyn Manson : "One Assignation Under God Chapter 1"

 Manson is back. Vocally sobriety seems to be doing him favors. His upper range is not as strained. His 12th album is once again produced by Tyler Bates. It sounds like Code Orange's Rebe Meyers is playing for him and lending backup vocals, which makes sense as she has been a part of his most recent touring band. The first two songs are dark, and melodic with enough rock guitars to make sense. The first aggressive song is "Nod if You Understand". His lyrics "I won't repent, this is what I was sent here for" set the tone for the album, since this is his comeback, after an unsuccessful cancellation. Really if you want Manson to be anything but a sleazebag, you were never into his music in the first place or just don't pay attention.

"As Sick as the Secrets Within" was one of the lead singles from this album. It does pretty much what you would want Manson to do in 2024, though it's somewhat moodier and like an alternative power ballad from the 90s. It brings "Mechanical Animals" to mind. "Sacrilegious:" has the same kind of "Dope Show' strut, he is known for. Not the strongest on the album, but it works well enough. There is a more organic rock feel on this album and less electronic pulsing. His lower vocals take on a more "Beautiful People' cadence, so there is an element where Manson feels like need to bring in familiar elements to remind you why you liked him. Things are streamlined, and less experimental, which is still effective for what he is going for here. 

"Death is Not a Costume" is darker with more grit to the creeping bass line. The most "goth" song so far. The chorus works really well on this one. "Meet Me in Purgatory" is driven by a punk-tinged bass line. Bate's has really figured out how to dial Manson's voice into the mix. The sounds are very clean, and he could have used less noise gating and allowed some of the tones to have more feedback and grit, particularly on a song like this. 'Raise the Red Flag" is another of the singles that preceded the album. It does have that grit I was just referring to on the bass, but the album as a whole needs to be dialed in like this song. Manson's vocals could still be the focal point, and he is not screaming a helluva like on this album, he does dig in more on the chorus here. 

The last song is a ballad, which works well enough, he sounds good on it, perhaps not what I would have chosen for him to do, but there is a creepy little melody in the background. He does go into his head register for a note, which I like. Lyrically it's interesting and honest so it prolly just needs to grow on me, so I will round this album up to a 10, and give it some time to settle in, but aside from a few glances back at his legacy, his voice sounds great and it's dark enough to work for me. 

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Lordi : "Screem Writers Guild"

 

For a long time I would ignore this band and write them off as a Gwar rip off. This Finnish band has more in common with Nightwish sonically than any of the harder music coming from the country. The pumped up guitars have the big production value to thank for their heft. It is more of a rock song on steroids than metal. A fact the band themselves might not argue. Then they go more disco , in the vein of Ghost than metal at all on "Unliving Picture Show". Their lead singer's have raspy voice does restraints in terms of the tones he can summon with his vocal cords. With a more dynamic singer other vocal color might take this song in a more commercial direction so it's a blessing and a curse. They are very polished in what they do, though a dated cheese factor abounds.  

"Inhumanoid" just kind of rocks past me and fades into the background with little to hook me in. "Thing in the Cage" has a more interesting melody. Once again, their singer's voice makes the songs sound the same as his rough-edged voice that is marked by his thick accent. Their sound is not as dark as their image, which I think is what Gwar always go right their sound stood up against the image they projected. This sounds the most problematic with "Vampyro Fang Club" which making a happy song about vampire's is pretty dumb. Thematically similar to Iced Earth's "Horror Show' album, Iced Earth did a better job of taking your on a tour of the horror archetypes. "the Bride" is hard to listen to with it's 80s hair metal balladry. The redeem themselves by getting heavier for "Lucyfer Prime Evil" 

"Scarecrow" is another song that is too happy for it's good with it's middle or the road arena rocking. By the time we get to "Lycantropical Island", things have gotten to a place where this might as well be Loverboy or Foreigner, which it really is the European version of those bands dressed up for Halloween.  This reaches almost a Ghost like level of silly on "the Castle of Dracolove". Musically they are more like a darker Journey on "Heavengenance".  The chorus is dumb and the album begins to take a turn in a direction that is almost hard to listen to. This builds to the power ballad "End Credits" puts his vocal flaws under a microscope. I will round this down to a 6 as it's hard to get through and midway into the last song I really could not take anymore. If you dress up like monsters and write songs about monsters I should be your target audience, so something is wrong here. The album is well done in terms of effective production and instruments being played with the vocals as the biggest weak link,.

The Class of 92 Gwar : "America Must Be Destroyed"

 

It is a daunting deed to have to follow up an album as great as "Scumdogs of the Universe". When this came out 30 years ago, I was a pretty big Gwar fan, but now that I am older and wiser, how will this album hold up over the decades.  It takes them a few to get warmed up though "Ham on the Bone" feels better to me than "Crack the Egg". The anthemic "Gor Gor" is the first song that really recaptures the magic of the previous album. This album has a tighter production than "Scumdogs" and when this album thrives it is working off a similar taunt thrash style of metal. The Alice Cooper like "Have You Seen Me" shows Brockie's pipes. It is dynamic and sticking with their outrageous theme.  "The Morality Squad" does not hit as hard as Techno Destructo's previous theme song.  

The title track works off samples and a Ministry like pre-industrial thrash, The narrative is it spinning would not fly in the super PC world we live in today. "Gilded Lily" taps back into their sweet spot as songwriters being able to make catchy melodic metal songs that are over the top. Which in a genre where over the top is the bread and butter, they stepped up their game "Poor Ole Tom" is another theatrical piece set to music. Brockie is the one who brings this song together. It is slower and more deliberate than what they would normally be doing at this time. Despite the carnage on stage these guys were only helping murder hair metal in the studio. "Rock N Roll Never Felt so Good", as they parody it better than what the actual bands were doing at this time.  

"Blimey" is the song I remember the least digging back into this alum. It is the fastest thrashing explosion of sound on this album. Another hair metal parody that is so good that you begin to wonder if it is in some ways intentional. Brockie once again proves he can sing when he tries. They parody Nirvana to some extent on the strum of "Pussy Planet" funny enough it is the band's current singer who handles the vocals for this song. I will give this album a 9, it is not "Scumdogs" but they were on the right track for sure. 

The Twins of Evil : Marilyn Manson vs Rob Zombie

I'll say I went into one of the recent stops of this tour with Marilyn Manson's full discography in my iPod so the deck was stacked in his favor. I had seen both Manson and Zombie in concert before. Manson the more recent of the two, as I saw him open for Slayer in 2007.  Zombie I caught at an Ozzfest in 99.  I liked his "Electric Warlock..." album , though a bigger fan of White Zombie. So the deck was stacked in Manson's favor. My she-wolf (girl friend in muggle speak) had never seen either so was a clean slate only biased by the fact she knew I was going for the express purpose of seeing Manson and told her going into we did not have to stay for Zombies entire set. She was braving the outside world for this show in a new cast after a paw injury, so was total super trooper the entire evening though I tried to do what I could to make the night as safe and easy as I could. Ok I'll stop gushing and get to the meat of this.

Manson

He was two songs into his set  by the time we got in the line being told she couldn't wear a spiked bracelet, which I pocketed rather than threw away...duh.In line I heard "This is the New Shit" and we walked up while he was playing "Mob Scene".  So we saw six full songs , which was more than enough considering how wasted he was. For "Say10" is seemed marginally more enthused. But he sat down to sing portions. He smoked a cigarette for this one which impressed the girl friend who had not seen someone smoke while they sang before.  He faked like he was going to play "I Don't Like the Drugs", but instead went into "Dopeshow". His first costume change also occurred where we wore a gaudy jacket that looked if Big Bird was a raven. "Sweet Dreams" was well received and perhaps the smoothest execution of his set. Though he kept hitting things with his microphone then acting surprised when it didn't work. I know part of his persona is not giving a fuck, but at least give enough of a fuck to do your job or go act like a baby in Hollywood. "Kill4me" was decent considering I had never heard it live before. It was when they went into the "Anti-Christ Superstar" songs at the end that things got really underwhelming. The title track with the Bible burning at the podium was better than "the Beautiful People" which put him on the map. It was also during his set my wolf realized two things, it was really fucking hot outside and there was literally no room in the seated area to dance. She was however pleased as she could cross Manson off her bucket list.

Zombie 

Rob was the underdog going into this. I had more experience with him in recent years working on Halloween 2 than I had his music. Manson's stage show had been underwhelming , so when Zombie exploded onto a stage lit up by video screens it was as impressive as the energy invested into playing the songs. Rob has to work harder for it as his range is somewhat more limited than Manson. He dominated the stage in terms of presence. While he talked about drugs later in the set , it was safe to say at his age Zombie was sober. "Superbeast" was pretty pumped up and high energy as well. Funny enough half Zombie's band once played for Marilyn Manson. Granted John 5 is an impressive guitarist so anyone he is playing with is going to have an ace in their sleeve.  I liked the movie playing on the screen while they were doing "Everybody is Fucking In a UFO" since it had Rob's wife being molested by aliens. He had all the ladies and she-wolves stand up on the chairs and dance during "Living Dead Girl" so I am glad mine got some room to dance here. The only fly in the ointment was "More Human Than Human" which seemed a little slow and like Rob could not keep up the pace of the rapped vocal. But if he missed the mark on one song then that put him well ahead of Manson.

 Right before "Gore Whore' we retreated from the seated section to the general admission lawn so the Wolf would have room to dance and vent some of the energy gathered from being housebound the bulk of her injury. Not that dancing in a cast is an easy task, but a beautiful creature can always pull it off. Before playing "Thunderkiss 65" Rob told the crowd to put away their phones for 3 minutes and was almost into the song before they stopped so he could tell someone to turn their phone off. During this song they went into a cover of "Schools Out", then closed the night with Manson coming out to join him for a cover of "Helter Skelter" . While we had a wonderful evening, it was clear that Zombie won this contest.

Lizzy Borden : "My Midnight Things"

Ok lets get one thing out of the way first. Why the fuck is there a cover of 'Silent Night" on here? There is no excuse for that and the first thought I had been I heard it was "I can't delete this fast enough. Now on a more positive note. His voice sounds great. Though I am trying to find what is really him  by searching through layers of vocal overdubs. By "Obsessed With You" the Queensryche influence is more prevalent. His vocal is little lower , perhaps with age but "Long May They Haunt Us" sounds like a more rock n roll version of who this band used to be. "the Scar Across My Heart " is a little too happy, a little too rock n roll and a little less metal than I want it to be. I am using "Visual Lies" as the album I am measuring these songs against. They do the best job of bringing a new modern sound to what they are doing while maintaining their classic identity on a song like "A Stranger to Love".

I don't mind the effects on his voice at the beginning of "Perfect Poison". I am trying to be ok with the gratuitous use of synths  here. The guitar is trying to hold tension as they decide if they want this to be a power ballad or not. Not the album's best song, but it doesn't suck either. They commit to a ballad for better or worse on "Run Away With Me". When they try to shift dynamics and go into a rock section it sounds like Styx's cheesier moments. "Our Love is God" actually rocks so this album runs hot and cold. The chug of the guitar sits well against the vocals. The reprise of the title that opened the album is more ballad like take on the song. His voice doesn't sound half bad, and while I would be prefer to hear a harder rock take on the song, this stripped down version is good for what it is.

The vocals continue to have Queen like layers of harmonies on "We Belong In Shadows". Despite the song's title this is not that dark in fact it might be a little too happy for me. The keyboards sound like 80s new wave, but the vocals are too Aldo Nova, oh...right some of you are too young to know who that is , well you did not miss much. The there is another reprise this time it's "Long My They Haunt Us". it's beginning to sound like a musical. Once again this could be worse, it's not the direction I would prefer to hear them go in, but they pull it off. The album closes with an updated version of " Waiting in the Wings " from "Master of Disguise" which is the album Lizzy and I parted ways on because it was such a departure from metal. Here the song works in this context and they did a great job bringing it into today. It sounds a little like Alice Cooper's new wave years. I'll round this up to an 8.5 as it might not measure up against the classics , but his voice is holding up and it's a better comeback than I could have hoped for.

Gwar : "the Blood of Gods"

You may or may not know that Gwar used to be one of my favorite band's in High school. I think I checked out after "This Toilet Earth" as the song writing took a dive after that. Hard to imagine the band going on without Oderus. Blothar the new singer, is the old Beefcake the Mighty taking on a new mantel. So they promoted from within. I can deal with this better than if it was some new guy they just brought in.The new sound does take some getting used to even though, he did handle the vocals on the song "Nice Place to Park". So his voice is not totally alien. It does have more of a Blackie Lawless like metal quality which does help them out when it comes time to cover "If You Want Blood". This album needed a few listens before I could connect the changes.  It with a much more straight ahead metal feel in the vein of mid 80s thrash.  "Viking Death Machine" might touch on their punk roots , but it is a more rock n roll song.

It's not until we get to "El Presidente"  the band connects with who they really are, not matter who is wearing what costume. There get back into more of West Coast 80s rock thing on "I'll Be Your Monster". It has punk drive to it , but is rock n roll at it's heart. "Auroch" is more metal, but moves at more of a punk speed. Didn't really wow me. This is a case where much like Black Sabbath, Dio is technically the better singer, but Ozzy has a charisma to his voice that wins you over. The same could be said by the void being filled here, though I was a little disappointed by the AC/DC cover at the end because through out the album we are getting some raspy rock yelps that made me think he could do a good Bon Scott, but he doesn't go for it. One such moment is his performance on "Swarm" has a classic metal feel and the song overall is a better balance of these foot on the monitor rock moments with who Gwar is as a band.

Sawborg's is better than some of Techno Destructo's moments on earlier albums.The more theatrical elements of their brand of story telling are in place on "Death to Dickie Duncan" which is a about a mascot of  some fast food chain. They go full on thrash for "Crushed By the Cross" which musically reminds me of that time period post "This Toilet Earth" that I was not as into. The thrash vibe returns going into "Fuck This Place" though it stays more on the metal side of the fence than punk. "Phantom Limb" is a power ballad that is an ode to Oderus Urungus. It's one of the album's better songs. At the end of the day it's a fun listen, it might fall short of "Scumdogs" or  "America Must Be Destroyed" , but it's much better than some of the bands less inspired albums of the 00s. So I'll give it a 9.

Marilyn Manson : "Heaven Upside Down"

I have mixed feeling when this album opens . I am glad to hear the return the return of distorted guitar . I not' really like the more straight ahead punk rock like pounding , but my it will grow on me. "Tattooed in Reverse" has a more groove to it. The distorted guitar is back. The distortion doesn't have a metal low end to it. Instead it's very dry and mid-range. So more of an industrial tone and not the beefiest at that. It is a fact that this album is angrier than "Pale Emperor". I want Manson to do be pissed , but I think the songs are no where as infectious even including the lead single "We Know Where You Fucking Live". The song is ok, but I don't see it getting stuck in my head like the bulk of the songs from "Pale Emperor". Speaking of that album it's the same band that played on "Pale Emperor " which has returned for "Heaven Upside Down".

There is a more hip-hop like beat to "Say10". This one is the darkest song so far. The guitar comes in at the chorus a more classic Manson feel. The beats begin to get a little more interesting as the album progresses. Some of the more bluesy undercurrents of the previous album begin to return. With Marilyn Manson  I want hi to be as dark as possible but still have groove and melody. It seems like this is where he is going with "Saturnalia" . It is the most goth song on the album up to this point. He comes back strong on "Jesus Crisis" announcing he writes songs to fight and to fuck to. "Blood Honey" has more of an industrial power ballad feel. It does kinds step back into the 90s which I am fine with. He admits that he will fuck every broken crazy girl, which I can certainly relate to. The title track is alright , but doesn't go above and beyond like some of these songs.

The album closes with "Threats of Romance".  This one has an almost White Strips like stomp to it. It's more piano driven with lots of swing and a 70s rock n roll feel during the first verse. The lyrics in the chorus are pretty clever "I liked you damaged , but I need something left". I'll go ahead and round this one up to a 9.5 and see how it grows on me. The last album certainl did and over the years he has proven to have that effect on me.

the Mentors : "the Illuminaughty"

I hope these guys are not playing shirtless in hoods now that they are old and gray. The problem here is that El Duce is dead. So replacing him is problematic despite the fact the bassist and guitarist are still in the band. For guys who have been playing since 1976, I expect a little more prowess when it comes to playing their instruments. The production is punk like in it's careless attitude. It's hard to imagine that this was once considered heavy metal. In 2017 as song like "Good In Bed" comes across as being kind of juvenile. The only redeeming quality it that I think in theory we need rape rock since, the world these days is too full of politically correct bullshit. Lyrically your average trap rap pushes the boundaries more than "More than Your Mouth Can Hold" . If the vocals are not slathered in effects, they are more spoken and pretty terrible.

"Keep Your Bitch" under control is just a message that gangsta or as the kids say today trap rap pumps out all the time, so the shock value of what they do just isn't there. The groove to this song sounds like old guys playing in the basement trying to learn "Mississippi Queen". But aside from the amateur solos this song is better than most so far. "Grab Her By the Pussy" is an ode to Donald Trump. The lyrics are more about Billy Bush. "The Sluts Are Back " is almost laughable, which is the value of the album. I would put it on for my friends to laugh at how stupid it is. The first song where the guitars are trying to write and actual song is "Lovin You  Really Sucks" . The singer makes one of his first attempts at singing. The main problem is the phrasing of the lyrics is awkward, which is strange considering he is a drummer. He does take on a lower more growled tone for "King of the Castle" obviously a feminist anthem. There is a more punk feel to "Get Down and Fuck". If the Ramones were retarded old men they might have written "Do You When I Wanna" The intro to "Screwin In the Church" makes it seem like they were trying to write a real song , until the vocals come in a fuck things up.Then they go into more of a Stooges like thing for "Watch Her Naked" . They try to actually sing more on the chorus. Overall this album only has a few moments , most of the songs just sound amatuer and from some one who is considered a cult classic , we should expect more from them or they should never try to do this without El Duce, which might be the more reasonable option. I'll give this a 4.


6

Alice Cooper : "Paranormal"

Alice Cooper was my second concert as a kid so we go back a ways. This new album finds him  going for a sound more akin to his later 70's work and less of the overt metal he had been stomping around in since his return in the 80's. I am not sure if it's the production or not , but his voice sounds amazing. It's like these are vocals lifted right from the 70s. Perhaps these are the paranormal powers at play and the christian golfer was just a joke and Vincent sold his sold his soul to the devil to retain the voice of his youth. If so it's worth it because I almost can't believe my ears. While he sounds good I am not sure of the Hendrix like funk that propels "Dead Flies" . Bob Ezrin is working with Cooper again which helps him find his way back to his more classic sound. "Fireball" is just well written rock song. There is a filter on his voice which sets him back into the mix along side the guitars. It's good to hear him singing more and not just relying on what had become his trademarked gritty narrative.

He steps out of the 70s and into his take on modern radio rock with "Paranoiac Personality". He steps back into a more familiar role vocally to blend this with his more post- Trash body of work. The backing vocals even remind me a little of Def Leppard.  "Dynamite Road" is the first song that I am digging because it sounds like a cross between "the Devil Went Down to Georgia" and "Radar Love" and is not really the kind of rock that Alice does best. "Private Public Breakdown" is an improvement, but not as strong as the first few songs, opting for a more Rolling Stones school of rock. "Holy Water" is not totally removed from some of the other songs Alice has acquired over the years, but it it's not my favorite either. It did grow on me on the second listen. "Rats" is another case of where it's not totally out of left field for him and while he does cover a wide range of rocks many flavors, this one is just to vanilla for me.

The more Pink Floyd / Dada like tone of "the Sound of A" is more satisfying for me as it's darker and seems to wink and the weird new wave time period of Alice that I love. The last two songs are preformed with the original Alice Cooper band, who have preformed in the past as Billion Dollar Babies/ He plays it pretty safe on the cross dressing ode "Genuine American Girl" where he claims to be only 30 out of 50 shades of gray. "You and All Your Friends" captures the more radio friendly sound of classics like "Elected" or perhaps to a less bombastic extent "Under my Wheels" Lyrically one of the smarter songs as Alice makes a political statement more veiled than some he might have espoused in the past. The playing of the Alice Cooper band on these songs is failry conservative and far from the more progressive slant of an album like "Killer". The same could be said for this album as a whole, it starts very strong and show a more melodic side as it progresses sinks into a safer rock n roll formula. So I'll round it up to an 8.5 for now , but that is lagging way behind his more classic work.  '

Rob Zombie " The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser"

 I love me some White Zombie, I was on for the ride the more Stooges like "Make them Die Slowly" so when "La Sexcisto" came out I was confused as to why they sounded like Metallica. The band hit their stride during the peak of my drug summer when "Astro-Creep" came out. I have caught Rob a few times live since the band broke up, but never caught on with his solo work cus I wanted White Zombie, the last of the Demons Defeated "Satanic Cyanide/ the Killer Rocks On" slows down and has more rock to it than the more electronic thump I associate with his solo work. "Well Every Body's Fucking In U.F.O" owes it country twang infused industrial to Ministry. Once you get past this fact it's fun a Butthole Surfers kind of way. The song titles are all way too long.The album has more textures and musical components in play than I would have thought going into it with several interludes.


"The Hideous Exhibitions of A Dedicated Gore Whore" has a sixties organ riff that accents the song, lyrically it's kind of stupid pretty much just describing her tattoos. The samples on this album are one of it's strong points in adding to the Narrative that Zombie sometimes reverts to a middle school level. There is a more White Zombie feel to 'Medication for the Melancholy". The album gets heavier here and stays strong on "In the Age of the Consegrated Vampire We All Get High". the interlude entitled "Super Doom -Hex Gloom" has more prominent psychedelic touches though they have been creeping around the entire album. The go for a more straight up rock kick on "In the Bone Pile". This also finds Zombie coming closer to singing than his chanted rap style."Get Your Boots On" is a more dialed approach that colors in the numbers to his typical formula.


 This album is a tons of fun. The songs are mostly under three minutes and ride the grooves with some window dressing, but adhere to the Kiss school of song writing by keeping it simple stupid. The last song breaks from this trend and breaks the five minute mark, it's heavier and more experimental than the joy ride you have been on for the rest of the album. Not sure if this is going to be the soundtrack for the "31" movie he has coming out. Either way it's fun and gave me more than I was expecting from him I'll give it a 9.5. so don't let the fact that at 51 Zombie looks like Gandalf fool you as he still has it .

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.

Gwar: Battle Maximus

Let me start this off by saying I'm a long time Gwar fan . By long time I mean Hell-o had just come out, so 1988. I have seen Gwar more times than I can remember , because most of those highschool era shows I was tripping so hard I once thought Oderus was Steven Tyler. This is the first album for Cannibas Corpse guitarist to debut as a new character Pustulus Maximus and also features a new bass player Jamison Land taking on the mantle of Beefcake the Mighty, which is a little weird in my book, as it takes them into the realm of Kiss who slaps the Ace and Peter make up on just anyone these days, so Gwar is more of a brand and less of a band so it's surprising this new album is better than it has any business being. If I Mike , as Balsac even though he didn't play on the first album he will count as an original member for practical purposes, and even then this album only has two original members, though Roberts played on Scumdogs, so I'm sure most of their fans at this point never heard of Nippleus Erectus .

The opener isn't Gwar's strongest moment and pretty much sums up many of the reasons I fell out of touch with Gwar in the first place as it is the sort of fast thrash riff that seems to appeal more to punk rock kids. After Salamanizer from Scum Dogs it's been hard for Gwar to write a better opener and even with "Madness at the World's Core" it has grown on me but is symptomatic of Gwar of late that defaults to being run of the mill punk soaked thrash, rather than paying a close attention to groove and hooks that they once did.

Songs like "Bloodbath" and " Nothing Left Alive" have their moments but feed into the thought that Gwar is more about the show than their music, which was not always the case. With everything up to "This Toilet Earth" they could have showed up in their street clothes and rocked. The first song that stands up and makes you take notice of it " Raped at Birth" sure it takes over the top lyrics and shoves them sideways with little lubrication into your ears, but they are set to has tightly coiled  riffs to the stage for Oderus' foolishness and theatrics.

"I, Bonesnapper" is pretty decent considering Oderus gives the mic over to one of the supporting characters.  After the doomish intro to " Mr. Perfect" the thrash tinged verses give Oderus room for his insane blabbering. Though it's pretty ripping it is odd to me that the title track is an instrumental, so I'm guess it's a soundtrack for some sort of onstage carnage that prevents any one from singing. "The Triumph of the Pig Children" is the first song that comes close to having an actual vocal melody in it's verses, reminding us that Oderus can actually sing when he wants to. Because of this I'm a little more forgiving of the simple barked chorus. It gets even more melodic on "Falling" which reminds of the albums the Butt Hole Surfers made when they sold out to the radio in the 90's . It's pretty decent for what it is  and doesn't go for what at one point of the albums token power ballad.

The album closes with "Fly Now" which captures most of the classic Gwar sound , but doesn't really do anything new with like some of these songs bravely attempt to.  This isn't Scum Dogs by a long shot but for a band that is making albums to showcase their theatrics it works better than some of the less dynamic thrashing they have been up in the past decade. I'll give this an 8.5.