Artist: Various Artists Title: “Sounds Of The Underground 2005” Label: DRT Entertainment Release Date: 6/20/2006 Genre: Heavy Metal Rating: 7/10
How can one describe the “Sounds Of The Underground” tour of 2005 to those that did not witness it for themselves. To be honest, if it was in your means to attend and you didn’t you very simply missed out on one of the greatest alternatives to the Ozzfest tour. Your chance to see what you missed comes now as a result of this DVD entitled “Sounds Of The Underground: Live At The Starland Ballroom Pt. 1” coming at you courtesy of DRT Entertainment. This DVD brings you up close and personal to sixteen of the performances from the show at Sayreville’s notable venue and while it is not the full show it should serve as something to spark the interest in your future attendance. The film itself is a little different for while it shows you killer songs from Lamb Of God, Devildriver and Unearth you are also getting a fully enjoyable view into the backstage antics from this tour. The show this comes from was filmed on one of the hottest days the Summer of 2005 had to offer and stayed true to the Metal cause. The viewer is able to see just how much fun the guys in the bands were able to have and while sometimes this footage gets arduous to watch I did not find it to be the case here. The bonus features continues the amount of backstage footage and interviews and to be honest this all should have been a separate DVD while performances were focused on their own. A lot of the interview footage is done by the lead singers of both Lamb Of God and GWAR, both being very well-done and amusing showing that the bands were not taking this too seriously outside of their lethal performances. There are also some fun interactions with the fans. Musically the viewer will most likely remember the performance of Strapping Young Lad that also included some on the spot ventriloquism by lead singer Devon Townsend along with the very different styles of the band Clutch. Continue reading “Sounds of the Underground, Vol. 1: Live From the Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ, July 2, 2005” by Various Artists→
Artist: Soil Title: “True Self” Label: DRT Entertainment Release Date: 5/2/2006 Genre: Heavy Metal Rating: 8/10
Soil’s new album comes with a sufficient amount of well-deserved buzz for the Chicago based Hard Rock group. Joining the ranks of DRT Entertainment, a more Rock based label allowed the band to focus on a more edgier and grittier level of song structure and the results on “True Self” will appeal to fans of bands like Staind, Seether, and Mudvayne. The wide variety of styles that I felt as I listened made me come up with that composite for while there is some excellent melody happening, there are times when the heaviness of the tracks will just pummel you. Perhaps a lot of this new sound for the group is due to singer A.J. Cavalier who brings a dynamic presence to the role he fills in the band. The guitar work of Shaun Glass is also on the money and while this is my first exposure to the group I can imagine that this will be some excellent stuff to see in the live setting. Songs like “True Self”, “Hear Me” and “Let Go” can definitely find themselves on stations catering to powerful Rock music and now with the popularity of Satellite radio it seems as though every band has a chance to get a larger audience. A.J. possesses a good voice, and at times does the growling thing which has become a standard in Hard Rock and Metal these days. I have to admit that I prefer when he opts for the more melodic aspect that he also has at his disposal. It separates the band from many others and in music today that is always a direction one wants to go in. There are some other stand out numbers on the album such as “One Last Song” and the quasi Alice In Chains inspired “Until It’s Over”. Continue reading “True Self” by Soil→
Artist: American Head Charge Title: “The Feeding” Label: DRT Nitrus Release Date: 2/15/2005 Genre: Heavy Metal Rating: 7/10
When I first got the “Feeding” CD by American Head Charge I felt that I was listening to a band that was moving away from the nu-metal style and instead were employing a more industrialized groove that at times reminded me of Marilyn Manson or even Nine Inch Nails. I was brought to this conclusion by the way singer Martin Cock handled his vocals from soft subtlety and then to raging yells. The riffing of the guitar and mixing in of keyboards transform this from being a run of the mill band. Kicking you right in the face with this is “Loyalty” which is one of my fave tracks on the CD. It’s a great mix of Metal attitude and Melodic harmony. “Dirty” is another fierce number and a staple in the bands live performance. The band is definitely versatile and on tracks like “Ridicule” I was almost reminded of Faith No More at times in the track. The lineup for the recording is as follows: Martin Cock (vocals), H.C. Banks (bass), Bryan Ottoson (guitar), Chris Emery (drums) and Justin Fowler (keyboards) and a solid lineup it is. Friends for years the band first unleashed their brand of mayhem on the world with 2001’s “The War Of Art” and appeared on that same year’s Ozzfest. Continue reading “The Feeding” by American Head Charge→
Artist: Clutch Title: “Robot Hive/Exodus” Label: DRT Nitrus Release Date: 6/21/2005 Genre: Hard Rock Rating: 8/10
With the release of “Robot Hive/Exodus” the band Clutch is on a path to Hard Rock dominance. On their third release the group truly stands apart from their peers and bring to the listener somewhat of a return to a more classic sound. When you begin playing this CD get ready for both something different and yet familiar at the very same time. There is such an amount of good stuff on this CD and I found it all a welcome change from the scores of Metal pieces that have been coming out. I love the genre and please don’t take this the wrong way, but so much of it of late has sounded exactly the same and if bands don’t take the chance to mix it up a little bit we stand to lose it as a valid form of music. The guys in Clutch are 100% in tune with this need and have served up an excellent piece of music with “Robot Hive/Exodus”. The entire CD holds a big and heavy sound that might be better envisioned in the 1970’s and I think a large amount of this lies in the guitar riffing of Tim Sult the stellar keyboard work of Mick Schauer. Schauer actually uses a Hammond on the album and even makes sure to bring it along for live performances. This is capable of making a world of difference on tracks like “Never Be Moved” and “Gullah” most specifically. Continue reading “Robot Hive/Exodus” by Clutch→
Artist: GWAR Title: “Live From Mount Fuji” Label: Metal Blade Records Release Date: 5/31/2005 Genre: Heavy Metal Rating: 6/10
The return to Earth by GWAR is never an event that bodes much good for the Human Race. Their needs are generally base when it comes to us for they either need new Slaves or fodder to dismember during their live performances. Sadly, their return with this CD proves something more insidious, they are giving us a live album. No one is safe now. I know that I am risking my own doom for speaking out of turn on this heralded and awed Intergalactic presence, but I fear I must speak my mind. I was disappointed to find only a live CD and not a visual representation of this show released. GWAR is one of those groups that truly must be seen in person to appreciate in any sense. Otherwise you fail to get the point of what they do and also it makes just listening to them a little difficult to appreciate. There are a lot of jokes going on back and forth between the band members and audience and literally the evening is generally pure chaos when they perform. Continue reading “Live From Mt. Fuji” by GWAR→
