Heavy Metal Power

Yes metal fans it’s the battle of the Queensryches. The most entertaining metal feud since Ozzy was kicked out of Black Sabbath.

Both Queensryches have released new material. Both are claiming to get back to their metal roots. Wasn’t that what all the fighting was about? Anyway…

Who’s the better Queensryche? Let’s take a listen.

Queensryche: Redemption

Up first is Queensryche with imposter Geoff Tate, Todd LaTorre. Were you expecting the whip-snap riffs of the Michael Wilton of yore? Forget it. What we have here is stale riffing, lame dual guitar harmonies, and unnecessarily speedy guitar solos. Monster drummer Scott Rockenfield does his best to infuse life into the tune with some of his nice beats and fills.

But it’s not enough.

No. Especially when you have to suffer through the wretched vocals of Midnight/Tate clone Todd LaTorre. Why the hell would I want to hear someone copying Geoff Tate? Ugh. Worse than that though; the pitch correction is fucking atrocious! Geez. The guy must have the chops to get a good take, why the Will I Am autotune?

And the chorus. Ugh, a lifeless, pitch perfect, copy/pasted, grating melody. Even worse than the drab verse and clunky prechorus. Blech.

Queensryche: Cold

Up next it’s Geoff Tate’s Queensryche, affectionately called Tateryche. Tateryche perhaps sounds even less like the old QR than the other Queensryche, but “Cold” is the better song.

Yes the riffing is pretty standard, the drumming is nothing special, and damn that guitar solo sounds out of place, but Tateryche has something the other Ryche doesn’t, Tate!

Tate’s melodies blow the crap out LaTorre’s stodgy phrases. And Tate can deliver a song. Tate is a legend for a reason. Maybe he spits on his band mates and tries to punch them, insults his audience, and is generally unlikable, but the son of bitch can sing! The fucker sings from the heart. He’s an original. He’s a classic. No wannabe can recreate his impassioned vocals.

Round #1 goes to Tateryche.

I arrived at the Troubadour just before Royal Thunder started their set.  I missed the opener Ancient Wisdom but thank holy hell I didn’t miss Royal Thunder because they killed it.   Surprisingly they were performing as a three piece, one of their guitarists was absent, but this didn’t prevent Royal Thunder from being sublime or roaring. Singer/bassist Mlny Parsons, without once speaking to the audience, communicated a ton of passion, anger, and sorrow.  What a voice on this lady!  The single guitar was actually pretty cool as is highlighted the nifty wha wha lead tones of main axeman (and husband of Parsons) Josh Weaver.  Their set was over way too soon, I could have easily listened to another hour from this fantastic band.  I hope to see them again soon because Royal Thunder is the real deal.

Pallbearer was up next and was noticeably heavier.  Their guitars were fuzzed out with the low end cranked; and damn that bass was loud and rumbling!  Pallbearer played tracks from their well-received debut album Sorrow and Extinction; and one new track which was really great.  The problem with a doom band as bottom heavy as them is that sometimes the riffs get lost in the rumble and the songs start sounding a bit alike.  It was an enjoyable performance but I think their quality material comes off a bit better on record.

Enslaved closed the show next.  This was my fourth time seeing the Norwegian metal gods and as usual, they did not disappoint.  In fact they were goddam awesome.   I was pretty underwhelmed with their latest record RITTIR, but the songs they did from it live sounded tremendous; especially Roots of the Mountain which blew the crap out of the recorded version and blew away the audience.  Everything they played sounded awesome from the dynamic later stuff like Ruun, to the early stuff like Fenris from Frost, to the cover of Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song.  It was cool to hear rarely played Convoys to Nothingness from Monumension alongside staples like As Fire Swept Clean the Earth.  Unfortunately, the leads from Ice Dale were buried in the mix and guitarist Ivar Bjørnson had a few technical problems; but this couldn’t stop Enslaved from delivering the goods and proving yet again they are the most consistently excellent band in metal today.

Blurry pic of Grutle at the Troubadour

Only five records on the best of list this year. Does that mean I have been lax in my listening duties? Maybe a bit, but I haven’t heard a heck of a lot of songs this year that prompted further listening. And as always, I do not pad the list to reach a round number. I only mention albums I feel are truly worth having in your collection.

Top Heavy Metal and Hard Rock of 2012

Ahab – The Giant

The Giant is Ahab’s third release and it’s so damn heavy I can’t even lift the CD. Bad jokes aside, everyone is raving about Pallbearer this year as the big doom metal release but in my book Ahab exceeds any other doom band or any metal band for that matter this year. Their prior two albums established their style of nautical death/doom, based on Melville’s Moby Dick and the inspiration for Moby Dick, the wreck of the whale ship Essex. With The Giant however, they have sailed beyond their prior records. They have moved past solely using death metal vocals to great effect. The record starts off slow and pensive with Daniel Droste’s melancholy clean vocals and acoustic guitars. This somber mood lasts for over four minutes setting up a massive crushing blow when the heavy guitars and monstrous death growls kick in. Drove’s death vocals evoke images of a giant with their markedly deep guttural bellows. This masterful use of dynamics and over the top heaviness alone is not what makes The Giant so successful. Ahab displays master song craft on The Giant. Drove’s melodic sense is impeccable both in the vocals and guitars. The bleak atmosphere evoked through growled melodic vocal passages, desolate acoustic guitars and Phrygian melodies coupled with the titanic heaviness make this a punishing musical journey. And I haven’t even mentioned the lyrics! The Giant is a concept album based on the writings of Edgar Allen Poe and the music and words mesh perfectly creating a unique blend of Ahab’s established nautical doom and Poe’s dreary horror.

Anathema – Weather Systems

Took me a while but I am finally an Anathema fan. They showed up on my radar when Anathema’s principal songwriter Danny Cavanagh performed and recorded an acoustic show with Anneke van Giersbergen. They performed Anathema’s “A Natural Disaster” and it was stunning. I bought their two latest albums, both are fantastic. Weather Systems is more airy and depressing than We’re Here Because We’re Here which is somehow more uplifting. A somber atmosphere pervades most of the album. The last song, “Internal Landscapes”, especially brings me to tears. It begins with a man recounting a near death experience, but when it reaches the song proper and Lee Douglas sings “Goodbye my friend, Love will never end” I nearly lose it every time, overwhelmed with thoughts of my recently departed friend Michael Grant. Regardless of your own personal experiences however, I think the emotional impact of Weather Systems is undeniable.

Royal thunder – CVI

Royal Thunder shows us how to work within an established style and still sound fresh and compelling. This quartet from Atlanta packs a huge emotional wallop with their debut album CVI, a barnburner tearing it up with ass kicking hard rock and roll. All four of them adeptly use their instruments to maximum effect with no wasted notes, overplaying, or showiness. As you as you hear the first few bars of their music you feel it. Pretty magical. Most immediately affecting is the voice of lead singer Mlny Parsonz; she sings with the passion and torment of a wounded soul. The captivating arrangements of these lengthy songs elevated the impact of Parsonz’s voice to stratospheric levels of passion. Fantastic.

Rush – Clockwork Angels

After a long series of mediocre to poor releases Rush has returned with a gem. This one has more than just solid musicianship. This one has it all. Excellent lyrics, great vocal melodies, superb guitar solos, exciting arrangements. Every song on Clockwork Angels works. And it’s a concept album, hearkening back to Hemispheres with some groovy scifi lyrics and meaty riffs. Yep. Rush is back.

Dysrhythmia – Test of Submission

Dysrhythmia is another band that’s been around for years and hasn’t hit my radar until recently. They are an instrumental band out of Philadelphia PA. They’ve been tagged as avant-garde, progressive, with elements of jazz. I see them a part of the Voivodian wave of metal currently experiencing a small level of popularity in the scene; bands such as Ulcerate, Portal, and Castvet. More recently Dysrhythmia recruited Colin Marston on bass, a prominent producer/bassist in this scene; he’s worked with Castevet, Krallice, and Gorguts. With these comparisons you are probably expecting a jumble of helter skelter, disharmonic riffs in odd time signatures, and that’s pretty much correct, but Dysrhythmia achieved compositional success with these wild elements; the songs have purpose. They are notably devoid of lead guitar wankery and any kind of technical displays for the sake of ego. The arrangements are structured such that the odd riffs become memorable. The tunes have a mysterious quality. You almost feel like you’re uncovering some strange criminal plot. Or maybe travelling to a far reaching galaxy populated by a race of silicon robots or underwater world teeming with scampering trilobites. Dysrhythmia’s music conjures up all sorts of imagery; it’s a record that will provide hours of new discoveries.

That’s my five favorites for 2012. There are a few that are pretty good that either haven’t totally sunken in or will never really compel me, Pallbearer, Graveyard, and High on Fire come to mind. Unfortunately this list is missing Enslaved, that brings me to my Disappointment of the Year.

Disappointment of the Year

Enslaved – Riitiir

I have absolutely loved the recent output of Enslaved, even Vertebrae which many did not like. Riitiir, which has been universally lauded by the metal press, falls way short of normal Enslaved excellence. I bought the record but hardly ever find myself wanting to spin it. There are many moments of brilliance on Riitiir, but only a couple of the songs really shine from start to finish; these are the opener “Thoughts Like Hammers” and the closer ”Forsaken”. The rest of it is a series of hit and miss riffs, the bane of the album. Ivar just missed the boat this time around. And Grutle’s vocals seem a bit tame as well. Herbrand’s melodies are generally great although familiar sounding at times; moreover some of the production on his vocals sounds a bit clumsy to my ears. Riitiir is a good album, Enslaved is too talented to produce anything worthless, but Riitiir is a low point.

See you in for the best metal albums of 2013.

Legendary King Diamond returned in full force at Sweden Rock 2012. His voice is in good shape and the band is raging. This concert features lots of classics, watch out for Grandma! Full makeup, full stage show, and fully awesome!

The King appears to be fully recovered from triple fucking bypass surgery, yes! HAIL THE KING!

Something I’ve never seen before, the mighty King Diamond performing sans makeup and evil accouterments.

And here’s an old interview with King that’s pretty interesting. Right after he left Mercyful Fate…