Black Label Society's Order of The Black - A Re-inspired Zakk is Back!

Zakk is back!!

Indeed. I couldn’t find any more appropriate three words to begin this. For five years I had been growin’ roots in my ass out of snoozfest from anything post- Mafia. Even Zakk’s presence in Ozzy’s band had been of the same serving. But at fuckin’ last, fate throws in the bucket of cold water, and the beast awakens.

It could’ve been one or all factors together. Ozzy’s firing, blood clotting, alcoholism, whatever it is, there must be something that had finally summoned guts of steel to make Zakk finally put all overused stuff aside, and  bring everything ‘back to basic’. A true return to form, I must say.

Before spinning this record, I honestly felt a need to duck in a quasi-cringed manner in anticipation of a salvo of pinch harmonics and wound string vibratos, three repetitions of each for every riff. But God was I surprised to hear all those had been virtually laid to rest. It will not be until the fifth track, Black Sunday, before this record greets you with the standard BLS sound. And, besides being blown away right off the bat by the preceding tracks, it’s not that much of his ‘template’ either. Notice how it starts with a shredfest of insane legatos and howls (reminiscent of those from that Tesla song) before it explodes into the berserkin Sonic Brew fashion.

My personal pick here, Parade of The Dead, should have been placed as the first track in my opinion. It steps away as a typical southern metal song, and even farther from slow sludge that is trademark BLS. Instead, it hits you so fast on all eight cylinders and lets you feel how Zakk and his boys are so damned dead serious in doing this record. The riff is so tailored-fit for his left-right headshakin and hair-whippin’ move. It opens up with.. Exterminate..! A word that’s in the ranks of Mafia lingo makes me wonder how much of the gangster fascination made it again into this record. The first track, Crazy Horse, also as you may observe is the name of that infamous night club of Adriana from The Sopranos. It could be some Neil Young trib, but I can't help but ponder..

Anyhow, it’s a different ride for every track here but every bit is just killer. War of Heaven starts in slow dark devil’s thirds yet it ignites in a bluesy main riff. Godspeed Hellbound, which is another favorite, employs a fast chugging rhythm but one that is unmistakably fast rock n’ roll. Clearly a biker’s anthem. Chupacabra, smart title choice for such brazen display of talent. Zakk really need not prove how fast his pentatonic is, but as always, he would want it delivered raw, with no effects.

The ballads here, which have been making a fuss about how utterly creative this album is, (or how disappointingly lame and anti-climactic, depending on which perspective you’re at) are of all in an assortment of genres. Darkest Days is a soulful piano ballad. Time Waits for No One (child!), is slow classic rock in the likes of early Elton John and Bob Seger. Shallow Grave is a bit American folkish of a piano ballad, and a darn sad one at that. January, is the 80s rock acoustic session touch thrown in for the finale. There is no doubt this record is some serious display of musicianship, undermining all accusations that Zakk is but pure image antics. 

Overall, Order of The Black, in spite of being so diverse and multifarious, is one unabashed BLS smokin' record. It's evident that as much as I hate doing track by track account of songs, it was to be a necessary evil in this case. As well, I had to point out that however liberal and wide-encompassing my usage of the word metal goes, this for me is wickedly heavy rock n roll. One so heavy that it borders to the extreme its almost heavy metal.

So celebrate all you Berserkers old and new, for this one great record that can make us proud to waive the flag high once again: Strength, Determination, Merciless Forever!

The best Aerosmith Tribute Record - Not The Same Old Song and Dance.

Before I got to finishing this piece here, my good guitarist friend TJ had me stirred up with some Aerosmith news. From reliable sources, he said the band might be considering to pay us a visit here in Manila. And while I've been recently seeing nothing more than news of internal strife from Blabbermouth, I can't help but hope that there isn't going to be any resurrection of The Joe Perry Project!

Never really cared for tribute albums that much, but I knew I had to score this one the moment I saw the outside back sleeve- an all-star ensemble of my heroes paying homage to one of the greatest hard rock acts ever! 

01 Back In The Saddle (Mark Slaughter, Albert Lee, Rudy Sarzo, Frankie Banali)

02 Rag Doll (Ted Nugent, Tony Frankin, Vinnie Colaiuta, Derek Sherinian)

03 Chip Away At The Stone (Vince Neil, Blues Saraceno, Ricky Philips, Pat Torpey, Paul Taylor)

04 Last Child (Mickey Thomas, Earl Slick, Nathan East, Stephen Ferrone)

05 Sweet Emotion (Jack Blades, Tommy Shaw, Mike Inez, Randy Castillo)

06 Dream On (Ronnie James Dio, Yngwie Malmsteen, Stu Hamm, Greg Bisonette, Paul Taylor)

07 Walk This Way (Fee Waybill, Steve Lukather, Tim Bogert, Tommy Aldridge)

08 Draw The Line (Jeff Keith, Tommy Skeoch, Tony Levin, Eric Singer)

09 Same Old Song and Dance (Jack Russel, Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter, Jeff Pilson, Bobby Blotzer, Edgar Winter)

10 No Surprize (Jani Lane, Chris Holmes, Adrian Perry, Stephen Riley)

11 Toys In The Attic (Stephen Pearcy, Tracii Guns, Phil Soussan, Aynsley Dunbar)

Besides, it was '99, and everything else in the cd rack at the time represented the über nonsensical nü metal that was at its pinnacle. Conservative heavy music was in really low supply back then and I couldn't put to words  how much I wanted to wolf down anything seriously rock n' roll.

Bitchin' aside, my prior grasp of tribute albums entailed different bands doing their versions of songs assigned to each of them, and then later having the tracks compiled to make the record. The formula remains virtually the same up to the present, with some veering in the way of having a single house band type of session musicians all throughout the entire record with only the guest singers varying. This record though will be the first in my collection to host a multiple collaboration-type of cover tunes.

I'll be hard-pressed to find out who pulled the strings to make this happen, no matter how much I despise the business side of music. That's because the contributing artists here are such big names in rock that I failed to resist to do a little background check on Bob Kulick, the man who defied the corporate odds.

Fact 1, he's related to Bruce, and  Fact 2, he had his share of KISStory. 

An outstanding resume of some of the greatest productions in rock and metal doesn't solely define the man who nearly made it to becoming THE Kiss guitarist. With Ace Frehley beating him to the punch in the audition, Bob would later redeem his glory by befriending Paul Stanley and later contributing uncredited guitar tracks in many KISS records. Subsequently, he would also usher in his younger brother Bruce to the Kiss fold. 'Nuff Said.

Going back to the record.. It was a great find for such a dark phase in rock history. Not The Same Old Song & Dance remains to be one of my most played cd's, and its scratched to the innards from frequent playing. It was so great that it inspired me and my erstwhile bandmates and childhood buddies to pick up our cobwebbed instruments and get back to playing in spite of the trends. Not that the trends really mattered to us, it's just that there was no new music to fuel the inspiration.


It must be that we truly did not live the early days of Aerosmith to have that nostalgic fit and not accept any new take on their classics. No disrespect to the band but I can no longer get back to hearing the originals after being used to these new versions of heavier guitars and more complex licks. Kind of like playing Mama Kin after quite some time of imbibing the Gn'R cover. Most of the tracks covered here are from the early days, which means both Joe Perry and Brad Whitford weren't using that much of delicious, crunchy distortion effects. And it's really a break to hear those songs again with a much 'thicker' take.


Only the singing is another matter.. A bit of rearrangement gives a different flavor, but the voice from the second most famous rubber lips in rock can never be duplicated. 

Back in The Saddle remains to be my favorite here. Contrary to what I said above with regard to more distortion, Albert Lee delivered right on spot with only simply overdriven guitars. In fact, you'd mistake it for just being plain clean tone. And to be honest I really don't find Mark Slaughter's singing to be that good either. But this version, I will never trade for any other out there, most especially that one from Bas Bach and Axl Rose! 

Rag Doll kicks ass too, you'll notice Ted Nugent doing both the vocals and guitar parts. For such a hardass I think it's pretty fucking cool of him to pay tribute to the band coz as you may well know, he's not some junior fan. The Old Nuge actually thrived in hard rock glory in the same era that early Aerosmith did. And his playing seems to just get heavy as he grows old, maybe that's why many regard him as a great guitarist despite sticking to basic I-IV-V blues. Other players in his same age bracket are getting the stiff finger syndrome, but he still shoots those licks like a twenty-year old! 

And Ronnie James Dio and Yngwie Malmsteen on Dream On? Such fantastic soul-searing voice and majestic licks to add up to an already regal tune. Outstanding. Chip Away at The Stone introduced me to Blues Saraceno and I've been a fan ever since. We used to break this song apart to find out what's so special about his playing though in the end, his 'expressionism' was what we could only make different. I've got more to say about him but that again, is a tale for another day. 


Steve Lukather doing Walk This Way, Tommy Skeoch, before being kicked out of Tesla is with Jeff Keith on Draw The Line..an almost Damn Yankees take on the song Sweet Emotion with the late, great Randy Castillo.. 


Damn, better grab yourself a copy of this one and get ultimately hard rock on yourself! There's just so much cold beer waiting for me outside to be blogging, so I'll be spinning this instead!


Cheers!

Led Zep's Thank You..

It takes a great surge of modesty to not discriminate other forms of music. For that, I envy the erudite and sensible musician.

Is this some sort of an apology to every destitute soul that has taken salvos of my wrath? A way of selling out on my part? I'll be damned if this can be called selling out already, 'cause I know I ain't selling "in" yet, if you know what I'm sayin'.


Consider this a confession.. but just like El Mariachi walking out of the booth, asked by the Priest if he intended to have absolution, his response was : 


Heh? Well, maybe later, Father. Cause where I am going, I'd just have to come right back.


So tomorrow for damn sure there will be lots of cursin' and cussin'  but allow me, for now, this speck of sensitivity, or moment of clearness, if you will. That's how I come to be at peace with myself whenever I hear this masterpiece. 




Can't beat the original, but I'm kind of missin' Tesla as of late.

If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you. 
When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me. 

Kind woman, I give you my all, Kind woman, nothing more. 

Little drops of rain whisper of the pain, tears of loves lost in the days gone by. 
My love is strong, with you there is no wrong, 
Together we shall go until we die. My, my, my. 
An inspiration is what you are to me, inspiration, look... see. 

And so today, my world it smiles, your hand in mine, we walk the miles, 
Thanks to you it will be done, for you to me are the only one. 
Happiness, no more be sad, happiness....I'm glad. 
If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you. 
When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me.

Hell N' Diesel - high velocity hard rock in a sea of Glam.

Blogging about Hell N' Diesel makes up for lengthy content. It gives me one fine reason to add another post in less than a week without writing a great deal.

That's because there's really nothing much to write about them, and I mean no sarcasm in that. Quite literally, there's virtually nothing to be found significant after almost two months of searchin' the web. Official site is on 'htm-test', their MySpace account is nothing more than a plain media player.. the only thing you find in Wiki is their line-up, written in, well maybe, Swedish. The album I downloaded did not even have the proper title, Passion for Flower was how I  grabbed it. Hardly even my Glam guru  friend Harry knows anything about this band, and he knows them all- from the least important foxy posers during the Sunset Strip heydays up to the most legit musicians from this recent uprising in Sweden. Yes, there are more than a just a couple of 'glam revivalists' from Sweden. There's a revolution going on, and I'll write about that one soon.

I'm glad that on this note, there's something new I can hand on to Harry that he doesn't know yet. It's another matter if he'll dig this or not. Consider yourself lucky, I will not be writing about this band if this shit ain't worth your time. This record has been playing from start to finish on all my long road trips as of late.  Hell N' Diesel, as I would put it, is the flipside to this whole Swedish Sleaze stew that's been emerging. Somewhat like Guns N Roses was to the whole L.A. scene. Not because they don't sport the whole shitty fashion sense that these new bands from Sweden seem to still replicate (in point of fact, save for the pop metal lead singer, it's Crazy Town I do observe in them), but for the sole reason that Hell N' Diesel is the most aggressive-sounding from the lot. It may be a phenomenon, or some observable fact for them to be an antithesis to the scene in which they came from. But then again it may be strategy if the chronicles of GnR history were to be the basis.

There's one official clip from You Tube that fortunately they were able to put some budget into. Not the best one from their record I guarantee you that. First time I heard this, Motley Crue's Power to the Music instantly came to my mind. I hope this doesn't deter you from getting your hands on their powerful record, and as well I'm giving you the heads-up that the guitar solos you'll find here are so Slash-like, and the singing voice you may take  for Jani Lane's any time of the day. 

Just think of Hell N' Diesel this way: a street gang carrying with them a whole arsenal of everything that is heavy, raunchy and dirty about the eighties.  Now blast away!

The Last Vegas - Whatever Gets You Off !

The Last Vegas - it's been forever trying to write about this band and their record Whatever Gets You Off. It has taken so long because I can't embed the fucking video of their single! Goddamn ElevenSevenMusic for that.

This is THE post, if you will. I'm finally admitting, not without a trickle of courage, that I SO dig  Glam Rock. Or Glam Metal, Hollywood Rock, 80's metal, Sleaze Rock, Spandex Rock. Choose how you label this genre of unforgivable looks, there's some good music involved, that's for damn sure.

I've always bantered on myself that I'm a half-thrash metal, half-hard rock type of person. That's because I really can't seem to slice up where the boundaries lie. Thrash represents the dark side in me- I hold on to this music in times of angst and dejection, headbangin' in my man-cave or swaying back and forth in such ominous cacophony as I manhandle my demons. 


Call it psycho but I ain't slashin' my wrists in such an emo-esque manner! 

Hard Rock, on the other hand, stands for the badass in me. The debauchery, the cowboy boots and my love for alcohol!


I'd say if it were to be based on personality and just that alone, I'm one notch more of a hard rock guy.

Notwithstanding the abovementioned split personality psycho babble, blastin my speakers with tracks from Whatever Gets You Off made me think how much of a Glam fan I am. And I figured that's because it's the one sub-genre of this very wonderful umbrella of heavy music that makes me such a teen forever. Whether I'm thrash or hard rock doesn't seem to matter anymore. I will always be this kid who will never outgrow, despite the silly looks and moves, my love for Poison, Ratt and Bang Tango. There's just so much fun to miss!

       

That's it, Whatever Gets You Off is a fun record in general. Though I can't say the 'fun' part is still stuck in the eighties. The Last Vegas, in spite of being a Nikki Sixx 'gem' has kind of re-modeled themselves into this one big dirty ball of sleaze rockers playing some serious abrasive type of rock n roll. Yes it's still rock n roll to my ears, and I believe to yours too, if you listen more seriously. The one thing that drags them to the metal category, in my opinion, is their use of heavy and modern distortion. But then if you briefly shove those effects aside, you'll be cleared to an underside of boogie-based rhythm chords and lots and lots of Rolling Stones type of swagger.

Get this album now whether you relate to all my sentiments or not. As for how I manage playing this record, I have given two stars for each and every song since I can play the album in its entirety. There's not one lifeless piece in here, and the first track of the same title sure gets me off I just might crown it my five stars. 

In Whatever Gets You Off, the way in which the end of the chorus jumps right back at (yes, at, not to..just like a cat) the next verse is so insane in its execution! It's like hitting someone with a baseball bat and just totally forgetting about it as you resume playing guitar! 

Now since there's just no embedding that official vid, and I can't even download the badmother and upload it back here in blogger's crappy player, do check out HELL!. Trust me, you will surely bookmark that one.

Guns N' Roses Family Tree Double CD

I'm a big GnR crackhead always at the ready for my fix, but I called in sick on the last fanclub hieros gamos and entirely missed this piece of news here.

Guns N' Roses Family Tree

released on the Argentina record label Music Brokers Arg., May 2010.

If you are all too familiar with long-standing bands which have become somewhat like 'revolving doors' for different members, you might have ended up going to forums and sites trying to see who's the bassist, guitarist, or even singer for a particular point in a band's career. Say you've got numerous Whitesnake albums, and you have been impressed with the second lead guitar solo of this one song, but dunno of it's Doug Aldrich or Vivian Campbell who's playing (Doug has become some sort of replacement for every band Vivian has ever been to that he almost kind of replicated the 'delivery' of the latter), then you end up tracing the band's 'Family Tree'.

They're scattered all over the internet, those Family Trees. Whitesnake, DiO, Def Leppard and even to some degree, yes, Guns N' Roses. Not that they have really been a 'revolving door' band for the better part of their career, but some crazy-ass fans just kept on documenting its members and session musicians off of their Sunset Strip days up to the present Entropy of a line-up. You might not all be willing to agree that the current line-up is still GnR, but great band they may be, I, as well, belong to the camp which prefer them better left as "Axl & Friends". 


As I have originally intended to write this online resource for friends who have stopped researching on new material, I found the urge to write this and inform them of this 'must-download' stuff. Problem though, is that if you're probably one of them GnR die-hard fans with too much time on your hands, you must have amassed enough mp3's of your heroes that you may find nothing new in here.. 


Save for, maybe, the original studio version of Nice Boys. 


Nonetheless, I reluctantly loaded my iPod with this double album and duplicated some of my other files in the process. I noticed I already have some of the tracks from my Roots of Guns N Roses - Gilby Clarke and Fred Coury re-mastered, L.A. Guns studio recordings, Tribute to Aerosmith..etc..


But I'm having mighty grand time comparing the quality of those same tracks. My eardrums may be  all too hammered but I figured right off the bat that the ones from this Family Tree compilation seem to have been quality mastered before distribution. I may just as well end up saving the tracks from this record instead.


Tracklist: 

CD1

1  Anything Goes  -  Hollywood Rose
2  Welcome To The Jungle  -  Gilby Clarke, Tracii Guns & Kevin Dubrow (Quiet Riot)
3  No More Mr.Nice Guy  -  Slash & Roger Daltrey (The Who)
4  Sex Action  -  L.A. Guns
5  Sweet Child O Mine  -  Gilby Clarke
6  Killing Time  -  Hollywood Rose
7  Elected  -  Duff Mckagan, Matt Sorum, Steve Jones (Sex Pistols) & Billy Duffy (The Cult)
8  My Michelle  -  L.A. Guns
9  It’s So Easy  -  Tracii Guns, Gilby Clarke & Fred Coury (Cinderella)
10 Last Cigarette  -  Hollywood Rose Feat. Teddy Zigzag

11 You’re Crazy  -  Gilby Clarke, Tracii Guns & Stevie Ranchelle (Tuff)
12 Nice Boys  -  Guns N’ Roses (Rare Track – Original GnR Lineup)


CD2
13 Pour Some Sugar On Me  -  L.A.Guns
14 Rocker  -  Hollywood Rose
15 Mr. Brownstone  -  Bang Tango Feat Tracii Guns & Gilby Clarke
16 Toys In The Attic  -  Tracii Guns & Stephen Pearcy (Ratt)
17 Jailbreak  -  Hollywood Rose Feat Mick Taylor (Rolling Stones)
18 Used To Love Her  -  Gilby Clarke, Tracii Guns & John Corabi (Motley Crue)
19 Gypsy  -  Slash & Tommy Shaw (Styx)
20 Wanted Dead Or Alive  -  L.A.Guns
21 Patience  -  Gilby Clarke, Tracii Guns & John Corabi (Motley Crue)
22 Don’t Cry  -  Spike (Quireboys), Tracii Guns & Gilby Clarke
23 Shadow Of Your Love  -  Hollywood Rose
24 Lay It Down  -  Stephen Pearcy (Ratt) & Tracii Guns




Now if only you can show me that one golden link to a fine copy of those Rumbo Tapes...

The Big Four of Thrash - first picture together in one room!!!!

To what may be the most outstanding photograph in the annals of heavy music...

I only have a few words to say, you see I was thrilled with some news that might be good enough to get your asses all fired up, but I'm shoving that aside lest it gets in the way of this killer of a boulder!!!

Stole this from Megadeth.com. The biggest event in the history of Thrash, and Heavy Metal  in general, happens tonight in Warsaw, Poland at the Sonisphere Festival.

For the story behind that picture above, click HELL!

Damn you Jeff Hanneman!!! Where the fuck were you when they were raisin them devil horns?!!!

EDIT 17 June:

More pictures from BLABBERMOUTH..

I am practically in tears.. (WTF?)

Black Tide's Light From Above is totally off the charts Old School Metal!

Them Magic City kids can kick your teenybopper asses anytime of the day.

  

I must say, it ain't that frustrating after all, quittin' on the idiot box and all its mighty crap. People talkin' shit left and right 'bout who's winning the fuckin' elections, the NBA games.. never gave a dirty rat's ass about basketball.

But it was cool 'accidentally' seeing the final American Idol episode, with Bret Michaels finally back and rockin hard!

Hell, but look at what dwellin' in my filthy wormhole has gotten me into. Longliveheavymusic discoverd Black Tide! A tad too late for some metalhead who's been out hunting for some real music as of late, I know. But pardon me, I've been lookin' at the other direction, re-exploring the Hard Rock side of the word 'heavy'. That's what I do whenever I feel jaded about evil stuff, the Devil's Third, camo shorts and unkempt hair- i switch back to fun rock n roll! 

These past few weeks got me takin' a crack at the few hard rock items I had been waiting for, and it has been a long wait since the last output from Airbourne. Yet I still have this yearning to dig up quite some more after one spinning of No Guts, No Glory. True I can't go anywhere near as 'judging' it, and I won't. It's just that everything sounded too simple and basic from start to finish..

 

So forward I went to catch up on some of the more complex rock that's been out there for a while but I haven't checked out yet. I can give this self-titled one from Black Water Rising additional stars, maybe, after a couple more times I sit around with it. But I guess it's my longing for raw energy, power or chi..or whatever the fuck you wanna call it, that seems to never dwindle down.





Thank heaven for the parents who squirted out Black Tide.

More than a million hits on You Tube and I might still be playing John Corabi-era Motley Crue when all of these are happening! 

My ultimate memory of kids playing real heavy music was that of Death Angel's video from way before when they were just starting out. Andy Galeon was14 years old at the time and he ripped skins not thinking that his arm may only be as thick as those Vic Firths that we have today. I was blown away. Completely.


Had I seen that before the upper fucking echelons of the music business decided they would cash in on Silverchair ( and eventually Hanson, Moffats..  p'Tui! apologies all you alternagrunge lovers but I see no difference in them all ), it might have been a less boring time for me during the early 90's. I could imagine just how many people I would have debated that those kids aren't the be-all and end-all of teenage musicianship.

Well, we got a new breed here. 


from Wiki:

"The band started touring and gained a position on the second stage of Ozzfest, but were kicked off the tour because the stage was sponsored by Jagermeister and all of the members of Black Tide were under the legal drinking age. Although the band was no longer appearing on the second stage, Black Tide was able to be the opening act on the main stage in some areas...They are well known partly due to their age. They are all under the age of 21 and two members are still in High School. Also the lead singer is still 15."

Totally stoked. From first to the last track, Light From Above is full-on high velocity old school metal! It's been a long time since I had last gotten my hands on one album where I just kept on clicking 5 star ratings,  track after track, in my iTunes Library.

Sure enough everything is so ProTools these days, and I see where the skeptics are coming from. But hell we can always check with live footage. Try that one on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Man, do they deliver! Only complain on them live was the singing, which seemed to be low-pitched already. But I can't whine any much further about someone who's not even old enough to buy liquor and play really technical stuff!  

Also, don't crucify this author for branding them heavy metal, I must admit I was thinking sleaze rock when I first heard them. Some had even gone as far as '..sounds like Guns N Roses' in their reviews. But I'll pass on that. It's the riff-driven definition of 80's metal (virtually forgotten these days) that really grabs the music of this band if you listen more closely. Not so textbook on their part however, which means it can also be dubbed... FRESH. Hell, I don't even know how to explain the possibility of that. All I know is I fear maybe someday they will 'mature' musically, and experiment too far. But that's stating ahead of everything, might as well get fired up first with what they have to offer at the moment. 

This album is killer, man. I can't even find the words. I may be old school, but I have always believed that this same formula of heavy music is what we all true fans battle to push forth to the next century. If this can't be labeled as carrying the torch, I don't know what else can. Justin 'Gay Beaver' Beiber? Gimme a fuckin break.



EDIT 9 June: yes that last sentence baffles logic and obscures the flow of thought coz he's not even metal, but i'm not editing it for bashing purposes..i dont even know who he is :)

That light was the music of yours that has walked me through all the darkest days of my life.

R.I.P

Ronnie James Dio

July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010