Tag Archives: Aleida La Llave

The Sword – High Country

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the Sword High Country album cover 2015

Three years following the release of their last album, Apocryphon (Razor & Tie), The Sword return with High Country (Razor & Tie). I always go into things wondering if we’re going to get another Warp Riders (Kemado) record as that was how I was first exposed to the band. So, no, this isn’t Warp Riders II, but it’s pretty rad.

‘Seriously Mysterious’ is my favorite song off of the new album and I lost count of just how many times I played it while working on this review. It stands out from the rest of the album, with the intro ‘Unicorn Farm’ being the only other thing that somewhat matches it. Although not as complex as some of the other songs on High Country, ‘Seriously Mysterious’ is extremely catchy and will make you move. It and its more sinister sounding counterpart, ‘Ghost Eye’, are likely to make an appearance alongside songs like Steve Miller Band’s ‘Abracadabra’ and Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstitious’ on a few Halloween party play lists this year. If your play list looks like that, I better be invited.

Fuzz-filled and riff laden, ‘Buzzards’ is another favorite selection from the second half of High Country. It is just simply a great song with a hypnotic chorus that draws you right in. I might even argue that this would have made a great choice for a song to close out the record on a more energetic note. I’d also recommend it for any upcoming road trips you may have.

High Country is a solid record overall but, as you can see, the second half of the album is where it really comes alive for me. Songs are a little meatier, a little groovier, and really help round things out, even if they tip the scales a bit more in one direction.

7.5/10

ALEIDA LA LLAVE


Sweet Cobra – Earth

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Sweet Cobra Earth Album Review

With their long awaited follow up to 2010’s Mercy (Good Fight Music), Earth (Magic Bullet Records) puts Sweet Cobra back in the spotlight and in front of me for the first time. The internet told me they were “post-hardcore.” What does that mean? I don’t speak English so I have no idea, let’s find out!

‘Future Ghosts’ wound up catching my attention more than the opening track, ‘Far Too Temp.’ This song is more consistently upbeat and easy to start headbanging and stomping around to. It’s there to grab you and make you listen and move. I anticipate this track being included in their set list specifically for this purpose.

‘Complaints’ is on the shorter side and reminds me of 80’s pop/rock songs with its keyboards. Even Botchy Vasquez’s voice sounds like a slightly rougher, more masculine Robert Smith in this piece. Maybe this is what The Cure would sound like if they were a touch heavier. Compared to the rest of the album, it’s a bit odd which makes it stand out and is exactly why I enjoy it.

The opening drums for ‘Jealous of Drugs’ remind me of a far less intense version of Mastodon’s ‘Crystal Skull’. This track starts off slow and starts to pick up a bit about two minutes in where it turns into some catchy rock and roll. While it never comes close to reaching the heaviness referenced previously, there is still something beautiful about it.

Earth is a fun album overall although I would have liked it to be a bit more cohesive. Things are kind of all over the place in the sense that you could pick out almost any track and have it stand on its own. That says a lot about the quality of the music, however, I always look for some kind of flow as an album plays, save for the intro to nearly every song being very similar, and that didn’t seem as strong as it could have been in this release.

7/10

ALEIDA LA LLAVE


Fogg – High Testament

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fogg high testament

High Testament (Tee Pee/Under the Gun Records) is the latest release from Texas fuzz trio, Fogg. They’re a little softer than anticipated but that’s not a bad thing if you’re into that sort of thing. Personally, I like to be moved by what I listen to.

The song ‘Seasons’ is easily my favorite track off the of the album as it’s heavier than the rest, particularly once you hit the 4:05 mark and it turns into something that actually resembles a stoner anthem. That’s when the band just lets the instruments do the talking for them and you start getting the fuzzed out riffs and groovy bass lines that I love.

‘Mountain’ follows suit with a touch of something a little more sinister sounding. The organ really fits in well with this song and adds extra depth and life to the song when the vocals just aren’t enough. That’s not to say that Brandon Hoffman is inadequate in any way, I would just prefer a voice that is less light and fluffy, and a lot more emotion.

If you’re looking for a decidedly chill record, this is a good pick. It’s quiet and soothing, possibly too much, in my opinion. I prefer things to have a little more energy, but when these boys do kick things into high gear, they do it well. It would have been nice to hear more of that rock and roll sound with less of the whole flower child vibe to break up how monotonous the album can be.

6.0/10

ALEIDA LA LLAVE


Smashing Pumpkins Rejoined By Jimmy Chamberlin For Marilyn Manson Tour

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smashing pumpkins marilyn manson tour

The Smashing Pumpkins will be joined for their next tour by founding member Jimmy Chamberlin on drums. Led by sole original member Billy Corgan are about to embark on a co-headlining US tour with Marilyn Manson, Corgan approached Chamberlin about the gig while wrapping up an acoustic tour before the next leg.

 

Corgan told USA today in an interview how he approached Chamberlin to return:

“We suddenly found ourselves in the situation of not having anybody lined up. On the group’s first acoustic tour, which will wrap Thursday in Minneapolis, the band’s configuration does not include a drummer. “We knew we could do the acoustic tour with some backing tapes and drum machines, stuff like that, but we’re also looking at the Manson tour in three weeks.”

Chamberlin also commented on the reunion:

“He asked if there was any way I’d consider coming back for the tour. It’s a great opportunity not only to celebrate the music, but to celebrate the friendship and the legacy.”

Chamblerin has stated this arrangement is just for the tour and not a permanent reunion. Since leaving the Pumpkins for the third time in 2009, he has focused on bands such as LiveOne and other projects.


Demon Lung – A Dracula

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demon lung a dracula

Today, we’re taking a look at Las Vegas doom metal Demon Lung and their new album; A Dracula (Candlelight Records). You won’t find multiple Draculas here, just one, lone, Dracula. I don’t mean the Leslie Nielsen kind either. I will fully admit that the doom general is not usually my cup of tea and rarely manages to catch my interest beyond a song here and there.

One of the songs that stands out is ‘Mark of Jubilee’. This is the longest track on the album and starts off slower than most others but it’s worth sticking with until the end because it’s just wonderful. It is hauntingly beautiful at times and I can’t get enough of it. Let me just say that I don’t typically care for female vocalists either but Shanda Fredrick is fantastic and absolutely shines on this song.

‘Raped by the Serpent’ closes the album on a high note. This song showcases the band’s ability to switch between quicker and slower tempos without losing the interest of the listener. Once you hit the six minute mark or so, Fredrick comes back to serenade you with those incredible pipes of hers. I could listen to the last minute and a half of this song over and over again. Ignore the name, this instrumental work is soothing and will fill you with all kinds of good feelings which may be the complete opposite of what Demon Lung set out to do, but, there you have it.

I am still not much of a fan of doom, but this album has grown on me a bit more with every spin. There is a lot of material there to digest that you won’t be able find in your first few listens. Fans of doom metal are encouraged to pick up a copy of A Dracula of their own and check it out for themselves.

7.0/10

ALEIDA LA LLAVE


High on Fire – Luminiferous

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high on fire luminiferous

I don’t know about you, but, I turn into a kid on Christmas morning whenever a band I love announces a new album so I’m sure you can imagine the sheer joy that consumed my being when I finally got my greedy little paws on this gem. Friends, she is a beauty. If I could get away with just transcribing my excited squeals and witch-like cackling as I listened to this album, I would.

In all seriousness, stoner metal masters High on Fire return this summer with the highly anticipated Luminiferous (eOne) and it is worth every penny. Luminiferous is both strange and different and yet fits into the band’s prior body of work very well. ‘The Black Plot’ and “The Sunless Years’ are have been fantastic singles but can we just talk about the gift that is ‘Carcosa’ for a second? This track has been one of my favorites from the beginning. It’s heavy and filled with hypnotic riffs and a beautiful guitar solo that just completely draw you in.

‘Slave the Hive’ is an absolute shredder with its quick tempo and Jeff Matz’s throbbing bass lines. You can just tell that this is going to be one of those songs where you can feel the bass weaving its way through your bones and organs. Yes, please. This track takes the concepts of the hive mind and sheeple created by society and the mass media and puts them to music. The end of the song is almost a bit unnerving as it is punctuated by the faintest laugh just before it ends.

Des Kensel’s pounding drums open ‘The Dark Side of the Compass’ and what seems to be a tribute to the Bermuda Triangle. There are so many bands out there that only write songs about their love lives or childhood that I find it refreshing when someone does something different. Tell me about aliens and weird stuff and the mysteries of the universe. With its lyrics referencing lost ships, portals, and the supernatural as a whole, I know what to listen to the next I find myself flying over the Devil’s Triangle again next year. If I’m going to die, it’s going to be with Matt Pike crooning in my ear.

‘The Cave’ is easily another favorite of mine, even if it is soft and slow compared to the rest of the album but that’s precisely why I find myself drawn to it like a moth to a flame. I’m not usually a fan of ballad-esque songs as they tend to be far too cheesy for my liking but ‘The Cave’ is genuine rather than feeling forced. There is so much emotion contained in this song that it is almost palpable and I really enjoyed seeing this other side of the band. You can keep your ‘Nothing Else Matters’ and its millions of clones, I’ll take ‘The Cave’ any day.

L to R: Des Kensel, Matt Pike, Jeff Matz. Photo Credit: J. Hubbard

L to R: Des Kensel, Matt Pike, Jeff Matz. Photo Credit: J. Hubbard

Luminiferous is, at times, both lighter and heavier than previous albums and the risks that the band took when putting it together have paid off. I’ll leave my personal interpretations out of this but the English major in me just wants to sit around and discuss lyrics, connections, and themes for a few hours. The boys have put out one monster of a record and, if you couldn’t tell by now, I am extremely pleased. Don’t drink the Kool-Aid, get yourself a gallon of Pike Juice instead and keep an eye out for an upcoming tour date near you.

8.5/10

ALEIDA LA LLAVE


Mastodon – Clutch – Graveyard: Live at The House of Blues, Boston, MA

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mastodon clutch tour

It’s Sunday and you have work in the morning, you’re moving to a different state, and you’re going on vacation in a few days. What do you do? Squeeze in one more show while you still can, obviously. You can always sleep on the plane.

First to take the stage were Graveyard with that classic 60’s/70’s classic rock touch that I adore. A friend had said that I would like them and he was absolutely right. They opened with ‘Hisingen Blues’ and I knew that I was going to get sucked right into their world. The music sounded very American but the band is actually based out of Sweden. The spirit of rock and roll lives on through men like this and they are worth checking out if you have the chance to see them.

Graveyard, by Evil Robb Photography

Graveyard, by Evil Robb Photography

Next up, Clutch. This band had always been in a weird, grey area for me. I liked the music well enough but there was always something just didn’t click with me and I could never quite put my finger on what it was. The one thing I was told over and over again was that I just needed to see them live and I couldn’t agree more. Studio recordings do not do this band justice and Neil Fallon’s vocals are out of this world. You can’t go wrong with harmonicas and cowbell solos either. I highly recommend seeing Clutch in person, it’s a completely different experience in the best possible way.

Clutch, by Evil Robb Photography

Clutch, by Evil Robb Photography

Clutch, by Evil Robb Photography

Clutch, by Evil Robb Photography

Mastodon were headlining this evening and I was reduced to a giddy schoolgirl like always. I had another friend with me who had never seen them before which only added to my own excitement. Almost half of the set consisted of songs off of Once More Round the Sun (Reprise) including my favorite track, ‘Ember City’. The rest of the set contained a decent mixture of Mastodon’s previous work, nothing off of Call of the Mastodon (Relapse Records) or Remission (Relapse Records) though. The one complaint that I have is that we weren’t treated to a rendition of ‘Blood and Thunder’ featuring Fallon like some other dates on the current and past tours have. I would have loved to see it person but I guess I really can’t complain because I still got to see them perform ‘The Czar’ and anything off of Crack the Skye (Reprise Records) makes me happy.

Mastodon, by Evil Robb Photography

Mastodon, by Evil Robb Photography

Mastodon, by Evil Robb Photography

Mastodon, by Evil Robb Photography

Mastodon, by Evil Robb Photography

Mastodon, by Evil Robb Photography

Every band was flawless and I walked away with two bands that I’m going to be looking into further and keeping an eye on. I can think of worse ways to spend a Sunday. I never did make it to the office the next day, but, that’s a different story.

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WORDS BY ALEIDA LA LLAVE

PHOTOS BY EVIL ROBB PHOTOGRAPHY


The Atomic Bitchwax – Gravitron

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the atomic bitchwax gravitron

Pulling together talent from bands such as Monster Magnet, Godspeed, and Core, psychedelic rockers The Atomic Bitchwax kick off the second quarter of 2015 with their sixth full length release, Gravitron (Tee Pee Records), and it’s one that you don’t want to miss out on.

The album’s opening track ‘Sexecutioner’ is short, but serves its purpose in catching the listener’s attention and preparing them for the riff odyssey to come. However, the hook for me came with Chris Kosnik’s bass lines in ‘No Way Man’. I was in and things only got better from that point. Bob Pantella’s drumming provides the heartbeat and when combined with the way that Finn Ryan makes his guitar sing, it creates something reminiscent of long road trips and Fourth of July barbecues. It feels very American in a way. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, ‘War Claw’ provides an excellent secondary example of this.

Things slow down a bit with the album’s closing track, ‘Ice Age Hey Baby’ but that is by no means a bad thing. It’s an extremely catchy tune and will likely go on to become a sing-a-long/crowd interaction staple during live performances. This is a good place to end the album on and even transitions well back into ‘Sexecutioner’ if you have it on repeat like I still do. I also just love how sad it sounds. I’m a sucker for the raw emotion that gets left behind when you strip away the parties and the sunshine and I can’t stop singing along.

This record is a great way to usher in spring after another long New England winter. It’s a great album but at just over half an hour long, I was left wanting more. Don’t leave a girl wanting more riffs, that’s just cruel. Length aside, The Atomic Bitchwax have released another fantastic record that was well worth the wait. Friends in Europe and keep an eye out for the boys on their tour through May.

8.0/10

ALEIDA LA LLAVE


Cancer Bats – Exalt – Gozu – Rozamov: Live at The Middle East Upstairs

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cancer bats headline tour poster

It’s Friday, you’re out of work, and everyone’s either at the bar or out on a date. What’s a girl to do? Make her way down to Cambridge, MA to catch a show at the Middle East Upstairs with her friends, obviously.

Homegrown trio Rozamov took the stage first. I was familiar with them in name, but not in sound. I’m sure fans of doom would have enjoyed them but things require a little more energy and variety to keep my short attention span engaged. It wasn’t until the final song in their set that I started to get into things. I don’t remember what it was called but I believed the band mentioned that it was going to be featured on an upcoming split so keep an eye out for that.

Gozu, Photo by Meg Loyal Photography

Also hailing from Boston, MA were my favorite surprise of the evening; Gozu. Again, I was familiar with their name but not their music. I can’t say enough great things about this band and I’m actually listening to their album Locust Season (Small Stone Records) as I write this. It’s some dirty, stoner rock that makes you want to knock back a few beers and maybe one of your friends. In my case, the evening involved a lot of shaking my friends due to my excitement and an inability to shut up about their bassist. So, business as usual, really.

Exalt (12 of 12)

Exault, Photo by Meg Loyal Photography

Exalt brought their brand of metalcore to the stage next. I have never been much of a metalcore fan and as such, there were bits and pieces of songs that I enjoyed but nothing that I could really get into overall. It may prove to be a different story for fans of the genre. They were interesting to watch if anything and I can appreciate the hard work put into their performance even if it wasn’t really my thing.

cancer bats (16 of 35)

Cancer Bats, Photo by Meg Loyal Photography

Headlining this little shindig in the tiny show space were the one and only Cancer Bats. I had seen them three times before, as they have a habit of playing with bands I love, but this was my first time having the chance to see the boys headline their own tour in the US. Anyone who has had the chance to see the Bats live before knows that they always bring a lot of energy to their performances. Vocalist Liam Cormier is like a fire cracker in tight pants bouncing around the stage and it’s impossible to avoid getting swept along with him. The set list for the evening primarily revolved around songs in support of their latest release, Searching for Zero (Metal Blade Records). They play some of my favorites off of the album including ‘True Zero’, ‘Arsenic in the Year of the Snake’, ‘Beezlebub’, and ‘Buds’. I would have liked to have heard ‘Cursed with a Conscience’ as well, maybe next time. The set also included fan favorites such as ‘Bricks and Mortar’, ‘Hail Destroyer’, and everyone’s favorite Beastie Boys cover; ‘Sabotage’. I ran into a few bohabs during the course of the evening and even more made themselves known once the band’s tribute to Dave Brockie a.k.a. Oderus Urungus of GWAR, ‘All Hail’, began.

Cancer Bats, Photo by Meg Loyal Photography

Cancer Bats, Photo by Meg Loyal Photography

cancer bats (18 of 35)

Cancer Bats, Photo by Meg Loyal Photography

All in all, it was a great show. My main complaint was that Cancer Bats’ set seemed unusually short for a headlining band. I would have liked to have gotten at least another half hour out of them. The sound for the show in general was quieter than I would have expected as well but that may have been because there was another show going on downstairs at the same time. Apart from that, I’d say it was a job well done and now I get to go back to complaining about them needing to tour again until the next one!

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WORDS BY ALEIDA LA LLAVE

PHOTOS BY MEG LOYAL PHOTOGRAPHY


Chiefs – Tomorrow’s Over

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chiefs tomorrows over album cover 2015

There are some days when you get home and all you want to do is kick back and escape into another world. Chiefs’ album Tomorrow’s Over (Roosevelt Row Records) would make an excellent companion during such a time. My initial thoughts were along the lines of a blender full of Kyuss, Demon Cleaner, and Greenleaf but with Paul Valle’s vocals.

The song ‘Ride’ is aptly named and is perfect for one of those long drives through the night that you take when you need to figure things out. It is very easy to just let yourself go, get out of your own head, and enjoy those fuzzy riffs and groovy bass lines. I haven’t heard any of Chiefs’ older material as a duo but I can’t imagine them without Jeff Podeszwik on bass. I found myself listening to it over and over and I don’t think that it would have had the same impact on me if it were performed by just two men.

Things get a little heavier with one of my favorite tracks and submission holds, ‘Sharpshooter’. This is one of those songs that will immediately get your head moving and your body swaying. As much as this album is full of ear worms, I would argue that this is the strongest of them all and once it gets into your head, it’s going to be hanging out for a while. I can almost hear the deafening wall of sound and ringing of the ears that seeing this performed live would create. Here’s hoping they make it out to the east coast soon.

In all honest, I wouldn’t have expected this to be a début album with how polished and well written it is. Nothing feels out-of-place or unnecessary and the transitions from song to song are very smooth. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this band joining the ranks of other veteran stoner rockers in time. Tomorrow’s Over feels like something that could have just as easily have been released in the 90s and that is definitely not a bad thing.

7.5/10

ALEIDA LA LLAVE