Dethklok Lives and Mastodon Rules

On both counts, the show was flat out fantastic. Dethklok was tight as hell, thanks partly to the click Brendan Small and Co. played to, but no credit can be taken away from the Gene "The Atomic Time Bomb" Hoglan as Mr. Small renamed him at the end of a face pummeling set of metal hilarity that was air tight. Cheers to the mighty Mastodon who played a surprisingly longer set than Dethklok, running through Crack The Skye from start to finish, taking only a two minute break before coming back for another mini set of tunes, three of which from Remission. A killer performance. If you missed this show, you are a stupid, because the experience was truly unique.

Behind both bands sat quite a large LCD screen, and both used it to its fullest extent, displaying all new visuals related to Mastodon's Crack The Skye storyline, and of course a mix of seen and unseen videos for each of Dethklok's songs. Hats off to Mastodon, coming this time around with a much more focused and developed vision for their video clips, utilizing a silent film age style, including actors, effects and make up, along with the digital art that made the special edition version of the album such a great collector's item. Dethklok's videos were both entertaining and on-point, starting off with the Metalocalypse theme, burning through a mix of Dethalbum's I and II that included Black Fire Upon Us, Duncan Hills Coffee Jingle, Murmaider and Dethsupport before finishing with Fan Song. Interludes between the band's brief breaks presented a very fun tutorial by Dethklok's mascot JawBones on moshing, and trailing Gen. Crozier's plot to eliminate all Dethklok followers, which gets thwarted in a very typically Metalocalypse fashion.

Brendan Small treated the fans to a bit of fun when he chatted with the crowd, switching from Toki to Skwisgaar to Nathan in an instant. He really seemed to enjoy New York's energy, and while Mastodon put on a jaw dropping show, the response to Dethklok was much more energetic, some in Halloween garb, including characters from Metalocalypse. Dethklok itself was dressed strictly in black to maintain emphasis on the videos. Of the rest of the players from the other bands of the night, only Brent Hinds dressed for the occasion, sporting a huge afro wig, silver pants and platform shoes. Yeah. He played with tremendous ferocity, and even attacked a crew member to the side of the stage for tuning his guitar incorrectly. All in good humor of course. All in good humor.

Them Crooked Vultures @ Roseland, NYC - October 15, 2009

Hey Guy!

I got so blasted before the show, I can only remember that it was awesome. Definitely more along the blues groove lines. RS actually has a spot-on review of the show. Check it.

The Mars Volta at Roseland - October 8th, 2009

The smartest decision this band made was to headline with no opener and play smaller venues like Roseland. Of course, they did their share of festival stops this summer, but it's clear that cozy is how these fellows prefer to feel. While I ended up missing the first half hour of what happened to be close to a 2-hour set (hey, I'm a busy New Yorker aright??), I have to say I was thrilled that the band played a set full of really key songs, even throwing in Eunuch Provocateur as a very nice surprise. It was about as true a mix of all their records you can get without harping too much on new stuff, as a lot of other bands would do. Since their actual breakup with heroine, TMV appear fully committed to providing their fans with a show they actually want to see, not just stand through for the good parts. They've also become quite keen on how long to jam before it becomes dross Syd Barrett on acid shit.

The band sounded great, and Roseland is a place where such things can happen, but unfortunately there seemed to be a lot of problems for Mr. Bixler-Zavala, whose mic was giving out on him every few minutes. On top of that, it was clear he had trouble hearing himself through the monitors, creating some moments where a misguided vocal over a perfectly executed chorus were a bit of a let down. All the same, not very much in the band's control. Sure didn't stop Cedric from weaving like a serpent, playing hacky sack with his trademark white mic, or busting out the more than occasional handstand. I can't say the energy from the rest of the band was as high, except of course for Toms Bombz Pridgin. Might have been due to this show being one of the last in a long series stretching back to June. Nonetheless, it was a good enough show considering all the factors against them, and as per usual, no encore, which I greatly respect.

Check out some fantastic pics @ brooklyn vegan.

Son Et Lumiere
Intertiac E.S.P.
Goliath
Cotopaxi
Roulette Dares
Viscera Eyes
Halo of Nembutals
Eunuch Provocateur
Ilyena
Teflon
Drunkship of Lanterns
Luciforms
The Widow
Wax Simulacra

Blue Record - Baroness

If you don't know who Baroness is at this point, you really must not be listening. Think Mastodon with a heavier country/blues vibe and vocals more mongrel, less shedding but more instrumentalism, then add a dash of shoegaze rage, and you've got the right mix for a band that's as unclassifiable and incomparable as the mighty Mastodon. Baroness write powerful, raw music with an undeniable sense of justice. It’s no surprise that their latest release, while significantly different, manages to live up to the hype magazines like Revolver helped establish by giving them record of the year for Red Album in 2007. Check out the video for Wanderlust from that one.

All that said, despite the tremendous amount of buzz this record is getting, I have to admit that it wasn't a win at first listen. Their focus this time around was to write more melodically and somewhat prettier in order to shrug off comparisons with Mastodon, and in this regard I believe they're successful, but honestly, they never needed to fight it. Neither will ever write the other's songs, and Blue Record is no Crack The Skye, as Blood Mountain is no Red Album. I missed the sonic experimentation off that earlier release and find that, while their blending of acoustic interludes among others maintain the sense of something epic, overall, their new spin detracts some from the power of their instrumentalism. And although vocalist John Baizely is certainly a unique screamer, he's not as phenomenal as a singer as he is expressive. The result is a sort of tuneful chanting that nonetheless compliments his minimalist lyrics and fantastic song titles, so I have to say that it did feel as if the band was quite happy to be making a record such as this. It has a natural touch to it.

Baizley also happens to be, in case you didn't know, the guy behind the great cover artwork for Pig Destroyer's Phantom Limb and Darkest Hour's Deliver Us, and of course the artwork for Blue Record features his signature provocative style. Check it:

Clearly he has a great appreciation for madames au naturelle. Like this piece, Blue Record is a beautiful work worth your eye and ear.

Desperate Living - Horse the Band

Out of the spectrum of bands I listen to, I must admit I have no particular reason for liking Horse the Band, other than that they are so not like anything else out there in metal and stick to their guns when it comes to their craft. If you don't happen to know, Horse the Band is jokingly self-branded as nintendo-core, the most bizarre combination of 8-bit melodies and hardcore breakdowns. Prog-rock guitars, blast beats to rim shots, an NES emulator for a keyboardist, and a vocalist who sounds like the biggest nerd from your class, except he dropped out of school cause he got really into death metal. It's these somewhat unrelated elements matched with an inherent adolescence that is the key to never having lost their activation energy and love of ADHD songwriting, skipping from odd-time into total abrasion before breaking down into atmospherics or jump-up-and-down fist-pumping four-on-the-floor disco/punk. They're insane.

You might remember them for that one tune Birdo, a moment of brilliance that was birthed at both the right and wrong time - it got them some fame but no one respected the genre. Desperate Living could describe the way they've spent most of their career since that random hit: with little label assistance and poor personal funding, they are a true DIY that thrive completely on that adolescent power, booking their own shows and calling on fans for support. I saw them open for Poison the Well, then hang out after the show asking around for a place to stay because their management was so fed up with their destructive antics, allegedly only fueled by soda and pizza. They could have just been talking shit, but I know not if they slept well that night. Now, a bit older, on a better label, they're fully armed to make this the first record that really captures them at their most advanced. Consider this the latest upgrade to their firmware.

From the start it seems as if they're more serious, but not much more mature, which feeds their fantastic character. I won't say there are any new tricks, or more original breakdowns from guitarist David Isen, but the focus is much stronger on the construction of their brand of insanity, blending riffs together with random bits that fit, despite being a complete switch, ranging from 80s new wave soundtrack moments to references from Mega Man and even a live sample from Super Mario. That sporadic and relentless energy is dually reflected in the smart and equally dynamic production and structure of songs like Golden Mummy Golden Bird and their tribute to comic book of the same name Science Police, which could easily be their next single. The lyrics are just as brash, hilarious, juvenile, sentimental and senseless as ever, with Nathan Winneke occasionally doppleganging the Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons, complimenting their sonic efforts perfectly. They're even brash enough to write a song called Horse the Song, and reference themselves as special guests Lord Gold (nickname for keyboardist Erik Engstrom) and His Purple Majesty. Don't be fooled, however - somewhere under that armor of surface idiocy is a force with heart and soul and a vast conflated metaphor about serious issues. By the time you hear special guest Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu sing "let's sing that crippled song together" on their single Shapeshift, you just might be moved.