Tag Archives: Metal

Monte Pittman releases Inverted Grasp Of Balance

by

1

 

 DSC_2517

    I recently received the new Monte Pittman record Inverted Grasp Of Balance for review. Little did I know that it would cause me to have a profound revelation to a question I have been seeking an answer to.  Over the years of recorded music people have been trying to answer the question: What makes a record good? There has been a myriad of answers that run the gamut of the music industry. The problem is most of the answers that have been provided are subjective to the answerer and biased to their own opinions. For me, at least, I feel that I have finally answered said question. A good record is one that when you put it on you find yourself turning it up, tapping your foot or nodding your head to the beat, and when it’s over you find yourself feeling as if you just got back from…somewhere.

     I was excited to review this record as I have spoken with Monte before and have enjoyed his previous work. I didn’t realize that I would spend the rest of the day and the next listening to it on repeat and still humming the songs long after. There is a level of craftsmanship to this record that is hard to find these days (one other is the work of Jeff Sandoval and Mike Araiza). There is no doubt that music flows through the soul of Monte Pittman and I hear nods to so many musicians in his playing and writing.  When a record is made for the purpose of sharing what one feels in their minds ear, it is profound and beautiful.

      Inverted Grasp Of Balance  features Monte on guitars and vocals, Richard Christy (Charred Walls Of The Damned, Iced Earth, Death) on drums, and…..wait for it….Billy Sheehan, yes I said Billy Sheehan (David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, Winery Dogs, just to name a few) on bass. Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Steel Panther) handled the production duties and the record sounds clean and crisp. I read somewhere that Monte recorded his guitar parts while on the road, but this record feels so organic to me and it feels like someone turned on a mic in a jam room and captured some live magic.

     Inverted Grasp Of Balance gives us twelve tracks which flow together beautifully and I guarantee you will NOT find yourself reaching for the skip button, in fact you WILL find yourself reaching for the repeat button.

     If you have to pin me down for stand out tracks I would have to say “Skeleton Key” just reaches out to me the most. This track, in my opinion should be on every radio station across the planet, period. It’s just good rock n’ roll that gets in your head.I find myself just humming throughout the day.  “California” opens with bass that just drips with cool and is pure Billy Sheehan and then paints a picture in your mind of being on a cool road trip with the radio blasting, the wind in your hair, and your best friends at your side.  “New Blood Keeps Us Alive” is an epic track that, again, I feel should be blasting out of every speaker across the world. It begins with some wonderfully beautiful acoustic work that grows to some powerful rock n’ roll worthy of note. This song opens up the mind and makes you reflect on life.

      Monte’s guitar work is across the map on Inverted Grasp Of Balance, taking from gentle acoustic to balls out shredding, and it all works in connection with each other. Not only is there stellar guitar work here Monte’s vocal work is strong and epic as well. The songwriting on  Inverted Grasp Of Balance is something else. Monte has reached deep within and written some deep compositions that I believe were truly from the point of artistry.  Combine all of that with great drumming and legendary bass playing this is a music lovers wet-dream.

          Inverted Grasp Of Balance drops on Sept 23 on Metal Blade Records make sure you do NOT miss out on this record.

     Monte_Pittman_-_Inverted_Grasp_of_Balance

 Inverted Grasp Of Balance track-listing
1. Panic Attack
2. Arisen in Broad Daylight
3. Guilty Pleasure
4. The Times Are Changing
5. Double Edged Sword
6. Cadabra
7. Pride Comes Before the Fall
8. California
9. Be Very Afraid
10. Obliterated
11. Skeleton Key
12. New Blood Keeps Us Alive

Pre-order “Inverted Grasp of Balance” at metalblade.com/montepittman/

Monte Pittman online:
http://www.montepittman.com
https://www.facebook.com/MontePittman
http://www.youtube.com/MontePittmanMusic
https://soundcloud.com/montepittman
http://twitter.com/montepittman
http://www.instagram.com/montepittman
https://montepittman.bandpage.com
https://myspace.com/montepittman

     it’s loud, it’s dirty, it’s Monte Pittman

     -the Hellion

Metallica: Hardwired…to…

by

0

download

“Hit The Lights” was the first track I ever heard from Metallica. I liked the energy and aggression I heard. I thought myself “These guys have something here.”

Well, we all know how that turned out. Metallica, for me at least, has had its ups and downs. But this is something to expect when people grow and their life situations change around them. In the beginning there was a hunger in them, a drive, a sense of angry passion to be heard, they had something to prove.

Over time Metallica went through some changes that like it or not affected the direction of the band.

By the time Kill ‘Em All was released the lineup consisted of James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Cliff Burton. The kings of thrash were ready to kick ass and take names.

We got two more fantastic records from this lineup Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets before the tragic death of bassist Cliff Burton. This is where I feel the first chapter closed and the band began to undergo some changes.

The hard choice for them at this time was to find someone who could step up and climb aboard the speeding freight train that was Metallica at this time. That someone had some seriously big shoes to fill as Cliff Burton was a fan favorite. Metallica tapped Jason Newsted to fill those shoes. We probably have all heard the stories of the hazing, the turning down of the bass during recording, blah blah blah, yada yada yada. This was band business and not fan business and we can only speculate as what really went on. This, however, I feel was the catalyst for change in Metallica.

…And Justice for All gave us a different Metallica sound than we were used to. In my opinion a more mature less frantic sound. Not all together bad, just different than before. The next release, Metallica, furthered that change and ultimately became their best-selling record to date and broadened their fan base immensely while at the same time alienating some of their hardcore fans. Suddenly people who looked at you like you were crazy for liking Metallica before were “fans”. And, again this is just my opinion, they became drunk with success.

Despite what we have all heard the members of Metallica are all human and such, subject to the limitations of that. Life experience and growth is what I attribute to the changes in style we saw with the release of Load and Reload. Less thrash and more experimental musical songs combined with image change further pushed their early hardcore fans away and thrust Metallica into the mainstream world.

I happened to respect their changes and growth. While I loved the early aggressive sound, I found an appreciation for this new sound that reflected life changes even as I found myself growing and maturing.

And then, another shakeup, Jason Newsted was out of the picture. No replacement was announced and producer Bob Rock filled in on St. Anger and we were let into the inside world of their lives and problems with the film Some Kind of Monster. The release St. Anger gave us yet another style of Metallica. People panned the writing and production, and others panned the recording. The fair-weather “fans” that came on board with Metallica silently folded their Metallica shirts and placed their CD’s and records on dusty shelves and moved on to the next flavor of the month. The hardcore fans continued to grumble and listen to the early stuff and prayed for a return to the thrash sounds of old…

I have been a longtime fan of Rob Trujillo’s work and was excited to hear of his addition to the Metallica lineup. I had to wait until Death Magnetic dropped to get that chance. While I found this to be a good, solid record I had still expected a little more. Good but not great in my opinion. I did catch them on the Death Magnetic tour and the energy and passion given to the old school tracks was fantastic to see. I refused to give up on Metallica.

I am not even going to speak on Lulu as I feel it not to be a Metallica album (maybe I’ll talk about it down the road on a collaborations article).

All of this leads us to today. Metallica broke the internet yesterday when they released the new track “Hardwired…to Self-Destruct”. All day long I saw back and forth postings about the track. Name calling, bashing, criticisms, speculations…. on and on. My personal thoughts on it? I liked it. Did I love it? Not really. Do I appreciate it? ABSOFRICKINGLUTELY!!!

I posed the question on Facebook yesterday asking if a band that was once relevant could once again gain said relevance in today’s day and age where people just want to hear the “hits” and only the “hits”. Yes, I was talking about Metallica and the upcoming album Hardwired…to Self-Destruct. Given the effect they had on the internet yesterday what do YOU think?

 

It’s loud, it’s dirty, it’s METALLICA!!!

  -the Hellion 

ABBA to ZZ Top – Appreciating Diversity

by

0

 

971415_676893142351394_1274451645_n (2)

My mom introduced me to music at a very young age. There was always some kind of music playing somewhere in the house. One of my earliest musical memories is running around with my cousins screaming in our tiny off key voices “Yellow Submarine” by the Beatles.

The music my mom listened to was across the map, but mostly rock oriented. My stepfather, however, was a country man and there was no alternative. I learned to appreciate the sounds I was hearing from songs that they both listened to. I felt the stories they were telling, and that was how I interpreted them, as stories. These “stories” would end up becoming my best friends as my childhood took some nasty turns. They were always there and wouldn’t ever let me down. I ultimately developed an affinity for rock and that became my preferred style of music. I never did lose my appreciation for classic country music though.

The 70’s were a great time for music on the radio. I could hear a broad spectrum of artists on one rock station from ABBA to ZZ Top. I LISTENED and devoured all of the music that I could, often staying up until the wee hours with a small radio under my pillow. I remember a conversation with my mom once where I asked her why she liked music so much her reply was “Because the songs take me away to different places.” I got it, and found myself taking the same journeys. The music was fresh and entertaining and never ever seemed to go stale for me. There was no sub, sub, sub genres, just good music.

This was a time when it was cool to one day wear a Bee Gees shirt and a KISS one the next. We just loved the music. We were clueless and we loved it. We used our imaginations to think about what our favorite musicians were doing and what they would do next, there was bliss in our ignorance.

 

…it was just music and we simply loved it.

-the Hellion

Was Chris DeGarmo Queensrÿche?

by

5

Tri-Ryche

I remember now…

This writing will probably piss off and alienate some of my friends and readers, but it is my thoughts and feelings and I will not apologize for that.

In the early 80’s a track caught my ear one day and wormed its way into my brain, “Queen of the Reich”. It was Iron Maiden meets Judas Priest and yet somehow…not. I didn’t catch the band name but a quick phone call to the DJ, yes I said DJ, and found it was a band named Queensrÿche and I was hooked.

Album after album came out and my love for the band and appreciation for their music grew and grew. In the midst of all of this I met and married my wife and she, in turn, grew to like  Queensrÿche as well.

The years gave us great albums and music to share. We were fortunate to catch them on the Hear in the Now Frontier tour and then Chris DeGarmo left the band.

I thought to myself surely the departure of Chris wouldn’t be the end of  Queensrÿche and I stood by patiently to see the results. Q2K was released and it was ok, but something seemed lacking in the song structure. I then heard some rumors that Chris was working with  Queensrÿche again on a new record. Tribe was released in 2003 and it gave me the magic I felt before from open to close. The “reunion”, however, was short-lived. Chris faded away again.

2006 to 2011 brought us Operation: Mindcrime II, Take Cover, American Soldier, and Dedicated to Chaos, all decent efforts but still lacking that je ne sais quoi. Then, the Taterÿche Wars (as I like to refer to them) began.

While I refuse to take sides in the whole fiasco (I am not nor will I ever be a part of their internal business matters, and was not included in any discussions so everything we read or hear is hearsay.) I kept an open mind as to the outcome.

I then heard that Geoff Tate and the band had split. Rumors of a new band called Rising West featuring Todd La Torre surfaced and I was impressed and glad they had decided to move on. As for Geoff I was hoping that he would pursue a solo career and Queensrÿche would be put to rest in an honorable way.

Needless to say that did not happen. Like a bad political campaign there was name calling and mudslinging galore. Eventually it settled, Geoff gave up the name Queensrÿche and named his new endeavor Operation: Mindcrime.

Both camps have continued to make new music and yet have failed to reach me on the level that Queensrÿche once did. Don’t get me wrong, Michael Wilton, Scott Rockenfield, and Eddie Jackson, are all stellar musicians and were critical to the Queensrÿche sound. Parker Lundgren and Todd La Torre are great additions as well, I just wish they would have stuck to the Rising West name and let Queensrÿche die an honorable death. Todd is a phenomenal vocalist and front man but he’s no Geoff Tate and neither should he be.   Was Chris DeGarmo Queensrÿche? Maybe not but he certainly was a big part to me.

-the Hellion

 

 

Clutch Frontman, Ex Black Sabbath Drummer Join Forces In Dunsmuir

by

0

AlbumCover_Hi-rez_1600x1600

Remember those great concept albums like The Wall, Tommy, 2112, Operation Mindcrime…you get my drift. Well Dunsmuir has a brought a new one into the mix with their upcoming release Dunsmuir.

In case you’ve been leading a sheltered life in a bomb shelter, here’s the lowdown on Dunsmuir: Neil Fallon (Clutch) on vocals, Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath, Heaven And Hell) on drums, Brad Davis (Fu Manchu) on bass, and Dave Bone (The Company Band)on guitar, have put their various talents together to form Dunsmuir, and the result is FANTASTIC to say the least.

Dunsmuir tells the tale of the various fates met by the survivors of a 19th century ship wreck.  What had been intended as a voyage of scientific discovery, quickly devolves into a struggle to survive the natural world, and the supernatural. This tale is successfully told by the mood and tempo of the 10 tracks on this album:

1. Hung On the Rocks
2. Our Only Master
3. The Bats (Are Hungry Tonight)
4. What Manner of Bliss
5. Deceiver
6. …and Madness
7. Orb of Empire
8. Church of the Tooth
9. The Gate
10. Crawling Chaos

     The album has a straightforward no bullshit Rock N’ Roll feel to it. Great mix of vocals, guitar,  bass, and drums with one not overshadowing the other. The mix is stellar and you don’t lose anything when you crank it to outrageous volume. The flow is great as the story is told. The lyrics do a great job of placing you within the story of the brave adventurers of the tale and it translates well. This is an album that is worthy of a road trip with the volume and the windows down AND an evening at home with your favorite beverage and a great pair of headphones. While meant to be taken as a whole, there are a few tracks that call out to me: “Hung On the Rocks” with its catchy licks and chorus reaches out and tickles my ears. “Crawling Chaos” embodies chaos in your ears and yet somehow makes sense. “Church of the Tooth” carries with it an ominous doomy sound which I thoroughly enjoy.

     Dunsmuir delivers some solid Rock N’ Roll in a time when others have given Rock its death sentence. This album gives the middle finger to the naysayers and does its part in proving them wrong.

     Their self titled full length album is set to be released July 22nd via Hall Of Records with presale to begin on July 8th.   The album will be released digitally via iTunes only and the LP will only have a pressing of 1,000 copies with a signed lithograph poster of the album cover and available only at:  http://www.indiemerch.com/Dunsmuir

    Facebook:  www.facebook.com/DunsmuirBand
Instagram:  http://www.instagram.com/dunsmuirband
Twitter:        http://www.twitter.com/DunsmuirBand
Official:        http://www.dunsmuirband.com
YouTube:    http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCav_GlS4rhekNZsOZTp3SzA

          You DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS ONE!!!

     it’s loud, it’s dirty, it’s ROCK N’ ROLL!!!

     -the Hellion

 

 

CLUTCH ANNOUNCE 2016 U.S. TOUR WITH ZAKK SABBATH & KYNG

by

0

clutch Fall US tour ad

June 15th, 2016 – Clutch continues their Psychic Warfare World Tour 2016.  Headline tour dates for September-October are in.  The group will be heading back on the road this Fall headlining another leg of their US tour. Supporting the tour will be Zakk Sabbath and Los Angeles based metal band Kyng. Including 2 festival appearances, the trek will begin in Buffalo, NY at the The Town Ballroom on September 28th and conclude in Worcester, MA at The Palladium on October 30th.
 
Clutch lead vocalist Neil Fallon commented “We are pleased to announce that this Fall Clutch will be hitting the road again in the U.S..  This time with Zakk Sabbath and Kyng. Clutch toured with Black Label Society a few years back and it was a blast –  and no doubt, this one will be a blast as well.  We hope to see you all there!”
 
Psychic Warfare is the latest and eleventh studio effort from Clutch.  The disc debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard 200, No. 2 on the Billboard Independent,  No. 1 on the Billboard Hard Rock and Billboard Rock charts.  On Record Store Day this past April 16th Clutch released a limited edition numbered etched vinyl 12 inch that included two previously unreleased tracks from the Psychic Warfare sessions:  “Mad Sidewinder” and “Outland Special Clearance“.   Psychic Warfare was produced by longtime producer Machine (Lamb Of God, Every Time I Die).   
 
Zakk Sabbath, bring their take on Black Sabbath songs on the road for the first time ever.  The band features  guitarist/vocalist Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne), bassist Rob “Blasko” Nicholson (Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Zombie) and drummer Joey Castillo (Danzig, Queens Of The Stone Age).   Kyng, the Los Angeles based metal trio, will be supporting their 3rd release and follow up to 2014’s Burn The Serum.
 
Pre-sale tickets will be on sale today (June 15th) at 12PM local time with public on sale beginning Friday, June  17 at 10AM local time.  Pre-sale tickets are available here: Tickets.artistarena.com/clutch 
For all other information, visit the Clutch website (www.pro-rock.com).
 
Clutch, Zakk Sabbath, Kyng 2016 Tour Dates
 
09/28 – Buffalo, NY @ The Town Ballroom
09/30 – Lakewood, NJ @ First Energy Park – Rock Carnival *
10/01 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
10/02 – Louisville, KY @ Champions Park – Louder Than Life *
10/04 – Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues
10/05 – Atlanta, GA @ The Buckhead Theatre
10/07 – Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theatre Street Stage
10/08 – Columbus, OH @ Express Live
10/10 – Little Rock, AR @ Metroplex
10/11 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom
10/12 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater
10/14 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Novo
10/15 – Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl
10/16 – San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom
10/18 – Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater
10/20 – Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theater
10/21 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
10/22 – Sioux City, IA @ Anthem at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
10/24 – Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note ** NO Zakk Sabbath
10/25 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
10/27 – Madison, WI @ Orpheum Theater
10/28 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore
10/29 – Clifton Park, NY @Upstate Concert Hall
10/30 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
 
* festival appearance 
 
CLUTCH:
Neil Fallon – Vocals/Guitar
Tim Sult – Guitar
Dan Maines – Bass
Jean-Paul Gaster – Drums/Percussion

                                                  

 
For more  information, check out the band’s website:
 
Official: www.pro-rock.com
 
You know I’ll be there!!! – the Hellion

Stacey Blades unveils Angels In Vein

by

0

13332741_1098439043528198_2014737802050667784_n

I recently had the chance to talk to my friend Stacey Blades about the exciting new project he’s been working on, Angels In Vein. Check out the conversation right here:

 

     Be sure to visit http://www.angelsinvein.com for all the Latest! Thanks to Rock-n-Roll GangStar for the badass merch on their site!!!

     it’s loud, it’s dirty, it’s ANGELS IN VEIN!!!

     -the Hellion

the Hellion Rocks talks to Jeff Sandoval and Mike Araiza about their new release Project Playlist

by

0

If any of you are like me, you constantly crave new music. Not just new music but quality music. Jeff Sandoval and Mike Araiza deliver, in spades, with Project Playlist. Jeff and Mike have taken many musical journeys together and have included me along the way. Check out this heartfelt discussion we had about how they got to where they are today. When you’re done watching I HIGHLY recommend you click on the picture below and order Project Playlist . There will be a detailed song by song review up this Saturday so stay tuned. Project Playlist is currently the front-runner for CD of the year on the Hellion Rocks and that’s no joke.  Order yours today!!!

it’s loud, it’s dirty, it’s ROCK AND ROLL!!!

-the Hellion

YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO WATCH IT!

CD Cover

     CLICK THE PICTURE TO ORDER NOW!

The Troubadour of Testosterone, Zakk Wylde, releases Book Of Shadows II

by

0

bae80f66f5df3da587d84bd7a4dacaf9

I have been listening to the new Zakk Wylde release for several days now and want to share my reflections on it with you.

When I received my pre-order in the mail I was excited to hear some new music from Father Zakk. I unwrapped the CD, and quickly threw it in my truck’s player and settled in for a listen…..

Playing this album it felt like i had put on a pair of comfortable slippers, and settled in to my favorite easy chair. While the songs were new, they felt familiar and comfortable like old friends and yet at the same time, not stale and boring. I tried to pick out some standout tracks but was unable to as the flow of the record, for me, needs to be taken as a whole.

So why would Zakk need to make a solo record? Why not another Black Label Society record? Here are my thoughts.

We all know Zakk can grab his fiddle and choke some fantastic music from it that will crush our collective chests like so many packs of cigarettes, and we know he has some tender moments that give us some memorable ballads. With Book of Shadows II, Zakk gives us some reflective music. This CD is full of music that truly comes from a mans thoughts and life experiences and listening to it will transport you into a thoughtful place. I am taken back to the music of James Taylor, Jim Croce, and Don McLean. These guys created art with their words and guitars.

Why then would hardcore, badass, metalhead, rockers, like this record? Because it shows craftsmanship, and talent…lots and lots of talent. The skill set Zakk shows us on Book of Shadows II shows us why he remains so relevant in the vast world of guitarists.

Bottom line, Book of Shadows II feels like a record that I have had in my collection for years and years and yet puts a smile on my face whenever I play it.

While all of the songs stand out to me as a whole Zakk has released a video for “Sleeping Dogs” and you can check it out here:

     Whether you are a Zakk Wylde/BLS fan or not you should run out today and pick Book of Shadows II to up, pop it in your player, roll the windows down, and go for a 60 minute drive and just let finely crafted music flow through you and take to a reflective place.

     it’s loud, it’s dirty, it’s Rock N’ Roll!!!

     -the Hellion

 

 

Al Jourgensen talks Surgical Meth Machine

by

0

     Well, Things sometimes get a little “different” here at the Hellion Rocks.

SurgicalMethMachine_SMM

     he’s loud, he’s dirty, he’s Al Jourgensen…

     the Hellion