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By the skin of their teeth
Of course, heavy metal had been on the rise for a good four years by the spring of 1987. That June, however, something happened that cemented metal’s crossover into the mainstream, kicking off a three or four-year period where that wave of popularity would start to crest. For the week ending June 20, five of the top six albums on the Billboard albums chart were of the metal variety. At number six, Ozzy Osbourne’s Tribute live album featuring the late Randy Rhoads. Number five, Poison’s 1986 debut Look What the Cat Dragged In, which was finally starting to take off. Number four, Bon Jovi’s smash Slippery When Wet, which was ubiquitous to the point of annoyance. Number three, the stunning self-titled comeback album by a shrewdly made-over Whitesnake. And in the second spot, the fourth album by the biggest metal/hard rock band on the planet at the time, Mötley Crüe’s Girls, Girls, Girls.
Although Mötley Crüe made a massive impression early that decade, starting with 1981’s excellent debut Too Fast For Love and 1983’s classic Shout at the Devil, in the years that followed their reputation for controversy and debauchery far overshadowed the music, and the music clearly suffered as a result. While it had its moments, 1985’s Theatre of Pain was a comparatively weak album. Thanks to a pair of absolute smash singles in the cover of Brownsville Station’s “Smokin’ in the Boy’s Room” and the great power ballad “Home Sweet Home”, though, Crüe’s popularity only grew, the band having made the jump to headlining arenas.
Two years later, from a commercial standpoint the band was in a prime position to knock their next record clear out of the park, but for those of us kids at the time, we had no idea just how big a mess the band, especially bassist and chief songwriter Nikki Sixx, were in. As he describes so vividly in his best-selling book The Heroin Diaries, Sixx was in the depths of a severe heroin addiction during the making of that crucial fourth album, which made the recording process all the more arduous, saying at one point,
I don’t know if this album we’re making is any good. I don’t know if I even like it…and if I don’t like it, who will?
I’m really proud of Wild Side, but other times I’m just recycling old Aerosmith riffs or repeating myself. I know I should be trying harder but I can’t be bothered.
Over a five-month period in late 1986 and 1987, the band had holed up in an LA studio with Tom Werman, who had produced Shout at the Devil and Theater of Pain, and somehow, miraculously, Girls, Girls, Girls was completed. And what a strange record it would turn out to be. Rarely will you ever come across an album that contained such great, career-defining songs yet still was such a waste of an incredible opportunity. Three of nine songs would be flat-out classics, two more would be decent, while the rest would be nothing more than lazily-written filler. And if that wasn’t enough, so few passable songs were completed for the record that they had to tack on a terrible live cover of “Jailhouse Rock” at the end, just to round out side two.
It’s a real shame, too, because what a start the album gets off to. Written in the depths of his addiction, and as he later admitted a thinly-veiled tribute to Lou Reed, “Wild Side” remains Nikki Sixx’s finest composition, the most complete realization of his vision of Mötley Crüe: gritty, dangerous, sleazy, badass. Mick Mars comes through with his most nimble riffing on record, Tommy Lee gives the track a phenomenal groove punctuated by his floor tom fills, while Vince Neil, who was never the greatest singer to start with, nevertheless turns in a commanding performance, snarling and spitting Sixx’s lyrics with venom. It’s the one perfect, definitive Mötley Crüe song. The title track follows, and whereas “Wild Side” focused on the band’s darker side, “Girls, Girls, Girls” focuses on the band’s otherobsession. More celebratory than misogynist – just slightly - lyrically it’s little more than a silly list of the band’s favorite strip clubs, but its sense of fun is undeniable, and it was the album’s biggest single and to this day remains a classic nugget from the hair metal era.
Better than the title track, in my opinion, is “You’re All I Need”. The album’s token power ballad, many instantly called the song a sequel to “Home Sweet Home”, but in actuality Sixx takes the formula and turns it on its ear, adding a grisly shock rock element. Like Alice Cooper did in the 1970s, Sixx puts a macabre twist on the idea, making his protagonist sing a love song to a woman he killed, which lends an otherwise syrupy ballad an unsettling edginess to it. And of course the real story behind the song was even better, as Sixx would eventually reveal he had written the song as a mocking response to General Hospital actor Jack Wagner, who had bedded Sixx’s girlfriend and whose song “All I Need” was a big hit in 1984.
While “Dancing on Glass” and “Five Years Dead” would see Sixx displaying some creative inspiration from his addiction and the 86-second interlude “Nona” paid loving tribute to his revered grandmother, the rest of the album – “Bad Boy Boogie”, “All in the Name Of…”, “Sumthin’ For Nuthin’” – is Sunset Strip rawk at its most trite and pointless, songs that barely go through the motions, the band desperately trying to sell it, but failing miserably. And that “Jailhouse Rock” cover is still atrocious after 25 years, simply there to pad out the album to just under 40 minutes.
Despite the incredible inconsistency of Girls, Girls, Girls, this was the 1980s after all, and fans bought the album in the millions and showed up to the band’s concerts in droves. With Whitesnake opening, Mötley Crüe’s tour that year was a massive success, garish and over the top – featuring Tommy Lee’s legendary spinning drum kit – but Sixx was still spiraling out of control, and would ultimately overdose on heroin on December 23, 1987, famously declared dead by paramedics for two minutes. Meanwhile, a new wave of sleaze rock acts were primed to steal Mötley Crüe’s thunder that summer, as Faster Pussycat, LA Guns, and a carefully groomed band called Guns ‘N’ Roses were generating serious buzz and would blow up in a major way in early 1988. It wouldn’t be until 1989 that a newly sober Crüe would return, and while their fifth album Dr. Feelgood wouldn’t have the edge that their previous four albums had, it would turn out to be the most consistent album in six years, and ‘scuse the pun, kickstart their career once again.
U2’s heavily marketed juggernaut The Joshua Tree might have been firmly cemented in the top spot at the time that pivotal week in June 1987, but that chart performance by those heavier bands was a massive statement. Metal was what the kids were listening to, and the major labels had caught on to the idea; also in that week’s top 200 albums were Cinderella, Ace Frehley, Tesla, Stryper, Megadeth, Deep Purple, Ratt, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Van Halen, and Europe. A younger reader might scoff, saying, “We see just as many or even more metal albums in the top 200 today,” but in 1987 that was simply unheard of, and besides, far, far more people bought albums then. All but two of those albums would be certified platinum in the US. Back then a metal record reaching the top 40 was big news, cracking the top five unthinkable. And even though they were a total wreck, Mötley Crüe still managed to lead the way in 1987, and for all its flaws, the fact Girls, Girls, Girls was ever completed in the first place is an incredible achievement in itself.
| Tags: | 25_at_25motley_crue |
Digital EP covers Entombed five times over
Last summer Converge released a cool little split with Napalm Death that featured their cover of Entombed’s classic “Wolverine Blues”. On the track were five different lead vocalists chipping in: Converge’s Jacob Bannon and Nate Newton, Isis’s Aaron Turner, APMD’s Kevin Baker, and Tomas "Tompa" Lindberg from At the Gates and Disfear. Now, in a neat little touch, the band has just released a digital EP via Bandcamp called Pound For Pound: The Wolverine Blues Sessions, which is comprised of five different versions of the track, each featuring all guest vocalists on the entire song.
The EP is interesting in that it offers listeners a chance to hear the subtle differences each vocalist brings to the song – for my money Lindberg, one of the best harsh vocalists in all of metal, puts in the strongest performance – but even better, you get to hear Converge absolutely slay on the track five times in a row. You can stream all five versions of “Wolverine Blues” below, and if you’re inclined to buy it, it’s only five bucks.
Dutch black metalers' performance was one of Roadburn 2013's best
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, of all the performances I saw at Roadburn 2013 this past April, Nihill’s set was one of the most memorable. The Dutch band’s first-ever public live performance, it was malevolent, confrontational, and unrelenting, in stark comparison with the overall relaxed vibe that usually permeates the annual Sunday “Afterburner”. I came away from that show absolutely throttled by the savage, punk-infused black metal, and none of the other bands on the bill that day could even come close to the revelatory experience that Nihill provided.
The good folks at Roadburn and Burning World Records often release live albums of certain sets from the festival every year, and Nihill’s shattering show is the first one from 2013 to be announced. A cassette-only release – in keeping with the band’s stubbornly underground aesthetic – As. Nihill Undead at Roadburn 2013 comes out in early June, and is limited to only 100 copies. Trust me on this one; it’s a must-own. Those of you who know the band’s work from their Hydra Head releases will know what I mean.
Pre-order Nihill’s As. Nihill Undead at Roadburn 2013 here.
Movie opens September 27
Featuring concert footage filmed in Vancouver last year, Metallica’s upcoming feature film Metallica: Through the Never is set to open on IMAX screens in the US on September 27, with a wider theatrical release following on October 4. The trailer for the flick has just been released, which you can watch below.
Directed by Nimród Antal (Predators), Through the Never is being billed as “groundbreaking”, but seeing that the latest 3-D fad is long past its expiry date, I’ll reserve judgment until I see it. Much is being made of how the concert footage will be combined with a “bold narrative” (actor Dane DeHaan apparently plays a Metallica crew member who has to carry out a "mysterious assignment" while the band performs), but Led Zeppelin tried that nearly 40 years ago, and we all know how pretentious that whole exercise was. Bruce McDonald attempted a similar thing in his Broken Social Scene film This Movie is Broken to maudlin effect a few years ago. Either way, it should be interesting to see how this film turns out, and judging by the trailer, it certainly looks like an eye-popper.
While it might be nice for Metallica to be branching out like they have been as of late, with the much-reviled Lulu project, two Orion Fests, this movie, and Lars Ulrich hinting at film directing, for crying out loud, all fans want is another damned record from the guys. But that’s not happening any time soon, so Metallica: Through the Never, and its accompanying soundtrack album of course, will just have to suffice for now.
| Tags: | metallica |
Israeli band's fifth album to be released June 25
Orphaned Land, the Israeli progressive metal band who have done a splendid job over the years promoting cultural unity through their music, are set to release their fifth album All is One June 24 on Century Media. Always ones to make a point of bringing together audiences from all walks of life, the band made a point of recording the new album in Israel, Turkey, and Sweden – Jewish, Muslim, and Christian countries respectively – and that idea is also neatly reflected in the cover artwork, which incorporates imagery from all three religions.
As much as I’ve always admired Orphaned Land – 2004’s Mabool was a revelation – I was not a fan of their last album, 2010’s The Never Ending Way of ORWarriOR, which overall felt too stylistically busy, lacking a “less is more” approach that progressive metal so often needs. The two All is One tracks that have surfaced, however, sound outstanding, and bode well for the rest of the record. On both “Our Own Messiah” and “Let the Truce be Known”, the Middle Eastern musical influences are front and center, the former led by Kobi Farhi’s impassioned vocal melody, the latter dominated by a stirring Turkish string section. Listen to both songs below.
| Tags: | orphaned_land |
Aussie band breathes life into mainstream hard rock
Album of the Week:
Airbourne, Black Dog Barking (Roadrunner)
You know exactly what you’re going to get whenever Airbourne puts out a new album, and somehow, despite recycling the same AC/DC-meets-Rose Tattoo formula time and again, the Aussies’ music always sticks with you. The incredible thing is, weirdly, that they’re pretty much the only prominent band playing this kind of rock ‘n’ roll, as the rest of mainstream rock is stuck in a mire of post-grunge boredom and “active rock” gimmickry. What Airbourne are doing is no different than all those cliché-recyvling hard rockers from the late-‘80s – Dirty Looks, anyone? – but the key difference is that this particular foursome always makes damned sure that the energy is at full throttle on every single record. There’s no malaise to be heard on an Airbourne album. No jaded sentiment. No hint of being tired. Just simple, booze-fueled hard rock that’s perfectly suited for summer.
On their third album, interestingly enough, Airbourne and producer Brian Howes bring that raucous energy in spades, but add considerable polish to the package, to the point where it starts to bear a striking resemblance to Def Leppard’s High ‘n’ Dry. Of course, it doesn’t have the emotional resonance and nuance of that classic but it has that bite, feeling like a respectful homage rather than a rip-off, and on songs like “Animalize” and “No One Fits Me (Better Than You)” you can’t help but admit they do a fantastic job capturing that sound. Elsewhere, “Live it Up” is the kind of crowd-pleaser that the band excels at, while the title track, which closes the record, brings a welcome dose of nastiness to the proceedings. Of course it’s all predictable, of course it’s been done countless times before, but for anyone sick to death of the current depressing trajectory of mainstream hard rock – hello, Pop Evil – Black Dog Barking’s timing couldn’t be better.
Also out this week:
Burning Rain, Epic Obsession (Frontiers): Whitesnake shredder and Guitar World hero Doug Aldrich has resurrected Burning Rain for their first new album since 2000, and to no one’s surprise it’s stubbornly stuck in 1989, mining the last days of pop metal, from loads of Nuno Bettencourt knock-offs (“Till You Die”, “Pray Out Loud”) to faux-Zeppelin blooze (“Heaven Gets Me By”). It’s all horribly dated, and it’s certainly no Badlands – that cover of “Kashmir” has to go – but Aldrich and singer Keith St. John sell it, right down to the smarm.
Circle, Six Day Run (Ektro): While not an official “album” per se, this soundtrack for Mika Taanila's film of the same name is not only a cool little exercise for the innovative Finnish band, but a great listen for fans and admirers of experimental music alike. This project sees them offering instrumental variations on the minimalist krautrock sounds of Can, the six tracks locked into hypnotic motoric tempos but subtly exploring through improvisation. You don’t need to see the film to be affected by the music, which is the highest possible praise for the musicians.
Decaying, The Last Days Of War (Hellthrasher): This is war-themed death metal in the same vein as Bolt Thrower and Hail of Bullets, but while the young Finns do a good job depicting historical battles in their lyrics, musically it lacks the potency and robustness that the aforementioned bands deliver in spades, marred by pedestrian songwriting and lifeless production.
Death Of An Era, The Great Commonwealth (Artery): Stuttering, sputtering deathcore with the odd moment of inspiration when the death metal influences are allowed to rise to the surface, but while these Ohio youngsters can definitely play the hell out of their instruments, they need to sit down and listen to some metal and hardcore albums made before 2000 to learn that instrumental chops mean nothing if you can’t write a single cohesive song.
Extrema, The Seed Of Foolishness (Scarlet): While the Italian band tries a little too hard to sound American – something that annoys me to no end – their Machine Head-isms on this new album are passable enough to not be completely off-putting. Still, why bother with a pale imitation when the real thing is so much better?
Gaytheist, Hold Me...But Not So Tight (Good To Die): Punk, noise, and garage rock collide in a very fun way on this disarming new album by the Portland band. Catchy and bursting with energy, the second you start wondering if this is all a big put-on, the song ends, a new one begins, and you couldn’t care less. Stream and buy the album via Bandcamp.
Hebosagil, Lähtö (Ektro): It’s no KEN Mode, and it’s certainly no Melvins, but the latest album by the Finnish band is an adequately raucous, abrasive blast of sludge and noise. Sung in indecipherable Finnish, by the way, just for a little added mystique.
NK, Nothing to be Gained Here (Triple Crown): Featuring members of The Dillinger Escape Plan and Envy on the Coast, this is a rare band that takes the idea of post-hardcore and takes it into surreal, creative territory, creating songs that are alternately awash in sludgy guitars and lumbering grooves, or completely setting Warped Tour pop-punk on its ear, like Battles and Ween interpreting Fall Out Boy. If that wasn’t enough, a little ‘70s soul is tossed out in the form of “Vacation Days”. It’s a brilliant little album that shows everyone that Mike Patton doesn’t have to be the only person out there bucking convention in heavy music. Listen to the album via Soundcloud.
A Pale Horse Named Death, Lay My Soul To Waste (SPV): The band led by former Type O Negative drummer Sal Abruscato is back with their second album, and once again the Alice in Chains imitations are painfully obvious and distracting. I genuinely like its gothic bent, but the grunge influence has to go. This is like Godsmack with eyeliner.
The Poodles, Tour De Force (Frontiers): Channeling the fun of glam metal without the smarm that permeates the new Burning Rain album reviewed above, the Swedish band have put out another lively album that leans a little more toward the power metal of HammerFall and Edguy, but the pop element is never abandoned. Consequently, songs like “40 Days and 40 Nights” and “Shut Up!” charm their way into your head with their shameless, puppydog-like cheeriness. Who’s a good boy!
PTSD, A Sense Of Decay (My Kingdom): It’s 1995 all over again on the latest album by the Italian alt-metal outfit, as simple, down-tuned riffs mesh with mid-paced grooves and lavish electronic arrangements. If anything, it’s catchy stuff, featuring a very strong singer in Henry Guy. “Event Horizon” is a keeper.
Satan, Life Sentence (Listenable): It might not be receiving the same amount of hype that Hell and Angel Witch received in 2011 and 2012, but NWOBHM band Satan have reunited their complete 1983 lineup and put out a very good album, their first in 26 years. Continuing right where Court in the Act left off, Life Sentence keeps it simple, employing that old “fast and melodic” formula to great effect – the twin leads are often stupendous – led by the formidable bellow of Brian Ross. Led by “Cenotaph”, “Time to Die”, and the title track, this is a very welcome return by a band that deserves more recognition.
Svart Crown, Profane (Listenable): Following the leads of Gojira and Hacride, Svart Crown add themselves to the ever-growing list of creating metal bands coming out of France. In their case, though, more death metal permeates their music than that of their peers, the bombast of Behemoth mixing well with moments of creative atonality. It’s a compelling combination of the formulaic and the unexpected, and as “Intern. Virus. Human.” and “In Utero: A Place of Hatred and Threat” prove, a little subtlety and in such forceful music goes a long way.
Timo Tolkki's Avalon, The Land Of New Hope (Frontiers): The Finnish guitarist tries to one-up his former band Stratovarius with an ambitious power metal concept album loaded with guest musicians, but while it has some memorable songs (“Enshrined in My Memory”), it quickly becomes a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth, the constant revolving door of singers making the album feel busier and more scattered than it has to be. Give this round to Stratovarius, whose new album is very good.
U.D.O., Steelhammer (AFM): Udo Dirkschneider’s latest album starts off as the kind of predictable, classic heavy metal fun that we’ve all come to expect from him, with songs like “Metal Machine” and “King of Mean” sticking to the same formula he’s used since his days with Accept. Whenever U.D.O. fails, though, it’s when he steps outside the box, and the longer this album goes, the more it starts to fly off the rails, marred by such softer fare as “Never Cross My Way” and “When Love Becomes a Lie”, and even worse, the egregious “Book of Faith”, which sees Dirkschneider trying to become the German Tom Waits, and failing miserably.
Zed, Desperation Blues (I And I): The San Francisco band’s second album is likeable, there’s no denying that. After all, they do the swinging, swaggering hard rock thing quite well. It wants to be on the level of Clutch, but lacks the personality and quirkiness to get there. In the end, it’s good, safe heavy rock ‘n’ roll, and despite feeling generic at times the energy and passion is palpable enough to make you let its shortcomings slide.
| Tags: | airbournenew_releases |
Doors keyboardist died Monday
Housecore Horror Film Festival to be held October 25-27 in Austin, TX
Everyone knows heavy metal and horror flicks go hand in hand, and on the weekend of October 25-27 Austin Texas will be the home of the Housecore Horror Film Festival, where underground metal and underground horror cinema will collide for a three-day bacchanal at Emo’s.
Created by Philip Anselmo and writer Corey Mitchell, the music/film fest “offer fans a mix of live concerts from at least a dozen of heavy metal’s heaviest hitters, and more than 70 screenings of full-length and short horror films, documentaries, true crime and heavy metal films, music videos, and more. Special guest appearances by revered and controversial horror film directors and other notable figures in the metal and movie worlds will give festival-goers the extreme experience they’re craving.”
Among the announced bands performing are Down, Crowbar, Philip Anselmo & the Illegals, Eyehategod, and Warbeast. In addition, several films will be scored live by guest musicians, the most exciting of which being Goblin, who will perform live their classic score to Dario Argento’s Suspiria. This is sure to be a blast; believe me, you want to witness The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari with Mayhem’s Atilla Csihar gurgling into a microphone in the background, if only for the surrealism of it all.
More bands and films will be announced in the coming months.
Three-day VIP All Access badges are on sale now. Visit www.housecorehorrorfilmfestival.com and facebook.com/HousecoreHorrorFilmFestival for more details.
Second song from 14th album 'Super Collider' to surface
To say that the premiere of the title track from Megadeth’s 14th album Super Collider few weeks ago was disappointing is an understatement, but judging from the second new song Dave Mustaine and his band have just posted, there just might be hope for the record yet.
Like “Super Collider”, “Kingmaker” is fairly straightforward, cut from the same cloth as the band's notoriously streamlined Countdown to Extinction album, but it’s a robust enough track that falls right into Mustaine’s wheelhouse, not to mention the rest of the band, who sound right at home churning out the catchy little “Children of the Grave” knockoff groove. It’s no “Head Crusher”, arguably Megadeth’s best song of the last decade, but it’s a step in the right direction. Listen to the track below.
Super Collider comes out June 4 on Tradecraft/Universal.
| Tags: | megadeth |
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