"Black Metal:" A Nearly-Belated Tribute to Black History Month Pt. 1

Holy ship, February is almost over and I still have yet to pay my respects to the brothers and sisters out there. For many of us, Black History Month seems to glide by as briefly and inertly as the short 28 days it contains. Well I do so declare- not this year!

In considering what I could do as a mere music snob to show my support for the annual celebration, I looked upon an area of music that is often overlooked in black culture: the rock-metal spectrum. Many unspoken racial boundaries exist in the world of music, but these rank among the most pervasive: rap and hip-hop: black; rock and metal: white. Prolific rappers like Eminem and The Beastie Boys, in addition to a number of more recent recent talents, have proven the former bias false, but can the same be said of the other?

Abso-fricken-lutely. Black musicians have never been more prevalent in rock and metal scenes. On this post, and tomorrow's continuation, I'll feature twelve remarkable bands with black members who have either left an eduring impact on rock and metal or are in the midst of leaving their influential mark. Get ready for an ebony-ass kicking 'cause 1-6 are comin' at-cha!

Ahh, The Power of Music: A Bold Gesture from a Cool Band

You can see why this bunch might be a little controversial

The last time I had spoken of Orphaned Land was in the back of a kitchen in an Israeli hostel. Midway through a trip I had taken this past June, I discovered, much to my surprise, that a website in the far away land had taken an interest in me and my band as well. Our PR guy had alerted Metalist Magazine that I would be visiting the country, so they approached a fellow "rocker of the book" for an interview (10,000 bonus points if you can read this; I sure as hell can't). 

In the midst of discussing the state of forward-thinking music across the globe (and being accosted by the disgruntled cook), Eitan Gafni, the interviewer, asked me if I knew of any Israeli artists, and if so, what I thought of them.

There was a quite a "hmmmm" on my end.

After being forced to listen to this mind-musher

the hora ... the hora

bus ride upon bus ride, I had to give the question some thought. Fortunately, I was able to pull something savvy out of the mind stores: "Oh, Orphaned Land; they're pretty cool." 

That's really the extent of what I could say about them at the time-

I had heard a couple snippets of the self-declared "Jewish Muslim Metal" band a year prior (to be fair, they do have some pretty long tracks), but didn't really think much of them. 

As it turns out, though, they are pretty cool:

Orphaned Land's first single off ORwarriOR, "Sapari"

Their most recent effort, The Never Ending Way of OrwarriOR (yes, they're that epic), was produced by the prog nob-master, Steven Wilson, and delivers a refreshing new brand of exotic heavy music for the open minded. The record, that took five years to complete, spares no creative expense, implementing the talents of The Arabic Orchestra of Nazareth and the group's quadrilingual vocalists. Their music may be cool, but what they're doing right now is very cool.

CD REVIEW: DevilDriver - Beast

Originally published on 411mania.com/music

It's telling when a band titles an album Beast. Either they are: a) fairly limited in their vocabulary or b) rearing to dig your face into the pavement.

Both are true of Santa Barbara's Devildriver. Fortunately, the latter assessment far outweighs the former. "Extreme" isn't a term that usually gets thrown around with popular metal bands in America, yet it seems oddly fitting here. Like a straight shot of espresso, Beast will put hair on chest (here's to hoping you're a dude ...).

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/

It's amusing to think that Dez Fafara was once a member of one of metal's least intimidating bands. This group will not be mentioned here as he's long distanced himself from such dubious roots. In removing virtually all traces of his questionable quasi-gothic whimpers, the man revealed that he had one of the nastiest voices in metal. This conviction stands firm as the frontman spews his venom a-million-miles-a-minute over the relentless rhythmic maelstrom of "Dead to Rights."

Yes, Dez holds his mic like a taco

Fafara sounds plain pissed. As to what it is exactly that's irking him, one cannot say (there seems to be no general consensus on what it is he's actually saying in the song), but with the buzzing riffs, blistering solos, and John Boecklin's foot to the pedal(s) all the way, there's little time for such minutia. You don't stop to read the fine-print on a billboard when you're going 110 on the Autobahn.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Brandon Conetta and Joe Pine - In Every Breath

(Brandon and Joe in front)

There are a number of professions one might find it easy enough to make a living in- music ain't one 'em. 

San Diego natives In Every Breath know this better than most. Since 2005 the kinetic alt-rock four-piece have weathered countless hardships, numerous line-up changes, and, of course, one of the nastiest economic downturns in recent decades- all for the sake of doing what any self-respecting artist longs to do: make something great.

In 2008 the group released their debut EP, Distrust, a collection of six adrenalating modern rock songs packed to the brim with youthful energy and emotion absent from many of their better-known peers. After three tumultuous years, the guys have finally returned with their four-track sophomore release, "Awakening."

It couldn't be more cliche to pull the "quality over quantity" line, but In Every Breath does more with the pithy twenty-minutes of the EP than most rock bands do over the course of multiple albums- heart-wrenching hooks, instrumental chemistry that grips and fascinates, and a songwriting style that shows their maturity in spades. I recently got to sit down (via facebook chat) with the group's long-standing members, Brandon Conetta (vocals) and Joe Pine (drums) to discuss their current direction and the band's new lease on life.

BS: In Every Breath’s story up to this point has been one of perseverance and survival through a number of years and many trying times. You have two new members aboard, but in a more general sense, what’s happened since the release of Distrust?

BC: We would say it's been a definite rebirth of the band as a whole. [It's] Somewhat of a process to find people that you have chemistry with and can write songs with. Being in a band is about perseverance fo sho!

BS: It's great to see that you and Joe rallied to reassemble the band and create the really remarkable music on Awakening, but did the idea of dissolving In Every Breath ever cross your minds during the down period?

JP: To be honest, sometimes it got really rough, but me and Brandon always wanted to make something great, and have always worked well together ... so we knew to keep it going, we had to stay strong, and look for the right people.  Lucky for us, I already knew Joe Ray [bass] and knew he was itching to get back into a good project ... so getting him on board was pretty quick.

Earache of the Month: Regressive Rock

Mike Patton doesn't like Wolfmother

He does not like them on a cake

He does not like them with a rake

He does not like them on a bill

He'd sooner puke than hear their swill

This may be old news for some of you (I am well aware that this video has been in circulation for a little while now), but those infamous words that overcame the duke of musical absurdity three years ago are still well worth considering today.

Wolfmother may not be the most innovative act on the scene (they're far from the best Australia has to offer), but in a world that's birthed such genre abominations as cock-core, crab-rock, and hipster-hop (you only think they're made up!), they're hardly the worst offenders. "Straight mediocrity dug out of a late 60's time capsule" is about as harsh as I'll be on them.

But this point leads to a more pressing question: to what degree is it acceptable for a new band to establish themselves on the sound of an existing group, no less a sound that was big decades ago?

Great Songs for a Waste of a Day: A Teeth-Rattling Valentine Playlist

A back hair heart might actually be more relevant to the holiday than any of the lore the event is allegedly based on.

We members of the Western hemisphere have openly embraced and, in more than a few cases, endured the celebration of Valentine's Day for centuries. But what exactly are we celebrating? Hearts, chocolate, and relationship grief? Somehow I don't think that was what any of the fourteen Saint Valentine's believed they would be getting offed for [1].

There is actually no direct connection in any of their stories to romance, love, or (believe it or not) Hallmark. In fact, given the violent ways in which all of these men were ousted and the 1929 massacre that bears the holiday's name it seems that a tradition of violence is far closer to the holiday than love ever was (this legacy is clearly alive and well in the hands of girlfriends and wives who didn't get the holiday treatment they expected from their men ... ). 

Nevertheless, we're stuck with it. Today you may be in the unfortunate position of attempting to forcibly appease your significant other with CVS trinkets of affection or you may be angsting over the fact that you don't have a significant other [2], but either way, your day doesn't have to blow. Give your Valentine's Day a heaping drizzle of piss and vinegar with this heavy holiday playlist of songs about love, relationships, and making love that will bring a little bit of that friction back into your celebration (it also makes for a good sound track to the fight you may inevitably have with one who does not share such a practical view on the holiday.)

CD REVIEW: Times of Grace - The Hymn of a Broken Man

(originally posted on www.411mania.com/music)

Contrary to what your average Hot Topic kid might tell you, groups like All That Remains, As I Lay Dying, and Killswitch Engage did not invent metalcore. That honor (or dishonor depending on your position) belongs to a number of bands that the majority of us would have a hell of a time recognizing by name. Rather, the groups mentioned above put the newly rising subgenre of heavy music in front of the public eye (or ear), by infusing it with a pleasing radio sensibility that the whole family could enjoy.
 http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/

In particular, Killswitch Engage's breakthrough release, Alive or Just Breathing, is credited with much of the trendsetting behind the "rage n' croon" metalcore phenomenon. The vocalist who carried them on this landmark album, Jesse Leach, left just as the group was truly beginning to garner acclaim; acclaim that only continued to blossom in the very capable hands of his replacement, Howard Jones. 

Killswitch have certainly released some worthy material with Jones at the helm, however, their patented formula of aggressive verses and "ray of sunshine" choruses has grown a little stale over the years. By the time their second self-titled album dropped in 2009, an unfortunate conclusion became apparent to many; the group had boxed themselves into a creative cul-de-sac.
www.metalsucks.net
In 2008, lead guitarist and producer, Adam Dutkiewicz, was presented with an interesting opportunity when he found himself bed ridden from emergency back surgery. He continued to write new material, but instead of presenting it to the members of his standard gig, he enlisted Leach's talents to complete the new project.

In commenting on Times of Grace's new songs, Dutkiewicz described them as “an epic mix of Metal/Rock/Pop/Shoe gaze & Punk." He also stated in regard to the overall work: "All of your metal expectations will be incorrect, we are pushing genre boundaries”. That first part might be true, but I don't know how many will be sold on that last bit. Fortunately for these two men of many projects, that just might be enough. 

WAIT-- WHAT: A Brave New World of Genre Clusterfu** and Hyper-categorization in the World of Modern Metal

While your college music professor will never admit it, metal has come a long way. Since whenever the movement started (some trace it back as far as the release of the Beatles distortion-fest "Helter Skelter" in 1968) it's been marked by individuals of most unsavory dispositions: hooligans, delinquents, personae non gratae. However, as the genre has evolved, so have its advocators. 

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/

Generally speaking, today's connoisseur of the heavy is a different beast all together; one with a Kohls wardrobe, suburban diggs, and repressed ego to burn. He comes from an upper-middle class household and carries years of pent up aggression just waiting to be released upon his fellow forum crawlers. He may be stubborn, but he sure is arrogant.

Naturally, the proto-typical meat-heads still exist today, but they listen to Godsmack and Five Finger Death Punch, so they probably don't possess the vocabulary or wits necessary to commit the atrocities I'm overdue to mention. 

Five Finger Skid Mark: YOU have hemorrhoids.

In response to the flourishing diversity and creativity present in certain continents of the metal world, an elect many have taken it upon themselves to provide everyone with a new set of vocabulary to confuse and anger all parties involved.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Robin Urbino - The Mire

The Mire are a regular band of party animals.

Post metal songs are a lot like foreign art films; the shorter, the better. Brighton's up and coming face-melters, The Mire, get that. No ten-minute build-ups, no song titles that require a dictionary to understand, and no four minutes of feedback fillers. If these guys played indie rock, they'd be Minus the Bullsh**.

Instead of impressing their listeners with how impressed they might be with themselves (and, by all accounts, they deserve to be), The Mire writes dense, texturally overwhelming songs with a minimalist's restraint and a professor's ear for melody. I corresponded with vocalist and guitarist of The Mire Robin Urbino to find out a little more about this band of mysterious metalliers. 

BS: As is the case with many progressive bands, post rock and metal groups often despise this categorization they are typically lumped under (I hope I'm not already on your shit list for using those bad words!). The connotations of the terms involved seem to speak to a sort of pretentious, overly indulgent approach to music that is almost immediately off-putting. I hear certain elements of the post metal sound in your style, but none of that fluff. Despite playing within a fairly unconventional genre you manage to create music that is oddly accessible.

RU: Thanks. I've heard a couple of other people also point out our apparent 'accessibility' and I guess this is down to the fact that we never really went into this project with traditional 'sludge' or 'post metal' in mind. Melodic elements are very important to us, just as important as the harder aspects of our sound. We certainly don't feel any responsibility to uphold the generic conventions of post metal, whatever they might be. 

BS: Your new EP "Volume: II" has been out for little over a month; I must say, it is one sexy collection of songs. What has the response been like thus far?

RU: It's been surprising. As a small scale iTunes release I certainly wasn't expecting it to reach as many people as it has, let alone get reviewed by blogs and webzines already. Our label had messed us around for a long time and there was a point where we thought Volume: II would never see the light of day. The fact that it's finally out there and people are enjoying it is genuinely awesome.

CD REVIEW: My Darkest Days - Self Titled

Speaking of great stuff on the charts-

So, you’re in a hot band; your frontman’s brother is the bassist in Three Days Grace, Mr. Kroeger’s got you on his label, you have a single called “Porn Star Dancing” tearing up the charts, and somehow you’ve aroused the interests of Zakk Wylde and Ludacris (you know the guy; his outfit is RIDICULOUS). Could this be “next big thing” material I smell?

… Scratch that; somebody open a window.

My friends and I, being the quintessential music nerds we are, have a little game we like to play. Now that I think about it, it’s a little perverse. We have an ongoing competition of sorts: to find the absolute foulest drivel ever crafted by human beings and dubbed “music.” This all sounds a little a masochistic, but let’s be honest, few things in life bring a music critic more glee and indignation than finding the Brokencyde’s and Dot Dot Curves of the world (and tormenting one's friends/family/neighbors in the process.)

"Sex Is Good"

Sitting crammed in on a Megabus can only mean one thing to me; the periodic trip to visit the girl. Four hours on such a gentle giant, no doubt, leaves one ample time to snooze, cuddle under a moronic snuggie, and read until the inevitable nausea sets in. But today, I am doing none of those things; it seems I'm a bit distracted. I can't get a certain tune out of my head, and I'm losing brain cells by the minute.

You see, in a rendezvous I had with said girl a couple months ago, we had a pretty unusual argument, one that could only be described as nonsense with a side of steamed irrationality. The conflict was entirely due to this song (that I am probably humming aloud like an idiot). 

How vulgar? How insensitive? 

So vulgar and so insensitive that the Top 50 Active Rock chart of America can't get enough of it

The fart charts are actually the only reason I discovered this greaseball of a ditty. A couple months back I attended a little late night get together with a couple young ladies (one being my girlfriend), after a show my band had played the same evening. It might speak to the quality of the gathering, but the life of the party was my guitarist checking the charts on a computer and grandly infuriating me in the process. 

For me, reading these charts is comparable to researching the deficits of your state or checking your LDL cholesterol; you know it's gonna be bad, so why work yourself into a lather over it?