It makes sense that 2012′s first youtube-born ‘next big thing’ would land on Tri-Angle — the home of How To Dress Well, Balam Acab, oOoOO and Clams Casino.  The label just dropped this mixtape of the 8 tracks the enigmatic Evian Christ posted in late December.  Having only listened to “Fuck It None Of Ya’ll Don’t Rap” before this release, I have to say I’m extremely impressed with this collection that brings to mind most of the labelmates listed above, as well as Salem, (sampled) Grouper and the new school of rappers coming out of New York and Southern California.  Take the time to download Kings and Them and I’m sure you’ll be looking forward to the future from Evian Christ…

Evian Christ – Fuck It None Of Ya’ll Don’t Rap

DOWNLOAD HERE

with this latest post about Denver’s experimental hip-hop crew BLKHRTS, I realized some of you might not be aware of Pale Arms — a tumblr account that will focus on those dark corners of this world wide web where interesting sounds live in various levels of obscurity.  looking forward to seeing you over there.

…at last we have some snow in mountains, which makes this mediocre music month a little more bearable, but don’t stress, March brings with it a great show almost every night!

02.03: The Lemonheads performing It’s A Shame About Ray @ Fox Theatre
02.03: Dr. Dog / Purling Hiss @ Boulder Theater
02.03: Ryan Adams @ The Buell Theatre
02.04: Alabama Shakes / A. Tom Collis @ Fox Theatre
02.04: Busdriver / J.O.B. / An Hobbes @ The Marquis Theatre
02.09: Vektor / Speedwolf / Clinging To The Tree… @ Blast-O-Mat
02.10: The Asteroids Galaxy Tour @ Larimer Lounge
02.11: Snake Rattle Rattle Snake / Mancub / Men in Burka @ Hi-Dive
02.12: Cursive / UME / Ill Cattivo @ Larimer Lounge
02.13: Craig Finn (of The Hold Steady) @ Larimer Lounge
02.15: Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks / Nurses @ Fox Theatre
02.16: Tennis / Mike Marchant / Samurai Black @ Bluebird Theater
02.17: Futurebirds / Bare Bones @ Larimer Lounge
02.18: Futurebirds @ Larimer Lounge
02.18: Artopia: VARIOUS
02.19: English Dogs / Toxic Holocaust / Havok @ The Summit Music Hall
02.20: Futurebirds @ Fox Theatre
02.24: Lizzie Huffman / Arliss Nancy / Alone at 3AM @ Illegal Pete’s Downtown
02.25: Zola Jesus / Talk Normal @ Larimer Lounge
02.26: Suburban Home Sunday Afternoon Concert @ Denver Beer Co. (2-6pm, free)
02.28: Megadeth / Motorhead / Volbeat @ Fillmore Auditorium

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll already know we’re big fans of Chelsea Wolfe and Wolves in the Throne Room. Both acts topped most of our lists last year in almost every category. So it’s with extreme jealously that I present Genji’s review of the joint bill at Echoplex last Thursday night.

There’s a certain backlash against underground bands, particularly in the black metal genre, when they start to gain popularity and rise out of obscurity. In my day we called the popular masses poseurs, because they didn’t support these underground bands from their early beginnings, but rather would jump on the bandwagon as the bright lights began to shine on them. As stupid as this may sound, it’s always existed in some form in the metal universe. In black metal these days, if you’re a popular band, especially in the US, then you are considered “hipster”. Unfortunately, Wolves in the Throne Room have become one of those bands who are so good, and have gained so much popularity, that they’ve assumed a reputation as a “hipster” black metal band. Whether you buy into that idiotic ideology is up to you, but in the grand scheme of things, I really couldn’t give a shit if someone thinks the music I like is “hip” or “kult” or whatever other crap you want to assign to it. What I like is what I like and if it happens to become popular, so be it. Wolves in the Throne Room are a fucking great band and for those that missed out because they were worried about damaging their black metal cred, I say good riddance.

Granted, the audience that packed the Echoplex Thursday night were not your typical black metal show goers, but so what? Seriously though, as I’ve gotten on in age I’ve realized I really don’t have the energy to pay that kind of crap any mind, nor do I care, so the more the merrier….

What I didn’t expect was just how fired up the people were to see Chelsea Wolfe. Having never heard of her until last year when our beloved blogger Kevin interviewed her on this very site, I listened to her album The Grime and the Glow and was very intrigued with her sound. What I heard was the rawness of a young PJ Harvey with more of a goth background, the emotional delivery of a Dax Riggs mixed with the sensual voice of the beautiful Mazzy Star. Live, her music really took on a bit of a rawer edge than the record, which I really liked. The band certainly fed off the energy of the packed crowd and played with an enthusiasm that really drove the songs while Chelsea herself seemed to really get caught up in the emotion of them. You could tell just by watching her that she puts every ounce of energy and passion into the delivery of each and every song and she did a fantastic job mixing up the setlist too. The slower songs really mesmerized the audience while the more upbeat songs really kept the mood from getting too somber. Her performance was top notch and I really enjoyed watching her. I would say my first experience with Chelsea was a great introduction and I really look forward to hearing some more brilliant stuff from this rising star in the future.

There was definitely an electricity in the atmosphere as everyone was in serious anticipation of watching the northern wood dwellers in action. Just 4 years ago I saw them play a free show with a fraction of the people compared to the numbers in attendance tonight. Their brilliant Celestial Lineage made my top 5 albums of the year for 2011, so it certainly wasn’t a shock that they’ve managed to pick up such a huge following since the last time I saw them. The great thing about them to me is that they’ve improved with each album, the true mark of a great band, and it was great to see that all their dedication and hard work earned them such a well deserved full house.

As the familiar haunting strains of “Thuja Majus Imperium” started to fill the place, everyone surged forward to get a peek at the darkened figures as they commenced with their black sermon. Drummer Aaron Weaver sat majesticly behind his kit, pounding away with a ferocity that set the tone for the show, while brother Nathan immediately grabbed the audience by the scruff of the neck with his buzzsaw riffs, and dragged them along willingly on his journey into the darkness. The background was bathed in pale blue moonlight as the band delivered their blackened odes to the forest and the night. The audience fell deeper into the dark recesses with Black Cascade opener “Ahrimanic Trance” hypnotizing everyone with riff after hypnotic riff. My favorite moment of the set was the performance of the epic “I Will Lay Down My Bones Among the Rocks and Roots”, the devastating closer from the Two Hunters album. The band executed flawlessly and the raw emotion of the music really jumped out at me. When I listen to them I go far away to another time and place and seeing them in a live setting really enhances that experience for me. They eventually closed out the set with new album closer “Prayer of Transformation” which is a great closing song for the album and ended the set perfectly.

As the show came to a close, I really stood back in awe at just how good they’ve become. As far as I’m concerned the sky’s the limit for these guys, but I was a little sad knowing that as progressive as they are, they certainly won’t stagnate and keep doing the same, amazing stuff, they’ll surely move on and transform into something different, perhaps better, perhaps not. All I know is that I’m glad I got to catch them at the peak of this stage of their brilliant existence one more time. Catch both of them while you still can.

Cloud Nothings – Attack on Memory
(Car Park, 2012)

Cleveland’s Cloud Nothings have arrived with Attack on Memory.  There was no doubt this album would be my pick for this first month of 2012.  It’s inevitable that I miss out on a band at Fun Fun Fun fest every year and it seems 2011 was no exception.  I had no desire to see Cloud Nothings based on their past two albums, but every time I listen to Attack I kick myself for missing their set.  ‘Addictive’ is the right word to explain this 33 minutes of lo-fi garage punk.

Cloud Nothings – Stay Useless

Alcest – Les Voyages de l’Âme
(Prophecy Productions, 2012)

Alcest is a project from Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France led by a man named Neige . Some call it black metal but Alcest are probably the least ‘metal’ band to ever be labeled such.  In fact, the predominately ‘clean vocal’ tracks on Les Voyages de l’Âme stray even further than previous albums from what most would consider extreme music.  That being said, fans of Alcest’s atmospheric soundscapes should not be disappointed in their latest for Prophecy Productions.  Les Voyages is exactly what you’ve come to expect from Alcest, and (in my book) that is never a bad thing.

Alcest – Autre Temps

Craig Finn – Clear Heart Full Eyes
(Vagrant, 2012)

Those hoping for a The Hold Steady album will be sorely disappointed in Craig Finn’s debut as a solo artist.  There are no anthems here. No ‘walking around and drinking some more‘.  The stories (and that’s what they are) contained within this record will not have you raising your beer in the air to the ‘boys and girls in America‘.  That being said, the foundation that holds that band steady is Finn’s lyrics — his storytelling.  Sure, the world’s best bar band is what makes the live experience, but on Clear Heart Full Eyes Finn is in his element.  He is free to bring his downtrodden characters to life in a speak easy voice.  Think of this as a book of short stories — short stories written by Finn and then read back to you.  This might be his solo album, but it could just as easily be his first literary release — Craig Finn reads Craig Finn.  I doubt this album is going to stick with me very long, but I can appreciate it for what it is.

Craig Finn – Terrified Eyes

First Aid Kit – The Lion’s Roar
(Wichita, 2012)

Infectious folk music from Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg.  They have been compared to Fleet Foxes, Neko Case, Joanna Newsom and others, but I believe they have to potential to be better than any of those artists.  There is something very old fashion about these young girls, especially on the standout track Emmylou — an ode to legends past.

First Aid Kit – Emmylou

Lamb of God – Resolution
(Roadrunner, 2012)

Virginia groove metallers Lamb of God continue to be Lamb of God on their seventh full length, Resolution.  To be honest, I haven’t followed this type of metal since Pantera released Far Beyond Driven, but I can’t deny the appeal of this album.  It’s polished, highly produced metal, but sometimes that’s alright.  And sometimes, in the hands of true professionals, it’s a lot more than alright.  I haven’t spent enough time with Lamb of God’s discography to compare Resolution to past releases, but (in the simplest terms) this album fucking rocks.

Lamb of God – Ghost Walking

Lana Del Rey – Born to Die
(Interscope, 2012)

Say what you will about Lana Del Rey, a quick Google search will prove it’s all been said before.  Ten years from now the material written about her in 2011 will still outweigh her artistic output.  In an effort to balance things out, I will just say I enjoy this album.  Period.

Lana Del Rey – Born To Die

Leonard Cohen – Old Ideas
(Columbia, 2012)

My dad got me into Leonard Cohen when I was in high school.  I will never forget the day he came home and put I’m Your Man in the CD player.  “They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom for trying to change the system from within“  I had never heard a voice like his before and I have been a huge fan ever since.  In 2008 Cohen announced his first tour in 15 years.  My dad and I attended the Phoenix, AZ show in April of that year.  The 75 year old man performed for hours on end and sounded perfect.  He exhibited the energy of a man in his prime.  That show is one of my most memorable experiences and I would have been content if he retired the next day.  But after touring for almost 3 years straight, L. Cohen now presents Old Ideas, his first album of new material since 2004′s Dear Heather.  10 perfectly crafted songs from one of the most important voices making music today.  Thank god for Leonard Cohen.

Leonard Cohen – Show Me The Place

Olds Sleeper – New Year’s Poem
(self-released, 2012)

Olds Sleeper makes hellfire fried country/folk music from ‘the hills, shade and streams of Pennsylvania’.  I wish I could tell you more, but I really don’t know much about the artist Olds.  New Year’s Poem came across my desk via the comment section of this very blog and I’m glad Mr. Sleeper felt the need to share his latest album with me.   Prolific since June of 2010, his bandcamp page has shit ton of music for your listening pleasure.  Just be warned, the songs contained within are evidence the Devil’s made his way north from Georgia.  Look for more from Olds on this site once I find the time to dig a little deeper…

Olds Sleeper – Walk With Me

Pop. 1280 – The Horror
(Sacred Bones, 2012)

Frightening noise rock from a group of Jim Thompson fans from New York,  Pop. 1280′s debut album is a bastardized form of goth noise with possible influences that range from Sonic Youth to Grinderman to Swans to The Men.  Their obsession with dogs just adds a level of creepiness to an album that requires a shower after each listen.  If you like your noise with a little filth, The Horror is your kind of drug.  Pop. 1280 know where the bodies are buried and they arn’t afraid to share their secret.  Sacred Bones scores again.

Pop. 1280 – Bodies in the Dunes

ScHoolboy Q – Habits & Contradictions
(Top Dawg, 2012)

ScHoolboy Q is the second member of Black Hippy to attract the attention of the blogosphere.  Habits & Contradictions has ScHoolboy following Kendrick Lamar into a rap game dominate by young up-and-comers.  This is down and dirty stuff and is not for the faint of heart, but I find it refreshing to see this old school form of West Coast rap surfacing again.  Like Lamar before him, ScHoolboy is able to build on the foundation left behind by the Los Angeles pioneers — creating something fresh and exciting from the ashes of the past.  I can’t say I like everything on this album, but it’s a strong sophomore release just the same.

ScHoolboy Q – Hands on the Wheel (feat. A$aP Rocky)

WHITE HORSE – PAC & BIG
(self-released, 2012)

On the latest from his WHITE HORSE project, Ben is once again channeling those whom are no longer with us.  This time it’s 2Pac and Biggie Smalls who get the  murky, syrupy WHITE HORSE treatment.  Chelsea Wolfe lends her haunting vocal to Biggie’s “Hypnotize” as well.  The seven track mix can be downloaded at Terroreyes.tv.

RR: 01.12

]]> http://ilistensoyoudonthaveto.com/2012/01/29/i-like-damage-recommended-releases-01-12/feed/ 0 http://ilistensoyoudonthaveto.com/2012/01/29/descendents-fillmore-01-28-12/ http://ilistensoyoudonthaveto.com/2012/01/29/descendents-fillmore-01-28-12/#comments Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:02:13 +0000 kmartini http://ilistensoyoudonthaveto.com/?p=17135

Like most punk bands from the 80′s, the Descendents did not gain mass appeal until after the fact.  Milo went to college, punk broke, and it wasn’t until the pop punk bands of the mid-90′s took over the charts that bands like the Descendents were catapulted to iconic levels.  So it’s not surprising that a band who once claimed to not be able to sell out a phone booth can now pack 3,000 sweaty heads into the Fillmore Auditorium.  The fact that this band rarely plays live had people flying in from around the country to witness Descendents return to Colorado, and after last night’s performance I doubt anyone is flying home disappointed.

Milo Aukerman is not your typical punk rocker.  The man turned 49 years old on New Years Day and is an accomplished chemist who holds a doctorate in biochemistry from UCSD.  But don’t let those glasses and grey hair fool you, Aukerman has no problem regressing into that SoCal kid who brags about extreme flatulence and masturbating in a van.   What might seem silly or immature to those who did not grow up on Descendents’ slightly uneven discography, acts as a machine to simpler times for the rest of us.  Admittedly late to the game, I did not discover Milo and his crew of misfits until I moved to San Diego in ’94.  By that time the band was pretty much history and ALL was the closest thing we had to a live experience.  So Somery became my Descendents bible — a greatest hit collection spanning their too short career.   Somery became the soundtrack to many a SoCal summer, and a live Descendents show topped of my list of missed opportunities.  It wasn’t until 2010 when Devo had to pull out of the headlining slot at Fun Fun Fun fest that I finally got my opportunity to see one of my favorite bands.  Descendents filled that Sunday night slot and it was all I hoped it would be.  Milo and Bill were joined by Karl and Steven and it was like no time had passed since I first heard the mighty words “No!  All!“

That night in Austin was an experience I will never forget and last night at the Fillmore lived up to the expectations set back in 2010.  The band was introduced by Magic Cyclops just after 10:00pm. The crowd had been warmed up by Florida’s Hot Water Music and were ready for Descendents like a hungry pack of hyenas.  Right after Milo informed us that the show was being filmed (for a something call Filmage, of course), the pit opened up as chaos reigned.  “Descendents” from 1985′s I Don’t Want To Grow Up set the tone for the night.  “We’re the proud, the few, Descendents rockin’ alone tonight“  But they were not alone!

I lasted 30 minutes in the front rows, bouncing back and forth between the aging punks and the(ir) children.  With “Hope” (one of my favorites), “I Don’t Want To Grow Up”, “My Dad Sucks” and the classic short bursts of “Weinerschnitzel” and “No! All!” I was 17 again and in a zone — nothing could hurt me — until something did.  Getting kicked in the face by a crowd surfer, getting hit in the back so hard that my head rocked into the person in front of me, and falling on my back into the swirling pit behind me might be something I could shrug off when I really was 17, but at 34, thoughts of serious damage leaked into my subconscious, so during the “All-O-Gistics” skit (where kids were brought out to read the commandments), I made my way to a safer, more stable viewpoint that had the advantage of not smelling like rotten eggs.

The second half of the set proved a good mixture of the punk classics like “I Like Food”, “I Wanna Be a Bear”, “Coffee Mug” and “Suburban Home” with the more ‘pop’ oriented “Silly Girl”, “When I Get Old, “Get the Time” and “Coolidge”.  The main set closed with a slightly edited “I’m Not a Loser” — an older, more politically correct Milo changing the word ‘homo’ to ‘disco’ — suggesting he thinks disco is gay?

Less than a minute later I reclaimed my spot among the smelly masses as the band came back for the first encore.   “Sour Grapes” led into my all-time favorite, “Bikeage” — a song I couldn’t help but sing along with, maybe even louder than Milo, and for that I apologize to those around me.  “Thank You” seemed an appropriate way to end the night, but a second encore was in store.  Warning us that they only had ‘old ones left‘, but then considering that ‘even the new ones are old‘, the night ended (a little abruptly) with “Catalina” and “Kabuki Girl”.  One hour.  30 songs.  The Descendents were done for the night.  And what a night it was!

* watch video at your own risk, you might get motion sickness.  it was a little rough up there.

Setlist:
Descendents
Hope
Rotting Out
I Don’t Want to Grow Up
Nothing With You
My Dad Sucks
Van
Talking
Weinerschnitzel
No! All!
Pervert
Clean Sheets
Myage
All-O-Gistics
Everything Sux
Silly Girl
I Like Food
I’m the One
I Wanna Be a Bear
When I Get Old
Suburban Home
Coffee Mug
Get the Time
Coolidge
I’m Not a Loser

Sour Grapes
Bikeage
Thank You

Catalina
Kabuki Girl

“Lu-ci-feeeeeer!”  The ceremony started at 10:30pm on a bone chilling night at Denver’s Marquis Theater.  The 8th of 13 ‘dates of doom’ for Sweden’s enigmatic retro-metallers brought with it all the elements that are now expected from this young, hyped group of nameless ghouls.  Fronted by Papa Emeritus, a skeletal figure in red and black bishop’s robes, Ghost rely on costumes and good old-fashion heavy metal music (think Black Sabbath meets Mercyful Fate meets the power ballad) to spread the gospel of the fallen one.  But don’t let the theatrics and lyrics scare you away, this is not black metal.  Although they possess the support of Darkthrone’s Fenriz and  Watain’s Erik Danielson, they do not share a stage with any type of bodily fluids or animal parts.  In fact, if you were to close your eyes and ignore the lyrical content, you would quickly realize these Swedes are making some of the most infectious, catchy, rock music this side of the century.  Give “Elizabeth” a spin and tell me I’m wrong!

There are three aspects to a Ghost show that need to be considered in any review:  the crowd, the stage presence and the music.

So let’s start with the crowd.  The Marquis Theater was pretty packed when we arrived at 8:45pm and only got more crowded through Ancient VVisdom and Blood Ceremony’s set.  By the time the ghouls made their way onto the small stage, we were shoulder to shoulder in the main area.  A quick glace around would reveal the usual suspects at a Mile High metal show, but there were quite a few unexpected faces.  There was an excessive amount of color in the sea of black, and the female population was considerably larger than that of metal shows past.  Once the band started, the metalheads were at a loss as to how to act.  This isn’t music to mosh to.  It is not the type of thing to incite a circle pit.  So certain members of the crowd just started randomly shoving.  While I appreciate these songs make you want to move, I think the crowd was over compensating for a lack of aggression in Ghost’s compositions.  Overall, the randomness of the pushing and shoving made it quite uncomfortable up front, but the need to be close to what was happening on stage outweighed any desire to remove myself from the chaos.

What was happening on stage?  I have seen quite a few ‘satanic’ bands in my time, but Ghost are something different.  First off, I don’t believe they are Satanists.  The guy in the crowd shredding a bible over our heads might disagree, but I believe it’s all part of the show.  Just like GWAR arn’t really aliens and the dude from Dimmu isn’t really from Stars Wars, the costume and lyrical content remind me of a traveling art troupe.  Erik Danielson covers himself in animal blood because he truly believes each show is a type of black mass, Ghost have Hollywood quality costumes and make-up because it’s a show.  There is a big difference there.  If you read interviews with Papa Emeritus, you realize there is a script.  The idea is to spread the word of Satan through attractive means — spread it through entertainment.  Their album cover is a rip-off of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot and their message is around humankind’s obsession with the dark side of things — serial killers, war, black magic, etc.  They are playing on those themes and creating an image that can appeal to the masses.  But none of this would work if they didn’t have the musical skills to back it up…

Opus Eponymous includes 9 tracks and has a runtime of 34 minutes.  It is the sum of Ghost’s musical output thus far.   It is an album that you can’t help but love.  I challenge anyone to listen to it four times and tell me you arn’t hooked.  If the lyrical content disturbs you, just think of it as a horror movie and move on.  I doubt most of the people in the crowd last night worship (or even believe in) Satan, but that didn’t stop them from singing along at the top of their lungs “smells of dead human sacrifices from the altar!”  because you just can’t help yourself with that catchy riff and that churning bass line.  I just can’t explain how much fun this (evil) music really is.  Papa Emeritus and his ghouls tore through the whole album, and almost as if to prove it’s all in good fun, they covered The Beatles’ “Here Comes The Sun” before closing out the set with “Ritual”.  50 minutes of music and no encore, but I doubt anyone left disappointed.  Ghost are the full package — great songs, high energy, amazing costumes and an air of mystery.  Even if you are not into metal, I recommend giving this band a chance.

* on a side note, I did see a tall, clean cut guy with a short, bleach-blonde girl wearing heavy black eyeliner during the opening set.  They stood out in the crowd and I did not recognize them from any other show.  Could he have been Papa Emeritus?  I look forward to someday finding out who the men behind the robes, masks and make-up are.

My father, wife and daughter accompanied me on a work trip to Orlando this week.  We spent the weekend exploring the world Walt built.  January is a great time in Mouse Town as the lines arn’t too long and the heat is at a minimum.  Overall it has been a great experience, but there was one thing that disturbed me almost as much as the ghostly ghouls of the Haunted Mansion disturbed my 9 year old — the Mickey Mouse Unknown Pleasures t-shirt.  Actually, if I am being honest, it didn’t disturbed me as much as confuse me. I mean, it wasn’t Mickey MacKaye wearing combat boots with his head on his knees or anything, but it did cross my mind that the Joy Division imagery was a little inappropriate for a company that used to have a dress code that included something like  ‘no long haired hippies‘, ‘no punks‘ and ‘no piercings‘.  Anyway, it wasn’t until Pitchfork posted this today that I realized how strange this shirt really is.  I plan on buying one tonight, before Disney wakes up and pulls them from the shelves. *

* they were pulled from all Disney stores within 24 hours of this post

Today I listened to new releases from Cloud Nothings, Pop. 1280 and Schoolboy Q.  Today I became excited for new music in the coming year.  But before I turn my back on 2011 and look forward to what’s coming, I’d like to recommend a few albums that fell through the cracks between playlists in 2011.  This list is pretty diverse.  The only thing these albums have in common is that they have enjoyed universal acclaim and I didn’t get a chance to appreciate them until the year had come to a close.  Once again I am heading out the door to catch a flight (as has become my life lately), so I’m just going to let the music do the talking for me.  Come February, my jetsetting should slow to a manageable pace and I’ll have more time to share music with ya’ll.  Thanks again for following along…

St. Vincent – Strange Mercy (4AD, 2011)’

tUnE-yArDs – w h o k i l l (4AD, 2011)

Clams Casino – Instrumentals (self-released, 2011)

Josh T. Pearson – Last Of The Country Gentlemen (Mute, 2011)

Feist – Metals (Interscope, 2011)

The Roots – Undun (Def Jam, 2011)

Cormorant – Dwellings (self-released, 2011)

through the cracks '11

Work travel has made for a stunted start to a new year of music for ILSUDH2, but Brian H is here with the year’s first metal review!

Machine Head is one of those bands that have been through some ups and downs over the years. After obliterating the metal world with their debut album Burn My Eyes in 1994, they followed up with another solid effort in The More Things Change. From there it was a series of albums that had some good songs on them, but strayed too far into the trends that were happening at the time and a lot of fans started to give up hope that Machine Head could kill it like they used to. Then out of nowhere the song “Imperium” showed up on the Through The Ashes album and we knew that fire and ability was still there. With The Blackening in 2007 they surpassed all of their previous efforts since Burn My Eyes and created one of the great metal albums of the last 10 years. After my first few listens of the latest album Unto the Locust I felt that it lacked the focus of The Blackening and I was a little disappointed, but since then the album has really started to grow on me.

On Sunday night Machine Head started their 8^th Plague US Tour here in Denver at the Summit Music Hall. Opening for them was The Darkest Hour and Suicide Silence. The doors were supposed to open around 6 pm and although I listened to Darkest Hour a lot on the Undoing Ruin album, I have not listened much since then and Suicide Silence is a band I just have not got around to listening to yet. When I arrived at about 8:45 the guy at the door informed me that everything was about an hour behind schedule so Machine Head wouldn’t be on until around 10:20. My need for a Pliny the Elder at the Falling Rock Tap House across the street far outweighed my need to see Suicide Silence, so across the street I went.  (Sorry guys but it is a great beer)

After a couple of beers I headed back over to Summit at around 9:50, and after a few songs over the PA Ozzy’s “Diary of a Madman” started playing and I had a feeling this was the lead up to the show starting. (I like when bands play specific songs before they begin their set) With its classical influence “Diary” would be a perfect lead in to “I Am Hell” from the latest Machine Head album. With the end of “Diary” the lights dropped and Machine Head started up as I expected. Once the vocal intro of “I Am Hell” ended the band launched into a slow groove before beginning their full on assault. You could tell from the pit this was a show Denver was ready and waiting for.

The set continued with “Be Still and Know” off of the latest album and then a blistering version of “Imperium”. After a few songs we were back to the new album’s title track. A word of warning to all bands that use a predetermined spoken word intro to a song while music plays behind you, it is going to sound like “Stonehenge”, and Robb’s intro to this song fell into that trap. Luckily it is a damn good song once it gets going.

Two songs later “Aesthetics of Hate” was up and this is one hell of a song live. Dimebag could not ask for a greater tribute to his legacy.

Up next was the definite highlight for the evening for me as “Old” is my absolute favorite Machine Head song and the band flat out killed it.

“Darkness Within” is one of the more unique tracks on the new album and I definitely was not sure about it when I first heard it, but the song and its message of music as a source of strength is definitely one I get and agree with. The song works even better live and the “breakdown” on it is actually one of the best in the Machine Head catalog. I also have to give an extra shout out to Phil Demmel’s solo on this song. Absolutely perfect.

A few more songs including the classic “Ten Ton Hammer” and we were on to the set closer. I like “Who We Are”, but I am not sure if it really should be the closer and with its inclusion it brought the total to 6 of 7 songs from the new album. (When a band has a great back catalog I am more partial to 4-5 songs from the current album) With Burn My Eyes being such a classic album, Machine Head’s set list and how many songs are played from that album is always going to be a point of discussion and I have no problem saying I would have rather heard two more songs from it by removing “The Blood, The Sweat the Tears”, “Bulldozer” or “Who We Are”. All three are solid songs, but “A Thousand Eyes” or “None But My Own” would have been welcome changes.

For the encore “Halo” was up first. Another classic off of The Blackening that always gets the crowd singing along and of course from there than band moved to the standard MH closer “Davidian”. I can still remember the first time I heard the line “Let freedom ring with a shotgun blast” way back in 1994. The song is still as powerful today as it was then.

Overall a great show and one that proves why Machine Head is a must see whenever they come to town. Robb is one of the great front men in the business and with Phil having been in the band for quite a few years this is solid as the band has ever sounded.

I Am Hell (Sonata in C#)
Be Still and Know
Imperium
Beautiful Mourning
The Blood, the Sweat, the Tears
Locust
This Is the End
Aesthetics of Hate
Old
Darkness Within
Declaration
Bulldozer
Ten Ton Hammer
Who We Are

Halo
Davidian

I am literally running out the door to catch a flight to San Francisco, but couldn’t help sharing the latest from the Chelsea Wolfe camp.   A few days ago Chelsea tweeted that she was ‘living inside an XXL biggie smalls t-shirt‘.  What seemed an odd statement at the time now makes sense.   Full time Chelsea Wolfe member, Ben Chisholm, has just dropped the latest from his WHITE HORSE project, and once again he is channeling those whom are no longer with us.  This time it’s 2Pac and Biggie Smalls — putting his murky, syrupy WHITE HORSE touch on hip-hop classic.  Chelsea lends her haunting vocal to Biggie’s “Hypnotize”.  The seven track mix can be downloaded at Terroreyes.tv.

Chelsea’s Room 205 Session has also been posted.  Enjoy.