Evergrey - Hymns For The Broken

Them Swedes are at it again making great metal with a message, after a near break up. Whew!I will be happy to admit, right off the bat, that Rags is the bigger, long-standing fan of Swedish power metallers Evergrey. I've heard him extoll the band's virtues for years, in fact, tirelessly carrying their torch in the face of my obliviousness. And true fans no doubt know that after their previous studio album, Glorious Collision, was released the band's future was actually in jeopardy despite some pretty good reviews. So insert "darkest before the dawn" metaphor here as we delve into their latest effort, Hymns For The Broken.

In 2011, singer/guitarist Tom Englund was apparently disenchanted enough with the band - after the much publicized (albeit friendly) departure of guitarist Henrik Danhage, drummer Jonas Ekdahl, and bassist Jari Kainulainen - to consider throwing in the towel altogether. But an unplanned collaboration saw Henrik and Jonas playing with the band once again and realizing that they still enjoyed making music together enough to want to write and record Hymns For The Broken replete with the band's trademark mix of traditional power metal with progressive elements. Balls and Chunk saves the day again!

And it shows on tracks like A New Dawn, with its bouncy piano interlude (2:37), giving way to a powerful solo section. Meanwhile, Archaic Rage amply illustrates Evergrey's ability to bring the heavy (1:15) amidst pensive, more quiet moments, as heard in Black Undertow's powerful (1:40) rhythyms. But for me, it's all about the proggy underbelly that shows itself like a snake slithering behind the grass, revealing just enough of itself to assure you of its presence as in The Grand Collapse's (3:08) Dream Theater-esque time signature interlude. Masterful.

The Bottom Line: Having now reviewed my first Evergrey album, I can see why people get excited for this band. These guys know their metal, and conjure up some melodic, proggy, and just plain bad-ass sounding music for the teeming throngs of metalheads all over the world. Hail Evergrey!

Tracks To Fish Out Your Best All Black Clothes For: A New Dawn, Archaic Rage, Black Undertow and The Grand Collapse

- Genghis is Googling for any possible Evergrey tour dates in Texas...

Podcast #177: Eight

Fresh off the boat, having done battle with Sedna, Johnny La Bomba of Gloryful drops by to chew the fat.Hey, it's that time of year again: The Revolver Golden Gods Award Show. Sure, it's been a few months since this thing took place, but in Right to Rock time, it's just like yesterday. So, join Genghis & Ragman as they discuss the winners, and the performances of some of their favorite artists. Next, the boys discuss the inclusion of metal tunage in cartoons and video games. And don't miss it as the boys check in with Gloryful singer Johnny La Bomba who discusses his band's latest release, Ocean Blade.

Video of the Show: Revolver Golden Gods Awards Show

Beer of the Show: Tradewinds (The Bruery)
	Appearance: 4.0 Aroma: 3.0 Palate: 2.5 Taste: 2.5 Overall: 2.5	"Our first experience with The Bruery brings a beautiful, light, and unusual summer beer whose peppery finish seems a bit out of place."

Featured Tracks: Jeremy Irons and Ratgang Malibus - Fog By the Steep; Chelsea Grin - Don't Ask Don't Tell; Slayer - South of Heaven; Black Label Society - My Dying Time; Lion - Transformers; Kiss - Raise Your Glasses; Tenacious D - Roadie; Gloryful - E Mare, E Libertad and All Men to the Arms

Ragman's Classic of the Show: Fifth Angel - Time Will Tell

Genghis' Classic of the Show: The Cult - Love Removal Machine

Ragman's Pick of the Show: Black Stone Cherry - Me and Mary Jane

Genghis' Pick of the Show: The Relapse Symphony - We Are the Broken

- Ragman can't believe he and Genghis are celebrating 8 years at The Right to Rock. Horns fucking UP!

Podcast #177: Eight

John Garcia (self-titled)

Next time you and Mr. Goat are itchin' to ride, you'll want to take this album with you, yessir.Erstwhile Kyuss and current Vista Chino singer John Garcia has come out of the desert like a rock and roll shaman to groove you with tales of obsession and danger on his debut solo album. Need I say more?

Yeah, okay. Those of you (myself included) not familiar with his genre pedigree may be unaware of Garcia's ability to craft genuine down and dirty hard rocking tunes, covered in dust and sweat, and brimming with effortless swagger and attitude. And that's just what his eponymous debut delivers in spades, due in part to assistance from folks such as The Doors' guitarist, Robby Krieger (His Bullets Energy), and Kyuss co-hort, [bassist] Nick Oliveri to name just a couple. This is the jam to crank on your next cross-country drive, top down and cigarette (or whatever you may prefer to smoke) dangling from your mouth.

The Bottom Line: Stoner metal fans who like a little more bluesy rocking than psychedelic tripping to their tunes should enjoy the hell out of this solo album. You dig?

Tunes To Never Take Your Sunglasses Off While Listening To: Rolling Stoned, The Blvd, His Bullets Energy and Saddleback

- Genghis wonders if it's really so bad to legalize it...

Unisonic - Light Of Dawn

Even the album cover is classic old school stuff: crazy-assed squadrons of ballooned rocketships? Dafuq?I totally understand that some bands want to distance themselves from the S word. Once people hear "supergroup" they start listening to the music in a fundamentally different way, as if the finished product needed to be a perfect blending of the music of each of the various bands that each member came from rather than the result of a shared vision amongst like-minded musicians. Founded in 2009, Unisonic really gelled when pathologically-busy guitarist Kai Hansen joined his fellow ex-Helloween bandmate, singer Michael Kiske - alongside guitarist Mandy Meyer (Asia, Gotthard and Krokus), bassist Dennis Ward, and drummer Kosta Zafiriou (both of Germany’s Pink Cream 69) - completing a musical formula that has resulted in the band's fantastic sophomore effort, Light Of Dawn.

I can't tell you how good it is to hear some really good, authentic, melodic hard rock these days. In a musical soundscape replete with retro bands, nothing beats the old-school talent of outfits like this. There's killer solos weaving throughout heavy, but not overdone, hard rocking tunes and it all has the well-balanced production of the best music of this genre's heyday. Rags calls this meat and potatoes metal, which is not meant in a pejorative way at all. It's just straightahead bad-ass music, without gimmicks, cloying self-awareness, or any other such modern trappings that can take the fun out of what us old fogies used to listen to 'til the wee small hours (up all night, sleep all day, right?). This is some great fucking stuff.

The Bottom Line: Hey, new kids. If you wanna rock, good on ya. But you would be wise to do your homework and learn from those before you. It won't ruin your vision if you've really got the goods. And the education will pay back in spades. The textbook was written by guys like Hansen and company, and it's waiting for you. 'Nuff said.

- Genghis will be cranking this shit on his stereo for many nights to come (sorry, neighbors)...

Megaton Leviathan - Past 21 Beyond The Arctic Cell

Something tells me this place does NOT get a lot of pizza deliveries in thirty minutes or less...I will say this: Portland band Megaton Leviathan is one unique band. Sure, they generally fall into the category of doom metal, but they're not just an also ran in the genre. Largely the work of one man, Andrew James Costa, the music has all of the familiar sorts of trappings you'd expect, but it moves at such a slow and deliberate pace - even for doom metal - that you wonder if you switched that speed dial on your iPod player to ½x.

I'll be honest, I can hang with some doom metal, especially the psychedlic kind. But, the ethereal background vocals amidst the glacial tempo of Megaton Leviathan's second studio effort - the curiously named Past 21 Beyond The Arctic Cell - has a compelling drone to it. If you're looking for something mellow in terms of dynamics, but still heavy in terms of vibe, this is your jam.

The Bottom Line: It's nice to find bands that provide a counterpoint to stacatto blast beats and the relentless breakneck pulse of black metal rage bands that sound like a CD stuck on a track forever. And Megaton Leviathan fits the bill with sound that's both heavy and mellow at the same time. Call it...easy listening doom?

- Genghis needs to get his mind right again...