Def-Con-One - II

Yes, my fellow metalheads, England still turns out some kick ass metal bands. You betcha.You may remember my review of Def-Con-One's first full-length album, Warface, a couple of years ago. Being exposed to the Newcastle quartet for the first time, I was struck by how they wore their musical influences on their sleeves (and speaking of sleeves, you could do a full episode of LA Ink on these guys alone) while still managing to have their own sound. I'm happy to say they've realized that evolution as a band with their new release, II.

Built on a solid foundation of metalcore, there are certainly a lot of similarities to bands like Pantera, as on tracks like Debt To Society or H8 Ball. While tracks like Soul Possessed will casually throw out a great Sabbath-y drone when you don't necessarily expect it for a more old school feel. But, what should get emphasis here is that while you can definitely still hear those influences, the band continues to develop their own sound, as on Skinhead Shaped Dent with its punctuating King's X-style chord, or the doom metal opening to Need A Reason that becomes a cathartic, screaming chorus a la Sevendust. It's a good sign to be able to hear a band's sound progress naturally like this, and I bet their live show is classic heavy metal goodness.

The Bottom Line: This is great angry metal for when you need that tension release while you rock the fuck out, and I think these dudes are at the beginning of what should be a long career. Cheers, mates!

Tracks That May Likely Turn All Of Your Clothes Black: Broke, Soul Possessed, Need A Reason, Debt To Society, and Damned Disgrace

- Genghis may have pulled a hamstring moshing around his office...

The Intersphere - Relations In The Unseen

German buzz band The Intersphere may seem like another in a long line of such groups, but this one really knows how to choose its guitar sounds.German band The Intersphere impressed me with their last album and their energetic pop-rock sound that managed to be both catchy and fun, yet full of depth and meaning. Toss in the fact that they recorded the album almost completely live in about a week, and you get the idea that whatever you may think of their brand of music, these guys have got legitimate talent.

Their latest effort, Relations In The Unseen, eschews the pomp and circumstance of a full-blown concept album, opting instead to convey a thematic message of how unconscious communication (e.g. body language) can influence the thoughts and even actions of others. Music-wise there's still a considerable amount of talent going on here albeit with a little less aggression than what we heard on 2012's Hold On, Liberty! But with that change comes perhaps a greater sophistication in songcrafting. There's still a clear influence of the atmospheric textures of bands like U2, so if you're expecting some crunch, you may be disappointed. But adjusting that expectation to something more like well-constructed alt-rock will likely reward you with a fine follow-up from a mature new band.

Of note, I really enjoy the lush and varied guitar textures employed by this band. Fellow guitarheads should pay special attention to the Dick Dale-inspired verse of Joker, the expertly delayed, dripping-but-clear chorused sound of Tonight and Golden mean, or even the dirty, manic strumming of the title track. Nice work that.

The Bottom Line: This ain't heavy metal by a long shot. Fans of modern alt-rock with a sweet tooth for pop music's jangly guitar-based melodies will be quite satisfied with The Intersphere's ode to the vagaries of 21st century interpersonal communication.

- Genghis is fondly remembering his short-lived garage band from 20 years ago...

Podcast #171: Old

Fifty bucks says if Glenn Rogers and Heretic were standing at a concert, the kids in front of them would be quiet.Ever been to a show and noticed that you're the oldest one there? Does it bother you? Is there an age cut off for bands you'll go and see live? Join Genghis & Ragman as they discuss the age limits of shows. Does a dozen screaming kids in front of you while you're checking out a new buzz band ruin the show or enhance the experience? Next, the boys round up guitarist Glenn Rogers of Heretic for a one on one as he discusses the band's recent boxed set release, From the Vaults...Tortured and Broken, as well as Heretic's plans for the future.

DVD of the Show: God Forbid – Beneath the Scars

Beer of the Show: Gulden Draak Brewmaster's Edition (Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.)
	Appearance: 4.0 Aroma: 3.5 Palate: 3.5 Taste: 3.5 Overall: 3.5	"Another fantastic beer from Gulden Draak rich with spices, but a little strong on the back end. Ease up on the alcohol content and you've got a winner."

Featured Tracks: Crematory – Until the End; God Forbid – Conquer; Mudvayne – Have it Your Way; Escape the Fate – Chemical Love; Falling in Reverse – Rolling Stone; Heretic – Portrait of Faith, Blood Will Tell, White Chapel and The Circle

Ragman’s Classic of the Show: Mind Bomb – Do You Need Some?

Genghis’ Classic of the Show: Haji's Kitchen – Symptoms

Ragman’s Pick of the Week: Hell or Highwater – When the Morning Comes

Genghis' Pick of the Week: Thundertribe – War Chant

- Ragman still believes if it is too loud, you're too old...

Podcast #171: Old

Deep Purple - Now What?! (Gold Edition)

Deep Purple is one of those iconic bands, that keeps on ticking.  This band has gone through more line up changes, than I do underpants in a year.  Seriously though, they have had their ups and downs, over the years, but have still been able to hold it together in one incarnation or another for going on 40 years (If you take out the amount of time they we broken up in the 70's and 80's).  That being said, last year the band released their 19th studio album Now What?!, which was praised by the critics, as being one of their best in years.  The success of this release, has led the band to re-release the album in a gold edition deluxe version, which includes a bonus live CD, from the Now What?! Live tapes.

I have to say, though there was interest, I never picked up the first pressing of Now What?!.  I am a fan of the band, but I just wasn't sure that I wanted to pluck down the $16 to buy it.  When the Gold Edition was released, I thought to myself, maybe I'm missing out on something.  Could this release be this strong?  The last few releases were subpar, but maybe they had stepped it up for their latest.  Well, I guess we all know what happened next.  Yes, I decided to check this one out.

Now What?! is worth all of the hype.  This is by far the best CD the lads have released in years.  This CD is chock full of strong riffs, engaging melodies to make any rocker happy.  As one would guess guitarist Steve Morse stands out, but I have to say, it was the new kid on the block, Don Airey (ex-Ozzy, Rainbow, Whitesnake) that stood out the most.  Don lays down some serious riffs on this CD.   Don was the perfect replacement for the late Jon Lord.  There is a nice variety on the disk, which makes this one a keeper.  The bonus is the live disk.  The live disk showcases the band in top form and completes this very solid package.

Bottom Line:  Deep Purple showing that they can still bring it.  The best work Purple has done in quite sometime.  Enjoyable from start to finish.  The bonus, is that with the gold edition you also get a live disk full of classics.

Stand out Tracks: Wierdistan, Vincent Price, Out of Hand and Uncommon Man

-Ragman was pleasantly suprised by this one.

Sahg - Delusions of Grandeur

I don't like to use the term eargasm, but if I did, this album would be the reason. Sahg is one of my new favorite bands because Oh. My. God.Holy shit, how I have I not heard of Sahg before now? This Norwegian quartet have become modern riff lords since their debut in 2006 with Sahg I and have been cranking out amazing product every couple of years since. While their sound is essentially stoner doom metal, they manage to carve out their own unique sound without sounding self-conscious or pretentious - something that's missing from the less successful bands of the retro ilk.

While the band has an obvious affinity for the works of early Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, they break the confines of such retro-inspired bands with modern progressive elements like that of Rush and Opeth to make a truly fantastic mix of the old and the new that sounds like it was always meant to be, man.  Tracks like Slip Off The Edge Of The Universe and Firechild are great examples of this sound, with big grooves punctuated by tasteful but impressive shredding throughout. Seriously, I love this band - and I only just heard them for the first time yesterday.

The band's fourth studio release, Delusions of Grandeur, is a concept album about a man whose psychotic break leads him to retreat into his own mind as a self-appointed god, gradually losing more and more touch with reality to the point of literally slipping into oblivion, a victim of his own delusions. I would love to see this album realized as a Heavy Metal style animated feature.

What really tips it in the net for me are the more laid-back passages, like Sleeper's Gate To The Galaxy, which lulls you with Beatles-esque Sun King harmonies and Led Zeppelin-style folk acoustic strumming that goes straight into another kick ass heavy groove (shit, now I have to put that back on right now as I'm writing this), providing a wonderful showcase of just how this band melds all of the greatest old school rock elements into an amazing amalgam of the best retro jam I've heard yet. 

The Bottom Line: I can only lament how long it's taken me to learn about Sahg and their refreshingly unique take on classic heavy metal. These guys seem to have the Midas touch when it comes to writing compelling and impressive modern metal with a clear reverence for the seminal sound of the genre's forefathers. Gentlemen, I salute you!

Tracks That Necessitate Listening To Under A Blacklight: The whole fucking album

- Genghis is still bowled over by these guys' awesome style...