We Hunt Buffalo - Blood From A Stone (EP)

What, you don't like Canadian nuclear fuzz grunge collectives like We Hunt Buffalo? Take off, you hoser!Hot damn, who knew that Canada could still turn out some truly great fuzz grunge like We Hunt Buffalo? Seriously, this trio of Canucks knows their way around some stoner metal, with riffs so thoroughly enveloped in thick, pillowy fuzz it borders on the insane. Not bad for some dudes from the 'burbs of Vancouver, eh?

Just to be clear, I love this shit. It's like cranking some 90s era Seattle sound through an amplifier made out of cotton candy, with its warm, sweet, decadent droning forming a glorious wall of sound. See? Now I'm getting incomprehensible too. Listen, don't trouble yourself so much with the particulars, this is just all about bathing in the sheer psychedelia of sonic waves that WHB is throwing down. If you dig stoner metal, you gotta check them out.

The Bottom Line: There are a lot of bands that're basically putting out primal scream sessions set to music these days that just end up sounding like they lowered a mic into a dyspeptic robot's gullet. We Hunt Buffalo, however, just makes good fuzzy stoner grooves - with actual melody no less.

Tunes to Crank Up While You Twist Open Another Mickey's and Load Up Your Vaporizer: The whole damn album

- Genghis can't wait for a full length from these cats...

Concert for Ronnie Montrose - A Celebration of His Life in Music

It is sad to see the list of rockers we lose every year.  One of the most devastating losses of 2013, was the loss of guitarist Ronnie Montrose.  Ronnie influenced so many and will be missed.  To honor Ronnie's life, several colleagues and friends decided to take the stage for a memorial concert.  Concert for Ronnie Montrose, was a star-studded event, that included guitar greats like Neal Schon, Joe Satriani, Jeff Watson and more.  As you would guess, this turns into a bit of a shred fest.

The concert was filmed in San Francisco, where Montrose got his start.  The show covers every stage of his career, which includes performances from Gamma and Montrose.  Filling in for Ronnie in Gamma was Marc Bonilla, and for Montrose Joe Satriani.  This show was amazing and would have been fun to attend, but the Bluray is shot so well, it feels like you have a seat, front and center.  This concert was a very fitting tribute to one of the greats.  A must for any shred head.

Bottom Line:  A fitting tribute to one of the greats.  A shred fest from start to finish.  If that ain't enough, there is an extra jam session with the boys from Y & T and few special guests.

-Ragman thoroughly enjoyed this one.  Shred-age!

Europe - Live at Sweden Rock (30th Anniversary Show)

It is hard to believe that Europe has been around for 30 years.  Seems like just yesterday, when I saw the video for The Final Countdown debut on Mtv.  Damn, I'm getting old!  Europe has just release the 30th anniversary show, which was filmed at the Sweden Rock festival.  The DVD is jam packed with 28 songs, clocking in at 2+ hours.  The show is a best of, spanning the band's entire career, as well as a few covers.  The band even had a few guest appearances from Scott Gorham (Thin Lizzy) and Michael Schenker (ex-UFO and Scorpions).  I will say, I was a bit disappointed to see that former guitarist Kee Marcello wasn't invited back for a few tunes.  That would have made the DVD for me.

As I stated earlier, Live at Sweden Rock, is a celebration of the band's 30 year career.  Even though the band shut it down for a while in the 90's, for awhile, they are still counting the missed time.  If you're a stickler for this type of thing, you might want to put an asterisk by the 30, but if not, then you'll enjoy this for what it is.  The DVD is shot very well, and is one of those DVD's that gives you the sense of being there  The band are spot on and sound great.  This DVD is a very fitting gift to the fans, from a band celebrating their career.  This one's a keeper.

Bottom Line:  Europe 30 years later.  The band proving that they can rock us, even if they have a few more years, under their belt.

- Ragman has been very impressed with the last couple of Europe DVD's, he has viewed. 

EtHERSENS - your wandering ghost

Ethersens returns from France to rock you with some powerful shoe-gazing tunes. Cela semble bon pour moi!There's some interesting music to be had out there on the heavier side of things without it all being emo. And I find this latest penchant for mixing heavy rhythms with shoe-gazing is a pretty good way to spend idle time. Think of it as the anti-progressive vibe, where listeners can get back to just experiencing music as a backdrop to life rather than having to concentrate on its intricacies and decipher the meanings of arcane plots and concepts.

French alt metallers Ethersens know how to craft some great music that entertains without demands, as exemplified by their sophomore effort, your wandering ghost. It's a great groovy soundtrack to a road trip or working from home, full of introspective moments of textured guitars and keyboards that occasionally break into waves of crunch and tribal rhythms. In short, I'm loving this stuff.

The Bottom Line: Ethersens is another talented band in a growing subgenre of what I'm calling ambient metal, and makes for an entertaining soundtrack to your daily grind. Vive la France!

Tracks To Enjoy While Spending A Winter Weekend On The Couch: This is Where You And I Part Ways, Livin' Memory

- Genghis could use a little more down time...

Ministry - Enjoy the Quiet (Live at Wacken 2012)

Ministry is one of those bands, that threatens to retire from time to time, but this time I think they mean it.  With the release of their stellar swan song From Beer to Eternity and most recently Enjoy the Quiet, I think this may be the last we see from the godfathers of industrial music.  The most recent rumors of retiring came out, after the passing of the band's longtime guitarist Mike Scaccia.  Scaccia died in late 2012 whilst performing with his other band Rigor Mortis.

Enjoy the Quiet is an excellent swan song release, for the band.  It is a 3 disc package, which includes 1 DVD and 2 audio CD's.  The package includes 2 shows from Wacken.  One from 2006 and the other from the 2012.  The 2012 show is the selling point, and the 2006 show s just the bonus.  This is a nice package.  Both shows are shot well and the performances are outstanding.  The band is on fire in both.  The band cover the spectrum, including new tunes as well as some classics.  A very cool watch.

Bottom Line: Ministry retiring while they are still on top.  We'll just have to see how long it lasts.  Jorgenson and company are on fire in each performance, which makes this one essential to any Ministry fan.

-Ragman forgot how heavy this band was...