The Unclean - The Eagle

Who'da thunk that a bar band from Akron, Ohio could self-produce a down and dirty rock album this authentic?Yes, I've spoken before about bar bands, and how they are some of the most basic examples of pure rock and roll abandon. That's not to say that they're all successful at capturing this classic mode of music, just that when it is done well, it's uniquely satisfying. And so goes it for the Akron, Ohio-based rockers The Unclean. Their sophomore album, The Eagle, continues their efforts in the time-honored tradition of "no-frills, riff-heavy blues-based anthems" which is loosely associated with the retro sound that is en vogue these days. It's like ZZ Top and Motörhead's kids met in high school and skipped classes playing tunes in George Thorogood's garage.

I don't say "retro" in a perjorative sense, seeing as I've reviewed a lot of new bands with this old sound and generally like what I'm hearing. What I really dig about The Unclean is their self-reliance. Having played in the smallest of dive bars for years, rather than waiting around for record companies to come calling, they honed their live sound to a razor's edge and captured that on the album themselves (as in DIY production). If I have to find anything wrong with it...uhh...lead singer "Bremmy" (sound familiar?) needs to smoke a lot more cigarettes to get that voice just right.

The Bottom Line: Great bands like Motörhead can't stick around forever, and if someone has to pick up their torch, The Unclean is one of the many throwing their hat into the ring with thrust of their hip and swig of the bottle, in classic rock and roll fashion. Hell, I'll drink to that.

Tracks to Possibly Cause Spontaneous Moustache Growth: On We Go, Live For The Day, Away Too Long, Strange Kind Of Living and Been Gone

 

- Genghis will never be seen in public without a shirt on, and that's a promise...

Cool As Hell

Cool as Hell was put out by the same sicko's that brought you Hack Job and I Spill Your Guts.  If you haven't heard of either of these films, it is because the are underground B-Movies.  That is not a bad thing, because there are some really good B-Movies scouring DVD players, world wide.  Cool as Hell is about 2 friends, Rich and Benny, who are pretty much losers, until they get bound to a demon named Az.  Az makes them as cool as they can be, and even helps them score.  If this weren't enough to captivate you, then how about a soul eating monster that kills, all in it's tracks?  

Cool as Hell is a horror/comedy that has a decent plot line, but due to the poor acting and special effects, it will leave you a little flat.  I will say there were some entertaining moments, but they few and far between.  I tried to sit through this one many times, but unfortunately, I never got it.  The highlight of the movie was probably AZ, because he was entertaining, but the rest of the cast comes off a bit annoying.   There are some interesting cameo's from metal band's like Shadow's Fall and God Forbid, but that was not enough to save this one.

Bottom Line: A movie with a good plot, but poor execution.

-Ragman had a hard time focussing during this one.

Podcast #151: Re-Done

Viceroy Biff Von Biffington at your service, m'lord.Is it really necessary for artists to remake their classic tunes? We get it; it comes down to owning these new versions, but is it really necessary? Are the bands tarnishing their images by not adding anything to the original tunes? Join Genghis and Ragman as they discuss the welcomed re-records as well as the ones that should have never left the recording studio. Next, the boys welcome back Biff Byford from Saxon for a fireside chat, as he discusses the band's latest effort, Sacrifice, as well as their current tour plans.

DVD of the Show:  Saxon - Heavy Metal Thunder Live - Eagles Over Wacken

Beer of the Show: Torment (Heretic Brewing Company)
	Appearance: 4.0 Aroma: 3.5 Palate: 3.0 Taste: 3.0 Overall: 3.0	"A beautiful beer in one of our all time favorite styles. The only real torment is when the bottle's dry!"

Featured Tracks: Love and Death - Whip It; Saxon - The Eagle Has Landed; T&N (featuring dUg Pinnick) - Tooth and Nail; Pinnick, Gales, Pridgen - Wishing Well; In This Moment - From The Ashes; Saxon - Battalions of Steel, Made in Belfast, Standing in a Queue, Guardians of the Tomb, Walking the Steel and If I Was You

Genghis’ Sponsor Pick: Picture Me Broken - Torture

Ragman’s Sponsor Pick:  Relapse Symphony - Burning Bridges

Classic of the Show:  Krokus - Eat the Rich

2nd Classic of the Show: Haji’s Kitchen - Machine

Ragman’s Pick of the Show: Lavett - Find Your Purpose

Genghis’ Pick of the Show: Paradox - Slashdead

- Ragman is still amazed that he gets to talk to metal legends...

Podcast #151: Re-Done

In The Silence - A Fair Dream Gone Mad

This is one damn fine dark progressive debut from the Sacramento groupIt may seem as though Opeth single-handedly crafted the subgenre of Dark Progressive Metal which seems to be growing faster than any other subgenre of metal these days. Sacramento quartet In The Silence certainly seems to have been highly influenced by the band, as evident on their atmospheric debut, A Fair Dream Gone Mad. Now don't get me wrong, this is a fantastic, original debut album chock full of the things dark progmetal fans dig; haunting acoustic rhythyms, ethereal vocals, tight technical production, and moments of satisfying balls and chunkTM. This album sounds fucking great.

While the band formed back in 2007, their musical synchronicity was evident from the beginning and that cohesion can be heard on every track. And while it's easy to say "they sound like this other band", make no mistake that In The Silence should soon be making their name known in the dark progressive subgenre with some really great songwriting and an impressively seasoned sound for such a new band.

The Bottom Line: Fans of prog bands a la Opeth or Porcupine Tree should thoroughly enjoy In The Silence as a new subgenre favorite, but given a chance they may soon secure their own place in the field and have bands compared to their sound. Fantastic stuff.

Tracks to Make You Light Incense and Lie On The Floor With Your Headphones On: The whole album

- Genghis needs to get his mind right...

The Gathering - Disclosure

The Dutch alt rock group finally releases a new album and thanks to the vocals of Silje Wergeland, it sounds great.Look, I know I've said it more times than you care to hear, but I really like female singers in rock bands. Not that I want them to start handling all the singing chores, but it's perhaps their scarcity that makes them so appealing when they come along.

The Gathering started out in The Netherlands as a death/doom metal outfit, but evolved their sound considerably in the mid to late 90s with the addition of vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen. Having heard none of the previous stuff, I can only judge their new album Disclosure on its own merits, which is probably a good thing. Coming at this as a doom metal fan, I would've been sorely disappointed. But taken as a moody, gothic, alt band, this is really good stuff. Now to be clear, Anneke is no longer the vocalist for the band, having left since 2007. New vocalist Silje Wergeland fills in ably, giving the engaging alt music a suitably ethereal and melodic layer that fits well with the energetic, trippy rock this outfit produces. At times, you can hear the sounds of The Sugarcubes, The Breeders, Moby(!), and a host of other eclectic but firmly rock and roll-styled bands that's quirky enough to not be boring while resisting the trap of self-indulgence that makes so many other similar bands annoying.

The Bottom Line: Always a sucker for good female vocals, I'm really pleased with this incarnation of the band, as the vocal style of Silje Wergeland blends perfectly with the alt-rock stylings of this Dutch quintet. Looks like this album was worth the wait.

Tracks to Cue Up For Your Next Retro Indie Movie Project: Paper Waves, Meltdown, and Missing Seasons

- Genghis really dug this album in a trippy, old school way...