Re-Machined - A Tribute to Deep Purple's Machine Head

The year 2012, marks the 40th anniversary of the legendary Deep Purple record Machine Head and to pay tribute, Eagle Rock Entertainment has recently released a tribute record called Re-Machined.  Re-Machined brings together Hard Rock's elite, to pay tribute to this classic rock gem.  Unlike many tribute records, this one features many "A" list acts from the genre, like Metallica and Iron Maiden.

The highpoints of the record, were Black Label Society's cover of Pictures of Home as well as anything Glenn Hughes was involved in.  Hughes lent his monster vocals to Highway Star and Maybe I'm a Leo.  Some of the tracks fall a little flat like Chickenfoot's live version of Highway Star as well as The Flaming Lips version of Smoke on the Water, but other than that, the album was a good listen. You never know how these tributes CD's will come out, because you don't know if it will be karaoke or a new interpretation of classic.  There are some interpretations that hit the mark, but there are some, that come off a little stale.  All in all a fun tribute record.

Bottom Line: Some A-listers covering a legendary record.  Some hits and some misses, but still fun to listen to.  A nice tribute, but not strong enough to shelve the original.

Standout Tracks: Pictures of Home, Maybe I'm a Leo, Space Truckin' and Smoke on the Water (Santana version)

-Ragman was hoping for more.

Black Metal Veins

We all choose our paths.  We never know where life will take us, but we are constantly faced with tough decisions, which can effect our lives.  It amazes me how some people go to drugs, to help deal with the curve balls life throws at us.  Once you go down that path, it is pretty much downhill from there.  Black Metal Veins is a chilling documentary of 5 friends that go down the wrong path and destroy their lives with drugs.  The twist is they are metal heads, black metal heads. 

The film, I believe, was shot over a 6 to12 month period, in the apartment of one of the junkies.  It is sad to see how they all deteriorate in front of your eyes.  I can't tell you how many times I had to look away, as these junkies injected their arms and necks with drugs.  Truly disturbing.  This is the new scared straight.  Any kid that wants to do drugs, needs to see this film before attempting, because this one will scare them for sure.  Warning: If you have a weak stomach, you may not to watch this one.

Bottom Line: A film that illustrates the horrors of drug use.  It chronicles the lives of 5 friends that slowly kill themselves with abundant drug use.

-Ragman thinks this one was way scarier than most horror flicks. 

Black Metal (Voices From Hell)

Black Metal (Voices from Hell) is a 20min. DVD featuring some classic footage from some of Black Metal's most notorious bands.  There is footage from Mayhem, Venom and Celtic Frost.  The footage was vintage and cool to see.  This consumed about half of the DVD.  The other half is a weird Norwegian (I think) death metal film short, which was virtually un-watchable.  That lasted 3 to 4 min. and then the remainder of the DVD was a photo montage of Black Metal bands.  Not sure why the makers of the DVD didn't include more live footage, because that is the only real selling point for this one.

Bottom Line: Vintage live footage of some of the legends in black metal, but just not enough.  This one is for fans seeking some live footage of the bands mentioned above.  Other than that, I don't see much of a point.

-Ragman thinks John made a cameo in this one as the dude reading Dracula, whilst dropping the kids off at the pool.

Podcast #143: Mags

What's your favorite Metal mag, and do you get it digitally or do you like to hold it in your hands? Join Genghis and Ragman as they discuss their favorite metal mags including the best places to read their mags and which one is the best source for metal news. Next, the boys are joined by veteran Bassist Rudy Sarzo for a one on one as he discusses his latest band Antimetal USA, 3D modeling, and much more.

1st Beer of the Show: Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout (Flying Dog)
	Appearance: 3.0 Aroma: 3.5 Palate: 3.0 Taste: 3.0 Overall: 3.0	"A good example of the style, perfect for a cool day with a stogie."

2nd Beer of the Show: Brux (Russian River Brewery/Sierra Nevada Collaboration Ale)
	"You're either a sour beer fan or you're not, but this one is great."

DVD of the Show: Motörhead - Stagefright

Featured Tracks: Tremonti - Leave it Alone, Kill Devil Hill - Hangman; Motörhead - Sword of Glory; ZZ Top - Pearl Necklace; Emperor - The Decrystallizing Reason, Ihsahn - The Eagle and the Snake; Animetal USA - Give Lee, Give Lee, Rock Lee, Pegasus Fantasy, Yuke Yuke Hyuuma, Yuke Tiger Mask and Touch

Ragman’s Pick:  Hotel Diablo - Bury You

Genghis’ Pick: Holy Knights - Frozen Paradise

Classic of the Show: Angra - Extreme Dream

Genghis' Pick of the Week: Cloudscape - Kingdom of Sand

Ragman's Pick of the Week: God Forbid - Scraping the Walls

- Ragman is getting out his old KISS makeup...

Podcast #143: Mags

Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender (Blu-Ray)

Easily the most illuminating story of one of the most amazing and innovative vocalists ever to helm a rock band.Born in Zanzibar, Farrokh Bulsara quickly learned to live his own way while keeping most people in his life at arm's length, for fear of the heartache of non-acceptance.  It wasn't until he was in his mid twenties, having developed a singular voice, that he joined a band with Roger Taylor and Brian May, changed its name to Queen and his own to Freddie Mercury. The rest of course is history, but Freddie's own shyness and reticence in talking about himself has made him one of the more enigmatic figures in rock music.  And that is the subject that Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender seeks to expatiate over the course of its 107 minutes.

With personal interviews and archival footage, Eagle Rock Entertainment has put together a revealing portrait of one of the most innovative and elusive rock stars in the history of the genre. With a thankfully brief nod to his formative years, the bulk of the time in this thoughtful documentary is spent on the man behind the persona of Freddie Mercury. Far from a melancholy biography, there is much that is celebrated about Freddie's career, as told by his friends and comrades - including insight from none other than Matt Lucas (Little Britain). Personally, I was too young at the time to realize what was going on with Freddie. I didn't know what a homosexual was, much less able to read between any lines that may have been present in any of Queen's body of work. And as you watch this documentary, you see why. There was much more to Freddie Mercury than just who he had sex with. He was a talented but restless musician who sought inspiration wherever he could find it - even as fulfilling, personal relationships eluded him. I had no idea of his connection to Spanish soprano, Dame Montserrat Caballé, and the daring collaboration (Barcelona, 1987) that was quite innovative for its time (though was later adopted by a former critic, Pavorotti), but also its own touching love story of sorts. In a way, his life was not too different from some of the operas he listened to; full of villians like [confidante] Paul Prenter, friends like Roger Taylor, Brian May, and [manager] Jim "Miami" Beach, and shining heroines like Montserrat Caballé.

The Bottom Line: I found it quite inspirational, and my respect for Freddie has grown appreciably - especially where it concerns the last few years of his life, while quietly dealing with AIDS, when his output increased in sophistication and grace. This is a must have documentary for anyone who's a big fan of Queen and the mysterious, talented man who fronted the band, but not necessarily on Blu-Ray, as most of the footage is before the age of high definition video.

- Genghis admits he got a little choked up watching this...