Prototype - Catalyst

From thrash to prog metal, these boys have transitioned into a more sophisticated band over the last 20 years. Rock on!I am more than willing to admit that the genre of progmetal, despite being one of my all time favorites, is replete with bands that are competent but ultimately make music that's, well...boring. Sure, it's mostly about the "balls and chunk"TM, but if there's no interesting melodic component over the intricate rhythyms, you've lost me.

That's why it's nice to discover a band like L.A.'s Prototype. On their latest studio album, Catalyst, you'll find all of the usual progmetal ingredients, along with the melodic hooks that help a band's music transcend the ranks of artists that, while fully committed to their art, just don't catch my attention. Coming from a solid thrash background as the band Psychosis in the early '90s, Kragen Lum (Lead guitars) and Vince Levalois (Lead vocals, guitars) retooled their sound, and after a much lauded demo started to get a lot of work (their music's been featured in a few video games) as a new sound in progressive metal.

Vince's vocals still have the edge of thrash singer, but he's not without a good range and handles the tunes ably, while Kragen (awesome name, by the way) plays some fine leads without degenerating into the wankery that often steers a band wrong in this genre. I'm looking forward to more from this band.

The Bottom Line: Not just another Johnny-come-lately progmetal band, Prototype has earned its cred putting in performing time as a solid thrash outfit in the '90s before upping their musical game. They easily avoid the rookie mistakes of foregoing melodic interest for rhythymic gymnastics and the listeners are all the better for it.

Tracks To Make You Curious About Their Psychosis Material: Cynic Dreams, The Chosen Ones, Into Oblivion & The Ageless Heart of Memory

- Genghis really dug this album...

Zombie A-Hole

Some movies get you intrigued by the name alone, and Zombie A-Hole was one of those movies for me.  Not having seen a trailer or even read a description of the plot, I knew I had to see it.  By the title, it was obvious this was a B-rated horror flick and that it would be low budget, but it didn't matter, because what is better than a zombie, that is an asshole?  Zombie A-Hole is about a zombie in a pin stripe suit that goes around killing twins - nuff said.  Oh yeah, there are some rednecks and a one eyed lady after him.  That is about all I got from this movie. 

The movie is shot in that retro 70's horror vibe ala Grindhouse, which would have made this one a winner, but unfortunately due to a weak plot line and the poor acting, this one fell kind of short.  Yes it had its moments, but they got a little tired after awhile.  The biggest critique is that this movie was way too long for its own good.  Clocking in at 108 min., this one could have been easily over in a buck 75.  

Bottom Line: A horror flick with promise, but not quite making the mark.  The movie drug and with the poor acting, you will either dose off or be looking for FF button on the remote to see how it ends.

-Ragman fired up the coffee pot for this one.

Podcast #140: Vinyl

We're bettin' Jay Reynolds has got some seriously good out of print stuff stashed away somewhere...Said hello to your vinyl collection today? Like most of us that bought records before the introduction of CDs our vinyl collection sits in a closet until we get a craving for some out of print music - as we assume a lot of metal fans do. But we know there are some that have long since abandoned their vinyl - as well as their CDs - for the ease of digital music. Join Genghis and Ragman as they discuss how they manage their music collections as well as what they think about the recent comeback of vinyl. Next, the boys corner Malice guitarist Jay Reynolds for a one on one, who discusses the band's newest release, New Breed of Godz, as well as its status since the reunion.

DVD of the Show: Ozzy Ozbourne - Speak of the Devil

Beer of the Show: Chocolate Sombrero (Clown Shoes Brewery)
	Appearance: 3.5 Aroma: 4.0 Palate: 3.5 Taste: 4.0 Overall: 4.0	"Esta es para cuando tiene muchisimas ganas de una buen chela!"

Featured Tracks: One Way Mirror - Face to Face; Heaven - Where Angels Fear to Tread; Ozzy Osbourne - You Can’t Kill Rock n Roll; BOC - Veteran of the Psychic Wars; Of Mice and Men - Let Live; Night Ranger - End of the Day; Saxon - Princess of the Night; Malice - Rockin’ With You, Slipping Through the Cracks, Vice Versa, New Breed of Godz, Winds of Death (Angel of Light)

Classics of the Show: The Zeros - Too Young and Prong - Beg to Differ

Genghis Pick of the Show: Lykaion - A Cold Summer Day

Ragman Pick of the Show: Teenage Casket Company - Cocaine

- Ragman is astounding himself lately...

Podcast #140: Vinyl

Podcast #139: What If...

Gus G's legato runs and sweep-picking? It's all greek to me! Yeah, we went there.What if some of our fallen metal heroes were still alive and what might they be doing today? Would Randy Rhoads still be playing metal, would Hendrix still be ripping things up or re-inventing himself? Join Genghis and Ragman as they discuss this "What If..." topic and much more. Next, Firewind/Ozzy Ozbourne guitarist, Gus G, calls in to chew the fat with the boys, discussing Firewind’s latest release Few Against Many, as well as what it's like playing with the Prince of Darkness.

Optical Illusion - HellYeah (Live from Rocklahoma)

1st Beer of the Show: Cain’s Dark Mild (Robert Cain & Company Limited)
	Appearance: 3.5 Aroma: 4.0 Palate: 3.5 Taste: 3.0 Overall: 3.5	"Decent beer with a low ABV that makes it good for working."

2nd Beer of the Show: Scratchin' Hippo (Adelbert's Brewery)
	Appearance: 4.0 Aroma: 4.0 Palate: 4.0 Taste: 4.0 Overall: 4.0	"An amazing brew from a new local brewery that scratches our Belgian itch."

Featured Tracks: HellYeah - The Debt That All Men Pay; ZZ Top - Just Got Paid; Talisman - Frozen; Jorn - Ride Like the Wind; Iommi - Dopamine; Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy, Chickenfoot - Come Closer; Testament - More Than Meets the Eye; Firewind - Cold As Ice, Wall of Sound, Long Gone Tomorrow, Another Dimension, Few Against Many & Edge of a Dream

Classic of the Show: Danger Danger - Bang Bang

Genghis Pick of the Show: Dark Forest - Hourglass

Ragman Pick of the Show: Mad Max - Fallen From Grace

- Ragman is on a bit of a tear, but how long will it last?

Podcast #139: What If...

Judas Priest - Screaming for Vengeance (30th Anniversary)

Screaming for Vengeance, to me, is the best Judas Priest record ever recorded.  I also, believe, it is the one of the best metal records of all time.  That being said, this iconic record has just had its 30th birthday and the Priest have decided to throw it a party.  Yes this musical gem has been given the royal treatment for it's big day.  This masterpiece has just been remastered and re-packaged with a DVD of their classic appearance at the 83 US Festival.  Dude this  is like a dream come true,  The ever so coveted US Festival performance, now given the proper treatment, by finally being released officially on DVD for the first time.  Pinch me cause I think I'm dreamin.

I got to hand to the Priest because they have been doing a nice job re-packaging their classic albums and adding some nice bonus material.  I was hoping after what they did with British Steel a few years back, that they would do the same for Screamin.  Sonically the CD sounds better than ever.  This album has always had a killer sound, thanks to Tom Allom. but the remastering has made it even better, if you can imagine that.  The CD is loaded with some bonus tracks as well, mainly live, with one unreleased track called Prisoner of Your Eyes.  To be fair, Prisoner was released a few years back, so its not that unreleased, especially if you got it the first time this gem was remastered. 

This is a must buy if you're are a Priest fan or just a metal fan.  I don't care if you have this one already, it is worth every penny, just for the inclusion of the US Festival DVD.  The DVD is awesome.  It is great to see the band in their prime.  The band were on fire that day and sound amazing.  This a great package and is essential for any metal collection.

Bottom Line: A re-release worth buying.  The Priest do it right when they re-release their CD's, by including something special.  A classic metal record paired with a classic live DVD. It doesn't get any better than this.

-Ragman can't imagine what they'll do for Defender's, but he can't wait.