Level 10 - Chapter 1

Don't know for sure, but I'd swear this album cover illustration was drawn by Greg Capullo. Either way, this album rocks. Hard.Hot damn, I love how Russell Allen (Symphony X, Adrenaline Mob) has become so ubiquitous in the metal world in the last several years. Having learned about him nigh 20 years ago for his stellar work with Symphony X, I've always been impressed with his vocals, able to go from clean to gritty in a heartbeat. And now he's joined up with bassist Mat Sinner (Primal Fear) for yet another heavy metal extravaganza in the form of the Level 10 project.

Being that Mat is joined by fellow bandmates Randy Black (drums) and Alex Beyrodt (guitar), Roland Grapow (ex-Helloween) and Alessandro Del Vecchio (Hardline, Voodoo Circle) on lead guitar and keyboards respectively, you've got some serious hard rocking locked and loaded. And a nice taste of classic European power metal is just what you get - with a good sense of melody to boot. This is the stuff.

While the majority of the material is expectedly fast-paced, there are some slower songs like Soul Of A Warrior, Voice Of The Wilderness, All Hope Is Gone where some of the best solos take place. For comparison, I'd say it's got a solid heavy feel with elements of late 80s/early 90s metal (think Whitesnake's self-titled masterpiece) that give it a steely edge and a nice neoclassical flourish, courtesy of Del Vecchio's accompaniment. Kudos to everyone on this thing.

The Bottom Line: This is classic power metal by some of the best in the biz. If you dig the idea of a neoclassical version of Whitesnake's classic 1987 album, this is your jam, tough guy.

- Genghis is waitin' for the night to c-c-c-cooooome *slide*....

Chiefs - Tomorrow's Over

Looking for melodic doom metal? Chiefs are something like that, so smoke 'em if ya got 'em...Things really took off for Arizona duo Chiefs when they relocated to San Diego and added a bass player to their ranks to fill out the low-end of their stoner rock sound. And their debut album, Tomorrow's Over, is all the better for this change.

Coming off a bit like a cross between the restless energy of old Soundgarden and the rumbling groove of Dopesmoker, I really dig the melodicism here that sets them apart from most stoner/doom metal outfits. Vocalist/Guitarist Paul Valle sounds a lot like Chris Volz of Five.Bolt.Main, which is to say he's got an earnest wail that smoothly rides atop the bottom-heavy groove this band is laying down. That's it. We're talking meat and potatoes groove-based heavy tunes here and I dig it mightily.

The Bottom Line: If you've been looking around for that 90s vibe of thick, melodic, Sabbathy grooves, you should check out Chiefs' debut. This fervent trio can rock a joint nicely.

- Genghis is pretty comfortable with denim...

9006 problems

Sorry for the errors downloading the podcast these days. I get it too when I try to download from iTunes. I get the infamous error = 9006, and Apple is of very little help on this issue. In the meantime, you can of course direct download it, stream it from the site, or we are considering alternative locations as well, like SoundCloud.

If you guys have any idea what to do about this, I'd love to hear it. Hope this is helpful.

HORNS UP!

- Genghis' horns droop a little every time that error comes up...

Podcast #186: Awake

Long before Meghan Trainor came along, Bjorn Englen was ALL about that bass. Yes, I went there.The lads are back in the thick of a new year with a little new music from Tracy G and new announcer, Joey Clams. Join Genghis & Ragman as they shoot the shit with each other after their brief Winter hiatus with talk of all things metal. Lookin' like 2015 could be a good year around the studio.

Then join in on a one on one with Bjorn Englen of Soul Sign for a chat about his love for the bass and the band's plans for 2015.

Video Of The Show: Shinedown – Live In The Stratosphere

Beer of the Show: Kasteel Winter (Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.)
	Appearance: 3.5 Aroma: 4.0 Palate: 4.0 Taste: 4.0 Overall: 4.0	"You’ll be plenty warmed up with this damn fine winter ale’s 11% abv and super roasty aroma."

Featured Tracks: Job For A Cowboy - Sun Of Nihility; Extreme - Decadence Dance; King's X - Black Flag; Enuff Z'Nuff - A New Thing; Shinedown - Devour; Jorn Lande - River of Tears; Harmony - Hands of Time; Strange Fruit - All Over The World Tonight; All That Remains - What If I Was Nothing; Rated X - Fire and Ice; Soul Sign - Life, Between the Lines, Out of Obsession, You (Control), Human Evil and In Pain

Ragman's Classic Of The Show: Jam Pain Society - Wasted

Genghis' Classic Of The Show: Whitesnake - Cryin' In The Rain

Ragman's Pick Of The Show: IQ - The Road of Bones

Genghis' Pick Of The Show: Bailey - In The Name of the King

- Genghis is really digging our new sound…

Podcast #186: Awake

Emigrate - Silent So Long

When Richard Kruspe tells you he's gonna rock, all you can say is "Alles klar, Herr Kommisar".It's kind of cool how Rammstein is so beloved by hard rock and metal bands. And even cooler that founding guitarist Richard Kruspe's alternative metal band Emigrate, having released its debut album back in 2007, continues to provide an outlet for his creative energies.

And it's a tribute to the fabled German work ethic that Kruspe doesn't choose to sit around on his main band's laurels. He recorded in his own Berlin studio and played host to a nice assortment of guest vocalists such as Lemmy from Motörhead, Korn’s Jonathan Davis, Canadian born Berlin-dweller, Peaches, and Frank Dellé from chart-topping German collective Seeed.

There's a nice mix of sounds on this album, ranging from the familiar industrial metal sound of Rammstein on tracks like Hypothetical and Get Down, to more punkish rocking (Rock City), to more traditional metal sounds (My Pleasure). There's a great energy evident here, as if Kruspe is enjoying every minute of doing this, and it translates to the overall vibe. Aushezeichnet.

The Bottom Line: Herr Kruspe continues to pour his songwriting energies into projects that benefit from him having so many fans in the business. The guest vocals and collaborations in Emigrate are thoughtfully decided, and it shows. Nice work.

- Genghis doesn't pull off that eyeliner thing so well...