Podcast #171: Old

Fifty bucks says if Glenn Rogers and Heretic were standing at a concert, the kids in front of them would be quiet.Ever been to a show and noticed that you're the oldest one there? Does it bother you? Is there an age cut off for bands you'll go and see live? Join Genghis & Ragman as they discuss the age limits of shows. Does a dozen screaming kids in front of you while you're checking out a new buzz band ruin the show or enhance the experience? Next, the boys round up guitarist Glenn Rogers of Heretic for a one on one as he discusses the band's recent boxed set release, From the Vaults...Tortured and Broken, as well as Heretic's plans for the future.

DVD of the Show: God Forbid – Beneath the Scars

Beer of the Show: Gulden Draak Brewmaster's Edition (Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.)
	Appearance: 4.0 Aroma: 3.5 Palate: 3.5 Taste: 3.5 Overall: 3.5	"Another fantastic beer from Gulden Draak rich with spices, but a little strong on the back end. Ease up on the alcohol content and you've got a winner."

Featured Tracks: Crematory – Until the End; God Forbid – Conquer; Mudvayne – Have it Your Way; Escape the Fate – Chemical Love; Falling in Reverse – Rolling Stone; Heretic – Portrait of Faith, Blood Will Tell, White Chapel and The Circle

Ragman’s Classic of the Show: Mind Bomb – Do You Need Some?

Genghis’ Classic of the Show: Haji's Kitchen – Symptoms

Ragman’s Pick of the Week: Hell or Highwater – When the Morning Comes

Genghis' Pick of the Week: Thundertribe – War Chant

- Ragman still believes if it is too loud, you're too old...

Podcast #171: Old

Deep Purple - Now What?! (Gold Edition)

Deep Purple is one of those iconic bands, that keeps on ticking.  This band has gone through more line up changes, than I do underpants in a year.  Seriously though, they have had their ups and downs, over the years, but have still been able to hold it together in one incarnation or another for going on 40 years (If you take out the amount of time they we broken up in the 70's and 80's).  That being said, last year the band released their 19th studio album Now What?!, which was praised by the critics, as being one of their best in years.  The success of this release, has led the band to re-release the album in a gold edition deluxe version, which includes a bonus live CD, from the Now What?! Live tapes.

I have to say, though there was interest, I never picked up the first pressing of Now What?!.  I am a fan of the band, but I just wasn't sure that I wanted to pluck down the $16 to buy it.  When the Gold Edition was released, I thought to myself, maybe I'm missing out on something.  Could this release be this strong?  The last few releases were subpar, but maybe they had stepped it up for their latest.  Well, I guess we all know what happened next.  Yes, I decided to check this one out.

Now What?! is worth all of the hype.  This is by far the best CD the lads have released in years.  This CD is chock full of strong riffs, engaging melodies to make any rocker happy.  As one would guess guitarist Steve Morse stands out, but I have to say, it was the new kid on the block, Don Airey (ex-Ozzy, Rainbow, Whitesnake) that stood out the most.  Don lays down some serious riffs on this CD.   Don was the perfect replacement for the late Jon Lord.  There is a nice variety on the disk, which makes this one a keeper.  The bonus is the live disk.  The live disk showcases the band in top form and completes this very solid package.

Bottom Line:  Deep Purple showing that they can still bring it.  The best work Purple has done in quite sometime.  Enjoyable from start to finish.  The bonus, is that with the gold edition you also get a live disk full of classics.

Stand out Tracks: Wierdistan, Vincent Price, Out of Hand and Uncommon Man

-Ragman was pleasantly suprised by this one.

Sahg - Delusions of Grandeur

I don't like to use the term eargasm, but if I did, this album would be the reason. Sahg is one of my new favorite bands because Oh. My. God.Holy shit, how I have I not heard of Sahg before now? This Norwegian quartet have become modern riff lords since their debut in 2006 with Sahg I and have been cranking out amazing product every couple of years since. While their sound is essentially stoner doom metal, they manage to carve out their own unique sound without sounding self-conscious or pretentious - something that's missing from the less successful bands of the retro ilk.

While the band has an obvious affinity for the works of early Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, they break the confines of such retro-inspired bands with modern progressive elements like that of Rush and Opeth to make a truly fantastic mix of the old and the new that sounds like it was always meant to be, man.  Tracks like Slip Off The Edge Of The Universe and Firechild are great examples of this sound, with big grooves punctuated by tasteful but impressive shredding throughout. Seriously, I love this band - and I only just heard them for the first time yesterday.

The band's fourth studio release, Delusions of Grandeur, is a concept album about a man whose psychotic break leads him to retreat into his own mind as a self-appointed god, gradually losing more and more touch with reality to the point of literally slipping into oblivion, a victim of his own delusions. I would love to see this album realized as a Heavy Metal style animated feature.

What really tips it in the net for me are the more laid-back passages, like Sleeper's Gate To The Galaxy, which lulls you with Beatles-esque Sun King harmonies and Led Zeppelin-style folk acoustic strumming that goes straight into another kick ass heavy groove (shit, now I have to put that back on right now as I'm writing this), providing a wonderful showcase of just how this band melds all of the greatest old school rock elements into an amazing amalgam of the best retro jam I've heard yet. 

The Bottom Line: I can only lament how long it's taken me to learn about Sahg and their refreshingly unique take on classic heavy metal. These guys seem to have the Midas touch when it comes to writing compelling and impressive modern metal with a clear reverence for the seminal sound of the genre's forefathers. Gentlemen, I salute you!

Tracks That Necessitate Listening To Under A Blacklight: The whole fucking album

- Genghis is still bowled over by these guys' awesome style...

Destrage - Are You Kidding Me? No.

There are more chops on display here than a butcher's window. Shredheads rejoice! Destrage is here to kick ass.You may remember a band I reviewed by the name of Freak Kitchen and their amazing brand of metal. Well, imagine them being heavier yet more melodic. This is what you're in for with the amazing Italian quintet Destrage. Having begun in 2005, they've been building their reputation amazing and delighting audiences all over Europe with music that's not only technically impressive but just plain fun to listen to. And that's exactly what they deliver with their third studio album, Are You Kidding Me? No.

The bedrock of Destrage's sound is essentially metalcore with elements of melodeath, but there's a frenetic energy that fails to come across when merely using labels to describe music of this kind. Now, don't be misled; there are some downright insane passages that get a little atonal or dissonant. But the vast majority of the album is a collection of such manic - but, more importantly, listenable - bombast you may find it hard to put down.

To look at posed pictures of these guys and just hear bits and pieces here and there from their album you may get the feeling that these dudes are perhaps not to be taken too seriously. But you would be wrong. There's a sincerity here that comes through in the music that can only be the result of a hard-working band playing together as a focused unit, even if they have a sense of humor about themselves. Personally, I love this stuff!

The Bottom Line: If you're a fan of metalcore or melodeath, but long for the unpredictable fretboard insanity of players like Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (who puts in a guest appearance on the title track) or Matthias Eklundh to be thrown into the mix, you need to check out Destrage. These guys simply aren't fucking around.

- Genghis really needs to get back to some regular guitar practice...

Birth of Joy - Prisoner

They may sound like Niacin meets The Doors, but Birth of Joy knows how to have fun.Another day, another retro band, amirite? But to dismiss Birth of Joy as just a trio of European hipsters cashing in on the sounds of the 70s would be a big mistake. Forming, portentously it would seem, at the Herman Brood Academy (its namesake, The Netherlands' biggest rock star ever, made it big in the 70s) in 2005, Birth of Joy has impressed many with their great mix of psychedelic 60s/70s era organ rock (a la The Doors) with the killer, bluesy, guitar/bass grooves of stoner rock.

And there's no shortage of jams on their latest effort, Prisoner. I'm all about the extended interludes found on tracks like The Sound, Three Day Road, and Holding On. But for the more White Stripes kind of crowd, there are some classic, good time, boogie cuts like Rock and Roll Show and Keep Your Eyes Shut to keep your party going. The rest of the album is filled out quite satisfyingly with enough great bluesy jams to keep you well entertained for just under an hour. What more could you need?

The Bottom Line: Like I've said before, retro is great when it's written by good musicians who respect the old music rather than just wanting to ride nostalgia to the bank. And Birth of Joy not only clearly loves that era of music, but has the talent to write some truly great, catchy rock and roll jams. And isn't that really what it's all about?

- Genghis may have dug this album, but just can't being himself to listen to the Stripes...