'83 US Festival (Days 1 - 3)

The '83 US Festival will go down in history, as one of the greatest festivals of all time.  The festival had a separate day, for each genre of music.  One of the most notable days was the metal day, of course.  A day which featured new comers Motley Crue and Quiet Riot, as well as legendary bands in their prime (Van Halen, Judas Priest, Scorpions, etc...)  The next day to grab some attention, was the New Wave/Alternative Day.  If memory serves, those were the two most successful days.  That being said, MVD Entertaiment recently released a 1 disc compilation, of some the highlights, from the first 3 days, of the festival.

'83 US Festival is a solid compilation, featuring highlights from the Heavy Metal day, New Wave Day and Rock day.  The best thing about the disc, is seeing solid performances from some legendary bands, in their prime, as well as some early performances from U2 and INXS.  The DVD features primarily performances, but also mixes in some limited dialog from former MTV V-Jay Mark Goodman as well as festival creator Steve Wozniak.  My only complaint is that I wanted more.  It is great to finally see a professional release from this performance.

The Bottom Line: Highlights from one of the most iconic festivals in music history.  A must for any music fan of 80's rock.

- Ragman is wishing they would release each day, in a box set...

Podcast #168: Tidings

Metal Santa Claus doesn't care who's naughty or nice, he's just in the business of whoopin' ass proper.Well, Christmas has come and gone but we here at The Right to Rock are still celebrating.  Sort of. Okay, to be honest the show you're about to hear was such an undertaking it took yours truly several hours to mix. "Cry me a river!" Doh!

Well, Merry belated Christmas to all of our listeners as Genghis & Ragman unveil their annual Kicks and Kisses lists for 2013. It was a great year for music and after you hear this show you'll know why, trust me! So sit back, relax, and grab a fine ale because this is the mutha of all [overdue, end of the year] podcasts!

DVD of the Show: Twisted Sister - Twisted Christmas (Live in Las Vegas)

Beer of the Show: Gingerbread Stout (Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co.)
	Appearance: 3.5 Aroma: 4.0 Palate: 3.0 Taste: 3.5 Overall: 3.5	"This isn't the first beer of its kind, but the outstanding Gingerbread Stout lives up to its tagline of being 'Christmas in a bottle' with aplomb. Cheers!"

2nd Beer of the Show: Imperial Court Stout (Mustang Brewing Co.)
	Appearance: 3.5 Aroma: 4.0 Palate: 4.0 Taste: 4.0 Overall: 4.0	"Like a great raspberry lambic mixed expertly with an imperial stout, this Oklahoma beauty is a perfect cigar beer. Na zdorovje!"

Featured Tracks: JJ Hrubovcak – Nutcracker; Twisted Sister – Out on the Streets; Dokken – Santa Clause Is Coming to Town; Rush – The Spirit of Radio; The Haunted – Under the Surface; Iron Maiden – Killers

Genghis’ Kisses List: DGM – Trust; Niacin – Krush; In The Silence – Ever closer; Extrema – The Distance; Scale the Summit – Odyssey; Tesseract – Of Mind -  Nocturne; Battlecross – Flesh and Bone; Havok – I am the State; Between the Buried and Me – Astral Body; Toxic Holocast – Awaken the Serpent; Prospekt – Dissident Priests; Onslaught – 66 Fuckin’ 6; Stryper – Jesus is Just Alright; Lalu – Greed; Almah – In My Sleep; Benedictum – Die to Love You

Ragman’s Kisses List: Dreamshade – Photographs; Mutiny Within – Never; Saxon – Guardians of the Tomb; Pretty Maids – To Fool a Nation; Kiko Loureiro – Reflective; Falling In Reverse – Bad Girls Club; Soilwork – The Living Infinite 2; Omnium Gatherum – New Dynamic; Coldspell – Life Has Just Begun; Asking Alexandria – Until the End; James LaBrie – Slight of Hand; Stratovarius – One Must Fall

Ragman’s Top Solos of the year: Stratovarius – Castles in the Air; Kiko Loureiro – The Hymn; Ethan Brosh – Space Invaders; Omnium Gatherum – Living in Me

Genghis’ Top Solos of the year: DGM – Chaos; Scale the Summit – The Olive Tree; Prospekt – Shroud; Dream Theater – Behind the Veil

- Ragman was exhausted after mixing this one...

Podcast #168: Tidings

Thunder Tribe - War Chant

It's always nice to get some variety on an album, but Thunder Tribe may need to cut back on the influences a bit.The thing about the retro craze is that most of it is fashioned after the grooves of the 70s, not so much with the 80s and 90s. And I'm not saying that this sort of music has no ideas of its own or anything, I'm simply trying to give you a feel for the sound of Kentucky's Thunder Tribe. But let me be more specific...

The music on their debut album has many different sounds in terms of influences - maybe too many, but I'll get to that. Tracks like Echoes of a New Day has a Pink Floydish intro that melds into something more melodic in the vein of Extreme mixed with Enuff Z'Nuff followed by a more traditional metal sound a la Savatage. But on cuts like the title track, and the Black Velvet-inspired Above The Blue, the Kentuckians give way to a more Southern style (and effective) metal groove that fits the Native American vibe you get looking at the album cover. And then you get a track like Believe with its NWOBHM feel that brings to mind classic Judas Priest. Ultimately, this is either something great or it collapses under the weight of its influences as a single cohesive album depending on your tastes.

The Bottom Line: Personally, I dig War Chant for the songs, but I think that if Thunder Tribe wants to have a shot at success, they need to sharpen their musical focus. They've got the goods, they just need the direction. All in all, an impressive debut.

- Genghis will keep an eye out for this band's stuff...

Eight Bells - The Captain's Daughter

Experimental metal fans will probably like this, but guitar fans may delight in Melynda Jackson's deft use of guitar textures.I don't listen to enough space metal, but perhaps that's what makes it all the more interesting when some of it comes my way. I can't make myself sit and listen to it like I would a new progressive metal release, which requires more processing of its intricacies, like deftly prying open the carapace of a crawfish to get at the tasty meat embedded inside. But as a background music to sitting around the house, allowing my focus to wander there and away, I enjoy moments of real intrigue as my head reflexively turns to the stereo speakers, eyebrows raised.

Such is the case with Eight Bells' new EP The Captain's Daughter. Based out of Portland, this experimental trio isn't afraid to mix different sounds into any given song. Like a group of paranormal investigators at a seance, they all seem to be along for the ride, occasionally letting themselves get possessed and led into different musical directions at the whims of some strange musical wraith.

Take for instance the second track Fate and Technology, where a gritty Andy Summers-esque rhythym eventually morphs into a full on death metal freak out, with bassist Haley Westeiner screaming as if Hell itself were escaping her mouth. Or for the full effect, you can't miss the almost 13 minute title track which spends a good portion of its running time meandering through feedback, delay, and other distorted textures while drummer Christopher Van Huffel presumably gets a bathroom break.

The Bottom Line: Overall, fans of experimental metal will find a lot to like in Eight Bells' effort. It's sort of doom metal meets naval gazing and a pretty decent way to soundtrack a half hour.

- Genghis gets the first CD review in for 2014 (I win!)...

El Drugstore - Plague Ship

These crazy Yankees know how to fill a room with some crazy guitar-based riffage, which may require headbanging in a smoking jacket.Fans of East of the Wall (EotW) looking to scratch their offbeat musical itch might do well to check out El Drugstore and their debut album Plague Ship. This New Jersey power trio has a strong connection to the aforementioned band with [former] EotW guitarist Kevin Conway and [current] drummer Seth Rheam joining bassist Rolando Alvarado for an effort three years in the making.

This is some wild shit. There's a strong progressive element, but to call this progressive metal gives the wrong impression. There's an interesting line these boys straddle between sheer chaos and controlled precision. And it's that ability to maintain a sense of energy without repeating yourself that sets these boys apart.

The Bottom Line: To be fair, El Drugstore is not as melodic as bands such as Symphony X or Dream Theater, but there's no question of the talent on display here. They're tight as hell, even as they sound like a progmetal band caught in a tornado. If you like your prog more on the Watchtower side of things with a little of that grungy, retro sound, this is your jam.

- Genghis is finding out what it's like to do all the work lately (nooge)...