The Gathering - Disclosure

The Dutch alt rock group finally releases a new album and thanks to the vocals of Silje Wergeland, it sounds great.Look, I know I've said it more times than you care to hear, but I really like female singers in rock bands. Not that I want them to start handling all the singing chores, but it's perhaps their scarcity that makes them so appealing when they come along.

The Gathering started out in The Netherlands as a death/doom metal outfit, but evolved their sound considerably in the mid to late 90s with the addition of vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen. Having heard none of the previous stuff, I can only judge their new album Disclosure on its own merits, which is probably a good thing. Coming at this as a doom metal fan, I would've been sorely disappointed. But taken as a moody, gothic, alt band, this is really good stuff. Now to be clear, Anneke is no longer the vocalist for the band, having left since 2007. New vocalist Silje Wergeland fills in ably, giving the engaging alt music a suitably ethereal and melodic layer that fits well with the energetic, trippy rock this outfit produces. At times, you can hear the sounds of The Sugarcubes, The Breeders, Moby(!), and a host of other eclectic but firmly rock and roll-styled bands that's quirky enough to not be boring while resisting the trap of self-indulgence that makes so many other similar bands annoying.

The Bottom Line: Always a sucker for good female vocals, I'm really pleased with this incarnation of the band, as the vocal style of Silje Wergeland blends perfectly with the alt-rock stylings of this Dutch quintet. Looks like this album was worth the wait.

Tracks to Cue Up For Your Next Retro Indie Movie Project: Paper Waves, Meltdown, and Missing Seasons

- Genghis really dug this album in a trippy, old school way...

Podcast #150: Retro

Nothin' feels better than slippin' into an old pair of jeans, be it your bell bottoms from the 70s or your skinny jeans from the 80s. As with most forms of art, music usually recycles itself in some way, shape, or form every couple of decades or so.  The latest trend in hard rock/heavy metal is the revival of 70’s doom rock a la Black Sabbath.  Is this good for music fans, or does it fall into the "been there, done that" category?  Join Genghis and Ragman as they dig deep into the retro craze and see what they have to say about it.  Good or bad?  Tune in to find out!

DVD of the Show: Michael Schenker Group - Temple of Rock Live Over Europe

Beer of the Show: Das Überkind (Jester King Brewery)
	Appearance: 3.5 Aroma: 3.0 Palate: 3.5 Taste: 3.0 Overall: 3.5	"This brew from the mad geniuses at Jester King is an organic sour saison with a great grapefruit twist. Wunderbar!"

Featured Tracks: Warnot - Secrets of Mythology; Michael Schenker - Before The Devil Knows You're Dead; Picture Me Broken - Mannequins; Ghost - Ritual. Witchcraft - Deconstruction; Zodiac - A Bit of Devil; 21 Guns - Marching in Time; Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Death’s Door; Alice in Chains - Looking in View

Genghis' Sponsor Pick: Mustasch - Morning Star

Ragman's Sponsor Pick: Trinakrius - Envy (Evil Eye)

Classic of the Show: Labyrinth - The Night of Dreams

Genghis' Pick of the Week: DGM - Reason

Ragman's Pick of the Week: Elvenking - Walking Dead

- Ragman is wondering if they make Spanx bell bottoms for dudes...

Podcast #150: Retro

Coma - Don't Set Your Dogs On Me

No question these guys rock, but the Polish to English lyrics? These guys need to call Neil Peart and STAT!It's not every day you hear a new band come out of Poland, but here is Coma. Having been around since 1998, I'm surprised I haven't heard of them before now. But an English version of their last album has been released which shows an exciting depth of hard rock inspiration. Now, it's easy enough for any modern rock band worth their salt to make heavy riffs and layer on some attitude. But where Coma sets itself apart from the pack is their ability to make very singable tunes that are still ballsy.

Coming off a bit like a cross between King's X and Stone Temple Pilots, these guys know how to rock a tune. The whole album has a really great groove. From the dirty bottom end ably laid down by Rafal Matuszak (surely influenced by Dug Pinnick's meaty bass sound) to the heavy, funk-tinged guitar duo of Marcin Kobza and Dominik Witczak. Meanwhile, I give props to vocalist Piotr Rockucki who has a great voice that sounds like a cross between Scott Wieland and Scott Stapp. 

Now, I fully recognize that English is not these guys' first language, but the only place this band goes wrong for me at all is in the translated English lyrics that hopefully sound much better in their original language. How bad can it be? Check out the opening words of Furious Fate: "Sitting in a coffee shop/sipping a chocolate shake/What are you thinking about?/Where's your smile?" The second verse is no better: "I got a bunch of daisies/I've brought a box of sweets/Now you have to tell me everything." All of which leads in to the chorus "Hey, where do your demons come from, tonight?" 'Nuff said?

The Bottom Line: For a nice departure from the sound of most American metal, check out Polish rockers Coma and their English language debut, Don't Set Your Dogs On Me. Their King's X meets Stone Temple Pilots (with a dash of Sevendust for flavor) heavy sound just may do the trick for you.

Tracks That Might Make You Consider Some Leather Pants Off of eBay: With You, Furious Fate, and Don't Set Your Dogs On Me

- Genghis would *not* get along well with leather pants and frosted hair...

Saxon - Sacrifice

It seems like the older they get, the more active Saxon gets.  Hot off the heels of their killer live release, Heavy Metal Thunder - Live, as well as their documentary dawning the same title, Saxon forge into 2013 with their 20th release, Sacrifice.  The boys are showing no signs of slowing down, on the contrary, they are just getting stronger.  The band have been consistently recording and touring over the past couple of years and it appears 2013 will be no different.  Poised to take the world by storm, with their new release, let's see if the band still has enough in the tank.  

Sacrifice picks up where 2011's Call to Arms left off, once again proving that the band is showing no signs of slowing down.  Actually, this CD steers in to a heavier direction than it's predecessor.   The tunes are a bit faster and heavier, than the last one, but the melodies are still there.  Songs like Stand Up and Fight and Guardians of the Tomb will have you singing along whist banging your head.  It not all speed, there are some nice mid-tempo tracks like Walking the Steel and Wheels of Terror to balance things out.  Actually the first half of the CD is uptempo and the second half is full of midtempo rockers.  It is a nice blend.

Sacrifice is similar to the last album, in that it includes elements from every era of the band.  I think this one, focuses a little more on the latter material, due to the heaviness of the CD overall.  Never fear though, there are some classic moments, especially with the track Standing in the Queue, which hearkens back to the early 80's.  Their are a couple shaky moments on the CD, but they are small in comparison to the whole enchilada.  What can I say, another strong release from one of the greats.

Bottom Line: Saxon show no signs of slowing down.  Byford and co. deliver once again.  Solid songs and melodies, that get stronger with each spin.

Tracks to bang thy head to: Sacrifice, Standing the Queue, Walking the Steel and Stand Up and Fight

-Ragman can't wait for the boys to make it back to H-town.

Bath Salt Zombies

There is nothing better than a good zombie movie.  The zombie genre is one that can be taken seriously or just as a goof.  The cool thing is, is that neither is better than the other.  You have your good and your bad in either style, but for the most part, you can usually find merit in both.  To capitalize on the recent news, of bath salts turning people into maniacal zombies, MVD Visual has just released Bath Salt Zombies.  

This is a unique film, because has an old school feel to it, especially with the cartoon intro.   It is in the style of 50's propaganda film, which warns people about bath salts. It gets a little cheesy when the characters start cursing, but I'm sure that was just for an added laugh.  After the propaganda film, the movie kicks into live action.   The story focuses around two main characters: an addict named Ritchie and a vigilante cop hell bent, to stop the infestation.   Apparently there is a zombie epidemic due to drugs laced with bath salts.  When the junkies smoke the bath salts, they become homicidal maniacs, which turned out to be a fun plot line.  

The movie was very entertaining, but is not for everyone.  You must be a fan of B-horror flicks to get what these guys are throwin' down.  The acting is subpar and the effects are laughable, for the most part, but that is what makes these films great.  The visual effects are a mix of CGI and old school (70/80's) gore.  It's fun, but you have to appreciate this movie for what it is.  This is one to pop a cold one to.  

Bottom Line:  A fun, entertaining B-movie, which is soon to become a cult classic.  Lots of gore and laughs, it doesn't get much better than that.

-Ragman is pouring wifey's bath salts down the toilet.