Mares of Thrace - The Pilgrimage

If you still don't believe that there're chicks that can crank out heavy tunes as well as dudes. Check out Mares of Thrace.I had never heard of noise-doom duo Mares of Thrace until I received their new album for review. But according to the press release, their debut album The Moulting apparently made many Metal Album of 2011 lists in their native Canada. And while I have a hard time enjoying the more edgy doom metal stylings, this dynamic duo knows how to make a heavy groove sound good.

The whole shebang is held together by Thérèse Lanz (guitar/vocals) and Stefani MacKichan (drums), two chicks you would walk past on the street and probably never realize they can totally rock the shit out of a stage. If you require proof, check some of their impressive videos on YouTube to get a sense of the tightly wound mayhem they unleash on their audience. You'd find chunks of the Pussycat Dolls in their stools. And it's not that I don't dig doom metal, it's just that sometimes it's just too heavy (especially with the Angela Gossow-like screaming), and I find myself enjoying the more laid back moments, as on The Three-Legged Courtesan... or the opening to The Goat Thief. Still, there are some really great moments on this album that take me back to high school when I would have given my left nut to be in a band like this.

The Bottom Line: You know that indefinable quality of rock and roll that makes it so cool and alluring when you're young (where you just think "this is...bad-ass!")? Well these chicks radiate that with music that's raw but tight. You can't fuck with this groove!

Tracks to Make You Wanna Get Your Mind Right: The Goat Thief, The Three-Legged Courtesan..., ...and the Bird Surgeon

- Genghis can hardly believe that two quiet-looking chicks can rock this hard...

Trixter - New Audio Machine

It has been 20 years since Trixter have put out any new music.  Trixter is one of those one hit wonders, that could have been more, had it not been for their timing.  They came out right before the grunge implosion, and had some success, but by the time their 2nd CD Hear! came out, it was all over.  It was ashame, because I think Hear! was stronger than their debut.  Fast forward 20 years, and the band is back with New Audio Machine.  This is the first new material we have had from the band in awhile, so it will be interesting to see/hear how well they did.

New Audio Machine is Trxiter in the new millennium and sounding a little more mature and a tad more modern, which is what you would expect.  The CD starts off strong with the catchy as hell Drag Me Down.  It starts off acoustic, before kicking in with a killer groove.  As I mentioned before it has a catchy melody and chorus that will etch itself into your memory.  The next track Get On It, keeps the momentum going and rocks you just as hard, but after that the CD starts to drag a little.  There are some okay tunes, but nothing that grabs you.  It wasn't until the 5th track Live For the Day, that my ears perked up again.  It is a solid power ballad from the band, that'll bring a tear to your eye.  The rest of the disc was kind of a hit and miss.  Not a great CD, but not bad one either.  I think this one will grow on me in time.

Bottom Line:  Trixter showing that they can still deliver the goods.  Not their best effort, but definitely something to build on, in the event that there is another.  For fans of melodic hard rock.

Standout Tracks:  Drag Me Down, Get On It, Tattoos and Misery and The Coolest Thing.

-Ragman was hoping for a little more from this one.

Sophicide - Perdition of the Sublime

Hard to believe the mastermind behind this one man show is only 22, but this is some pretty good (and heavy) stuff.One of the dangers of being a music reviewer/critic/pundit - even if it's not in a professional sense (i.e. a trained person getting paid for their skills) - is that there can be a temptation to pigeonhole the artists you listen to. I don't think it can be helped that humans make sense of their world by comparing what they perceive to what they know, it's one of our strengths that we recognize patterns so readily. So when I started listening to Sophicide's debut album Perdition of the Sublime, my brain saw the grandiloquent title, heard the machine gun blast beats, the cookie monster vocals and thought "Technical metal? Meh. Does the world really need another atonal, 300bpm, wall of sound that's too clever for its own good (and makes my teeth hurt)?"

Well, I was wrong.

What began as a one man project a couple of years ago by musician Adam Laszlo (who was only 19 at the time) has since grown into a fully realized album that is able to stand shoulder to shoulder with material from the likes of Allegaeon, The Faceless and The Red Chord. It's not clear who does what with regards to the music as the only information I can find says that Adam is the vocalist and that Sebastian Bracht handles guitars. But, regardless, this is some well crafted music that was written, recorded and mastered apparently at Laszlo's home studio which is equally amazing as the production on this brutal CD is on par with anything I've heard in the genre.

The Bottom Line: Touted as a one man operation, Sophicide is a buzzworthy new name in the field of technical death metal and deserves a place in the collection of fans of the genre. Here's hoping we hear more from this German wunderkind soon. 

Tracks to Risk Shattering Your Car's Windows to: Of Lust and Vengeance, Freedom of Mind, & Folie Á Deux

- Genghis is suitably impressed, but still wondering who played what on this album...

The Story of Rock 'N' Roll Comics

The Story of Rock N Roll Comics is a documentary about Todd Loren, who was the publisher/founder of Rock N Roll and Revolution Comics.  Todd's idea was to do comics about rock bands and kind of exploit their antics in print.  The Comics featured about every hard rock band you could imagine, from Pink Floyd to Metallica, he covered the gamut.  Todd came under fire by many of the artists, and was sued in many instances, but came out on top in a landmark First Amendment case; Unfortunately Todd didn't live long enough to reap the benefits of the decision, because he was brutally murdered shortly thereafter.

The DVD was interesting, which featured some archival footage of Todd as well as interviews with many of his co-workers.  They were also able to grab Alice Cooper, who was okay with publication, to make a cameo.  Many of the artists were pissed that Todd was putting out these comics, but some of them got it, and actually partnered up with the company like Kiss (Gene Simmons specifically).  The DVD was interesting, but went on a little too long for me.  It was interesting to hear how it all came together, but after awhile it started to drag.

Bottom Line: If you dig hard rock and comics, this might appeal to you.  Also, if you dig a murder mystery, you might be intrigued as well.  Had this one been about 20min shorter, it would have been a home run.

-Ragman found the candlestick in the coat room.

Ozzy Ozbourne - Speak of the Devil

Easily the best live DVD of the great and powerful Oz this guy's seen in a long time. 'Nuff said!The original Speak of the Devil was released as a live recording from the Ozzy Ozbourne band back in the early 80s, with a show that was also filmed for MTV back in the day.  The live recording was released as a double LP that included Oz doing a full set of Black Sabbath hits - it's even been documented that original guitarist Randy Rhoads (RIP) had opposed the idea and unfortunately didn't live to see the day of the performance.  Fast forward 30 years for the release of Speak of the Devil on DVD this time showcasing the band's regular live set, including tracks from both of Ozzy's albums at the time (Blizzard of Oz and Diary of a Madman), as well as a few Sabbath tunes.

Speak of the Devil (2012) is truly a gem. Where else can you see Ozzy in his prime, sounding this amazing?  Truly a magic moment caught on film - it's just a shame that Rhoads wasn't alive to see [and, more importantly, play] it. Filmed shortly after Randy's untimely death, it's just awesome to see and hear how well they sounded that night.  Stepping in was young axe slinger Brad Gillis (Night Ranger) to assume the role that no one could. And while Gillis may be no Rhoads, he does an amazing job on this DVD. 

The show itself also just looks great. And it's been remastered so well I had to stop and focus on the screen at times to convince myself there were no overdubs. These classic shows are where it's at for me, giving a good sense of the grand production values of a tour that I wasn't able to see back in the day - I think I was studying for a trig test (Doh!).  But now this DVD gives me a chance to jump back to the past with what has to be one of the best live Ozzy DVD's out there today.   A must for any metal fan, this DVD will get frequent viewings at La Casa de Ragman (fancy, huh?).

Bottom Line: The self-proclaimed Prince of Darkness in his prime.  To all of you that wonder why Ozzy is such a metal icon, watch this and you will understand.

- Ragman is wondering if Little John is related to you know who...