Podcast #196: Kickin'

The one and only James Christian is on deck for some music talk, so be there or be...somewhere else.Genghis brings up the topic of artists that make use of Kickstarter and YouTube for creating and publishing original content (i.e. albums), specifically artists like Meytal Cohen. Is this the way of the world now for upcoming artists, or just an example of a fluke success based on internet popularity? You decide.

Next, join the lads as they talk with James Christian of House Of Lords, who discusses the band's latest release, Indestructible, subsequent tour plans, and a nearly life-long (he started singing in clubs at 16!) career in the music biz. HORNS UP!

DVD of the Show: Ozzy - Memoirs Of A Madman

Beer of the Show: Black & Blue (Dogfish Head Brewery)
	Appearance: 3.0 Aroma: 3.5 Palate: 3.5 Taste: 4.0 Overall: 3.5	"Dogfish's offbeat versions of traditional styles is demonstrated nicely with this well-blended (blueberry/blackberry) Belgian."

Featured Tracks: Between The Buried And Me - The Coma Machine; Red Dragon Cartel - Feeder; Ozzy - Diary Of A Madman; Harem Scarem - Stranger Than Love; Meytal - Dark Side Down; Pretty Maids - Over And Out, Riverdogs - Water From The Moon; The Answer - Long Live The Renegades; My Sleeping Karma - Akasha; House Of Lords - Under Blue Skies, Go To Hell, Pillar OF Salt, Call My Bluff, 100 MPH, and Edge Of Your Life

Ragman's Classic of the Show: Pretty Maids - Over And Out

Genghis Classic of the Show: Riverdogs - Water From The Moon

Ragman's Pick of the Show: The Answer - Long Live The Renegades

Genghis' Pick of the Show: My Sleeping Karma - Akasha

- Genghis is ready for some new talk...

Podcast #196: Kickin'

Dreadnought - Building Realms

You'd be tempted to think "this band sounds a mile high", and in Dreadnought's case you'd be right.The race for most unclassifiable - but utterly compelling - band of 2015 continues as the Colorado quartet known as Dreadnought releases its sophomore effort, Building Realms. There are truly some amazing artists out there these days that manage to blend different genres into something that's actually listenable, and this band does that with aplomb. With influences running the gamut from classic prog rock and funk to post rock to black metal to freakin' Latin jazz, its members play multiple instruments beyond traditional rock music including flute, saxophone, and mandolin.

Another curve gets thrown at you as you discover that the two women in the band sing the vocals including some death metal growl. It's predictable, sure, for people to wonder "how the hell does all of this fit together and not sound like a bunch of bands tripping with their gear and crashing down a flight of stairs?" And yet what might seem like a situation ripe for spilling the banks of restraint actually works like most traditional old school progressive bands with long, trippy jams (almost every song on the album is at least 10 minutes) punctuated with folky, plainsong harmonies and pensive shoegazing. It's pretty good stuff.

The Bottom Line: Colorado may seem like the kind of place that would turn out psychedlic bands like pot brownies, but it's a genuinely pleasant surprise to find one so satisfyingly innovative. Looking for something like progressive shoegaze metal? This might be the ticket.

Tracks To Help Hotbox Your Way Through An Epic Roadtrip: Odyssey, Minuet De Lune, and Bridging Realms

- Genghis remembers some pretty righteous road trips back in the day...

Between The Buried And Me - Coma Ecliptic

Them boys from Raleigh are back to fuck you up with some progressive hi-jinks, and I couldn't be happier about it.Those mad North Carolinians are back with the follow-up to their amazing back-to-back concept albums, The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues and The Parallax II: Future Sequence. I remember reviewing Between The Buried And Me's The Parallax II and really hearing them for the first time. I was damned impressed. Their seemingly effortless progressive metal stylings have all the virtuosic skills of Dream Theater layered with elements of more traditional, 70s era, progressive rock like Genesis or Yes, and inspired by the fearless audacity of genre-mixing artists like Queen. Don't get me started on all of the different elements going on in this seventh studio effort, it's kind of overwhelming some times.

Suffice it to say that as a concept album about a man trapped in a coma and seeing his life flash before his eyes over the course of 11 episodes/tracks, the narrative can get a bit fuzzy. But the music is nevertheless an impressive achievement of composition that never quite goes off the rails - even if it gets damn close. There are some really great moments on this album where melodic death metal, new wave, progressive metal, art rock, and even jazz intersect in an intoxicating blend that demands attention from progheads. I only wonder, as I did with the last album, how they're gonna top this.

The Bottom Line: Between The Buried And Me continue to make some of the most interesting, innovative and just plain enjoyable cross-genre prog metal in the business. If you're looking for something different and haven't heard these cats before, check Coma Ecliptic out.

Tracks To Headbang To While You Wonder 'WTF?': The Coma Machine, Turn On The Darkness, and Memory Palace

- Genghis wonders why he's passed up opportunities to see these dudes live...

Borealis - Purgatory

A poignant cover considering the dark thematic content of this concept album from Borealis.Ontario, Canada may not be the first place you think of when you think melodic power metal, but the lads in Borealis will no doubt change your mind with their latest album, Purgatory. After their first two albums made a name for them on the scene, they've matured into a musical force to be reckoned with in the vein of Symphony X, and that's some rarified air in this subgenre, my friends.

But don't mistake this album for a simple cloning of another successful band's signature sound for fun and profit. This is a fully realized album from start to finish with some nice orchestral touches, and vocals from fellow Canuck Sarah Dee, that help lend a grander feel to the proceedings. And, by the way, the members of Borealis each have chops to spare - from the soaring vocals of singer/guitarist Matt Marinelli (seriously, this guy sounds great) to the confident bombast of drummer Sean Dowell, there's enough going on in this band to merit an objective listen. This is an up and coming young band that has the goods to play alongside genre greats like Evergrey or Stratovarius. And that ain't hay, people. 

The Bottom Line: You can never have enough really good melodic power metal, and thankfully there's another band to help you get your fix: Borealis. This concept album, based on a child trapped in purgatory, contains some great moments that belong in your ears. 'Nuff said!

Tracks To Play Your Friends Who Don't Listen To Power Metal: From The Ashes, Destiny, Darkest Sin, My Peace, and Place of Darkness

- Genghis broke into a sweat jamming to this album...

Steve'N'Seagulls - Farm Machine

Gosh dangit if'n these boys don't look like the pride of Finland o'er yonder. Damn fine musicians, too.Now here's something. When a group of Finnish countrymen jokingly shot a video of themselves playing a bluegrassed version of AC/DC's Thunderstruck, the dang thing went absolutely viral in the metal world, garnering praise (and 13 million views) from sites/mags like Guitar World, Revolver, Loudwire, Blabbermouth and Metal Sucks - and leading ultimately to (ahem) Steve'N'Seagulls signing with Spinefarm Records. Which brings us to their full-fledged debut, Farm Machine.

As a bluegrass fan (and a really crappy amateur mandolin, banjo, and fiddle player), I was intrigued to hear what I assumed would sound something like 2006's Strummin' with the Devil: The Southern Side of Van Halen. But I'm happy to say this is an even better execution in part because it involves more diverse source material from several different bands. Their faithful yet inventive interpretations of artists like Metallica, Iron Maiden, Dio and Pantera make you wonder why this doesn't happen more often. And despite the band's origins, there's not a trace of mockery in what they do. These guys are clearly big fans of heavy music. In fact it's often with the more serious subject matter (e.g. Nothing Else Matters and Cemetery Gates) that their performances (particularly lead singer, 'Remmel') seem to show more earnestness. I'm a already a huge fan, and I think multi-genre music fans will take to this pretty well - at least enough to get these guys touring America, dammit!

The Bottom Line: One of the tests of a song being truly great is that it can be performed in any number of different forms and still retain its essential appeal, possibly even gaining a new appreciation. Steve'N'Seasgulls may be just a few Finns goofing around, but this album is replete with some truly impressive interpretations (Holy Diver is fucking amazing) of hard rock/heavy metal standards, conveyed through air-tight playing and fearless fervor. Hallelujah!

Tracks To Whittle To In Your Rockin' Chair: Thunderstruck, The Trooper, Seek And Destroy, and Holy Diver

- Genghis needs to get back to the ol' woodshed...