One-Eyed Doll - Witches

In a world where so much music is processed media packaging, it's nice to know One-Eyed Doll exists and thrives.Vocalist/Guitarist Kimberly Freeman and drummer Jason Rufus Sewell (AKA "Junior") together form the goth punk duo One-Eyed Doll, but there's so much more to the story than that - probably more than I can adequately explain here, actually. Suffice it to say their unique blend of metal, punk, and indie rock is an acquired taste that may be your new jam if you're in the mood for something truly off the beaten path in today's saturated music business.

Their latest album Witches is actually a concept album based on the Salem witch trials of colonial America, with lyrics featuring direct quotes from the original handwritten witch trial court documents. True to their artistic nature, the music was written all at once almost completely on banjo and mandolin in the Redwood Forest near Santa Cruz, California, which vocalist Freeman says provided "this great 'forest metal' vibe". Tracks like Prayer and Remember serve to drive this idea home, coming off like a foreboding cross between Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. But don't worry that the band's gone straight up folky, as tunes like Black In The Rye often break in with their heavy chunk counterbalancing Freeman's fierce, beautiful voice. There be moshing here.

And it's the clever juxtaposition of so many disparate elements that is ultimately the true appeal beyond the enjoyable quirkiness of the band itself. Less talented performers would be quickly crushed under the weight of such ambition. There's Freeman's childlike stage persona versus her obvious (though downplayed) sexiness, the barebones live setup of guitar and drums versus the complex musical structure of their recordings, and the Rob Zombie-esque combination of horror, humor and showmanship that holds it all together. And for all of their artsy weirdness, their tireless DIY efforts clearly demonstrate that these people are totally legit. You got a new fan right here, kids.

The Bottom Line: One-Eyed Doll is an indie band filled with dichotomies. And it is the seamless - and successful - interplay between those dichotomies that makes this band so fascinating. If you get the chance, check them out live. In the meantime, here's to the true artists (in every sense of the word) of today's music scene.

- Genghis doesn't know if he's got what it takes to see these kids live...

Podcast #189: Fretted

The man that introduced Genghis to the phenomenon known as the bass solo, Joey Vera, is on deck tonight.It's another round of Thrash of the Titans at The Right To Rock, where two similar bands, artists, or icons are pitted against each other in a fight to the finish. Join Genghis & Ragman as they duke it out to decide which guitar (including all related models) is truly the greatest contributor to rock music: Gibson or Fender.

Next, the lads chat with bassist Joey Vera (Armored Saint, Fates Warning) about his latest project with Motor Sister as well as the new Armored Saint album Win Hands Down coming out this summer as well as tour plans.

Video Of The Show: Asking Alexandria - Live From Brixton

Beer of the Show: Boulevard and Odell Silver Anniversary Ale (collaboration ale)
	Appearance: 3.5 Aroma: 3.0 Palate: 3.0 Taste: 3.5 Overall: 3.0	"This tasty collaboration ale's malt profile helps to balance out the hoppy front, though Ragman thinks it's a bit on the watery side."

Featured Tracks: Motörhead - Heartbreaker; Asking Alexandria - Reckless and Relentless; Hanoi Rocks - Boulevard of Broken Dreams; We Are Harlot - Denial; Greg Howe - Kick It All Over; Gary Moore - Empty Rooms; Blue Murder - We All Fall Down; Yngwie Malmsteen - I'll See The Light Tonight; Ace Frehley - Space Invader; Yngwie Malmsteen - Deja Vu

Ragman's Classic Of The Show: Led Zeppelin - Fool In The Rain

Genghis' Classic Of The Show: Tesla - Heaven's Trail (No Way Out)

Ragman's Pick Of The Show: U.D.O. - Untouchable

Genghis' Pick Of The Show: Brandt Bjork and the Low Desert Punk Band - Buddha Time (Everything's Fine)

- Genghis is gonna be Screamin' In The Night this weekend...

Podcast #189: Fretted

Ranger - Where Evil Dwells

Finnish bad-asses Ranger are here to rock the fuck out of you with their debut CD. Or hadn't you guessed by this cover?Holy shit, what is it about the Scandinavian music scene? Between Sweden and Finland, you've got some of the most amazing metal trends of the 21st century. Every new genre revival and hybrid of note in the last decade and a half has come from Northern Europe like they're taking it personal or something. But don't take this as a rant or anything; I'm fucking loving it.

Case in point, Finnish metallers Ranger are here with their highly anticipated debut album, Where Evil Dwells, featuring some of the most authentic, ball-busting, classic speed metal I've heard in some time. From the first blistering attack of Defcon 1 (of course), I swear I could smell that slightly humidity of a smoke machine billowing out behind me. Somewhere in the back of my closet, I sensed my old denim jacket glowing, like Excalibur, beckoning me to return, my red Chuck Taylors (with the anarchy symbol that skaters brandished at disapproving adults) beneath it at the ready. This is an album that should bring metalheads out from the woodwork like the barbarians in Heavy Metal, ready to kick ass and take names.

The Bottom Line: Albums like this are a call to arms for the metal faithful. If your head doesn't immediately start banging when you hear the opening riff of Ranger's debut Where Evil Dwells, it's time to download some Perry Como CDs and buy some white loafers, man. 'Nuff said.

- Genghis feels the call of the mosh pit...

Temperance - Limitless

Temperance and their mix of symphonic metal bombast and crushing melodic death metal, are back again - and not a moment too soon.You may recall me reviewing Temperance's self-titled debut this time last year and their intriguing blend of the symphonic and melodic death metal genres, fronted by singer Chiara Tricarico and produced by this decade's Jesper Strömblad, Simone Mularoni (DGM). Well, they're back now with Limitless, so let's get to it.

Thankfully, everything that made their debut album so good is still here, with a bit more electronic sheen in the form of some sprightly keyboards. Don't get me wrong, the very satisfying balls and chunk™ is still in place, as heard in the pre-solo section of Save Me (2:49), but there's a closer alignment with the symphonic metal elements (e.g. dramatic orchestration, huge choral backing vocals) that makes the foundation of the band's sound. All in all, if you liked the first album, this is more of what you dug. Works for me!

The Bottom Line: Temperance is a great example of how metal continues to evolve more often and interestingly than any other subgenre of music out there. But rather than just slamming two subgenres together, this band has a thorough understanding of what they're doing - and they do it well.

- Genghis sure wants to rock out...

Secret Of Boris - Your Ghost

Hard to imagine Secret Of Boris coming out of Dallas of all places, but these guys are worth a listen.Dallas-based post-grunge, hard rock act Secret Of Boris is slowly gaining reputation as a great live band. And their debut album, Your Ghost, captures this energy pretty well.

The vocal harmonies are reminiscent of Five.Bolt.Main or Alice In Chains while the music itself calls to mind outfits like Breaking Benjamin or Saliva, while giving their 90s era sound a bit of a makeover with a well-layered, keyboard-enhanced sound. What makes this band stand out from the crowd is the high energy performance so faithfully captured in production, and its melodic sensibility; these cats understand that there's more to hard rocking than attitude, image, and down-tuned guitars cranked to 11.

The Bottom Line: Don't dismiss Secret Of Boris as another nu-metal, post-grunge, hard rock act until you give their debut a listen. There's more to this band than what some old music reviewer can manage to articulate. This is a secret that rewards investigation.

- Genghis needs a new hat...