When drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan died at the end of December, Avenged Sevenfold's future was in doubt. The Rev was a huge part of the band's sound - and talent. After all, he shared vocal duties with M. Shadows, played his kit impossibly fast and also wrote the songs and played several other instruments.
Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater stepped in with drumming duties and the remaining members of Avenged Sevenfold recorded Nightmare (Warner Bros.), a hauntingly dark and delicious metal album. In short, Nightmare is a perfect tribute for The Rev.
A loose concept album, Nightmare opens with the title track. At first listen, it seems "Nightmare" is the strongest track on the album. This isn't true. In fact, it probably comes in around the middle of the pack in terms of songwriting and memorability. The fact is, on Nightmare, every song is increasingly complex. The album shows Avenged Sevenfold moving in a slight progressive manner. The album is still slick and super polished but it's less commercial than Avenged Sevenfold or even City of Evil. On Nightmare, all the songs need to be considered as a package to really get the entire vibe of the record.
Like "Nightmare," "Welcome to the Family" is a fast rocker. This song will likely become a live staple. M. Shadows manipulates his voice and Synyster Gates does his best Guitar Hero interpretation. Things get real around "Danger Line" and by this time, you should be hooked.
The expanse of influences on Nightmare is wide and impressive and Avenged Sevenfold doesn't try to hide playing up to their music heroes. "God Hates Us" opens with a classic Anthrax sound and easily morphs into Slipknot territory.
Just as soon as Anthrax and Slipknot come to mind, Nightmare shifts focus once again for a song like "Victim," complete with ethereal female vocals and beautiful Glam guitar solos. Just wait for the breakdown - it's like listening to Slash during the Use Your Illusion era all over again. In fact, I almost cried a little when I heard the guitar parts on Nightmare - it was all I hoped it would be and more.
My two favorite songs on Nightmare are the deeply moving "Fiction" and the metal rocker "Save Me." "Fiction" is the last song The Rev wrote and also features his vocals and some amazing piano work. "Save Me" is meant for guitar fans, clocking in at around 11 minutes. From an instrumental perspective, this is one of Avenged Sevenfold's best efforts.
"Serious" music critics have given Nightmare mixed reviews, but that's okay. I know more about metal than the average, hipster loving "critic" who prefers the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs and Freelance Whales to anything remotely metal. So there.
Savatage rules. Really, I've got no other statement stronger than that to say about such an underrated band. I've never seen Savatage or Trans-Siberian Orchestra live, but I've heard that both are absolutely amazing.
What's your favorite Savatage song? Here's one of my faves: "Hall of the Mountain King"
Guns n' Roses played the Rock n' Rev festival as part of Sturgis last week. I've been anticipating videos. So far, the clips that have surfaced are not great but I expect more to pop up soon.
Aces & Ales pub in Las Vegas (owned by Alice Cooper guitarist Keri Kelli, pictured) is hosting an online auction, with 100% of all proceeds going to the Ronnie James Dio "Stand Up & Shout" cancer fund.
There are many great, rock n' roll and beer related items from Alice Cooper and KISS to Dogfish Head and Sierra Nevada! PLEASE visit the link below to view the catalog and bid on items. The auction will run through Monday, August 16th at 6PM PST. This is such a great cause in the name of a great rock icon -- we hope you will participate!
I timed my arrival at the venue (the Comcast Center) just right, as I arrived just as the last opening band was finishing their set, so I can offer no opinion on either "Envy" or "The Academy Is." I grabbed two beers for a mere $23.00 (one for me and one for my wife) and went off to find our seats, which were dead center in the middle of the pavilion, about 10 rows behind Paul Stanley's 'small stage.' My wife is not really a fan of the band, so I was explaining all of the nuances that KISS fans expect from the show. For example, all fans know to start paying attention when they hear "The Who" over the P.A., because the curtain is about to drop...and believe it or not, when it drops (even though you are expecting it), you still get goose bumps. Minutes after the curtain drops, the lights go dim and you hear the famous introduction. However, apparently no one informed the announcer where they were that day because we got, "Alright....[uncomfortable pause]....ALL. You wanted the best, you got the best..." I found humor in the error.
KISS doesn't just take the stage, they own it. They hit all the high spots that would be expected. Synchronized moves during "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll" and "Deuce;" blood spitting, fire breathing, levitating drum set, Gene Simmons flying to the rafters, Paul Stanley flying into the audience, guitars shooting rockets and of course insane pyrotechnics and confetti. No one can deny that a KISS show is truly a visual spectacle. As for the set list, it was a varied mix that covered their entire career, including "Lick it Up" and "Crazy, Crazy Nights" (from the non-make-up era). They did three songs from Sonic Boom, but to be honest, two would have been enough, as "I'm an Animal" went over like a lead balloon. No matter though, as I left the concert satisfied in my decision to attend and thinking it was well worth the cost of the tickets and the drive to the show.
Now, the most discussed KISS issue these days is the presence of Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer in the band (both performing in the make-up and costumes of Peter Criss and Ace Frehley, respectively). I have to admit that I was one of the many that thought it tarnished the legacy of the band to have replacement members in the make-up of the originals. However, Paul Stanley recently summed up the situation in such a way that I no longer object to what KISS is doing (and unfortunately, it was broadcast during that awful KISSteria special). Paul essentially said that Tommy and Eric are, in some ways, more important to the band right now than Peter and Ace, because they have the ability to recreate the shows from the earlier days that the fans are still expecting to see when they attend a KISS concert. Paul is 100% correct. I am sorry to say, but I do not think that Ace and Peter could deliver a show like the one I just saw.
As for Paul and Gene, both put on amazing performances, and in particular, Gene was a highlight for me. Gene still has his 'character' down, and plays the part perfectly. I remember noting that at several points during the show, he was making facial expressions and moving in the exact same way as he did back in the 70s, and his voice sounded as strong as ever. However, when it comes to Paul, everyone in the venue could tell he is having great difficulty in singing his songs. His voice is clearly strained. Even when he was addressing the crowd in-between songs (in his ever so annoying, but lovable manner..."People...I know that you love Rock 'n' Roll..." etc.), his voice was cracking and he was struggling. It reminded me of the Cinderella tour a few years back when Tom Keifer was having vocal difficulties. Nonetheless, just like Tom, Paul did not let his problems slow the show at all, and I give him all the credit in the world for doing everything he could to deliver an amazing performance. For a show like I saw that night, I will look past the minor flaws. Unfortunately, though, I think Paul may be nearing the end of the line with KISS. He has been alluding to this possibility in interviews as of late, so I think he may be packing it up sooner than many of us would care to see or expect...but hopefully I am wrong.
Finally, the last thing that really stood out to me was the crowd, and more specifically, how many kids were there. Just in my immediate area, I must have seen about 15 or 20 kids there with their parents. If my girls were a little bit older, I would have had them there with me as well. It was just a great sight to see so many kids enjoying a rock 'n' roll show.
So all the haters can say what they want about KISS, when it comes to putting on a rock show...they are untouchable.
If, like me, you spent your teen years loving hard rock and metal in Australia, then there was only one Aussie hard rock band that mattered. No, it’s not AC/DC. They were still ours, and we loved them, but they belonged to the world by the time the 1980’s rolled around. I am talking about The Angels.
The Angels started as the "Moonshine Jug and String Band" in the early 70s, and were briefly called the Keystone Angels, at which point they were playing 50s rock n' roll covers on the pub circuit. Eventually they were recommended to the Albert's record label by AC/DC (Albert being the label AC/DC was on, at least in part because Angus and Malcolm’s ex-Easybeat brother, George, was heavily involved in writing and producing for the label).The Angels first single was called "Am I ever gonna see your face again," written about a friend who died in a car crash. This song became their anthem, at least in part because of the chant that became associated with it (just watch the video below). A heavy schedule of constant touring and album releases, as well as a lot of exposure on Countdown, a show that featured live music and, later, video clips on Aussie TV, meant their star was on a constant rise in Australia, but their attempts to break the U.S. with a period of constant touring, as well as recording the more commercial Two Minute Warning album in the U.S. yielded poor results overseas and their absence briefly hurt their following locally. It didn’t help that their name was already taken in the U.S., so they changed it to Angel City, and, more bizarrely, "The Angels From Angel City," for U.S. releases. The albums released in America borrowed the artwork and titles of Australian releases, but were essentially "best-of" albums. While they did not get mainstream success in the U.S., they did garner a cult following, which included members of the band Great White. The songs "Face the Day" and "Can’t Shake It" were both covers of Angels songs.
Returning to Australia, the Angels flirted with a more mainstream sound on their Howling CD before releasing their most successful album Beyond Salvation. Released when hard rock was at it’s peak in general, it probably benefited as much from the mood of the times as the fact that they had released their strongest work, ever. After this they released Red Back Fever, but grunge was on the rise, and the Angels at this point were the band your dad loved. The change of musical scenery spelled the death of the market for this type of music... at least for a while. The last Angels album, Skin and Bone, was very good, but sold poorly.
The Angels continued to tour and to sell out shows. Their take-no-prisoners live act was what their reputation had been built on, and it was still intact. There was unhappiness within the group over their perceived failure to crack the U.S. and when singer Doc Neeson was involved in a car accident and could not tour for a while, it pushed those issues to a head and caused the band to split. For a time, the band toured without their lead singer, and Doc toured with 20-somethings, covering his old band. However, when the band used the name "The Angels" without him - breaking their legal agreement to not do so - Doc took legal action. In the discussions surrounding that action, the band members patched-up their differences and began touring again. As well as touring the same pub circuit that gave them their start, they recently played a show with the Adelaide Orchestra, which I was lucky enough to attend (4th row) and I’ve seen them three other times since they reformed.Their shows are as good as they ever were, although post car crash Doc is a lot less animated on stage, he still gives it all he’s got.
The Angels were always a source of controversy in the metal crowd of the 80s. I remember listening to metal shows on public radio where commentators argued if the Angels were metal or not. The Angels are a hard rock band, and they were too popular to be fully accepted by a metal scene that was basically underground at the time. The other issue is simply that these guys are all college educated and their lyrics are quite intelligent, meaning some of the songs just plain went over the heads of fans used to AC/DC singing things like "Let’s get it up." For example, I’m going to give you a clip for my favourite Angels song, "Mr. Damage," and here are the lyrics:
"Holding council with the king and queen/ Trying hard to decide the fate of the regime/ There's only one needed to complete the harmonising/ And that's a man with a voice like a scraping violin/ Waiting for Mr. Damage.
Toothless jaws gumming melancholy stuff/ A burst of rapid fire Spanish from a window up above/ Students out to pose in studied disarray/ Books of Sartre, Marcuse openly displayed/ Waiting for, Mr. Damage.
Mr. Damage, walks through the doors of the sacrificial church/ Mr. Damage, meets you in the lobby then leaves you in the lurch/ Mr. Damage, stands at the altar, Sermon of the search/ All the faithful follow.
Resident winos stumbling and lurching/ Walking cadavers smiling and searching/ Man with the DT's looking at the feeble glossy portraits of long dead celebrated people/ Waiting for Mr. Damage.
Trying hard just to keep a candle lit/ A leather flyer leaves the subway anxious to admit/ That the marvelled one so recently deposed was seen/ Three days later in a brand new suit of clothes/
A brand new suit of clothes for a very special day/ A brand new suit of clothes for a very special day/ A brand new suit of clothes for a very special day/ A very special day, a very special day, a very very very special day.
Mr Damage holds a curse/ Mr Damage drives a hearse/ Don't you know who did it first...Mr Damage.
Holding council with the king and queen/ Trying hard to decide the fate of their regime/ There's only one needed to complete the harmonizing/ And that's a man with a voice like a scraping violin/ Waiting for Mr. Damage.
Mr. Damage, walks through the doors of the sacrificial church/ Mr. Damage, meets you in the lobby then leaves you in the lurch/ Mr. Damage, stands at the altar, Sermon of the search/ All the faithful follow. Holding frozen hands as Mr/ Holding frozen hands as Mr/ Holding frozen hands as Mr/ Damage holds the curse.../
"Mr. Damage"
"Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" (on Countdown)
I have a confession: I love seeing bands in their original format. You know, watching the men and women perform live the songs I love. I also realize life happens and band members change. Life happens.
Here's the thing: it's become popular among metal fans to throw the term "scab" around like it's nothing. I never gave it much thought until over the weekend when some people - who I won't name because that's totally classless - started throwing jabs at a band I love. The band has one replacement member. And he's a sweet man and very talented. I'm sure in that situation one is the loneliest number and all that but whatever. If one member leaves that shouldn't end a band and the livelihood of the remaining members, should it?
Can you imagine staying at the same job for oh, I don't know, 20 or 30 years? My dad has been with his employer for nearly four decades. Yeah, you read that right. That's a rarity and his generation will likely be the last to claim such distinctions. People my age and younger change jobs a lot because we have to - otherwise we'll never make more money or get any varied experience. Now, think about the things about your job that annoy you. I'm very lucky to have finally found a job I really enjoy and where I fit. Getting there wasn't easy. Along the way I made some wonderful friends - some of my best friends - at those jobs that didn't work out. You know what? I also had some really lousy experiences and met some people that didn't gel with me very well. I bet you've been there and done that.
The thing about bands is that the idea of forming a musical act is all very romantic. Let's "go out and tackle the world! Be inventive. Change the face of music!"
Well, okay. Some bands get there. What's the Puff Daddy song? "Mo' Money, Mo' problems?" Imagine being stuck in a job where you don't fit - where you despise your coworkers - for a couple decades. Only you have to live with them 24/7 because the way you make your living is on tour.
"Who cares?" You say. "The musicians just need to shut up, get on stage and get a paycheck." Perhaps. Or perhaps that's inhumane and an unfair expectation.
So a member (or three) quits and the band carries on. Sometimes it seems a little silly when there's only one original member of a band still out touring under the brand name. It's not quite as inane when only one guy (or gal) has dropped out. The fact is, music is a very cyclical business. Musicians are creative folk, remember. They don't like to be boxed in and they go as the wind blows. One too many fights and you'll likely see an exit stage left.
Maybe it's time for us to accept it and move on. Maybe bands aren't meant to stay together unchanged forever. Now you're thinking "Sure, Allyson can say that but her favorite band is Aerosmith and they are all back together."
Well, perhaps. With Aerosmith these days, you never know. And remember, Aerosmith had plenty of lineup issues in the past and simply realized they were worth more money together than apart. So they grit their teeth, play together, have some public battles and move on. But, they are rare. They are one of those legendary "arena acts" and everyone knows Aerosmith. Even non-rock fans know the name Aerosmith just as they know the Rolling Stones and AC/DC. It's the smaller bands we love like, say, Britny Fox or Bang Tango or LA Guns that really suffer from the "scab X sucks!" syndrome. Complaining likely won't make the departed member return and it's pretty hurtful to the replacement guy, too. I mean, how would you feel if you went to work every day and your boss was constantly comparing you to your predecessor. It would suck right? Now think of that times about a million and you've got the plight of a replacement member in a name band. I'm going to be better about my show reviews regarding replacement members in the future.
So I've rambled my piece. Oh, and KISS have done okay with replacement guys, right? Just sayin.'
Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 12:01AM 
When drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan died at the end of December, Avenged Sevenfold's future was in doubt. The Rev was a huge part of the band's sound - and talent. After all, he shared vocal duties with M. Shadows, played his kit impossibly fast and also wrote the songs and played several other instruments. 
