Megadeth

Megadeth
Endgame (2009)
Roadrunner Records
Rating: 4 out of 4 Pentagrams
Reviewed by: Jeff Deth

For all long time fans of Megadeth, this is truly the record you’ve been waiting for. United Abominations certainly gave hint to how good Dave Mustaine’s songwriting can still be but Endgame takes it to a whole new level. This is a complete return to the form of Rust in Peace/Countdown to Extinction. Every single track shreds. There’s not a single misstep. Its seems as if Mustaine pulled together touches of his best work spanning over his whole catalog to create this record. The first track Dialectic Chaos is an instrumental nod to the first track from So far, So Good, So What and 1,320 is a lightning speed track that sounds right off the Killing is My Business… album. It’s truly amazing to hear all these eras mashed together and still sound completely fresh and relevant today.

The riffs on every track are incredible. The solos that get put down are as energetic and inspired as anything recorded by any of the previous Megadeth lineups. The addition of lead guitarist Chris Broderick must certainly have put some wind in the sails for Mustaine. I feel like Broderick is the best fit in this band since Marty Friedman. His chops are just mind-blowing.

As indulgent as the musicianship is, the songs are still very compact and to the point. Endgame also has very sharp and pointed lyrics, political at times but also personal in classic Mustaine style. Every element showcases classic Megadeth. Mustaine is making a very bold statement with this record. At his age there’s no explanation as to how he can be writing music as aggressive and fast as he is. Endgame blows away just about everything I’ve heard in the past few years by contemporary metal bands. This is just a case of the veterans showing everybody how metal is supposed to be done.

If I were ranking the Megadeth catalog, Endgame would be 4th on my list out of the 12. While it doesn’t quite top Rust in Peace, Peace Sells… or Countdown, it closely follows. To be able to come back after all these years and create music of this caliber is very impressive. The band clearly has assessed their strongest attributes and what their fans have loved about them. It’s refreshing to have a band give the fans what they want while staying true to themselves. All the miscues and experiments are over. This is classic Megadeth speed metal!

Evil metallic hardcores...

This band is great, and right now it's what I am digging aside from some other stuff I will upp here soon. But until then, get this... Its some great metallic hardcore and none of that two stepping bull. It's very good and very angry. You will love this... I do...

As you can see I am lazy and this band speaks for itself, just get it... Just do it... NAO...


DOWNLOAD!

Bereaved... Metal as ****... (the pic is not them... It just made me laugh real hard)

Bereaved is a technically impressive Metal act, and the drummer is tight in my opinion. Now I am not gonna say that these guys are anything but "Metal", because invariably, someone out there will be like... "These guys are not black metal, they are progressive black tech metal..." And then once again I will be reminded of how far we have fallen from loving music to "loving" music. Enjoy it? Yes? Then who gives a **** what it is? It's not like it's racist if you call it something else....



But for reals, this band is fun... I enjoy. I enjoy much. Metal is good, Bereaved is good.


DOWNLOAD...

Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival

Mayhem Festival Featuring: Slayer, Marylin Manson, Killswitch Engage, Trivium, Cannibal Corpse, Behemoth, All That Remains, Black Dahlia Murder, Mushroomhead, White Chapel, God Forbid
Reviewed by: Jeff Deth
Rating: 3.75 out of 4 Pentagrams


No Gigantour, no Sounds of the Underground, no Ozzfest. I even had hope last years Metal Masters would come back. No such luck. With no other great metal package tours coming around this year, Rockstar Energy Drinks Mayhem Festival was my summer concert priority.

The daylong festival packed in 10 bands across three stages with tons of merch and vendor booths. I quite enjoyed the booths as most tours only come with one standard tour shirt booth. At this festival you could buy anything from CD’s to belts to smoking paraphernalia. There was plenty to do and see all-day in between bands or when you just needed a break from all that metal.

Mayhem has done a great job of bringing in the best of all worlds of metal. While they can’t showcase really underground acts they bring together fairly disparate styles.
This year you get Marylin Manson, Slayer, Killswitch Engage, Mushroomhead, Trivium, Cannibal Corpse, All That Remains, Behemoth, Black Dahlia Murder, White Chapel and God Forbid. No I’ll admit, I’m not a fan of all those bands but more than enough to justify the ticket price. Any day when you can hear both “Hammer Smashed Face” and “Angel of Death” live is day in metal heaven (or Hell). Shit, for Slayer alone it would have been worth it.

The quality of the entertainment was very high. Rockstar came with a free drink bar dispensing an endless supply of cans to rabid metal kids, keeping the pits buzzing with energy. There was a dirt bike show going on off to the side of the two outdoor stages providing an added attraction. If that wasn’t enough there was even a wrestling ring with actual matches going on in the back. Crazy. Revolver Magazine gave away free concert books with features on all the bands and a schedule breakdown of the set times.

The thing that made me the happiest out of anything was the fact that I had the opportunity to see every band perform. My concern going in was that at some point I would have to choose between seeing one band or the other. Never happened. They organized it so that the bands alternated between the two outdoor stages all afternoon. No bands ever had to play on top of each other, which was awesome. It went from extreme metal on the left stage to more “mainstream” metal on the right stage. After all the opening bands played those stages the entertainment moved down to the main stage for the headliners. A great way to do a festival. I remember Lollapalooza being at the same venue years ago and the second stage had to compete with the main stage all day long.

You pay to see all the bands not some of them. That’s the whole point and I’m glad that the organizers of this event understand that.

As for the bands themselves we have some clear highlights. Slayer absolutely and unequivocally stole the festival. You just can’t top them, I don’t care how much younger you are. If anyone was going to it would have to be Trivium but given a shortened set list, there was no comparison. They played all the expected classics that have defined them as one of the top five most important metal bands of all-time. Its just mind blowing to hear the most metal riffs ever being played one after another. They had the place going ballistic with a non-stop thrashing assault on the senses. Not to take anything away from Trivium who bested all of the opening performances. They have amazing energy on-stage and an incredible chemistry as a band. This is the band of present day metal and sure to completely take-over the scene once bands like Metallica and Slayer hang it up. They not only have the songwriting ability and records but they pass the true test of metal by out performing their peers. In terms of shear intensity and brutality, Cannibal Corpse pulled no punches on this day either. They literally killed and maimed. Behemoth and All That Remains put on fine performances as well but nothing to write home about. A band I was on the fence about, Killswitch Engage created the single most memorable moment of the day when guitarist Adam D. got the lawn to split down the middle and creating a huge hole; then had both sides charge at each other ala a kickoff during a football game. These people fucking went into each other like two colliding semi-trucks. I had never seen such a thing in all the concerts I’ve ever been to over the last 15 years. Insane. Killswitch gets grief for their goofy stage show, specifically Adam D.’s parody of the “tough metal guy.”
He screamed at the audience incessantly between songs to stop acting like a bunch of bloody pussy’s, etc. He was a little much but other than that I can’t knock the integrity of their performance. Their music is really good and they something can be said for not taking yourself to seriously.

On the downside of things Mushroomhead performed on place of the Welsh Thrashers Bullet For My Valentine. Yawn. I’m surprised they could get booked for this gig. On the main stage no less. They were an utterly derivative imitation of Slipknot with sprinklings of industrial nonsense. I barley paid them any attention. And then there was Marylin. I expected much more from him to be honest. For being the most controversial musician of my generation, He didn’t bring anything new to the fold for this tour. Maybe it had to do with him almost going to prison the last time he visited Detroit. I just wasn’t blown away by their stage show. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t live up to the hype I had heard of. Many of the songs didn’t hold up very well for me in this setting of an outdoor arena. I hoped to hear something more from his first record. He seems to be past his prime at this point even with Twiggy back in the band. As it was I only recognized three or four of his songs. But I don’t profess to be a Manson fan at all so I may be a pour judge.

Overall this was a great day of metal that fulfilled my need for a metal festival. Comparatively it offered much more than any of the package bill tours I’ve seen before. Mayhem has their shit together.

Double Header - Crust and Metalz.

Today is Cwill and Blüdwülf... Cwill is an Epic Crust band from Switzerland, these guys are just plain awesome. Dual vocals, violin. This is the kind of "world ending" sounding crust, that I love so very much.

This is their newer album and if you can track down their release from the mid-nineties, get that as well... I might up it later?

DOWNLOAD NAO!

Now onto Blüdwülf.... This band is a well kept secret for some time but I will impart them unto you faithful people who do not read this blog.... This band is a good mix of some very fun genre's and I know for a fact Jeff will love this ****... Butcher Cassidy does not lie about good music, but rarely tells the truth about everything else... Everything about Blüdwülf is pure fun, they pretty much are what this blog is about 100%, like Ghoul is as well... Check out the song "The Horror" followed by "Full metal warrior", then proceed to listen to the whole thing, you'll love it...

DOWNLOAD NAO!



Allright guys, I am out... Grip this up and GET INTO IT!

Destruction

Destruction

Release from Agony (1988)

Profile Records

Rating: 3.25 Pentagrams out of 4

Reviewed by: Jeff Deth

Next to the United States, an argument could easily be made that Germany gave us some of the best thrash bands of all time. Certainly in terms of influence, German bands like Kreator, Sodom and Destruction paved the way for the next generation of extreme death and black metal genres. During the mid to late eighties Destruction was amongst the most extreme metal bands in their brutal speed thrashing attack. They made no bones about how metal they were. They literally covered themselves in bullet belts, spikes and leather. They’re almost the perfect thrash band. They don’t have songs that epitomize thrash or that could be considered essential but they are  consistently very good.

Germany had already made significant contributions to the metal scene prior to thrash but it seems that they truly had a deep connection to this violent, disillusioned and satanic offspring of punk and metal fusion. How from Lörrach, they synthesized all that was emerging in the tiny clubs of the Bay Area amazes me. More so, in relation to Slayer or Exodus. I can’t relate them in many ways to Metallica. Destruction is on the darker fringe. Flirting with Satanic imagery and chaotic horrors of the world and of the mind.

Release from Agony was the bands third full length LP from 1988. It contains everything great about this band. Blazing solo after solo matched by a charging rhythm section and the high-pitched shrieks of Bassist/ vocalist Schmier. Listen to any Black Metal song and you will hear the influence Schimer had as they seem to mimic him all the way. The way he used his voice at the time was something really unique. With the addition of a second guitarist, the solos are as frequent as they are incredible.

Each song delves into some dark and distorted facet of existence. Death, depression, political corruption, war. These are the things in life a band calling themselves Destruction can appreciate. Yes, their worldview  is pretty bleak but they express it with such intensity and speed that it gleefully catapults you straight into the fiery abyss. I’m totally blown away by the technical precision of each song. I listened to the whole album three times in a row just to take it all in. This is a great record all the way through. A perfect reflection of the German movement of thrash metal that spawned countless other bands but of which Destruction stands the tallest.

Dark Angel

Dark Angel

Time Does Not Heal (1991)

Combat Records

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 4 Pentagrams 

Reviewed by: Jeff Deth

Dark Angel is one of those bands that appear very mysterious to me. There’s not much press on them. All their albums are hard to find or over-priced. I don’t know if the records went out of print or what. I’ve never seen an official video or interview footage. I recently found some concert clips on You Tube for the 1^st time just to see what they looked like playing together. For as good of a band as Dark Angel was, they kept a level of intrigue around them that most other bands haven’t.

Taking a look at the cover of this record the logo is one of the absolute best of its kind. It clearly depicts the dark and sinister nature of extreme metal. It’s overbearing in its evilness. It basically says everything you need to know about the band from their sound to their content. With such a powerful mark, the level of expectation was high.

If you were to pick up an earlier album like Darkness Descends you would get nothing short of an ear bleeding pummeling of record-setting speed and ferocity. Time Does Not Heal is the final Dark Angel record and it documents the band expanding its thrashing assault into more progressive territory. There’s plenty of brutality and adrenaline being kicked up to be sure but there’s also a level of musicianship and technicality that is apparent as well. The song structures here allow for a tempo in which you can really appreciate the dynamics of the guitar work. This album also stands out due to vocalist Ron Rinehart’s more classical approach as opposed to the low-pitched growl that became the standard delivery. Rinehart adds a lot of emotion and character to the songs, becoming an instrument himself.

The mood never varies from being totally ominous and bleak. Gene Hoglan, aside from being a blindingly fast drummer penned almost all the lyrics. There’s not a moment of upliftment in songs like “Trauma and Catharsis” or “Pains Invention, Madness.” This album locks you down into a scene reflective of the dark and menacing ally photo on the album cover. Pain and deceit is everywhere and you have only yourself to count on. There are the songs that speak out against religion but there’s also a song against rape. A look at the lyric sheet will show a thinking man’s approach to metal, long expansive forays into deep subject matter.

So while there’s little known about individual members of the band, quite a bit can be gleamed about their beliefs from their music alone. This is a serious thrash band that plays over the heads of the cursory listener. But it’s their heaviness that puts them on the same playing field as any one of the “Big Four” of the classic thrash-era.

Rot in Hell...

Get this, now... This is some violent metallic hardcore from the UK. This upload includes their Demo, their split with "Hordes" (no hordes side though), and their split with "Millenial Psychosis" (none of their side either)... Just "Rot in Hell"... If you like stuff like "Ringworm", "Integrity" or the likes... You might get a kick out of this... I do...

DOWNLOWD!

TREATS! 4 of them!

This is all the releases of one of my favorite bands, if not my favorite band. This band started by making early Japanese hardcore with crust influences, known mostly as what a band called "Gloom" coined "Crasher Crust". I always loved that term so I always used it to describe those kind of bands, and I know most music people would scoff at that term or call it not a real genre... But this is my post, so it is the truth as I say it. This band for some reason has always made me tingle in the sense I was always blown away by them from their roots to their most recent endeavors. This is a band that truly evolved over time and each release reflected the scene they were in. From their first releases and split with Agothocles being heavily influenced by fastcore / PV & hardcore to their next release "ego and desire", there is a huge leap into more apocalyptic hardcore, that leads into "Why do you live" which is an epic crust masterpiece. Shikabane is one of those bands... Just epic as **** even in their crasher releases.

Shikabane translates into "Corpse".

Here it is... GET INTO IT...

Shikabane - s/t
Split
Ego and Desire
Why do you live?

NOISE not MUSIC

This Mixxer is all about being as noisy as humanly possible... Well most of it... It's just a bunch of stuff most people would find abbrasive, but if you like the metal punx stuff, you might like this... I am sorry I could not find my "Dust Noise" album or that would totally be on here... Or even some noisy stuff like "Hermit Prose" or "GAI" or "Abraham Cross"... Look into those name drops and download this new Mixxer.... Got some goodins on it.

DownLoadThisNow

Butcher Cassidy - Peacing out to play some Battlefield - BC...

Volume 2 - Mixxer... Now less taken from Survival Instinct!

Well, Jesus... This Mixx is for you sir, this has stuff on it that was not from you! 100% different ****! Plus, it was made with love, crust, and Detroit-ness...


This mix is all about being fast and reckless, its got some good **** on here and some "burning spirit punk" that is hard to find... Grip it up, dawgs...

GRIP IT UP...GET INTO IT!!!

Forbidden

Forbidden Evil

1988 (Combat Records)

Rating: 3 out of 4 Pentagrams

Reviewed By: Jeff Deth

Forbidden was one of the many now infamous Bay-Area thrash bands active in the mid to late 1980’s. Obviously the first of those bands to come to mind are Slayer, Metallica and Exodus. Forbidden is a band you will eventually get to once you’ve gotten through the top layer of thrash. Technically speaking Forbidden is every bit as talented as any of their peers at the time. An early line-up of the band featured future Vio-lence and Machinehead guitarist Rob Flynn.

Although Flynn was to leave the band prior to the recording of Forbidden Evil, three songs he co-wrote are featured on this record. The other notable player who is on this recording is drummer Paul Bostaph, who would later sit at the kit for both Slayer and Exodus.

There are eight songs here and every one of them jams heavy. This is classic straight-up Bay-Area thrash. What really stands out to me are the vocals of Russ Anderson. He uses a range that goes from the standard thrash growl to higher pitched screams. It sort of reminds me of Sanctuary or early Overkill.

The riffs all sound fresh and inspired. There are two or three killer solos on every track. The sleeve lists both Craig Locicero and Glen Alvelais as lead guitarists, so I assume they’re always trading off which is great.

Everything on the record is highly technical, fast and aggressive. There was no lyric sheet with my cassette pressing but with songs titled “As Good as Dead”, “March into Fire” and “Chalice of Blood” it’s safe to assume they’re into death, war, rebellion and general mayhem. It’s all good. Typical, yes, but I don’t make hard terms with a band that can give me an intense head-banging record.

The cover art depicts two flying skulls smashing together. Great, when I first picked it up I knew what I was going to get. I’ll admit, I don’t pull this album out on a regular basis, but when I do I always think to myself, “They’re better then I thought, I should listen to this more often.”

In a lot of ways they closely resemble the more visible thrash bands of the era in both sound and content. Maybe that’s the reason they have less of a memorable reputation. They where also a part of the 2^nd wave of thrash which in general seems to get less recognition. Listening to this record though proves to me they were defiantly up to snuff if even for only a brief period. They were only to record one more great record, Twisted into Form.

Again, I really enjoyed the vocal element to this otherwise standard Bay-Area affair. This band deserves more acknowledgements then they get and I’m sure they are getting more traction today with the current reemergence of interest in the scene.