'Halo Of Blood'

Several days ago now, Children Of Bodom posted an update regarding the progress on their upcoming album. The name, track titles and cover artwork have been revealed, as well as a release date (in North America) of June 11th, 2013. This announcement coincided with the release of the line-up for the 2013 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, which I honestly do not care about since there is not a single tour date anywhere near my location. Seeing COB alongside Amon Amarth and Rob Zombie would be pretty decent, but in my opinion, the rest of the bands on the bill are not worth considering making any travel plans for. (Besides, COB and Amon Amarth seem to realize that they have a strong fan base in western Canada, therefore touring here on a semi-regular basis). 

I must say that I like the cover artwork more than I have on the last handful of releases. It is a bit of a throw back to the early Children of Bodom albums. This really shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering that the artist who designed the front also designed the album artwork for Follow The Reaper, Hate Crew Deathroll and Are You Dead Yet? (Although I am not a fan of the Are You Dead Yet? cover). It’s a cold, unforgiving piece of artwork, which I’m hoping will describe the atmosphere of Halo of Blood. I love the touch of having bodies trapped under the ice, without them being too noticeable. Plus, the familiar version of the reaper figure from the first several Children Of Bodom albums reappears, instead of the more contemporary, city-scape version of the reaper. While I think my favorite Bodom album cover is still from Hatebreeder, this one is in strong contention for a top-three ranking of favorite Bodom album covers. 

Halo Of Blood Tracklisting:

1. Waste of Skin
2. Halo of Blood
3. Scream for Silence
4. Transference
5. Bodom Blue Moon (The Second Coming)
6. The Days Are Numbered
7. Dead Man’s Hand on You
8. Damage Beyond Repair
9. All Twisted
10. One Bottle and a Knee Deep

With comments from the band members alluding to this album being Finnish and Nordic sounding, I am excited. Comments about the album being fresh and new make me a bit wary, considering I have been disappointed in the past, as this usually means that the band in question has attempted to capture more of a mainstream American audience. In all honesty, I’d rather hear something that does not always appeal to the stereotypical American listener of metal, as bands who appeal to these audiences are not generally to my liking. I have high hopes for this album, but I have not enjoyed the slight change in direction the previous few Children Of Bodom releases have contained in comparison with the albums including, and previous to, Are You Dead Yet?. Secretly, I’m hoping that ‘Bodom Blue Moon (The Second Coming)‘ will be somewhat of a sequel to ‘Bodom Beach Terror’.   I suppose we will just have to wait and see what Halo Of Blood holds in store...

Image and reference from http://www.cobhc.com/

10 Greatest Thrash Metal Albums Of All Time

Recently, while engaging in some random internet wandering, a list of the ten greatest thrash metal albums was found. The original posting can be found at:

10 Greatest Thrash Metal Albums Of All Time

If you have a moment, the original list is worth the extra mouse click as the author has put together a pretty informative piece of work. 

Obviously, this is not a list that I compiled, but rather one that I found interesting. I admit that I’ve only really been listening to more than the odd thrash metal album/artist in the last two years. While it’s not my favorite sub-genre of metal, I’ve been exposed to more thrash than I normally would have listened to through the people around me and have come to really enjoy the majority of it. As for the list itself, it was obviously written by someone who is quite knowledgeable about thrash metal. There’s a few bands on the list that the casual fan likely would not know about. 

Ten Greatest Thrash Metal Albums of All Time

By Christopher Jennings

1.    Slayer - Reign In Blood

2.    Metallica - Ride The Lightning

3.    Megadeth - Rust In Peace

4.    Overkill - Horrorscope

5.    Testament - The New Order

6.    Sepultura - Beneath The Remains

7.    Anthrax - Among The Living

8.    Exodus - Bonded By Blood

9.    Annihilator - Alice In Hell

10. Kreator - Extreme Aggression 

Honourable Mentions: Sabbat - A History Of A Time To Come, Death Angel- Act III, Sacred Reich - The American Way, Forbidden - Forbidden Evil, Destruction - Infernal Overkill

Let’s start with the honorable mentions....

Personally I’ve never listened to Sabbat or Death Angel. My experience with Sacred Reich only amounts to having seen them live on the Barge To Hell cruise, and that experience was definitely quite good. Forbidden I’ve only listened to once or twice, which is not nearly enough to offer any kind of comment. Destruction is one of my favorite thrash bands, and I’m still trying to get around to writing a review of the album that they recently released. 

Kreator is another one of my personal favorites, and honestly, pretty legendary in thrash circles. While my album choice(s) regarding Kreator are slightly different, there is no denying that they deserve to be represented on this list. Seeing Annihilator in the top ten was a bit surprising to me just for the simple fact that they are not nearly as well known as some of the other names on that list. Alice In Hell is an album that I cannot stop listening to. It’s absolutely fantastic from start to finish and there are a few songs contained within it that sound like Metallica before Metallica sounded like Metallica. While I enjoy listening to both Exodus and Testament, I’m not too familiar with either on an album by album basis. Overkill proves to be another one of those bands that thrash-heads keep recommending, but again, I haven’t given them as much attention as they probably deserve. Anthrax and Sepultura are both big-name thrash bands, but both prove to be bands that I have never grown to be overly fond of. I do not mind Sepultura, but I have never been able to enjoy listening to Anthrax. They just do not appeal to my ear for whatever reason. 

Obviously Slayer, Metallica and Megadeth are huge names in metal, without even having to discuss sub-genres. Similar to several other metal fans, I cannot stand the personality of Dave Mustaine and it taints Megadeth to a point where they have become almost unlistenable. Slayer is hard and heavy, probably not to the liking of the very casual thrash fan. To the non-metalhead, Slayer would probably make eardrums bleed. Either way, Reign In Blood is a definitive album of the genre, and my personal Slayer favorite. As for Metallica, who does not like them? (Well, at least the material released prior to, and including, the Black Album). 

Who do I feel has been left off this list? That answer is definitely Sodom. At least they should have made honorable mentions...

Clothing

I love looking at clothing. I probably don't really need any more clothing. Sometimes I just find cool things that I want, and want to share. I know this is supposed to be a metal blog, but I like clothing, and some clothing is pretty damn metal. Here's a few sweet finds:

Pentragram leggings. What more can be said about those? I love them. I'm starting to like leggings more since they're versatile and it's possible to find some really neat ones. 

My only complaint about the awesome leggings that I've been finding lately: They're so expensive for being your typical spandex/cotton blend. I don't know how putting an awesome print on them raises the price so much, but if people like me are occasionally willing to shell out money to have a pair or two of unique leggings, I guess the prices will never drop. 

The jeans: If I had the opportunity to try these on in person, I'd be looking to buy them. I don't dare order jeans online unless I know how they fit, considering the vast differences in fit in every pair of pants. Perhaps it's better to be safe than be sorry. The back of the legs lace, and they're just a metal looking pair of jeans, paired with the right band shirt. I suppose one can dream, can't they?

Now I realize that this Amon Amarth graphic isn't exactly a piece of clothing, but it's pretty sick. If it were on a t-shirt, I would also consider getting my hands on it. It's not that often I find something with neon green in a style I'd normally wear, and this meets that criteria. 

(For all I know, it could have been, or could be, a shirt that I haven't found yet).

Well, I suppose this contributes to the random part of my blog. Like I said, sometimes things just need to be shared, and since I don't see any point in myself having a Tumblr account, this is as good a place as any to share random, metal related things that I run across. 

Nightseeker with No Witness, The Teenage Gentlemen, Cult Of Self Review

Nightseeker with No Witness, The Teenage Gentlemen, Cult Of Self

The Pawnshop

March 14, 2013

On what was potentially one of the most miserable nights of the year so far, Nightseeker was set to destroy The Pawnshop, and destroy it they did. Or rather, their fans seemed intent on doing so. 

Several people already seemed to be approaching that ‘one too many beer’ stage when the first openers, Cult of Self, took to the stage. They played a solid, enjoyable set, sounding as though influenced by classic heavy metal. The cover of Manowar’s ‘The Gods Made Heavy Metal’ seemed to leave part of the crowd looking slightly stunned, and part of the crowd singing along enthusiastically. 

The Teenage Gentlemen proved to be an interesting mix of musical styles, polarizing parts of the audience. While their music would not be to the liking of everyone, they were full of energy and humor. Their musical style did not really suit the cover of The Doors they played, but the Doors are somewhat of an untouchable band, not translating into good covers. They did bring energy to the venue, obviously very excited to be opening for Nightseeker. 

No Witness were the crowd favorite of the opening bands. With a blend of several different musical styles, they played a little bit of something for everyone, maintaining the energy level created by Cult Of Self and The Teenage Gentlemen. ‘Dirty Suds’, a song about beer, and strangely fitting for a night in which much beer was consumed, was well known and well received by the crowd. A pretty steady pit existed for much of No Witness’ set, especially evident during the cover of Dropkick Murphys’ song ‘I’m Shipping Up To Boston’. The Deaner also made several quick appearances on stage during the set, met by many cheers from the crowd.

When it came time for Nightseeker to take the stage, the crowd had progressed from the point of being generally drunk and well behaved to generally really drunk and rowdy.  Nightseeker, for those who’ve never heard of the band, is led by Dean ‘The Deaner’ Murdoch, one of two main characters from the cult favorite films FUBAR and FUBAR 2. One would wonder if The Deaner neglected to follow his own advice about the “pre-give’r”, as he was somewhere in the vicinity of being “Axl Rose wasted” on stage. For someone who’d obviously consumed a few Pilsner’s before the show, Deaner held it together reasonably well. Sure, there were moments of confusion, but it’s difficult to expect anything less from someone who’s made a career shotgunning Pilsners. With jokes about shotgunning beers with hookers in downtown Edmonton before noon to general jokes that only someone from Alberta would understand, Deaner’s fantastic sense of humor was never absent. Favorite cover songs such as Judas Priest’s ‘Living After Midnight’, AC/DC’s ‘Highway To Hell’ and KISS’s ‘Rock N’ Roll All Nite’ were played. A hilarious highlight of the night came when Deaner donned a Storm Trooper helmet from the crowd, creeping around the stage and then cracking an excellent joke. Several Nighseeker/Deaner originals were also played, including the classic from FUBAR, ‘Rock N Roll Is My Guitar’. The crowd overzealously reacted to Deaner’s cover of Iron Maiden’s ‘Run To The Hills’, becoming more and more rowdy with each song played. Nightseeker also played several of their own songs, seemingly unable to decide when the set should end and allowing several very inebriated fans onto the stage, including one girl who proceeded to tackle Deaner to the ground. 

Nightseeker’s set definitely brought energy, but the experience was marred by trendy, bandwagon jumping fans who had difficulty behaving in a civil manner. While the Deaner advocates the idea of ‘give’r’, it turned out to be something that the majority of the crowd could not handle, apparent by the number of fights that broke out and the number of patrons ejected from the venue. While still entertaining, I personally found the last time I witnessed Nightseeker to be more enjoyable, partially due to Deaner drinking while on stage instead of beforehand and therefore performing a more coordinated set. Kudos must be given to some of the other members of Nightseeker for holding the show together. Idiots in the crowd aside, Deaner’s drunken antics gave the fans in attendance who actually remember the show something to talk about for days to come. 

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Edmonton Sun Interview with Dean ‘The Deaner’ Murdoch, Friday March 8th, 2013:

http://www.edmontonsun.com/2013/03/07/maimann-night-seeker-ready-to-giveer

Finntroll, Hypocrisy + More: Album Previews

With all of the albums being released this year, it’s going to be one interesting (and slightly expensive) run of metal. Here’s my sneak peek at the next few releases that I’m excited about:

Finntroll - ‘Blodsvept’ 

Release: April 2nd, 2013 in North America 

I am immensely looking forward to Blodsvept. Partially because Finntroll has been one of my favorite bands for years, and partially because it sounds excellent. Watching the album trailer, I get the sense that it will be darker than the previous release, Nifelvind. Either way, it’s Finntroll and they haven’t failed to deliver perfection or near-perfection yet. Plus, the cover artwork and artwork previewed in the album trailer is interesting and created (as usual) by Finntroll’s guitarist, Skrymer. 

If you haven't had a chance to watch the album trailer, and you're a Finntroll fan, it's worth taking a look:

Blodsvept Official Album Trailer

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Hypocrisy - ‘End Of Disclosure’ 

Release: April 2nd, 2013 in North America   

This is one of those albums that I would like to get my hands on, but might have to wait a while for. Hypocrisy is slightly legendary in the Swedish death metal scene, but there are too many other albums that I want to rush out and buy that this one likely won’t be acquired right away. Vocalist Peter Tägtgren suggests that End Of Disclosure will be going back to the basics, which for any old death metal fan can’t be a bad thing. After two failed attempts to see Hypocrisy live in the past, I think I will settle with getting ahold of tickets to their upcoming show first and possessing this album second. 

A link to the album trailers, video and a bit more Hypocrisy at Blabbermouth:

Hypocrisy News

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Wolfchant has also released a new album, Embraced By Fire, which I would like to find and purchase somewhere. Thyrfing  recently released their newest, De Ödeslösa, but I’ve yet to find an easy way to purchase it either. While I have a feeling that the release dates I’ve found for both of these were for Europe only, it would be nice if they showed up in an online store where I don’t have to pay twice the album price in shipping. I was hoping some of the bigger music retailers would have both by now, but the search will continue. Sometimes it's difficult to find these lesser known bands and their releases when they come from other countries, but there is a lot of good music out there, even if it is sometimes hard to access hard copies of it. 

Randy Blythe Acquittal: A Few Thoughts

I actually meant to have this written up a few days ago, but I’ve been busy and haven’t found the time to do so until now. As such, it might be old news, but it's still worth thinking about. 

Although I’m not really a fan of Lamb of God, I have been following the proceedings of the Randy Blythe trial that have recently taken place in the Czech Republic, as I’m sure many metal heads have been. A quick search of any metal news website will pull up several articles regarding the charges and the trial. I’ve decided to reflect on the most recent articles and events, mostly for convenience’s sake. 

For anyone who’d like a little bit of background to the story: The trial in the Czech Republic revolves around the death of a Lamb of God fan who died of an injury suffered at a Lamb of God concert in Prague in May of 2010. Allegedly Randy Blythe shoved the fan off the stage, which resulted in the fatal injury. Keep in mind that eyewitness accounts seemed to be somewhat conflicting and there have been incidences where ‘witnesses’ didn’t even show up to court.

Personally, I think the fact that Blythe was put on trial to begin with is ridiculous. From the scrambled accounts of events, it seems that the fan who died attempted to climb  onto the stage, over the barrier designed to keep a certain amount of separation between fans and the stage. The presiding judge in the case mentioned that while Blythe was not criminally responsible in his alleged actions, that there was still some moral responsibility in what he did. The judge also mentioned that the young man who died of injuries sustained was not guilty of anything. Really? I completely disagree. He was attempting to climb over the barricade and onto the stage. Last that I’d heard, unless a fan is invited up on stage, the stage is there for the performer. As far as I’m concerned, the fan who died is guilty of stupidity. 

Accidental death due to stupidity isn’t really deserved, but unfortunately there are sometimes unforeseen consequences to actions. The young man made a choice to climb over a barricade designed to separate overzealous fans from performers. He shouldn’t have been doing so in the first place. Period. What ever happened to the idea of personal responsibility? In terms of personal responsibility and what Blythe did, it seems a fairly justified reaction to attempt to keep someone from invading personal space. How are musicians to know what someone’s intentions are when they attempt to rampage through to an area where they are not supposed to be? Anyone remember what happened to Dimebag Darrell? 

Randy Blythe himself was obviously willing to take responsibility for his actions, even though putting him on trial for manslaughter was unjustified. Isn’t venue security hired to prevent these kind of things from happening? Where’s the accountability on the part of the security company or security guards? If you take the stance that this whole is just a tragic accident, why should be Blythe be any more guilty of anything than the people that were hired to keep the crowd under control? As I said before, the fan isn’t free of ‘guilt’ either. It was his idiotic choice that led to the whole incident. Sure, people often perform actions lacking much thought for the consequences, but if you’re going to put someone through a criminal trial that was birthed from someone else’s stupid actions, that part shouldn’t be forgotten either. 

From what I’ve read, the judge even seems to suggest that due to Blythe’s moral responsibility, he should consider entering into negotiations with the family of the deceased and somehow compensate them. Blythe himself is quoted as saying that the family hasn’t attacked him in the press which, to me, suggests that the family likely realizes the deceased fan is also somewhat responsible for what is ultimately an accident. So why the trial to begin with? 

I’m still trying to figure out what the Czech legal system was hoping to accomplish with this. Not that I really know anything about the Czech legal system, but this entire thing seems unfounded. Most reasonable people seem to realize this is an accident. Accidental deaths have occurred at concerts before. Was the intention here to make a groundbreaking case suggesting that metal music is somehow morally corrupt and causes these things to happen? Was it to prove that metal musicians really are the bane of society, as some people seem to think? (The amount of times people who have tried to crucify metal musicians for somehow causing the actions of another individual astounds and disgusts me, but that is another discussion for another day). 

I’m glad Randy Blythe was acquitted. As far as I’m concerned, this trial never should have taken place to begin with.  I do realize that manslaughter is usually considered in situations where the death wasn’t intended but where responsibility still lies. Since this seems to be a shared responsibility, if there truly is any to be found, I still don’t believe this trial should have occurred in the first place. As if I haven't stated and thought that enough.  I don’t doubt that this has made other musicians wary in some small space in the back of their minds that this could now potentially happen to them too. They’re there to perform, not to have to deal with idiots climbing onto stage. That should be someone else’s job, and a job which someone else utterly failed at in the case of the Randy Blythe trial. Every metal fan should have some responsibility and thought for how their actions at concerts can have outcomes that may either drastically affect themselves or others around them. It doesn’t mean that one can’t go to a show and have fun, it just means being smart about it and keeping in mind that doing something questionable can sometimes have unfortunate consequences. 

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The most recent articles  regarding the trial and acquittal: 

Heavy Metal And Hard Rock Musicians React To Randy Blythe Verdict - Mar. 5, 2013

LAMB OF GOD Frontman Acquitted Of Manslaughter - Mar. 5, 2013

LAMB OF GOD Frontman: 'I Categorically Refuse To Live In A Constant State Of Guilt And Fear' - Mar. 5th, 2013

Randy Blythe Trial: Slightly Ridiculous

I felt this article deserved to have a separate commentary, due to the asinine nature. I could rant forever about assumptions and stereotypes that seems to be at play here, but I'll save that for some other time. Either way, every once in a while I read something that tends to really inflame me, and some of the comments contained within this article definitely did just that. 

Psychologist: LAMB OF GOD Frontman Has Problems Controlling His Emotions - March 4, 2013

This article seems somewhat extraneous, other than the comments contained within were a part of the trial. I doubt it’s purpose was to create laughter, but that’s exactly what occurred as I read it. My thoughts regarding psychology as a profession aren’t altogether too positive to begin with, and criminal psychology usually proves to be a bit of a joke. I mean, a court-appointed criminal psychologist made some pretty ridiculous comments from what I gather without being able to read a detailed court report. At least she did mention that Blythe is not mentally ill, but when one considers his conduct regarding this entire idiotic trial, I think it’s pretty obvious the he isn’t mentally ill in any way that a criminal psychologist would normally deal with. 

I don’t know whether to laugh or whether to be disgusted at the comment that Blythe doesn’t take enough responsibility for his actions. I think he’s demonstrated more than enough responsibility in his willingness to face a trial and through his own comments regarding the trial. Citing incidents in the past where the Lamb Of God frontman was fined for speeding and public urination is asinine. A speeding ticket? Come on, how many people do you or I personally know that have received at least one speeding ticket but are otherwise responsible, sane citizens? Also, how many males do you know that haven’t urinated in public? I don’t think I personally know a single one. The only difference is that they didn’t get caught. To bring up minor incidences such as these is fatuous, but I suppose that’s why lawyers and some criminal psychologists exist. If this article was released in the hopes of making this trial look more unfounded than it already did, it certainly served the purpose. 

The Truth?