Archive for November, 2008

Ohgr – Devils In My Details CD
SPV Records

Skinny Puppy has been my favorite band on Earth for the past 20 years. I can’t get enough of them and to me there will never be a better band ever in my lifetime. On top of being in the greatest band to walk the globe, the members of Skinny Puppy have released a number of side projects over the years and Devils In My Details is the latest one from vocalist and founding member Nivek Ogre. The seeds of Ohgr (the moniker of Ogre’s solo career) were planted way back in the early 1990s as an ill-fated side project titled WELT, first with Al Jourgensen and then later with Mark Walk. The project never got off the ground due to various legal reasons among other things and it took nearly a decade before Ohgr would see the light of day.

This is the thrid album in the last nine years for Ohgr and it follows the pattern of the last two by not repeating itself and sounding a lot different that what came before it. This is both a blessing and a curse because those that expect something like the last one will likely be in for a shock, but those with an open mind and like to be surprised will be in for a treat.

Unlike the last two albums, this album was conceived as one long piece of music. This is immediately apparent when you play the disc in its entirety for the first time because unless you are looking at the readout on your CD player (or computer screen), you don’t really know when one song ends and the next begins because they flow seamlessly into one another with no pause in between. The songs transition to one another with various samples, eerie noises, ambiance, and “braps” that anyone who has seen Skinny Puppy is well familiar with. In fact listening to this album from start to finish gives a very familiar feeling like seeing Skinny Puppy live and some of the between song transitions actually gave me chills the first time I listened.

The albums was broken up into 11 tracks however and the album starts off with “Shhhh” which is a hard, fast tempo song driven by pounding drums that is a bit reminiscent of Ministry in their prime (Land of Rape and Honey era) mixed with Skinny Puppy at their hardest. As the song winds down, it blends into “Eye Candy” which is a dark pounding refelection of, from what I can decipher, porn. “Three” follows and is a very short little techno inspired dance number that then ends in a haunting transition that sets the stage for “Feelin’ Chicken”, the most bizarre song on this  album that sounds like a twisted children’s song. “Pepper” kind of makes the transition out of the demented fairy tale and back into a harder place and is the most melodic song on the album.

“Psychoreal” is a hard, repetitive pounder that resembles “Ugli” from Mythmaker and is a pretty big wake up punch to the face after the soothing “Pepper”. “Whitevan” stars off with some strange creature-like narration that leads into one of the catchiest moments on the album which makes the song stand out as my absolute favorite on the record. The three songs the follow to close out the album are also among the standouts on the album, especially “Timebomb” and “Witness”, the latter most closely resembling something from the first Ohgr album and is the most “rock” sounding song on the album and perhaps the most accessible to the masses.

The common thread in DIMD is the vocal treatments which resemble the Skinny Puppy of old much more than anything Ogre or even Skinny Puppy has done possibly since Last Rights. This vocal treatment gives the whole album a familiar and welcome feeling, like rediscovering home after being away from it since childhood.  Devils In My Details somehow manages to toe the line between the familiar and the undiscovered admirably, and the result is a pretty strong album that will grow on you with multiple listens until you pull out from it that which really clicks with you (in my case it was about half the entire album that gets constant repeat play). The album works on a number of levels and those seeking something outside the mainstream these days will have their hands full with the sense of discovery this album offers. I challenge you not to be able to find at least two songs on this album that will be in constant rotation on your iPod after soaking it in.

Related links:

Ohgr official website

Litany (the best souce for Skinny Puppy and related projects!)

Order the CD from amazon.com

Ohgr on myspace

When I saw The Melvins play last year after not seeing them play for around a decade, I was amazed by the fact that they were better than ever so when I found out they were coming back to town and playing a far superior club this time around, I was really excited to go. I didn’t even care that going to a late show would mean I’d be hurting the next day getting up early for work!

Big Business

Big Business

Big Business

After a near two hour wait during which time a DJ was playing some pretty good music, Big Business took the stage. I own one of their albums and saw them play once before so I knew I was in for good things. What I didn’t expect was for them to completely eclipse the good performance of last time. It is somewhat amazing that such a loud, thick and heavy sound comes from just three guys. While the heaviness was pounding its way into my chest, the singer was bellowing his lyrics with pretty good intensity, which only made the band sound even better. They had their share of fans in the audience this evening as well and I’m pretty sure many of those who weren’t before probably are after this showing. Their drummer alone is worth the effort of going to see them play, it is incredible the force  with which he pounds those drums. I would hate it if he ever punched me because he could have the strongest arms in the world judging by his drumming prowess!

The Melvins

The Melvins

The Melvins

Since they share equipment, and members, it didn’t take long at all for The Melvins to be ready to play. See 2/3 of Big Business also happens to be 2/3 the rhythm section for The Melvins! There was a wall of near inter-tangled drum kits ready for their two-drummer assault. Buzz came on stage wearing another kimono and I almost think the bass player didn’t move since the Big Business set and was up there waiting to go.

The Melvins

The Melvins

The Melvins

When the band got started I instantly knew this was going to be a great show. The sound was so much clearer and better than the last time I saw them, not to mention the club is just so much better all around. The Melvins two-drummer attack has to be the most powerful force in rock music ever. Dale must have cloned himself to make the other guy because those two have to share the same thought waves to be able to be so in sync with each other’s playing. I swear when called for they were hitting their drums at exactly the same time with the same intense force. I said this before but it still holds true a year later, I could easily just watch those two play drums for a couple hours straight and not get bored of it because it is so amazing.

The Melvins

The Melvins

On top of that foundation came Buzz’s trademark guitar sounds which few have yet to match. His guitar sound is so heavy and full that you’d think there were three guitarists on stage. The bass player was delivering spot-on heavy bass lines that only added to the force of sound being thrown from that stage. I’ve seen a few different lineups of The Melvins and this is by far the most solid unit they’ve ever been.

The Melvins

They played nearly the entire new album, Nude With Boots, which really stands out to me as one of their best works yet. They sprinkled some other tunes in there as well. The crowd were in awe and heads were banging left and right around me. When they finished one song, they didn’t stop and would just start the next one right away. The only time they took a break in their main set was due to equipment problems which I’m sure were caused by the sheer force of the sound emitting from their instruments.

The Melvins

The Melvins

Of all the times I’ve seen The Melvins, including just last year with this same lineup, this is easily the best Melvins show I’ve witnessed. What’s amazing to me is that more than two decades after they started, The Melvins are better and more relevant than ever. I can’t of many bands that get better with age, let alone have the staying power as these guys do.  When they were done playing their nice long set, the clock said it was nearly 2am! I knew I’d have a rough day at work the next day functioning on so little sleep, but in the end it was totally worth it.

In honor of the newly released reissue of Make an Effort, the good Doctor (Strange that is) graciously gave me an extra test pressing of it to give away to one lucky visitor of this site. All you have to do is fill out the form below. The rules are simple.

1. Limit 1 entry per person, NO EXCEPTIONS. If you enter more than once, you are disqualified.
2. Contest ends on Friday December 5th at 11:59pm CST
3. Winner will be chosen randomly and be notified by email after which they will need to provide their shipping address to receive their prize.
4. No purchase necessary

Good luck everyone and thanks to Doctor Strange for providing this sweet gift!

A few days ago I went to see Down once again play at the House of Blues. They were just here about a year ago and put on a really good show, so i was excited at the chance to see them again. I also was a Pantera fan and since Down features Phil Anselmo among others, it was pretty much a no-brainer that I’d be interested in this band as well.

Danava

Danava

Danava

I got there a little late and walked in to find Danava were already playing. I missed about half their set, but what I did see was pretty entertaining. They played some Sabbath inspired stoner rock. The songs were pretty long and mid tempo and they had a similar guitar sound to Black Sabbath. I caught about three or four songs and found them all to be pretty good and it made me feel like I was a kid back in the 70’s again.

Down

Down

It didn’t take very long for them to clear the stage and finish setting up, so the crowd didn’t have to wait very long for Down to take the stage. When they took the stage, they wasted no time starting their first song and the crowd roared with approval. Heads were banging, fists were pumping and there was a mosh pit going all at the same time. I noticed tons of people singing along to nearly every word.

Down

Down

In between songs, Phil Anselmo, who I think is one of the best frontmen in heavy metal, would talk to the crowd and entertain them with his banter. At one point he asked the crowd what they wanted to hear, and th band starting goofing around by playing part of “We’re Not Going to Take it” and “Breaking the Law” which the crowd (and myself) really got a kick out of.

Down

Down

The band played a great selection of songs spanning their entire career including, “On March the Saints” (which got the biggest pop from the crowd), “Temptations Wings”, “N.O.D.”, and “Eyes of the South”. Their main set lasted an hour. They came back a few minutes later and started their encore with the song I hoped they would play, “Stone the Crow” which saw the entire crowd singing along to the chorus. They played for about another 20 minutes and one of the last songs they played was “Bury Me in Smoke”. The crowd still wanted more and the band wanted to keep playing, but since it was an all ages show and there was curfew law in effect, they had to call it a night.

Down

Down

As I was packing up my stuff to head to the train home, I noticed something about the people who were filing out of the club, they were almost all smiling and sweaty. It was quite evident that everyone in the room felt like they got their money’s worth out of the ticket price and I too went home with a smile having witnessed a really entertaining rock show.

One of the most essential and perfect hardcore punk 7″s of all time just got yet another reissue. I am talking about Government Issue – Make an Effort. This four song piece of perfection has been reissued perhaps more times and on more labels than any old punk record I can think of (I think Zero Boys – Vicious Circle is coming up a close second).

Make an Effort was G.I.’s second EP and in my eyes really took them to the next level and established them as a truly great punk rock band, a title they held in my opinion for many years to follow. They were really one of the most under-rated punk bands of all time and deserve far more recognition than they received.

This time around, Doctor Strange Records is the one doing the reissue honors. One thing that makes this reissue slighty different than all the others is for time in its post-first press history, it is using the artwork and layout from the original pressing, which was lovingly re-created by yours truly!

The record comes in two variations:

Black vinyl

White w/orange splatter vinyl

I think the colored vinyl version looks pretty sweet. If you call yourself a punk rock fan and don’t own this record, fix that now for about the price of a cup of coffee at Starbucks.  Both version can be purchased from the good doctor himself at the Doctor Strange Records website.

Check back at the end of the week for a chance to win a test pressing of this record in the next Punk Vault contest!

Adrenalin O.D. – The Wacky Hi-Jinks of… Adrenalin O.D. 2xCD
Chunksaah Records

My initiation to Adrenalin O.D. (or AOD for short) came at the hands of a pair of compilations: Flipside Vinyl Fanzine Volume One (where their cover of the Brady Bunch theme cracked me up and was awesome) and We Got Power (where their blazing “World War 4″ blew me away, and then ended with a cover of “Pop Goes the Weasel”).  That exposure put me on the path to seek out this album back when I was in high school, and AOD pretty much put New Jersey on the map for me as far as punk rock went. My love for AOD led me to discover that New Jersey was a hotbed of hardcore punk and I couldn’t get enough of it.Their blend of powerful hardcore with a hint of melody and their fun sense of humor really made them stand out from the hundreds of other hardcore bands popping up at the time.

When I got this album in High School, I pretty much wore it out from playing it so much. I viewed it back then as one of those essential hardcore punk albums that should be in every aspiring punker’s record collection and 25 years have passed and I still feel the same way. The songs on this album have withstood the test of time and sound every bit as good to me as they did to my teenage ears. The record has spent the better part of the last 15 years being out of print, only surfacing once on the Sittin’ Pretty collection that Grand Theft Audio released a long time ago on CD, which I am pretty sure is out of print now.

Chunksaah Records saw fit to make sure that this album wasn’t lost in obscurity and has given it a deluxe 2xCD reissue. On this disc is the original album, remastered and sounding far better than it ever did on vinyl (a fact that pains me to admit, but it’s true). It also contains their first EP, Let’s BBQ, which is a classic in its own right.

OK, so you fall in the category of owning Sittin’ Pretty and wonder what’s so different about this release? For starters the album and EP tracks do sound slightly better than the GTA release. This disc also contains a bunch of live material not found on the GTA release but it came at the expense of a few compilation tracks. This release comes with lyrics and liner notes by Jim Testa along with some great flyer scans and photographs. The bottom line is both release have stuff on them that makes owning both mandatory if you are a fan of the band. As a huge AOD fan, I know that both have a happy home in my collection and I was pretty stoked that this came out with some unreleased material on it in a nice package.

For those younger punks out there, do yourself a favor and pick this CD up, AOD influenced a lot more punk rock than you may realize and you owe it to yourself to brush up on your punk rock history. To old timers like myself, here’s a blast from the past that still sounds as good as ever that is well worth the price of ownership.