"What the hell is that hippy smoking now?" I hear you ask
in disbelief. The Heathen Hippy reviews Avril Lavigne? Is this one of the
signs of the apocalypse? No, just a sign that there's more to this longhair than
pot smoke and studded leather. I've always had a secret weakness for pop music,
and it shines through here. The latest CD by pop princess Avril Lavigne is a
wonderful diversion, something to listen to when you want some straight forward,
fun rock. The album kicks off in fine style, with "Take Me Away" being a high
energy, hard-rocking tour de force of good songwriting. From there she storms
through standout tracks like "Don't Tell Me" (a nice verbal bitch-slap to Limp
Bizkit's ego-driven singer Fred Durst), "Nobody's Home", and "How Does It
Feel". I've long felt that Avril gets unfairly lumped with the other popular
pop "divas" like Britney or Christina. Unlike them, Avril writes her own songs
and plays guitar on every song. She's a *musician*, and the fact that she's
young and hot doesn't change this one bit. This album rocks with a strength and
vitality too often lacking in popular music today. Fans of hook-laden rock will
love this. The heathen hippy gives it four fists in the air. (Taliesin Govannon)
Dennis Most & Audiolove – ‘Live at the El Cid, December
1976’ (Captain Trip Records)
Indiana’s Dennis Most has been cranking out his brand of
hard rocking garagey punk metal since 1972. However, despite all the years
under his belt, he hasn’t really released much up til now. Just four singles, a
2 vinyl LPs, two CDs, and a few compilation tracks here and there. Most’s 1979
single “Excuse My Spunk”, recently introduced to a new generation of fans via
its appearance on a 1998 ‘Killed By Death’ compilation LP, is probably his main
claim to fame. But as the material on these two recently issued discs shows,
there’s more to Dennis Most than one song. Yeah, “Excuse My Spunk” shows up on
both these discs, but the rest of the material is just as strong. It definitely
has that feel of early punk, before the rule book became written in stone.
Most’s vocals at times remind me David Thomas, Roky Erikson and Richard Hell.
Aside from Most, only guitarist Peter Poulos appears on both discs, and his
excellent guitar work is a major component of the Dennis Most sound. ‘Vampire
City’ is all Most originals, some of which have been recorded before, some of
which I’m guessing are new. The live CD is a true live recording with no
overdubs or studio fixes. The performance is high energy, the sound quality is
pretty good, and it features some interesting covers by bands like The Stooges,
Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, and Love. If you like Detroit, Cleveland, and NY punk
bands of the late sixties/early seventies, it’s a safe bet you’ll dig these two
discs as well. (Bob Ignizio)
I was shocked to see a new release from Nasum so soon
after ‘Helvete’, especially with the band going through personnel changes.
Suffice it to say I was very happy!! While not as outstanding as the first three
releases, ‘Shift’ is still a solid pounding release that will leave you in a
dust cloud like the victim of a bomb blast. The little bit of "melody" (for lack
of a better word) Nasum added on ‘Helvete’ has taken a backseat as more of the
grind elements stand out this time around. The production is good. With the
different guitar tracking and constant chord changes, Nasum needs clear
production so you can make out all the great musicianship these guys possess,
which also drives the politically-fueled lyrics stretching forth to bite at you.
And I must say, it's nice to see metalheads who aren't big on grindcore finally
opening up to Nasum, considering Nasum blows away the majority of death and
black metal bands. Outstanding tracks: "Fear Is Your Weapon", "Deleted Scenes",
"Like Cattle", "Engine of Death", and "The Clash". Editor's Note: As of
today, 1-18-05, Nasum guitarist Mieszko Talarczyk is missing
and feared a victim of the Tsunami that hit Asia recently. (Mike
Salamone)
The PB Army – ‘Spine for the
Snapback’ (self released)
It’s been a while since I heard a new stoner rock band that
didn’t bore me to tears with their slavish Fu Manchu, Kyuss, and Sabbath
imitations. While Toledo’s PB Army are no doubt familiar those bands, they
clearly have their sights set on creating a sound of their own. There’s actual
sonic diversity on this disc, something almost unheard of these days. I was
beginning to think bands weren’t allowed to do that anymore. Tracks like
“Ashtabula” are all ugly heaviness, while tunes like “Moderation” blend hard
rock riffing with a pop sensibility. These guys are more than capable of
jamming out, and lead guitar fans won’t be disappointed, but they’re also smart
enough not to get all self indulgent in the breaks. Out of the 12 tracks on
here, I’d say about 8 are outstanding. The production could be a little more
polished, and there’s a few spots where another run at the vocals might have
helped, but overall this is a really good album. (Bob Ignizio)
"What the hell is that hippy smoking now?" I hear you ask
in disbelief. The Heathen Hippy reviews Avril Lavigne? Is this one of the
signs of the apocalypse? No, just a sign that there's more to this longhair than
pot smoke and studded leather. I've always had a secret weakness for pop music,
and it shines through here. The latest CD by pop princess Avril Lavigne is a
wonderful diversion, something to listen to when you want some straight forward,
fun rock. The album kicks off in fine style, with "Take Me Away" being a high
energy, hard-rocking tour de force of good songwriting. From there she storms
through standout tracks like "Don't Tell Me" (a nice verbal bitch-slap to Limp
Bizkit's ego-driven singer Fred Durst), "Nobody's Home", and "How Does It
Feel". I've long felt that Avril gets unfairly lumped with the other popular
pop "divas" like Britney or Christina. Unlike them, Avril writes her own songs
and plays guitar on every song. She's a *musician*, and the fact that she's
young and hot doesn't change this one bit. This album rocks with a strength and
vitality too often lacking in popular music today. Fans of hook-laden rock will
love this. The heathen hippy gives it four fists in the air. (Taliesin Govannon)
Indiana’s Dennis Most has been cranking out his brand of
hard rocking garagey punk metal since 1972. However, despite all the years
under his belt, he hasn’t really released much up til now. Just four singles, a
2 vinyl LPs, two CDs, and a few compilation tracks here and there. Most’s 1979
single “Excuse My Spunk”, recently introduced to a new generation of fans via
its appearance on a 1998 ‘Killed By Death’ compilation LP, is probably his main
claim to fame. But as the material on these two recently issued discs shows,
there’s more to Dennis Most than one song. Yeah, “Excuse My Spunk” shows up on
both these discs, but the rest of the material is just as strong. It definitely
has that feel of early punk, before the rule book became written in stone.
Most’s vocals at times remind me David Thomas, Roky Erikson and Richard Hell.
Aside from Most, only guitarist Peter Poulos appears on both discs, and his
excellent guitar work is a major component of the Dennis Most sound. ‘Vampire
City’ is all Most originals, some of which have been recorded before, some of
which I’m guessing are new. The live CD is a true live recording with no
overdubs or studio fixes. The performance is high energy, the sound quality is
pretty good, and it features some interesting covers by bands like The Stooges,
Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, and Love. If you like Detroit, Cleveland, and NY punk
bands of the late sixties/early seventies, it’s a safe bet you’ll dig these two
discs as well. (Bob Ignizio)
I was shocked to see a new release from Nasum so soon
after ‘Helvete’, especially with the band going through personnel changes.
Suffice it to say I was very happy!! While not as outstanding as the first three
releases, ‘Shift’ is still a solid pounding release that will leave you in a
dust cloud like the victim of a bomb blast. The little bit of "melody" (for lack
of a better word) Nasum added on ‘Helvete’ has taken a backseat as more of the
grind elements stand out this time around. The production is good. With the
different guitar tracking and constant chord changes, Nasum needs clear
production so you can make out all the great musicianship these guys possess,
which also drives the politically-fueled lyrics stretching forth to bite at you.
And I must say, it's nice to see metalheads who aren't big on grindcore finally
opening up to Nasum, considering Nasum blows away the majority of death and
black metal bands. Outstanding tracks: "Fear Is Your Weapon", "Deleted Scenes",
"Like Cattle", "Engine of Death", and "The Clash". Editor's Note: As of
today, 1-18-05, Nasum guitarist 
It’s been a while since I heard a new stoner rock band that
didn’t bore me to tears with their slavish Fu Manchu, Kyuss, and Sabbath
imitations. While Toledo’s PB Army are no doubt familiar those bands, they
clearly have their sights set on creating a sound of their own. There’s actual
sonic diversity on this disc, something almost unheard of these days. I was
beginning to think bands weren’t allowed to do that anymore. Tracks like
“Ashtabula” are all ugly heaviness, while tunes like “Moderation” blend hard
rock riffing with a pop sensibility. These guys are more than capable of
jamming out, and lead guitar fans won’t be disappointed, but they’re also smart
enough not to get all self indulgent in the breaks. Out of the 12 tracks on
here, I’d say about 8 are outstanding. The production could be a little more
polished, and there’s a few spots where another run at the vocals might have
helped, but overall this is a really good album. (Bob Ignizio)