This took a few spins for me to get into, but the fact that
it intrigued me enough to go to the trouble in the first place says a lot. This
band shows promise, and if you’re a fan of progressive leaning hard rock/metal
you should give this a listen. This may be on Relapse, but if you’re looking
for an extreme thrash fest this isn’t it. Overall Alchemist has an original
sound that reminds me a bit of Amorphis and ‘Space Bandits’/’Xenon Codex’ period
Hawkwind without sounding like a rip-off of either of those bands. The vocals
alternate between a laid back “clean” voice and a more aggressive style of
singing that reminds me of Paradise Lost. The lyrics are well written and deal
with environmental concerns, contemplation of impending death, and (as the title
of the album suggests) space aliens. The songs are good and the instrumental
portions kept my interest with creative arrangements and good riffs. Stand out
tracks for me were “Solarburn”, “Older than the Ancients”, “Nature on a Leash”,
and “Letter to the Future”. I do like this album but I have to say I wish the
vocals were a bit more interesting. They aren’t bad, just a bit on the bland
side. That minor complaint aside, this is well worth checking out. (Bob
Ignizio)
Blind Dog – ‘Captain Dog Rides
Again’ (Meteor City)
As Mr. Lee points out in his review of the OmegaLord album this
week, there are those who think
the “stoner rock” genre is on its last legs. Like Mr. Lee I beg to differ, and
albums like Blind Dog’s ‘Captain Dog Rides Again’ are why. While this doesn’t
have the same impact as the first time I heard Monster Magnet or Kyuss, it’s
nonetheless a solid album that has enough going for it to warrant notice. I
don’t see the thrash influences some reviewers have commented on, but Blind Dog
has at least been listening to some music produced more recently than 1973.
That comes through especially on “Let it Go”, which has something of a Queens of
the Stone Age vibe to it. Before all the purists start groaning, there’s plenty
of seventies style riffage to be found on songs like “Iron Cage”, "There Must Be
Better Ways of Losing Your Mind", and “Get
Back”. While Blind Dog is far from revolutionary, the band is original enough
to stand out in a crowd and they know how to write a good song. If you’re
a stoner rock fan tired of all the Sabbath/Fu Manch/Kyuss sound-alikes but still
want something that doesn’t stray too far from the roots of the genre this may
be the band you’ve been looking for. (Bob Ignizio)
Neil Hess - 'Animosity in Human Form' (self released)
This
is the first solo album from End on Nine/Noise Gate main man Neil Hess, and
while this is similar to those projects Neil allows some of his more melodic
influences to come out as well. The songs mostly mix classic rock/metal
and industrial sounds to varying degrees. I tend to favor the more
aggressive songs like "Population Control" and "Animosity in Human Form", but
"Your Sunrise is my Sunset" is a good moody ballad. Neil's cover of
Journey's "Seperate Ways" is interesting as well, with the vocal line more or
less intact but backed by a goth/industrial musical backdrop. The
production shows its low budget but isn't bad for a home studio recording.
Unfortunately there's too many times where it sound like Neil's straining to hit
notes on the more melodic material. The only song where the melodic
approach really works for me is "Your Sunrise is my Sunset", which doesn't
require as much of a stretch vocally. Neil fares much better with the more
traditional industrial barking he uses on the title track and "Population
Control" and the punk sounding approach he uses on "Of Haves and Have Nots".
I also liked the instrumental track "Fever Dream". (Bob Ignizio)
When
I was in high school people used to call this sort of music “progressive”. It’s
hard to say exactly how “progressive” music differs from new wave, but in
general it’s darker and less pop oriented. Bands that were usually lumped into
this category included The Cure, Bau Haus, Depeche Mode, and PIL. I only
mention this because Kittens For Christian would have been right at home in that
scene. The jangly guitar riffs, simple upfront bass lines, and English accented
vocals are all here, updated somewhat by adding influences from noisier bands
like Jesus Lizard, Killing Joke, and Sonic Youth. The results are pretty
interesting; a nice mix of artsy pretense and edgy rock. This was actually a
real pleasure to listen to, especially stand out tracks like “Under the Covers”,
“Had a Plan”, “King”, and the driving instrumental “Quietest Moments” which
sounds like Sonic Youth jamming with ‘Pornography’ era Cure. I really liked
this album a lot. For those who care about such things, Serjical Strike is
System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian’s label. (Bob Ignizio)
This took a few spins for me to get into, but the fact that
it intrigued me enough to go to the trouble in the first place says a lot. This
band shows promise, and if you’re a fan of progressive leaning hard rock/metal
you should give this a listen. This may be on Relapse, but if you’re looking
for an extreme thrash fest this isn’t it. Overall Alchemist has an original
sound that reminds me a bit of Amorphis and ‘Space Bandits’/’Xenon Codex’ period
Hawkwind without sounding like a rip-off of either of those bands. The vocals
alternate between a laid back “clean” voice and a more aggressive style of
singing that reminds me of Paradise Lost. The lyrics are well written and deal
with environmental concerns, contemplation of impending death, and (as the title
of the album suggests) space aliens. The songs are good and the instrumental
portions kept my interest with creative arrangements and good riffs. Stand out
tracks for me were “Solarburn”, “Older than the Ancients”, “Nature on a Leash”,
and “Letter to the Future”. I do like this album but I have to say I wish the
vocals were a bit more interesting. They aren’t bad, just a bit on the bland
side. That minor complaint aside, this is well worth checking out. (Bob
Ignizio)
As Mr. Lee points out in his review of the OmegaLord album this
week, there are those who think
the “stoner rock” genre is on its last legs. Like Mr. Lee I beg to differ, and
albums like Blind Dog’s ‘Captain Dog Rides Again’ are why. While this doesn’t
have the same impact as the first time I heard Monster Magnet or Kyuss, it’s
nonetheless a solid album that has enough going for it to warrant notice. I
don’t see the thrash influences some reviewers have commented on, but Blind Dog
has at least been listening to some music produced more recently than 1973.
That comes through especially on “Let it Go”, which has something of a Queens of
the Stone Age vibe to it. Before all the purists start groaning, there’s plenty
of seventies style riffage to be found on songs like “Iron Cage”, "There Must Be
Better Ways of Losing Your Mind", and “Get
Back”. While Blind Dog is far from revolutionary, the band is original enough
to stand out in a crowd and they know how to write a good song. If you’re
a stoner rock fan tired of all the Sabbath/Fu Manch/Kyuss sound-alikes but still
want something that doesn’t stray too far from the roots of the genre this may
be the band you’ve been looking for. (Bob Ignizio)
This
is the first solo album from End on Nine/Noise Gate main man Neil Hess, and
while this is similar to those projects Neil allows some of his more melodic
influences to come out as well. The songs mostly mix classic rock/metal
and industrial sounds to varying degrees. I tend to favor the more
aggressive songs like "Population Control" and "Animosity in Human Form", but
"Your Sunrise is my Sunset" is a good moody ballad. Neil's cover of
Journey's "Seperate Ways" is interesting as well, with the vocal line more or
less intact but backed by a goth/industrial musical backdrop. The
production shows its low budget but isn't bad for a home studio recording.
Unfortunately there's too many times where it sound like Neil's straining to hit
notes on the more melodic material. The only song where the melodic
approach really works for me is "Your Sunrise is my Sunset", which doesn't
require as much of a stretch vocally. Neil fares much better with the more
traditional industrial barking he uses on the title track and "Population
Control" and the punk sounding approach he uses on "Of Haves and Have Nots".
I also liked the instrumental track "Fever Dream". (Bob Ignizio)
When
I was in high school people used to call this sort of music “progressive”. It’s
hard to say exactly how “progressive” music differs from new wave, but in
general it’s darker and less pop oriented. Bands that were usually lumped into
this category included The Cure, Bau Haus, Depeche Mode, and PIL. I only
mention this because Kittens For Christian would have been right at home in that
scene. The jangly guitar riffs, simple upfront bass lines, and English accented
vocals are all here, updated somewhat by adding influences from noisier bands
like Jesus Lizard, Killing Joke, and Sonic Youth. The results are pretty
interesting; a nice mix of artsy pretense and edgy rock. This was actually a
real pleasure to listen to, especially stand out tracks like “Under the Covers”,
“Had a Plan”, “King”, and the driving instrumental “Quietest Moments” which
sounds like Sonic Youth jamming with ‘Pornography’ era Cure. I really liked
this album a lot. For those who care about such things, Serjical Strike is
System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian’s label. (Bob Ignizio)