Vocalist Joseph Vargo
provided the macabre poetry that graced the Syndicate’s first two full length
releases, but then parted ways with the band. Now Vargo is back, joined by
instrumentalist William Protrowski, with a new project called Nox Arcana. The
results are pretty much what you’d expect. Nox Arcana sounds almost exactly
like the first two Midnight Syndicate albums. The only real surprise is that
there really aren’t many tracks on here featuring Vargo’s creepy, atmospheric
orations. A few tracks feature some ominous chanting and whispering, but most
are just instrumental. It’s hard to criticize this for sounding like Midnight
Syndicate, seeing as Vargo was a founding member of that group. ‘Darklore
Manor’ is every bit as good as Midnight Syndicate’s ‘Born of the Night’. It’s
just not anything different. For more info or to order a copy, go to the
Monolith Graphics website. (Bob Ignizio)
TV
on the Radio – ‘Desperate Youths, Bloodthirsty Babes’ (Touch & Go)
This
is a rare case of an album where one song so totally blows me away that it’s
hard to appreciate the rest of the songs. “Staring at the Sun” is the track, a
moody and soulful masterpiece that mixes indie rock, R&B, and electonica with
great vocals, sharp lyrics, and an undeniable hook. I’m not a Rush fan, but to
quote Geddy Lee, “All this machinery making modern music can still be open
hearted.” TV on the Radio definitely proves that. Once I got past my fixation
with “Staring at the Sun”, I started to realize that tracks like “The Wrong Way”
and “Don’t Love You” are excellent in their own right. Throughout the album,
the vocals take center stage with the music simply serving the songs. I highly
doubt I’ll ever hear these guys on mainstream radio, but the most fitting
classification for TV on the Radio’s sound I can think of is pop, albeit with
dark undertones. Think a more soulful, less murder obsessed Nick Cave playing
around with synths and drum machines and you’d come close to what this sounds
like. (Bob Ignizio)
With Volume 2, this series
spotlighting northeast Ohio rock bands started branching out from its punk
roots. Volume 3 stretches even further. I could do without the nu metal
sounding bands on here (Shenoah, Tool wannabes Audiblethread), but overall it
makes for a more accurate representation of the area’s underground rock scene.
Personal faves include Uncle Scratch’s Gospel Revival’s lo-fi “Back Door Man (No
More!)”, Keelhaul’s prog metal on “Cruel Shoes”, Nightbreed’s Samhain-influenced
“Paper Thin”, Alligator channeling the Sonic’s Gerry Roslie on “Wrecking Ball”,
Screaming Obscenities old school punk “New Age”, The New Wave’s noise pop “Choke
to Start”, and Machine Go Boom’s “Captain Obvious”, which recalls quirky
eighties alterna pop. More so than on Volume 2, the recording quality varies
from track to track. Nothing that’s unlistenable, though. As with the previous
two volumes in this series, this one is available for free download at the
Cleveland – Ain’t it Fun? website,
or via file sharing programs like Kazaa!.
After
breaking up back in 2002, Zeke got back together for a reunion tour a year
later. Now they’re back with a new studio album. Long time Zeke fans should be
pleased with the opening salvo of “All Night Long”, “Long Train Runnin’”, and
“On Through the Night”, which recall the adrenaline fueled ferocity of early
albums like ‘Kicked in the Teeth’. “383” and “Never Goin’ Home” rock in similar
high octane fashion. Of course, the spirit of Lemmy has always been a guiding
force for this band, and “Hold Tight”, “Dolphin Wolf” and “Dragonfly” almost
sound like outtakes from Motorhead’s ‘Ace of Spades’ sessions. The band closes
the album with a trio of songs that show a different direction for the band.
“Til the Living End”, “Ever Onward”, and “Ride to Live” may be the slowest songs
this band has ever done, but they’re super heavy and have sort of a stoner rock
vibe to them. All in all, a kick ass album that should make the band’s fans
glad that Zeke is still around. (Bob Ignizio)
Vocalist Joseph Vargo
provided the macabre poetry that graced the Syndicate’s first two full length
releases, but then parted ways with the band. Now Vargo is back, joined by
instrumentalist William Protrowski, with a new project called Nox Arcana. The
results are pretty much what you’d expect. Nox Arcana sounds almost exactly
like the first two Midnight Syndicate albums. The only real surprise is that
there really aren’t many tracks on here featuring Vargo’s creepy, atmospheric
orations. A few tracks feature some ominous chanting and whispering, but most
are just instrumental. It’s hard to criticize this for sounding like Midnight
Syndicate, seeing as Vargo was a founding member of that group. ‘Darklore
Manor’ is every bit as good as Midnight Syndicate’s ‘Born of the Night’. It’s
just not anything different. For more info or to order a copy, go to the
Monolith Graphics website. (Bob Ignizio)
This
is a rare case of an album where one song so totally blows me away that it’s
hard to appreciate the rest of the songs. “Staring at the Sun” is the track, a
moody and soulful masterpiece that mixes indie rock, R&B, and electonica with
great vocals, sharp lyrics, and an undeniable hook. I’m not a Rush fan, but to
quote Geddy Lee, “All this machinery making modern music can still be open
hearted.” TV on the Radio definitely proves that. Once I got past my fixation
with “Staring at the Sun”, I started to realize that tracks like “The Wrong Way”
and “Don’t Love You” are excellent in their own right. Throughout the album,
the vocals take center stage with the music simply serving the songs. I highly
doubt I’ll ever hear these guys on mainstream radio, but the most fitting
classification for TV on the Radio’s sound I can think of is pop, albeit with
dark undertones. Think a more soulful, less murder obsessed Nick Cave playing
around with synths and drum machines and you’d come close to what this sounds
like. (Bob Ignizio)
With Volume 2, this series
spotlighting northeast Ohio rock bands started branching out from its punk
roots. Volume 3 stretches even further. I could do without the nu metal
sounding bands on here (Shenoah, Tool wannabes Audiblethread), but overall it
makes for a more accurate representation of the area’s underground rock scene.
Personal faves include Uncle Scratch’s Gospel Revival’s lo-fi “Back Door Man (No
More!)”, Keelhaul’s prog metal on “Cruel Shoes”, Nightbreed’s Samhain-influenced
“Paper Thin”, Alligator channeling the Sonic’s Gerry Roslie on “Wrecking Ball”,
Screaming Obscenities old school punk “New Age”, The New Wave’s noise pop “Choke
to Start”, and Machine Go Boom’s “Captain Obvious”, which recalls quirky
eighties alterna pop. More so than on Volume 2, the recording quality varies
from track to track. Nothing that’s unlistenable, though. As with the previous
two volumes in this series, this one is available for free download at the
Cleveland – Ain’t it Fun? 
After
breaking up back in 2002, Zeke got back together for a reunion tour a year
later. Now they’re back with a new studio album. Long time Zeke fans should be
pleased with the opening salvo of “All Night Long”, “Long Train Runnin’”, and
“On Through the Night”, which recall the adrenaline fueled ferocity of early
albums like ‘Kicked in the Teeth’. “383” and “Never Goin’ Home” rock in similar
high octane fashion. Of course, the spirit of Lemmy has always been a guiding
force for this band, and “Hold Tight”, “Dolphin Wolf” and “Dragonfly” almost
sound like outtakes from Motorhead’s ‘Ace of Spades’ sessions. The band closes
the album with a trio of songs that show a different direction for the band.
“Til the Living End”, “Ever Onward”, and “Ride to Live” may be the slowest songs
this band has ever done, but they’re super heavy and have sort of a stoner rock
vibe to them. All in all, a kick ass album that should make the band’s fans
glad that Zeke is still around. (Bob Ignizio)