The Bellrays – ‘The Red, White &
Black’ (Alternative Tentacles)
If the MC5 had been
fronted by a female soul singer and actually made an entire album as solid as
their best songs, it would sound a lot like this. Funk, punk, soul and metal
collide to create one extremely satisfying album. To put it simply, this kicks
ass. The Bellrays may be undeniably retro, but this album sounds as vital as
anything that’s come out this year. Stand out tracks? Just about all of ‘em,
but “Sister Disaster” and “Find Someone to Believe In” will do if you must.
Vocalist Lisa Kekaula is the main attraction, but guitarist Tony Fate deserves
some props for his impeccable lead work, too. Throw in some bonus points for
the Lisa’s really great afro, and you’ve got one of the best albums of the year
so far. If you don’t like this, you don’t like rock ‘n’ roll. (Bob Ignizio)
OK, so I'm
sure that you folks may have figured out that I'm no Christian. However, I have
nothing against Christian rock...hell, I'm probably one of the few Witches
you'll meet who has every Stryper album. I've always been able to look past
lyrics I consider cheesy (or simply don't agree with) and enjoy the music. That
goes for Christian OR Satanic bands. That being said, I have never been able to
get Christian Death Metal. Really, aside from a few mutants like myself, the
entire point of bands being designated as "Christian" is the message in the
lyrics. Christians can listen to rock bands that have a message they can relate
to...cool with me. However, why have a message band when you CAN'T UNDERSTAND
THE BLOODY LYRICS?!?!? That aside, all rock must ultimately stand or fall on
the music, no matter what the lyrics say. And the music played by Blessed By A
Broken Heart is...not bad. Pretty standard death-core, thrashy speed metal.
The riffs are chunky and the rhythm section is tight. They put the lyrics in
the booklet, so if what they're saying is important, you can decipher it. For
the most part, this is an album that death metal fans can enjoy. Actually, if
Christian rock annoys you, then you can still dig this because you can't really
tell what the singer's saying unless you read it. The Heathen Hippy gives it
three and a half black-leather clad angels. (Taliesin Govannon)
From the depths
of hell comes ‘Black Grimoire’, the latest from Blood Ritual. In the
intervening years between 1997's ‘In The Mountains of Madness’ and this, the
follow-up, the band has become a one-man show with Tim Bishop handling every
instrument. The results, however, are stunning. Starting off with a quote from
one of my favorite movies (‘In the Mouth of Madness’), the album seethes with an
ominous foreboding unmatched on any Black/Death Metal release this year. Tim
Bishop has taken his Satanic inspiration to new heights (depths?), making an
album full of pounding beats and annihilating riffs. The music is tight,
concise, and inventive. Of special interest is the 8-minute opening track
"Invocation of Satan", the evil "Destruction Ritual", and the assaulting
“Summoning the Unholy War. Bishop is no poser, being a genuine initiate of
Anton LaVey's Church of Satan, and so his infernal imagery goes beyond mere
Hollywood horror-clichés into genuine darkness. The Heathen Hippy gives it five
Enochian keys. (Taliesin Govannon)
This
is some real old school rap. And by old school I don’t mean Run DMC or
Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five. I’m talking Rudy Ray Moore, Parliament,
and, well, Blowfly himself. See, Blowfly goes back to the seventies, and along
with Rudy Ray Moore his party records helped lay the groundwork for rap.
Instead of electronic beats and samples, you get real live funk. And the
rapping itself is pretty simplistic by today’s standards. That’s fine with me,
though. Blowfly isn’t about showing off any special sort of mic skills. He’s
more interested in being funny (and usually scatological) as exemplified by
songs like “Blowfly For President” and “The Booty Bus”. But he’s got a
sensitive side, too, which comes out on the touching ballad “Your Precious Cunt”
(to the tune of “Unchained Melody”). In case you’re not sure what Blowfly is
about, song titles like “You’ve Got Your Dick on Backwards” and “Diggin’
Boogers” ought to make things clearer. There’s also a number of little skits in
between songs that add to the fun. Believe it or not, Blowfly is really
Clarence Reid, a songwriter who's penned hits for KC and the Sunshine Band among
others. Yeah, it’s tasteless and juvenile, and sure to offend delicate
liberal (and conservative) sensibilities, but the world needs that now and
then. (Bob Ignizio)
If the MC5 had been
fronted by a female soul singer and actually made an entire album as solid as
their best songs, it would sound a lot like this. Funk, punk, soul and metal
collide to create one extremely satisfying album. To put it simply, this kicks
ass. The Bellrays may be undeniably retro, but this album sounds as vital as
anything that’s come out this year. Stand out tracks? Just about all of ‘em,
but “Sister Disaster” and “Find Someone to Believe In” will do if you must.
Vocalist Lisa Kekaula is the main attraction, but guitarist Tony Fate deserves
some props for his impeccable lead work, too. Throw in some bonus points for
the Lisa’s really great afro, and you’ve got one of the best albums of the year
so far. If you don’t like this, you don’t like rock ‘n’ roll. (Bob Ignizio)
OK, so I'm
sure that you folks may have figured out that I'm no Christian. However, I have
nothing against Christian rock...hell, I'm probably one of the few Witches
you'll meet who has every Stryper album. I've always been able to look past
lyrics I consider cheesy (or simply don't agree with) and enjoy the music. That
goes for Christian OR Satanic bands. That being said, I have never been able to
get Christian Death Metal. Really, aside from a few mutants like myself, the
entire point of bands being designated as "Christian" is the message in the
lyrics. Christians can listen to rock bands that have a message they can relate
to...cool with me. However, why have a message band when you CAN'T UNDERSTAND
THE BLOODY LYRICS?!?!? That aside, all rock must ultimately stand or fall on
the music, no matter what the lyrics say. And the music played by Blessed By A
Broken Heart is...not bad. Pretty standard death-core, thrashy speed metal.
The riffs are chunky and the rhythm section is tight. They put the lyrics in
the booklet, so if what they're saying is important, you can decipher it. For
the most part, this is an album that death metal fans can enjoy. Actually, if
Christian rock annoys you, then you can still dig this because you can't really
tell what the singer's saying unless you read it. The Heathen Hippy gives it
three and a half black-leather clad angels. (Taliesin Govannon)
From the depths
of hell comes ‘Black Grimoire’, the latest from Blood Ritual. In the
intervening years between 1997's ‘In The Mountains of Madness’ and this, the
follow-up, the band has become a one-man show with Tim Bishop handling every
instrument. The results, however, are stunning. Starting off with a quote from
one of my favorite movies (‘In the Mouth of Madness’), the album seethes with an
ominous foreboding unmatched on any Black/Death Metal release this year. Tim
Bishop has taken his Satanic inspiration to new heights (depths?), making an
album full of pounding beats and annihilating riffs. The music is tight,
concise, and inventive. Of special interest is the 8-minute opening track
"Invocation of Satan", the evil "Destruction Ritual", and the assaulting
“Summoning the Unholy War. Bishop is no poser, being a genuine initiate of
Anton LaVey's Church of Satan, and so his infernal imagery goes beyond mere
Hollywood horror-clichés into genuine darkness. The Heathen Hippy gives it five
Enochian keys. (Taliesin Govannon)
This
is some real old school rap. And by old school I don’t mean Run DMC or
Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five. I’m talking Rudy Ray Moore, Parliament,
and, well, Blowfly himself. See, Blowfly goes back to the seventies, and along
with Rudy Ray Moore his party records helped lay the groundwork for rap.
Instead of electronic beats and samples, you get real live funk. And the
rapping itself is pretty simplistic by today’s standards. That’s fine with me,
though. Blowfly isn’t about showing off any special sort of mic skills. He’s
more interested in being funny (and usually scatological) as exemplified by
songs like “Blowfly For President” and “The Booty Bus”. But he’s got a
sensitive side, too, which comes out on the touching ballad “Your Precious Cunt”
(to the tune of “Unchained Melody”). In case you’re not sure what Blowfly is
about, song titles like “You’ve Got Your Dick on Backwards” and “Diggin’
Boogers” ought to make things clearer. There’s also a number of little skits in
between songs that add to the fun. Believe it or not, Blowfly is really
Clarence Reid, a songwriter who's penned hits for KC and the Sunshine Band among
others. Yeah, it’s tasteless and juvenile, and sure to offend delicate
liberal (and conservative) sensibilities, but the world needs that now and
then. (Bob Ignizio)