Dream Theater: Images and Words (1992)

Motion for Reconsideration
20th Anniversary

I first heard of Dream Theater from a music student at college. The band's fan base is composed less of metalheads and more of music students and guitar nerds. There's no mystery why that's the case: The band's musicians--who met at Berklee College of Music--are consistently named to be among some of the best in rock music.

So music geeks love them. But Metalheads, as a rule, hate them. Online discussions can be pretty contentious, given the extreme reactions they've inspired. Today is the 20th anniversary of the band's best-known album, Images and Words (March 28, 1992, per some sources, although other sources place it on July 7). I thought it would be a good time to examine the record's merits with as little bias as I can.

Black Pyramid: II (2012)

Better Than Gray Cylinder

Black Pyramid is a Massachusetts stoner doom band that I first learned about from a stellar review over at That’s How Kids Die. That article makes a distinction between “rock-influenced” metal bands and “metal-influenced” metal bands. The former are the only ones, it is argued, who can make their riffs swing.

Whether that distinction is true or not, Black Pyramid definitely know how to make it swing. Based purely on sound, it’s tough to place them geographically. I first thought of traditional doom via Finland, but then I thought they sounded more like southern swing. But then I thought, no, they sound English. The truth is, they’re not strictly following any one accepted formula, regional or otherwise.

Morne: Asylum (2011)

Review

Morne's Asylum is a strange listen for me. Josh Haun had some great observations about it--namely that it is "a search for the sublime through heaviness," in contrast to metal's usual preoccupation with the grotesque.

Sonically, the album fits mostly into a sludge metal framework. The guitar tone is pure sludge, as are the hoarse, caveman vocals. It also draws on doom and post-metal, with a slow tempo and wave after wave of subtly changing power chords. Keyboards dance quietly atop those waves, barely rippling the surface.

A Wanted Awakening: Rebirth (2011)

Summary Judgment

A Wanted Awakening describe themselves as a "melodic deathcore" band from Massachusetts. They asked me to review their new EP, Rebirth, and I warned them that I've never said anything positive about deathcore. They asked me to go ahead anyway.

I warned them.

The first time I listened to it, I got to the 1:09 mark in the first song, and turned it off. You see, I usually listen to an album at least three times before writing a review, but I decided I'd just put it off until I was ready to listen to it just once and then write the review.

I then started listening again, a few days later, and got to the 2:20 mark in the second song.

You see, we have nasally metalcore vocals, a guy who sounds like he needs to take laxatives because he's straining too hard, gang vocals, boring riffs, guitar nonsense that doesn't even qualify as riffs, and that's about all I can take. This doesn't even have any of the positive aspects that I did find when I reviewed Whitechapel or The Famine. Those were just boring, but this is annoying.

I find that a full trial is not necessary to issue judgment against the band in this case.

Godsmack: The Oracle (2010) Review

Godsmack has always inhabited that murky borderland between hard rock and heavy metal. Their 1998 debut incorporated obvious influences of two other groups which lived in that same region, White Zombie and Alice in Chains. In 2000, their sophomore release Awake saw them developing a more original, and decidedly more metal-oriented sound, and 2003's Faceless was more of the same, though slightly less inspired from a songwriting perspective.

Perhaps sensing a decline in their songwriting, the band recorded the all-acoustic EP The Other Side the following year (much like AiC). Without massive sound and distortion to hide behind, it forced them to approach songwriting differently. They used these lessons well on 2006's IV, which incorporated blues-rock elements. Though extremely well-written, that album didn't have quite the energy and punch Godsmack was known for; instead of leaning toward metal, it leaned much further toward rock.

After four long years of nothing but two new tracks (one original and one cover) and a compilation, The Oracle represents Godsmack's triumphant return. To prepare for this review I listened to it, then their entire back catalog, and then listened to it again.

Anyone put off by the relative mellowness of IV can breathe easy. The album has no acoustic tracks, and it's as heavy as their debut. At the same time, they've managed to keep the high-quality songwriting of their last album, including some of the bluesy parts. In fact, it seems they've drawn on all the elements that made their prior albums work, and built on top of it: compare "Time Bomb" to "Saints & Sinners", "Situation" to "What If?", the instrumental title track to "Vampires", "Make Me Believe" to "War & Peace", or "Speak" to "Cryin' Like a Bitch."

This is not to say they're simply rehashing old material; instead, it feels more like they've built a new album firmly on the foundation of their past. If you're looking for a truly new addition, "Devil's Swing" has a jazz scat kind of rhythm to it, and "Love-Hate-Sex-Pain" is a total original.

The production is also of much better quality than IV--more on par with Awake or Faceless. My only quibble is it seems like they've turned the instruments down slightly during the verses in favor of louder vocals.



The Verdict: The Oracle proves that the multi-platinum hard rock/metal band still has it. They've captured the songwriting prowess of IV and combined it with the heavy intensity of their debut. Because they don't explore much new territory, it's unlikely to win any new fans, but it will definitely please anyone who's already a fan. I have been one for 12 years now, so I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Rob Zombie: Hellbilly Deluxe 2 (2010) Review

Rob Zombie's newest album, Hellbilly Deluxe 2, came out today, and I'll be one of the first to get my thoughts out there (instead of waiting a year as it seems I usually do).

On the whole, it is a pretty standard Zombie album, which I think is what we really want from him. It's not really a musical continuation of 1998's Hellbilly Deluxe as it's billed, but instead is more in the vein of 2006's Educated Horses. It starts out with "Jesus Frankenstein," certainly one of his better tracks, and one which perfectly illustrates Mr. Zombie's clever sense of humor and knack for riding the edge of self-parody. "Sick Bubblegum" is both catchy and needlessly profane, so some will like it while some won't. It seems it's the only one with a lot of profanity, and was likely written that way to earn the "explicit" label. "What?" combines the circus obsession of early Zombie efforts like "Grease Paint and Monkey Brains" with the style he first explored on "The Scorpion Sleeps," and also adds an element of Ministry's "Jesus Built My Hotrod."

The first weak spot on the album is "Mars Needs Women," a thoroughly boring track, repetitive and unimaginative musically as well as lyrically. But things quickly pick up again with "Werewolf, Baby," a song which reminds me of "(Go To) California" and "Never Gonna Stop" from 2001's The Sinsiter Urge (my favorite post-White Zombie album in his catalog).

"Virgin Witch" and "Death and Destiny Inside the Dream Factory" come next, tracks I could do with or without.

"Burn" follows, a solid rock 'n roll style song with vocal embellishments not unlike scatting. It is a thoroughly enjoyable listen, and will likely please anyone who's a fan of "Foxy, Foxy." Next is "Cease To Exist," a more slow-rolling song and one without any parallel in Zombie's catalog.

My favorite of all, in terms of the humorous images conjured, is "Werewolf Women of the SS," built on the premise the Nazis engineered, well, werewolf women. It's also musically satisfying. Finally is "The Man Who Laughs," a song that it seems Zombie has done several times before--but there's no reason to change it up too much.

As I said, it follows in the vein of Horses rather than one of Zombie's better albums. It definitely has its high points, but it has enough low points in it to hurt the final result as an album. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.