Album Review: Crobot - Something Supernatural (2014)

This is one of my newest favorites right here. I was first exposed to these guys in arguably the best way you can be exposed to any great band, which was seeing them perform live with hardly any idea what to expect. That performance was in September of 2015, when I saw them open for Anthrax and Motörhead at the Tower Theater in Philadelphia. Interestingly enough, this was a semi-local show for these guys as they hail from Pottsville, PA, a little under two hours northwest from Philly. Despite originating in what is arguably the capital city of Eastern Pennsyltucky, these guys blew me away with their psychedelic and distortion-heavy hard rock sound. When describing that sound to people since then, I tell them to imagine “a bluesier version of Audioslave with Myles Kennedy on vocals”. Those comparisons are based mostly on the phenomenal creativity of guitarist Chris Bishop, who plays like a humbler version of Tom Morello, and the powerful voice of singer Brandon Yeagley, whose stage presence is just as intense and dynamic as his vocals. Brothers Jake and Paul Figueroa are no slouches either though, both contributing unorthodox playing styles to the bass and drums respectively, giving the band’s rhythm section a fantastically groovy edge. Besides the band’s sheer talent, in a world overloaded with soft cookie-cutter hipster-baiting indie “rock” bands, it just makes me extremely happy to come across an indie band that actually knows how to rock the fuck out for a change.

So get your spirit ready to cross over...

1. Legend of the Spaceborne Killer

The opening song begins with a trippy intro that builds quickly to a sick crescendo of punchy guitar and a drum beat with plenty of crash cymbal. Then Brandon Yeagley’s vocals immediately kick in, and the song just keeps on blasting pure hard rock goodness from that point on. Tom Morello could take some serious pointers from this song on how to use extreme guitar effects in a more subtle fashion, as Chris Bishop precisely and sparingly sprinkles them in amongst the wall of beautiful noise. This also happened to be the opening song of the band’s Tower Theater set, and it had me hooked right from the opening riff. Check out the live video below to see why.

2. Nowhere to Hide

This is arguably the most “normal” rock song on the album, but it’s still very good. The use of guitar distortion really sounds great on this track, and of course one can’t overlook a great old school guitar solo.

3. The Necromancer

The unexpected use of a harmonica surprisingly melds into this faster paced track very well. The song is the first of many on the album to demonstrate the band’s unorthodox but awesome mix of old school heavy metal lyricism and psychedelic blues rock musicality.

4. La Mano de Lucifer

This song slows things down a bit with its bluesy rock ballad intro, but then the punchy distorted guitar returns, with more of Chris Bishop’s subtle guitar effects use throughout. The relaxed groovy guitar solo before the bridge is a nice highlight as well.

5. Skull of Geronimo

Here’s another song that kicks off with a slightly trippy intro that gives way to an instrumental onslaught. The rest of the song has a very enjoyable relaxed verse/heavy chorus pattern that brings to mind Audioslave’s self-titled debut album, particularly the song “Gasoline”. Brandon Yeagley’s high vocals are particularly awesome on this track.

6. Cloud Spiller

There are great groovy riffs in this song, and bizarre lyrics that would fit right into a song by Dio or a similar metal band with heavy mythology influences. But damn it if a grungy blues rock sound doesn’t work wonders with the subject matter. Actually, under the right circumstances “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” could easily be a metal song. Genre boundaries be damned, this song just kicks ass.

7. Fly on the Wall

Along with “Skull of Geronimo”, this song firmly establishes Crobot as the psychedelic bluesy second coming of Audioslave.

8. Night of the Sacrifice

This is a wicked groovy tune with dark Iron Maiden-like lyrics, and another Morello-esque effected guitar solo that doesn’t overstay its welcome.

9. Chupacabra

Things lighten up with this song, as it’s groovy riffs and campfire story-like lyrics give it a very fun vibe. There’s a very short guitar solo this time round, but it’s a fierce one.

10. Wizards

This track starts out dark and ominous like a doom metal song, but quickly gets back to the groovy side of things, which gives a less serious vibe to the Dio-like lyrics. In place of a true guitar solo, Chris Bishop’s guitar effects are overlapped with the doomy intro music and Brandon Yeagley’s wailing, and the results are pretty damn cool.

11. Queen of the Light

This is the song with the most serious tone on the album, a heavy psychedelic rock love ballad with great vocals courtesy of Brandon Yeagley.

12.Tap Dancin’ on a Tightrope

The original version of the album closes with this upbeat swinging rock tune. The distortion is toned way down compared to the rest of the album, giving the song a really loose and fun feel.

13. Full Moon Howl

The expanded “Full Moon Howl” version of the album takes its name from this extremely groovy track, an upbeat song with a slight Wizard of Oz theme.

14. Back at the Blackwoods

Brandon Yeagley’s harmonica returns on this groovy track, but it’s otherwise a pretty standard track as far as the rest of the album goes.

15. Weigh Me Down

This is one of the album’s more relaxed tracks, with a lot of entertaining guitar work from Chris Bishop in the verses. The song ends with a cool combination of heavy instrumentation and admirable vocal gymnastics from Brandon Yeagley.

16. Upon a Pale Horse

This track gives the listener a small taste of the band’s fantastic live chops. Musically it opens with some excellent traditional guitar soloing before switching back and forth between distorted and clean guitars for the rest of the song. Oddly enough the distortion and guitar effects sound smoother in this live recording than in most of the studio tracks, but it gives the song a very cool and relaxed jammy feel.

With their combination of excellent musicianship and their bold and energetic presence both onstage and on studio tracks, Crobot is one fantastic example out of a whole new wave of heavy indie rock bands, such as Royal Blood and Highly Suspect, who have recently started to leak through into the mainstream musical consciousness. With great talent, and influences rooted in classic rock and classic metal, one can only hope that in the coming years this new musical force reduces the incessant horde of hipster “rock” bands back to the mild-mannered obscurity they claim to enjoy reveling in. The world of rock and metal has plenty of walls that need shaking and heads that need banging, and bands like Crobot will be more than happy to oblige.

Top Three Tracks:

1. Skull of Geronimo

2. Legend of the Spaceborne Killer

3. La Mano de Lucifer

Album Review: The Alarm - Change (1989)

For those not too familiar with The Alarm, here’s a brief background. First of all, they hail from northern Wales, which is in the United Kingdom and not “England” as former New York City Mayor Ed Koch mistakenly claimed when he introduced them as the opening act for contemporaries U2 in June 1983. If you’re wondering how significant that seemingly minor error is, I’d like to point out that this is a band who took their Welsh cultural roots so seriously that they recorded and released a second version of both Change, and of the following album Raw, with vocals in the Welsh language (entitled Newid and Tân respectively). 

Considering that language spawned town names like this (yes it's a real place, I've been there), those albums got off easy...

On The Alarm’s fantastic first two albums, 1984’s Declaration and 1985’s Strength, they reflected this local roots mentality by combining the folk lyricism of Bob Dylan with the punk energy of the Sex Pistols, both of whom vocalist Mike Peters has cited as major influences. With their third album, 1987’s Eye of the Hurricane, the punk influence dropped out significantly as the band instead edged towards the synth-oriented new wave sound of their contemporaries such as The Smiths and the previously mentioned U2. The album isn’t inherently “bad”, (in fact most of its tracks are quite good), but it’s definitely something of an outlier compared to the rest of the band’s discography, and its probably for the best that the band ultimately didn’t hold onto that particular style. Instead, after their slight musical detour the band opted to give a more stripped down and traditional rock sound to their fourth studio album, and in continuing the descriptive theme of the first three album titles, the word “Change” ended up as the entirely appropriate name given to the excellent end result. With hardly any weak tracks to be found, there is a strange but stimulating sort of energy that’s carried within the album from beginning to end.

It’s been a long time coming, so let’s get started...

1. Sold Me Down the River

The album opener is one of the most straightforward rock songs of the band’s career, which may have helped it become one of the album’s two charting singles. While somewhat formulaic, the song has some serious blues rock edge, and on that note, the aggressive piano bits are an excellent touch.

2. The Rock

This track sounds like it might have been a leftover recording from the previous album, as it sounds very polished. Just like Eye of the Hurricane was the enjoyable outlier of the band’s discography, this song is an enjoyable outlier of this album.

3. Devolution Workin’ Man Blues

While it does kind of sound like “Sold Me Down the River: Part II” at some points, it’s still got an enjoyably catchy hook and a cool bluesy guitar solo to enjoy.

4. Love Don’t Come Easy

This light electric guitar and piano-driven ballad may sound similar to Bon Jovi (“Blaze of Glory” comes to mind), but in my opinion Mike Peters is a much more soulful vocalist.

5. Hardland

It’s at this point in the album that the songs start to really sound definitively like The Alarm. This song is a great example of the band’s ability to create songs that have serious weight without having to be musically “heavy”.

6. Change II

Yes, there was an original “Change I” recorded (and eventually a “Change III” on 2010’s Direct Action), but this is the version that ultimately became the pseudo-title track of the album. The song opens with the line “It’s been a long time coming and it’s good to be back,” which is fitting considering how much it sounds like a throwback to the first two albums. Overall, a great rock anthem that features even more aggressive piano.

7. No Frontiers

This track is another uplifting ballad-style song. It’s a quality song, but like “The Rock”, U2 fans may find it a little too musically similar to fully enjoy.

8. Scarlet

The overall dark vibe of this track is very cool, and sounds somewhat similar to something The Smiths might have recorded, though Mike Peters clearly has a much higher vocal range than Morrissey.

9. Where a Town Once Stood

This track opens with an absolutely brilliant guitar and piano based intro, and the aggressive piano remains strong throughout the whole song. This is my favorite track off the album, with some of my favorite Mike Peters vocals and lyrics. This song is just goddamn awesome.

10. Black Sun

This haunting track gives the criminally underrated Dave Sharp a chance to showcase some absolutely beautiful guitar playing. If I wasn’t such a cruddy drummer, I’d get in touch with this guy right now and ask him to join my band.

11. Prison Without Prison Bars

Dave Sharp’s simple but brain-searingly memorable opening guitar riff to this song was one of my favorites growing up, and I still think it’s killer. The keyboards add great ambience, especially on the extremely cool bridge portion, and Mike Peters is in great vocal and lyrical form on this track. An album highlight for sure.

12. How the Mighty Fall

I’ve always found this introspective ballad very relaxing with it’s slow pace, ambient keyboard segments, and choir-like choruses. On top of that, it contains yet another great Dave Sharp guitar solo, one of his best on the album.

13. Rivers to Cross

The Celtic orchestral elements in this track are an appropriate nod to the band’s roots, and also give the song a highly unique flavor that contrasts nicely with the rest of the album. This is folk rock from the right kind of folks.

14. A New South Wales

The album closes with this somber orchestral and choral piece, which laments the historical decline of Welsh industry and, indirectly, Welsh culture as well. On that note, it's definitely worth looking for the Welsh language version of this track as well, entitled "Hwylio Dros Y Môr". This song goes beyond rock music. This is pure art. To top everything off, as the last notes fade, the album ends with an audience’s applause. Perfect.

There really are no “bad” albums by The Alarm, as they never gained the fame and recognition of U2, The Smiths, or several of their other 1980s British new wave and alt-rock contemporaries, and therefore were never really compelled to alter their authentic and homegrown “folk-punk” sound too much to stay commercial. That integrity is probably a big reason why The Alarm has remained my own dad’s favorite band since the 80s, and I’m sure he’s very happy knowing that the appreciation has been passed down to the next generation. Today I would easily count The Alarm among my top ten favorite bands, or even quite possibly among my top five. This album is a big reason why.

Top Three Tracks:

1. Where a Town Once Stood

2. A New South Wales

3. Prison Without Prison Bars

Album Review: Motörhead - Bad Magic (2015)

As I previously described in more detail within this week’s editorial article, “Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll?”, after forty years spent almost constantly touring, as well as recording twenty-two studio albums, the end of Motörhead arrived in 2015 with the death of bassist and vocalist Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister at the age of 70. There’s not much to say about this album that will do it justice, but for the final album of any band this stands as one of the best. When I listen this album now I can’t help but feel that Lemmy, guitarist Phil Campbell, and drummer Mikkey Dee had some kind of unrecognized clairvoyance that subconsciously told them that this would end up being their final masterpiece, because it’s just so evident that they truly gave their all to the music.

VICTORIA AUT MORTE! ...Or as one would say in English:

1. Victory or Die

Motörhead’s final album kicks off with Lemmy furiously bellowing this song’s title as a kamikaze rock and roll battle cry. Immediately the guitars and drums blast off at such a brutal and thunderous pace, that one could easily imagine the band being aware that this entire album would end up being their grand finale. Whatever the case, this song is a perfect demonstration of how to start a fucking amazing rock or metal album.

2. Thunder & Lightning

The second track keeps up the speed and fury, kicking off with a fuzzy rapid-fire guitar riff that sounds like a throwback to the band’s legendary 1980 hit, “Ace of Spades”. Mikkey Dee’s endurance is the standout element here, as his drumming barely slows below the pace of machine gun fire for the entirety of the song.

3. Fire Storm Hotel

Things slow down, but they stay plenty heavy with this mid-tempo hard rock ballad that seemingly tells the tale of a hotel that burns down during a party, killing all of the guests. A perfect example of how Motörhead’s most kickass songs aren’t necessarily all fast ones, this song is a very enjoyable standout track.

4. Shoot Out All of Your Lights

The speed picks up once again with one hell of a double bass drum beat from Mikkey Dee, joined by the thundering guitar duo of Lemmy and Phil Campbell. This song is pure headbanger heaven.

5. The Devil

This track features a special appearance by guitarist Brian May of Queen, which is honestly one of the only possible ways to make a Motörhead song more awesome than it already is.

6. Electricity

This is another solid fast-paced song, with a quick shredding guitar solo from Phil Campbell. Nothing too special, but come on, its Motörhead. That’s special enough.

7. Evil Eye

This fast track has a dark occult-theme, which is actually somewhat of a rarity for Motörhead. Lemmy’s low growling choruses are a definite highlight.

8. Teach Them How to Bleed

Here’s another pretty standard Motörhead track... which is everyone else’s excellent of course.

9. Till the End

A deep and emotionally heavy song, even more so in hindsight. This song could be considered Lemmy’s self-composed musical epitaph of sorts, as he weaves a soulful reflection on life itself.

10. Tell Me Who to Kill

This is another upbeat and heavy Motörhead standard, in which Lemmy describes his ficticious side business as a heavy metal hitman.

11. Choking on Your Screams

Lemmy keeps the vocals low and guttural in this song, growling out extraterrestrial-themed lyrics that are reminiscent of Lemmy’s early days in the space rock band Hawkwind, at least in spirit if not sound.

12. When the Sky Comes Looking for You

Just one of many such songs in the band’s discography, this song stands as Lemmy’s final morality warning to the world, as he would soon reach the day he would leave it, with the clearest conscience of any mortal man.

13. Sympathy for the Devil

With this excellent cover of the Rolling Stones’ classic song, Lemmy, always a pragmatic fellow, definitely scored a few last minute points with the man downstairs. The song, album, and Motörhead’s 22-album discography ends with one last blazing guitar solo, as Lemmy bellows out “What’s my name?” The answer is LEMMY, then, now, and forever.

Everything louder than everything else. Rest in peace Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister (1945 - 2015) 

Top Three Tracks:

1. Victory or Die

2. Till the End

3. Fire Storm Hotel

Editorial: Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll?

“If you think you are too old to rock ‘n’ roll, then you are."

- Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister (1945 - 2015)

 

Lemmy's Final Performance 12/11/2016

After being a roadie for Jimi Hendrix in the late 1960s and spending three years playing bass in the space rock band Hawkwind, Lemmy formed the legendary hard rock band Motörhead in 1975. After forty years of nearly constant touring and recording, as well as similarly constant amphetamine and alcohol use, Lemmy’s health began to severely deteriorate in 2015, causing a few shows to be cut short or postponed. This was an extremely unnerving turn of events for the rock and metal community, as many couldn’t recall a previous time that Lemmy was unable to play a show. This collective incredulity was a clear indicator of the strength of this man’s legacy as an unyielding musician and individual, as well as the severity of his health issues. After a relatively short tour hiatus, Lemmy eventually soldiered on and completed the year’s touring, including a spectacular September 2015 performance at the Tower Theater in Philadelphia, PA, which I attended, and will cherish the memory of forever. 

After completing the final dates of the tour, Lemmy attended a 70th birthday celebration in Los Angeles, CA on December 13th, hosted by a small selection of the myriad rock and metal legends that he inspired. Two days later Lemmy’s health began to severely decline once again, prompting his manager Todd Singerman to get him to a hospital, where Lemmy underwent various scans and tests. On December 26th, two days after his actual 70th birthday, Lemmy was informed that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, with doctors predicting that he only had months to live. Two days later, on December 28th, 2015, Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister’s spectacular life was ended at the age of 70, by a combination of aggressive prostate cancer and congestive heart failure. Anyone who would doubt the fullness of Lemmy’s life should direct their attention to a May 2015 interview he gave to Classic Rock Magazine, wherein Lemmy stated, "Death is an inevitability, isn't it? You become more aware of that when you get to my age. I don't worry about it. I'm ready for it. When I go, I want to go doing what I do best. If I died tomorrow, I couldn't complain. It's been good."

I should note that at this point of writing the article, I had to take a lengthy break to regain my emotional composure before continuing. The facts are that this man died quickly, and clearly would have been satisfied with his life at the end, only weeks after successfully completing a challenging tour and attending a celebration of his immense artistic legacy. On top of that, I was lucky enough to witness a small piece of that legacy in person. With all of those positive factors at play, it may seem that writing about his death shouldn’t be as upsetting to me as it is, but for whatever reason, despite his spirit living on forever in his music and the people he inspired, it’s just really fucking tragic for me to consider that there’s one less guy like that in the world.

Lemmy is just one example of several aging rock stars who have passed away in the past few months, such as David Bowie, Glenn Frey, and Keith Emerson. The truth is that whether we want to accept it or not, our favorite bands that we and our parents grew up listening to are all facing the steady march of time. Just in the past year, I’ve seen three bands perform during what could likely be their final tours. Two of them, Rush and Black Sabbath, were previously aware of this and marketed the tours accordingly. In Rush’s case, the decision was based on maintaining both their professional and personal reputations. After forty years of extremely hard work and a reputation for musical excellence, band members Geddy Lee (age 62), Alex Lifeson (62), and Neil Peart (63) announced that 2015’s “R40” tour would be their last tour, or at least the last on such a scale, citing various mounting physical issues that threatened their playing abilities, as well as their desire to spend more time with their respective families. For a band who acquired so much respect and reverence during their career, for both their musical skills and artistic integrity, such a graceful exit was to be expected. 

A relatively short time later in 2015, heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath announced that they were embarking on the band’s definitive final tour, citing lead guitarist and sole constant member Tony Iommi’s declining ability to endure touring, due to his continued treatments for lymphoma. Despite failed efforts to bring founding drummer Bill Ward onboard, the remaining members clearly decided to go out with a bang, a mentality I witnessed first hand at New York’s Madison Square Garden this past February, as Iommi (68), Ozzy Osbourne (67), and Geezer Butler (66) put on a fantastic and energetic show filled with classic Black Sabbath songs. Ozzy in particular was still quite spry for a healthy 67 year old, let alone someone whose younger years were filled with so much debauchery. Ozzy has claimed that he will continue his solo career after Black Sabbath has officially disbanded, and judging by his vocal quality and physical presence at the MSG concert, it will continue for years to come.

...Which brings me to AC/DC, the third band who I saw perform in the past year who may now be on their last legs. Unlike Rush and Black Sabbath’s tours, there was little to no warning for the band or fans alike that this tour could be the band’s last. When I saw them perform in August 2015 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, the band had already lost two members within the past year. Rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young had been forced to retire in September 2014 after being diagnosed with dementia, which had all but destroyed his ability to perform. Only months after Malcolm was replaced by his nephew Stevie, longtime drummer Phil Rudd was replaced by Chris Slade after the former’s arrest on charges related to drugs and death threats. Still with vocalist Brian Johnson (68) and lead guitarist Angus Young (60) being the definitive driving forces of the band since 1980, I was left more than satisfied by the band’s stellar performance. But only months later in March 2016, the band announced that their tour would be postponed as Johnson had received doctor’s orders to stop performing immediately or risk permanent hearing loss. Oddly enough, according to Johnson this hearing loss was not due to his years of performing, but from misusing earplugs while enjoying his hobby of auto racing. Almost immediately a large amount of rumors started getting flung around by the music news media, covering everything from conflicting reports of Johnson’s actual condition, to the quite probable possibility of the band continuing with a replacement singer.

Rumors and bullshit aside, unless Johnson is truly unfit and/or unwilling to return, there is no good reason for AC/DC to simply replace him, especially under such short notice and with such an apparent lack of communication. Johnson not only stabilized the band after the death of original vocalist Bon Scott, he helped make the band’s following album the second highest selling album... of all time. I am obviously not aware of the band’s true intent or plans, and my analysis of the situation is not meant to be accusatory in tone, but I cannot comprehend how they could so quickly turn their backs on such a critical member of the band rather than wait and see how things play out. Both parties have offered few conclusive facts at this point, so any damning information is purely speculative, and ultimately the world will have to wait and see how this situation concludes.

So how long before other legendary acts are forced to call it a career, or even worse, chase the money too far and too long until they’re an embarrassing shadow of their former selves? Aside from the three bands I’ve discussed so far there were three other aging bands who I saw on their not-so-final tours in the past couple of years, and all three were truly inspiring to witness. The first was in October 2014, when Judas Priest turned the half-full PPL Center in Allentown, PA into a metal beacon of endurance and power. The band’s then 63-year-old vocalist Rob Halford, the Metal God himself, blew my mind (and the arena’s sound system almost) with vocals that would’ve been impressive for a man a third his age. Don’t believe me? See and hear the best example from that show for yourself (watch to the end): 

 

Just within the past month, I took a chance and bought a ticket to see the 50th anniversary tour of my favorite British Invasion band, The Who. This tour, while not explicitly referred to by the and as a final tour, but instead as a “long goodbye”, was postponed midway through for several months, after lead vocalist Roger Daltrey contracted viral meningitis in September 2015. I had previously decided not to buy a ticket to their November 2015 stop in Philadelphia, but after Lemmy’s death I was struck with the realization that if this was The Who’s last tour, I would never forgive myself for skipping it. Despite what my own mother would’ve had me believe (based on the band’s decade-old Super Bowl performance of all things), I was ultimately astounded and captivated by the vocal tenacity and stage presence of both Roger Daltrey and lead guitarist Pete Townshend, aged 72 and 71 respectively. From what I witnessed, no matter how many people try to dissuade me, I will always know that The Who, with no disrespect to the talents of the late drumming legend Keith Moon or bass master John Entwhistle, is a musical entity that deserves credit and respect for paying homage to the memory of their fallen members with dignity and grace, while also carrying the torch of rock and roll with passion and tenacity for over a half-century. The concert affected me like no concert before, or any concert for the foreseeable future I suspect, as I was literally brought to tears in the middle of “Love Reign o’er Me”. This was a song that I had never really taken much interest in previously, but now is one that I count among my favorite songs of not just The Who, but out of rock and roll’s entire history. Watch to the end:

 

The third aging band I saw, Iron Maiden, was the subject of rumors for the past several years concerning a potential end to the band, especially after their suspiciously titled 2010 album The Final Frontier. What was actually happening was the recording of the band’s most ambitious and longest album to date (over 92 minutes), The Book of Souls. While the album was released in September 2015, Iron Maiden, like The Who, had to postpone their tour until the beginning of 2016 due to their vocalist suffering a health problem. In Bruce Dickinson’s case though, that problem was a scary brush with tongue cancer, but after a successful operation to remove the offending tumor and several months off to allow recovery, the band launched into their 71-date worldwide tour with a vengeance. When I saw them at Madison Square Garden just a couple of weeks ago, Bruce’s voice didn’t seem fazed in the slightest, as his vocal ballistics propelled the crowd into a frenzy. The other five band members weren’t slouches either of course, giving phenomenal performances made more impressive by their ages. After the show, I was amazed even further when I realized that at age 57, Dickinson is actually the band’s youngest member, the oldest being drummer Nicko McBrain, who is approaching 64 and is still a drumming powerhouse. What I took away from the concert experience beyond the memories, was the uplifting knowledge that the collective members of Iron Maiden clearly aren’t planning on going away anytime soon, nor will their quality be declining. Video proof:

 

You might be asking by now, "So Colin, what’s the overall point you're trying to make in this article?" Well to be honest, I’m not even sure myself. I guess the closest answer is that I want to acknowledge the bitter truth that no band or performer will be around forever, but I also want to promote the mentality that we need to support and enjoy the bands we love while they are still around, and still worth our respect. We owe that to them, but we owe it even more to ourselves. Besides Lemmy’s death, I guess the biggest reason why my otherwise happy and inspiring memories from that Motörhead concert cause me so much grief, is because I know there are so many alive right now, and so many who have yet to be born, who will never ever see that incredible man or that incredible band play. Eventually that will also be the case with The Who, Black Sabbath, Rush, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, etc. And as the untimely deaths of performers like Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Freddie Mercury, Kurt Cobain, Layne Staley, Dimebag Darrell, and very recently Scott Weiland prove, it’s never really a sure thing for any performer that you can “just see them next time”, regardless of their age. I learned that the hard way regarding Scott Weiland. His sudden drug-induced death at the age of 48 hit me particularly hard, as the music he created with Stone Temple Pilots made up a major portion of my childhood’s soundtrack, yet for some inexplicable reason I never took the opportunity to see him perform. So if you’ve been debating whether or not you should go to that upcoming show to see one of your favorite musicians perform, I’ll end the debate for you right now with the only correct answer there is: GO. 

Pick the lifelong memories over the lifelong regrets. It’s what Lemmy would’ve wanted.

Album Review: Soundgarden - Superunknown (1994)

This is one of my all time favorite albums, from my absolute favorite band. Soundgarden’s name is a fitting one, indicative of a band with a varied and exciting musical evolution throughout their career. Formed in 1984, they soon became one of Seattle, Washington’s premiere bands, and in 1988 became the first “grunge” band to sign with a major record label, three years before Nirvana’s Nevermind gave the scene worldwide popularity. After three excellent studio albums that each had a fairly consistent sound that heavily reflected influences like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, the band took a more experimental, slightly psychedelic approach with their fourth. Aside from the combined force of Chris Cornell’s unparalleled vocals and Kim Thayil’s unorthodox guitar work, much of the brilliance of the album lies in how all of songs sound like they belong together, but each also has something interesting to offer as a standalone track.

So feel the rhythm with your hands and let’s get started... 

1. Let Me Drown 

The album opener gets things grooving right out of the gate with a great Kim Thayil guitar riff. This riff, as well as the rest of the song, makes a clear statement that there will be plenty of Soundgarden’s signature mix of heavy grunginess on this album, but in a much more polished and refined form. And that’s just fine.




2. My Wave 

For some inexplicable reason, I used to not like this song. Perhaps that’s because it’s one of the lighter and more upbeat tracks on the album and doesn’t quite blend in with the others. At any rate, it’s grown on me a lot recently. It’s groovy as hell, and has some more great Thayil guitar work.




3. Fell on Black Days 

Things really start getting good here. Fantastic actually. This track’s wonderfully dark guitar riff is a major component of one of the most well-composed Soundgarden songs overall, but this isn’t the only factor at work. Long revered for the higher and rougher end of his extensive vocal range, Chris Cornell’s clean mid-range vocals are really given a chance to shine on this track. Throw in a cool Kim Thayil guitar solo hidden in the bridge, and you’ve got a track that blends Soundgarden’s metal and alternative rock sensibilities into a beautifully melancholy package.




4. Mailman
This track is something of a throwback to the grittier Soundgarden tracks of earlier albums, particularly their previous album Badmotorfinger. However the mix of Cornell’s softer clean vocals over the heavy guitar establishes that while the band is comfortable with their roots, this album represents a step forward in their overall sonic evolution.




5. Superunknown

This is one of the trippier songs on the album, and the first to give the higher end of Cornell’s vocal range center stage. On top of that, it also includes one of the best and most frenetic Kim Thayil guitar solos in any Soundgarden song, past or future.




6. Head Down

This is a relaxing song that slows down the album’s pace just the right amount, and its experimental sound foreshadows the overall vibe of Soundgarden’s following album Down on the Upside. Just because it’s slower doesn’t mean it’s boring though, as it had several points where the combined instruments sound like they could go off the rails at any moment, but never actually do. Bonus points for drummer Matt Cameron getting a chance to show off a bit with a short drum solo during the outro.




7. Black Hole Sun

In terms of the “signature” songs for the major Seattle grunge bands, this is certainly the best, or at least significantly better than “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. One of the more psychedelic songs of the album, the guitar isn’t as heavily pronounced, which adds to the song’s uniqueness. This is stoner rock at its finest, with another great guitar solo to boot.




8. Spoonman

A clear leading candidate for my favorite Soundgarden song of all time, every time I hear it I find a new favorite part of it. Any time that opening riff kicks in, no tabletop, car dashboard, etc. is safe from my hands. The song is infectiously groovy, with a great off time drum pattern and some really cool guitar work. Chris Cornell’s vocals bring it all home, and the song even takes time for, I shit you not, a spoons solo from the titular character, famed local Seattle street musician "Artis the Spoonman".




9. Limo Wreck

A great track with some great slow burn guitar riffs. This song gives Chris Cornell another chance to exercise his vocals as he carries the verses with his middle range before blasting off into the higher range for some soaring choruses.




10. The Day I Tried to Live

This is yet another really well-composed song, with verses that meld the drum grooves of Matt Cameron with the bass guitar of Ben Shepard with the restrained electric guitar of Kim Thayil with the low vocals of Chris Cornell perfectly. Then there are some more soaring choruses driven by Cornell’s higher range. What’s not to like?




11. Kickstand

This is a very short upbeat track that demonstrates how even when Soundgarden are clearly goofing around, they’re still excellent musicians.




12. Fresh Tendrils

In terms of its composition, this track is sort of like the mellower version of “Outshined” from Badmotorfinger, with enjoyably groovy and relaxed verses and choruses. Chris Cornell’s vocals are decidedly less intense on this song than its earlier counterpart, but are still undeniably excellent.




13. 4th of July

This is a haunting, dark, and beautifully distorted track, which is simultaneously unsettling and soothing. Chris Cornell’s low-range and high-range vocals layered to great effect, and the lyrics are as evocative as they are vague, referencing anything from nuclear war to the rapture depending on your interpretation. Whatever the meaning, this is certainly the kind of music I hope to hear at the end of the world.




14. Half

This is another example of the band messing around. It’s an enjoyably trippy track but unlike “Kickstand” this is an extremely weak standalone track, and the album’s only discernible weak spot.




15. Like Suicide

The closing track on the original release of the album, and the closest thing it has to a ballad. As far as album closers go this is a strong one, with great interplay between the guitars and drums.




16. She Likes Surprises

This is technically a bonus track on certain versions of the album, but one that I believe deserves to be part of the album, as it’s simply too well put together of a song to not be included. I would’ve stuck it between “The Day I Tried to Live” and “Kickstand”, or maybe just replaced “Half” with it. 




Superunknown may be my favorite album that was released by my favorite band, but it also represents a crucial turning point in the band’s musical direction, as their subsequent albums contained much less heavy metal influence and instead leaned more towards an experimental alternative rock feel. Aside from the impeccable talents of all four members, the variety of song styles and tones contained on this album are its biggest selling point, and it’s truly a treat to listen to, whether as a whole or split into it’s individual tracks.

Top Three Tracks:
1. Spoonman
2. 4th of July / Fell on Black Days (tie)
3. Superunknown / Black Hole Sun (tie)