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Music Reviews by Michael Caldwell

The Sword
Gods of the Earth
(Kemado Records)

With their sophomore invasion Gods of the Earth, The Sword don’t tinker much with the formula they stole from Black Sabbath. And why should they? That same formula was used to create their killer debut Age of Winters. Instead of tyring to re-invent the metal wheel, the Austin based quartet wisely focus on getting the details right. That’s where the Devil resides anyway, and the group has once again enlisted the Old Goat into their camp.

Blending mystical musings and precision-based Righteous Riffage (yes, with two capital “Rs”) Gods of the Earth plays like the soundtrack to the classic Conan the Barbarian comics. And what is best in metal? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women! Certainly, there is plenty of crushing, driving and wailing to be found.

The album’s opening salvo, the instrumental “The Sundering” evokes a swirling dust storm as the horde approaches. Indeed, until the last track, the charge seldom abates. Not since Iron Maiden has a group perfected such a ferocious gallop. “Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians,” the album’s single, is a prime example of The Sword’s mad cavalry charge. The tune is as overbearing as its title—and metal fans would have it no other way.

Other noteworthy tracks include the album’s seven-plus-minute epic, “The White Sea” and the groove-based “Maiden, Mother & Crone”. If there are faults to be found with the album, it’s that J.D. Cronise’s vocals don’t always match the might of his and Kyle Shutt’s guitars. Also a modicum of groove has been forsaken in favor of heavy hoofed trampling. But these are trifle complaints since only non metal heads and Philistines will fail to find glory in Gods of the Earth. — Michael Caldwell

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Ministry and Co-Conspirators
Cover Up
(13th Planet)

With their 2007 swansong release The Last Sucker Ministry finalize their shock and awe attack on George W. Bush and his administration. With lyrics such as Dick Cheney Son of Satan…You know he’s evil, he’s not of this race…He used a shotgun to blow off a face there is little doubt the band means business. Yet, perhaps all Bush bashing and no play was making Ministry’s main man Al Jourgensen a dull boy.

Proving they don’t take themselves too seriously, Jourgensen and his co-conspirators have issued an album of 11 covers. Yes, there are two paths you can go by with re-interpreting songs made popular by others. One is to ruin a perfectly good tune and waste everyone’s time. The other route is to create something equal or greater to the original which of course is a win-win. With Cover Up, Ministry travel mostly in the latter direction.

Two of the least obvious cover choices, The Rolling Stone’s “Under My Thumb” and “What a Wonderful World” perhaps most famously performed by Louis Armstrong don’t lend themselves well to Ministry-ization. Pretty melodies are not Jourgensen and company’s forte and both songs have strong melodies that, in this context, are underserved—though the guys get some credit for trying to stretch out. The surprising misfire is a fairly flat attempt at T-Rex’s “Bang A Gong.” Bob Dylan’s’ “Lay Lady Lay”, interestingly kind of works. Yet when Ministry tackles songs more rhythmically-based the listener finds a solid turn-it-up-and-drive ally. Golden Earring’s “Radar Love” and Deep Purple’s “Space Truckin’” have the right propulsion. But it’s “Black Betty” in the vein of Ram Jam and “Roadhouse Blues” that may instigate the smashing of windshields. Some tunes don’t warrant multiple listens but the ones that do will make nice additions to your “road trip mix”. — Michael Caldwell

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Mower

Not For You

( Suburban Noize)

Fearless and refusing to be pigeonholed, San Diego based metalcore act Mower concludes their second album with a cover of The Mama’s and the Papa’s “California Dreaming”. It sounds just like you’d imagine; but you’ve got to give Mower props for being ballsy. Led by the dual pronged attack of vocalists Dominic Moscatello and Brian Sheerin – think Flavor Flav’s treble to Chuck D’s bass, respectively (only more like Fear Factory) – Mower is sharpest when they stay truer to the trappings of their genre. Angry rocker “Road Rage” makes you want to drive right or go Mad Max on someone, while the industrial thump of “General Admission” hints at the group’s sizeable heart on stage. Power ballad “Broken Wings” sounds like a flaccid attempt to bring in the chicks–and along with “California Dreaming”–doesn’t really belong in the mix.

Produced by ex-Snot and Soulfly guitarist Mike Doling, the collection maintains a punk rock, hit-it and quit-it, brevity. Most songs run at or below the three-minute mark. In the case of the promising 1:15 minute instrumental “MPYP,” the abruptness does a disservice to the track’s good stoner groove.

Not For You seems very much like the album the band members wanted to make for themselves. No problem there, but once the group concentrates their diverse influences Mower may well make a cohesive album that will satisfy any aggressive music fan. —Michael Caldwell

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Powerman 5000
Destroy What You Enjoy
(Drt Entertainment)

A stark black background provides contrast to a white male face. Cropped from the snarling upper lip to the chest, the un-doctored photograph shows the man wearing a stainless steel chain link necklace—complete with actual padlock. His gray shirt has been stenciled with the word “Destroy”. Who says you can’t judge an album by its cover? It doesn’t take a musicologist to determine that the contents probably contain some in-your-face punk rock.

And indeed, on Powerman 5000’s seventh album “Destroy What You Enjoy” the group continues further along the punk rock path first tread on 2003’s “Transform.” Gone are the metal leanings of earlier albums that helped land the band tour slots with Marilyn Manson, Korn and Ozzfest. Gone are the sci-fi themes and industrial sound effects, which severed as a reminder that Rob Zombie is big brother to Spider (a.k.a. Michael Cummings) the group’s lead vocalist and sole original member. Gone are the space suits the guys used to don for live performances.

But that’s not to suggest the quintet (including Adrian Ost/drums, Siggy/bass, Johnny Heatley and Terry Corso/guitars) has become a one trick punk pony. With their eleven new offerings, Powerman 5000 reaches into a fairly sizeable bag of both rock and punk influences. Perhaps that is part of the meaning behind the album’s title. They’ve taken music they enjoy and destroyed it—in a sense–to create their own music.

“Now That’s Rock ‘N Roll” is an uptempo Billy Idol-esque romp with just a hint of Stone Temple Pilots, but then STP might have been channeling Idol. The catchy “All My Friends Are Ghosts,” with its big-shout-out chorus, driving guitars and loose high hat, might fit comfortably on a Foo Fighters album. The band even does a power pop impression with the album’s first single “Wild World.” Other tracks evoke the Sex Pistols, The Clash, 70’s glam rock, and even early Aerosmith. The only deviation from the rock format is the country ballad “Miss America.” The song’s title is a play on words, “Crap movies and shit TV/We got it all most definitely/ Lots of drugs and lots of guns/But no one seems to be having much fun/ You might miss America when it’s gone”. Closing out the album, the live and energetic “Heroes and Villains” gives listeners a hint at what a PM5K performance would sound like. And overall, “Destroy” sounds like a hit at Hot Topic locations. —Michael Caldwell

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Potluck
Straight Outta Humboldt
(Suburban Noize Records)

Remember when you and a friend bought your first bag of weed? Potluck’s third full-length platter Straight Outta Humbolt is an auditory flashback to that experience. Like the adrenaline rush of doing something potentially dangerous and illegal, there is an intrinsic excitement present on the album due to the hip hop group’s underground vibe and status. The rap duo of 1 Ton (originally from San Diego) and Underrated possess a do-it-yourself attitude that helps account for the album’s upbeat energy; particularly on the first three tracks, “Rock the World,” “Get High” and “Fire”. However, Potluck’s anthems are more suited to house parties than arenas and listeners may start to question their buzz when each of the first three offerings falls short of being a bona fide banger. You can almost hear your buddy asking, “Do you feel anything? Are you high?” Three lame skits—which should be illegal—increase the doubt.

Containing 22 cuts—no less than half about weed—Straight Outta Humbolt contains way too many seeds and stems and too few quality buds. The inclusion of notable friends, such as The Luniz, Tech N9ne and the Kottonmouth Kings, does little to spark things up. The few times Potluck emerges from the haze of “Mary Jane” and attempts greater depth, most notably with the personal expose of “My Life” and the questioning vulnerability of “Love Me,” it’s too late and too formulaic. One of the album’s green patches—where the sentiment is fully packed instead of half baked—is the smooth “Money Makes the World Go ‘Round.” Here Underrated reveals some thought provoking insight, “I hate money/Money make a mother fucker act funny/ Money separates me and you/ And you’re whack if you don’t drive a Beemer or a Benz/Sounds bad, but it’s true.”

Potluck has solid MC skills, and the album contains some decent production elements including the effective incorporation of rhythm guitars. But 1 Ton and Underrated need to find a new drug in order to stimulate greater lyrical originality. Just like that first bag of weed, the initial buzz provided from Straight Outta Humbolt might not be worth the ensuing headache. — Michael Caldwell

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