Note<\/i> – alternate page: http:\/\/reviewermagazine.com\/rvur38music-michael-caldwell-1.html<\/p>\nMusic Reviews by Michael Caldwell<\/h1>\n
The Sword<\/b>
\n Gods of the Earth<\/i>
\n (Kemado Records)<\/p>\n
With their sophomore invasion Gods of the Earth, The Sword don\u2019t 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\u2019s where the Devil resides anyway, and the group has once again enlisted the Old Goat into their camp.<\/p>\n
Blending mystical musings and precision-based Righteous Riffage (yes, with two capital \u201cRs\u201d) 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.<\/p>\n
The album\u2019s opening salvo, the instrumental \u201cThe Sundering\u201d 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. \u201cFire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians,\u201d the album\u2019s single, is a prime example of The Sword\u2019s mad cavalry charge. The tune is as overbearing as its title\u2014and metal fans would have it no other way.<\/p>\n
Other noteworthy tracks include the album\u2019s seven-plus-minute epic, \u201cThe White Sea\u201d and the groove-based \u201cMaiden, Mother & Crone\u201d. If there are faults to be found with the album, it\u2019s that J.D. Cronise\u2019s vocals don\u2019t always match the might of his and Kyle Shutt\u2019s 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. \u2014 Michael Caldwell<\/p>\n
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Ministry and Co-Conspirators
\n Cover Up
\n (13th Planet)<\/p>\n
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\u2026You know he\u2019s evil, he\u2019s not of this race\u2026He 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\u2019s main man Al Jourgensen a dull boy.<\/p>\n
Proving they don\u2019t 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Two of the least obvious cover choices, The Rolling Stone\u2019s \u201cUnder My Thumb\u201d and \u201cWhat a Wonderful World\u201d perhaps most famously performed by Louis Armstrong don\u2019t lend themselves well to Ministry-ization. Pretty melodies are not Jourgensen and company\u2019s forte and both songs have strong melodies that, in this context, are underserved\u2014though the guys get some credit for trying to stretch out. The surprising misfire is a fairly flat attempt at T-Rex\u2019s \u201cBang A Gong.\u201d Bob Dylan\u2019s\u2019 \u201cLay Lady Lay\u201d, 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\u2019s \u201cRadar Love\u201d and Deep Purple\u2019s \u201cSpace Truckin\u2019\u201d have the right propulsion. But it\u2019s \u201cBlack Betty\u201d in the vein of Ram Jam and \u201cRoadhouse Blues\u201d that may instigate the smashing of windshields. Some tunes don\u2019t warrant multiple listens but the ones that do will make nice additions to your \u201croad trip mix\u201d. \u2014 Michael Caldwell<\/p>\n
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\n Mower<\/b>
\n Not For You<\/i>
\n ( Suburban Noize)<\/p>\n
Fearless and refusing to be pigeonholed, San Diego based metalcore act Mower concludes their second album with a cover of The Mama\u2019s and the Papa\u2019s \u201cCalifornia Dreaming\u201d. It sounds just like you\u2019d imagine; but you\u2019ve got to give Mower props for being ballsy. Led by the dual pronged attack of vocalists Dominic Moscatello and Brian Sheerin \u2013 think Flavor Flav\u2019s treble to Chuck D\u2019s bass, respectively (only more like Fear Factory) \u2013 Mower is sharpest when they stay truer to the trappings of their genre. Angry rocker \u201cRoad Rage\u201d makes you want to drive right or go Mad Max on someone, while the industrial thump of \u201cGeneral Admission\u201d hints at the group\u2019s sizeable heart on stage. Power ballad \u201cBroken Wings\u201d sounds like a flaccid attempt to bring in the chicks\u2013and along with \u201cCalifornia Dreaming\u201d\u2013doesn\u2019t really belong in the mix.<\/p>\n
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 \u201cMPYP,\u201d the abruptness does a disservice to the track\u2019s good stoner groove.<\/p>\n
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. \u2014Michael Caldwell<\/p>\n
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Powerman 5000<\/b>
\n Destroy What You Enjoy<\/i>
\n (Drt Entertainment)<\/p>\n
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\u2014complete with actual padlock. His gray shirt has been stenciled with the word \u201cDestroy\u201d. Who says you can\u2019t judge an album by its cover? It doesn\u2019t take a musicologist to determine that the contents probably contain some in-your-face punk rock.<\/p>\n
And indeed, on Powerman 5000\u2019s seventh album \u201cDestroy What You Enjoy\u201d the group continues further along the punk rock path first tread on 2003\u2019s \u201cTransform.\u201d 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\u2019s lead vocalist and sole original member. Gone are the space suits the guys used to don for live performances.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s 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\u2019s title. They\u2019ve taken music they enjoy and destroyed it\u2014in a sense\u2013to create their own music.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow That\u2019s Rock \u2018N Roll\u201d 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 \u201cAll My Friends Are Ghosts,\u201d 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\u2019s first single \u201cWild World.\u201d Other tracks evoke the Sex Pistols, The Clash, 70\u2019s glam rock, and even early Aerosmith. The only deviation from the rock format is the country ballad \u201cMiss America.\u201d The song\u2019s title is a play on words, \u201cCrap 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\u2019s gone\u201d. Closing out the album, the live and energetic \u201cHeroes and Villains\u201d gives listeners a hint at what a PM5K performance would sound like. And overall, \u201cDestroy\u201d sounds like a hit at Hot Topic locations. \u2014Michael Caldwell<\/p>\n
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Potluck<\/b>
\n Straight Outta Humboldt<\/i>
\n (Suburban Noize Records)<\/p>\n
Remember when you and a friend bought your first bag of weed? Potluck\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s upbeat energy; particularly on the first three tracks, \u201cRock the World,\u201d \u201cGet High\u201d and \u201cFire\u201d. However, Potluck\u2019s 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, \u201cDo you feel anything? Are you high?\u201d Three lame skits\u2014which should be illegal\u2014increase the doubt.<\/p>\n
Containing 22 cuts\u2014no less than half about weed\u2014Straight 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 \u201cMary Jane\u201d and attempts greater depth, most notably with the personal expose of \u201cMy Life\u201d and the questioning vulnerability of \u201cLove Me,\u201d it\u2019s too late and too formulaic. One of the album\u2019s green patches\u2014where the sentiment is fully packed instead of half baked\u2014is the smooth \u201cMoney Makes the World Go \u2018Round.\u201d Here Underrated reveals some thought provoking insight, \u201cI hate money\/Money make a mother fucker act funny\/ Money separates me and you\/ And you\u2019re whack if you don\u2019t drive a Beemer or a Benz\/Sounds bad, but it\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n
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. \u2014 Michael Caldwell<\/p>\n
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