Gary Moore – Live At Montreux Jazz Festival 2010
Lessons > CD/DVD
Gary Moore – Live At Montreux Jazz Festival 2010By Luke Dennis
January 23rd, 2012
Though his passing earlier this year registered as little more than a blip in Rolling Stone, the loss of Gary Moore proved all too heavy to the rock world. Moore wielded his guitar mastery for more than four decades, lending searing solos and riffs to a dizzying line-up of projects. While he never enjoyed a tenure for more than a few albums with any one outfit, he’s rubbed shoulders with Thin Lizzy, the Traveling Wilburys, Albert King, and even Andrew Lloyd Webber. Rest assured you’ve heard his playing, if not from his own hands, then through the many guitar heroes… (Continue)
Mastodon – The HunterBy Luke Dennis
October 27th, 2011
Mastodon set the bar dizzyingly high with 2009’s Crack the Skye. Following a trio of element-themed records, their ‘air’ album married brutal riffs and brain-melting production with themes of astral projection, Rasputin’s possession of a crippled boy’s soul, and the fall of Tsarist Russia. But the announcement of their follow-up album The Hunter came with a trio of concerns. 1: How could they possibly top the iron-knuckled, vision quest that was Crack the Skye? 2: Why the hell is Dr. Dre’s bass player and Maroon 5’s producer Mike Elizondo manning the mixing board? And 3: What would the theme be… (Continue)
Opeth – HeritageBy Luke Dennis
October 3rd, 2011
Mikael Åkerfeldt doesn’t growl at all on Opeth’s new album Heritage. One could assume he left that duty to his diehard fans who still bemoan the titular sea change of 2008’s Watershed; while several songs sparked a familiar din, they were largely drowned out to faithful ears by the dabbling of female duets and piano-led balladry. But in brash assertion of that album’s bold explorations, Heritage further distances the band from their death metal roots. The album is less a recitation of their extreme Pixies-prescribed ‘loud-quiet-loud’ and more ‘piano-overdrive-flute.’ If Watershed was the sound of a revered metal band edging into… (Continue)
The Human Abstract – Digital VeilBy Zach Pino
August 4th, 2011
Technical and progressive metal quintet The Human Abstract may have fallen off the metal community’s radar over the past few years, but their third album, Digital Veil, eliminates any doubt regarding their musical ability and staying-power in the progressive metal genre. With a revamped lineup and a new label, the dense, concise, melodic, heavy, and melancholic Digital Veil is a strong comeback record for The Human Abstract; it’s the album longtime fans have been waiting for. Crank up your speakers or listen closely with headphones, and expect to enjoy 42 minutes of impressive shredding and classically influenced metal, complete with… (Continue)
Unexpect – Fables Of The Sleepless EmpireBy Evan Berry
July 6th, 2011
Up until now, purchasing an Unexpect record has felt like buying a shiny golden ticket to a nameless theater your friends and family have never heard of. Entering this decaying and dimly lit auditorium, you are greeted by a mechanical usher, who guides you to the center seat. Once the lights go down and the curtain rises, you realize you are alone, and a gruesome spectacle of chaos begins before your eyes. At times, the play becomes so disorienting and disturbing that part of you wants to leave, but something about this absurdity keeps you glued to your seat. You… (Continue)
Between the Buried and Me – The Parallax: Hypersleep DialoguesBy Jamie Anderson
April 12th, 2011
Between the Buried and Me have again managed to warp all preconceived notions of the metal genre with their new EP The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues. The word ‘progressive’ comes to mind when first listening to this album, but categorizing the EP as progressive metal couldn’t be further from the truth. The three-song, 30-minute long EP displays BTBAM’s ability to move seamlessly through different musical genres, all the while making each of them their own. In contrast to their last release The Great Misdirect, Hypersleep Dialogues brings back the classic heavy sound BTBAM grew famous for in earlier works like their… (Continue)
Turisas – Stand Up And FightBy Evan Berry
April 11th, 2011
Compared to most bands in the folk/Viking metal world, Turisas’s understanding and control of complex harmonic structures and unique melodic writing is exceptional. This, combined with live orchestral instrumentation and a spectacular mix, makes Stand Up And Fight more developed than either of their past releases, and arguably more mature sounding than most other releases in the genre. In spite of all this, a listen through the album’s entirety begs the question: does a more professional and pristine recording make it a better one? At times, Stand Up And Fight is more reminiscent of a film score than a metal… (Continue)
Falkenbach – TiuridaBy Evan Berry
March 1st, 2011
Originality is hard to come by in the vast realm of folk metal. Although the music can certainly be catchy and undeniably fun, the essence of the word ‘folk’ is seemingly lost within much of the culture. This is why Falkenbach mastermind Vratyas Vakyas’s understanding of, and dedication to, traditional folk music sets Falkenbach at the top of the pack. The first Falkenbach demo Havamal (1989) was purely clean folk music, and although the compositions have since been infused with metal touches, Falkenbach’s latest release arguably keeps closer ties to folk music than it does heavy metal. If any band… (Continue)
Motörhead – The Wörld is YoursBy Rae Amitay
February 25th, 2011
With many bands trying too hard to reinvent their image and sound, it’s refreshing to come across such consistency. The Wörld is Yours, Motörhead’s twentieth studio album, has no surprises in store for listeners, but instead pays homage to the signature sound Lemmy and comrades have created over the past three decades: momentous rock n’ roll that is free of pretention, and full of energy and passion. The album begins with the thundering anthem ‘Born To Lose.’ Drummer Mikkey Dee opens up the song before being joined by guitarist Phil Campbell and, of course, the indestructible and utterly incomparable Lemmy Kilmister. At… (Continue)
Agalloch – Marrow Of The SpiritBy Rae Amitay
February 9th, 2011
As one of the greatest bands you’ve probably never heard of, Agalloch has been changing the landscape of the metal genre since their formation in Portland, Oregon in 1995. While their discography is limited to four full-length albums and a handful of EP’s, their work is thought-provoking, beautifully crafted, and innovative. Stemming from early roots in black metal with the self-released 1997 EP, From Which of This Oak, they have consistently evolved their sound with each subsequent album. Unlike many of their black metal contemporaries, Agalloch does not worship Satan, rather, they have a reverence for nature which conveys itself… (Continue)
Kylesa – Spiral ShadowBy Luke Dennis
December 30th, 2010
Remember the days when all that was heavy could be traced geographically? The Bay Area forged titans of thrash, the East Coast staked a claim on hardcore, the Nordic countries were painting it black so it wouldn’t get lost in the snow, and The New Wave of British Heavy Metal sailed beneath the Union Jack. While such territorialism didn’t necessarily ensure unwavering quality, it imbued the scenes with an immutable identity. Musical borders were drawn and patches were worn on leather jackets like emblems on military uniforms. The modern digital age has all but scrubbed these lines from the sand… (Continue)
The Orb Featuring David Gilmour – Metallic SpheresBy Luke Dennis
November 4th, 2010
Alex Paterson is an unsung audio chemist. As the main brain of the musical collective known as The Orb, he first dosed the music scene back at the dawn of the nineties with a potent cocktail of house, dub, and electronic ambience. But while the scene he helped to define continues to branch off and redefine itself through a macrocosm of subspecies, Paterson remains the aural physician that prescribed so many of those now disparate elements as a single unified agent. By taming the aggressively infectious grooves of house music with slower tempos, the band found a new space into… (Continue)
Iron Maiden – The Final FrontierBy Luke Dennis
October 18th, 2010
The Law of Aging Metal Bands would dictate that Iron Maiden, now in its 35th year, should be long excused from the artistic role call. The paradigm dictates that a handful of their top tunes should be treading water in classic rock playlists as the members themselves retire to a pension of VH1 reality show appearances. Fortunately for us, Iron Maiden is not your average aging metal band. While their fans may be just as happy to see them tour every year with a set of greatest hits from two decades ago, the band continues to release and perform new… (Continue)
The Robert Cray Band – Cookin’ In MobileBy Chris Dingman
August 23rd, 2010
Release Date: July 27, 2010 After decades of serving up smooth, soul-infused blues, singer and master guitarist Robert Cray has at last released a live DVD to give viewers at home the chance to experience one of music’s classiest acts. Fortunately for us, Cray made sure to get things done right. The camera work is excellent, with edits lingering long enough on individual shots to spotlight the playing. His creative chord voicings, which help elevate excellent songs like ‘Our Last Time,’ ‘One In The Middle’ and ‘Time Makes Two’ are well-framed by the skilled camera crew. Cray’s distinctively Stratty guitar playing is outstanding,… (Continue)
Steve Morse & Sarah Spencer – AngelfireBy Chris Dingman
August 10th, 2010
Release Date: August 10, 2010 Throughout Steve Morse’s memorable career he has written music that draws on hard rock, country, British fusion and baroque classical. Angelfire, the debut album from his latest project of the same name, finds Morse applying his gifts to yet another genre: acoustic vocal music. Morse and his partner in Angelfire, the talented Sarah Spencer, share a powerful musical chemistry. Drawing on his experience with instrumental music, Morse creates compelling progressions for songs like ‘What Made You Think?’ that bring Spencer’s strong melodies to life. For her part, Spencer’s flowing delivery drives reflective songs like the… (Continue)
Finntroll – NifelvindBy Evan Berry
March 18th, 2010
The trolls have returned from the depths of the Finnish swamps, releasing their most wicked and whimsical offering yet. Nifelvind surely packs in more variety and pure insanity into their clearly defined and positively infecting sound. Since their debut, Finntroll has always cleared their own path in the realm of the vast folk metal scene, incorporating their native style of Humppa music into the brutality of heavy metal. Nifelvind continues this sound, but begins to expand more boundaries than any of its predecessors. On Nifelvind, we begin to hear sounds and influences rarely present on past releases. After a familiar… (Continue)
God of War III: Blood & Metal EPBy Chris Dingman
February 13th, 2010
Release Date: March 2, 2010 If any game deserves to have a soundtrack written for it featuring some of today’s leading metal bands, that game is God of War III. Five years ago, the first God of War shattered the gaming world by incorporating everything awesome about action/adventure games into a cinematic gaming experience that pushed the PS2 to its technical limits and, more importantly, allowed players to brutalize their enemies in the most visceral ways imaginable. Now, Sony is poised to release God of War III, the first entry in the series to hit the PS3, and a host of… (Continue)
Katatonia – Night Is The New DayBy Chris Dingman
January 14th, 2010
Release Dates: November 2, 2009 (Europe)/November 10, 2009 (North America) Katatonia have been honing their brooding brand of rock for years. Originally formed as a doom metal band in 1991, the group began to shift direction after several albums as singer Jonas Renske began to employ clean vocals in place of growls. With transitional support from Opeth’s Mikael Akerfeldt, who performed the extreme vocals on 1996’s Brave Murder Day and 1997’s Sounds Of Decay, Katatonia started exploring the bleak, atmospheric recesses of rock – a journey that has led to 2009’s outstanding Night Is The New Day. From the foreboding… (Continue)
Richie Kotzen – Peace SignBy Chris Dingman
November 10th, 2009
Release Date: September 9, 2009 Richie Kotzen’s latest offering, Peace Sign, once again showcases the distinctive blend of styles that has won the virtuoso guitarist fans worldwide. The twelve-track album is divided into three equal sections: rock, soul/funk, and pop balladry. Because of the album’s track sequencing, it starts very strong, though the flow drags during the four ballads that close the disc. Kotzen’s choice of tones further distinguishes the styles, from the thunderous single-coil sound that opens ‘Long Way From Home’ and the angry saturation of his ‘My Messiah’ rhythms, to the buzzy riff tones on ‘We’re All Famous’… (Continue)
Eric Johnson – Anaheim DVDBy Chris Dingman
March 18th, 2009
Release Date : November 11, 2008 As any Eric Johnson fan knows, a new release from the legendary Texan is cause for celebration. A guitarist known for his lush array of tones as much as for his articulate, fretboard-scaling lines, Johnson also possesses one of the most discerning ears in the business, and as his own producer chooses only the best of his material to release to the public. This uncompromising standard has applied not only to Johnson’s studio albums, but to his live video releases, as well – his famous 1988 appearance on PBS’ Austin City Limits was released… (Continue)
Opeth – WatershedBy Chris Dingman
July 16th, 2008
Release Date: June 3, 2008 With each album Opeth have released since their first album in 1995, they have been perfecting their combination of extreme metal’s brutality and progressive rock’s complex song structures and harmonies. Singer, guitarist, and mastermind Mikael Åkerfeldt’s band first attracted the attention of the broader metal community with 2001’s Blackwater Park, which benefited from the producing expertise of Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson – who finally gave Opeth’s rich music the sonic power it deserved. With Wilson’s help, Opeth explored and expanded the mellower side of their sound on 2003’s Damnation, after becoming heavier than ever on parts… (Continue)
Richie Kotzen – Go FasterBy Chris Dingman
May 19th, 2008
Release Date: August 21, 2007 Former Poison and Mr. Big guitarist Richie Kotzen has matured gracefully in the years since he entered the scene in 1989 as a budding six-string virtuoso on Mike Varney’s Shrapnel Records. Since adopting Fender instruments in the early 90’s, Kotzen has developed two signature guitars with Fender Japan that consistently rank amongst their best-selling models. Kotzen has been pumping out quality solo material and playing to adoring crowds worldwide for years. Kotzen’s latest offering (called Go Faster here in the US, and Return Of Mother Head’s Family Reunion in the rest of the world) is a… (Continue)
Joe Satriani – Professor Satchafunkilus and the Musterion of RockBy Chris Dingman
April 10th, 2008
Release Date: April 1, 2008 Joe Satriani has been in the business of making memorable instrumental guitar rock for more than two decades. After helping to bring the genre into the mainstream in the late 80’s with his seminal 1987 album Surfing with the Alien, Satriani has taken detours to fuse numerous other genres with his core style. For instance, he introduced some bluesy fusion into his sound on his self-titled 1995 album, as well as elements of electronic music on the unexpected Engines Of Creation in 2000. Throughout his experimentation, he has always retained a distinctive voice both as… (Continue)
Meshuggah – obZenBy Charlie Shaughnessy
February 20th, 2008
Release Date: March 11th, 2008 The little preview I got of “Bleed” a few weeks prior to receiving my promo copy of obZen was not enough to prepare me for the musical density of Meshuggah’s latest thrill-ride. It’s quite a task to accurately describe the musical content of a group like this. To say the least, fans will be pleased to know that the band has stuck to their sound and even incorporated some of their roots in this new album. Though by this point most of us are so used to the crushing sound of eight-string guitars methodically playing… (Continue)
Hate Eternal – Fury And FlamesBy Jimmy Gately
February 19th, 2008
Release Date: February 19th, 2008 Hate Eternal have once again proven that they are the King of all Kings. After facing several dilemmas last year including the departure of drummer Derek Roddy, the possibility of canceling a tour, and the passing of fellow friend and ex-band mate Jared Anderson, guitarist/vocalist Erik Rutan has returned with a new line up, a new label and a new album, entitled Fury & Flames. This album clocks in at 40 minutes even and it never stops. Musically, the album is vicious, brutal and relentless. Rutan is a master of dissonant and twisted melodies yielding… (Continue)
Ayreon – 01011001By Charlie Shaughnessy
January 7th, 2008
Release Date; Jan. 29th, 2008 Arjen Lucassen never ceases to amaze, and nothing changes with the latest Ayreon masterpiece. Ayreon – 01011001 (or Y) is split up into two parts – Planet Y and Earth. Lyrically, the album is a bit less straightforward than his previous work, The Human Equation. While it was pretty obvious what the story behind THE was, it may be a bit hard for the listener to break through the density of Y if enjoyment was found in THE’s lyrical style, although this method gives Arjen a chance to be a bit more playful and artistic… (Continue)
