It’s fair to say that Empty Friend walk you down a well trodden path, but this grunge tour de force are very much more than “tonight Matthew I want to be signed to Sub Pop records”.
With deep cuts such as “Draw The Line” which shows elements of Mother Love Bone and “Neon”, which any hardened Soundgarden fan would been pleased to have happened upon on the last album release.
The band is dabbling in a genre that people can be quick to ridicule, but they are holding their own, showing the virtues of the sound with original takes and being a lot more than a walk down memory lane.
This EP is a solid release with opener “You Are Not The Sun” being the only number verging on pedestrian. I have played the EP several times this week, the band’s divergent alt-rock sound would fit the bill to various stoner rock events such as DesertFest etc and I am looking forward to catching them live at some point.
Originally released as a compilation album featuring five-tracks from New Yorks Electric Frankenstein and the equally wonderful Crash Street Kids alongside The Thing and Kathedral. what you have here is an EP of the Electric Frankenstein tracks plus the addition of ‘EF Theme’ making it a tasty six-track EP. It’s got the same artwork as the original comp but the track running order has been rearranged.
The street-tough Action Rock of ‘Lie To Me’ gets this party started was it really twenty years ago? Wow, time flies when you’re having fun. A year after their classic ‘How To Make A Monster’ and a most fertive period for the band who really were prolific around that period and flying the flag for punk attitude hard rock I’m not even sure we had a name for it back then and split it into sub-genres of a genre of Rock and Roll. Damn, it loud guitared Rock and Roll isn’t it however you want to carve it up. Anyway EF always stayed true to their original sound and blueprint and pushed on regardless of who fell by the wayside or sold out because EF never sold out nor did they stray and go with the trends. the one thing ‘the Dawn..’ sounds is fresh and as vibrant as it ever did.
Electric Frankenstein always kept it simple knocking out high energy guitar-driven songs with snotty attitude steeped in the history of the likes of the Dead Boys and the MC5 and even some early hard rock to create a monster wall of noise. This collection gives a pretty decent introduction to those who might not have crossed paths with the band before, which is fine it’s better late than never. ‘One Last Show’ is as macho as it gets using volume and power like a lightning rod when out looking for trouble. ‘Ruin you’ is my pick of the pops with its dirty riff and snarling lyrics that are barked out sounding like a life choice of gargling razorblades and washing them down with some paint stripper but still managing to do it with style. Top tune.
The final offering on this six of the best is one that goes right back to the heart of EF and from the birth of the band as ‘EF Theme’ originally picked off the debut album ‘The Time Is Now’ back in the midst of time or 1985 to you and me is sewn onto the end of this collection. It’s still a belter of a tune like Alice Cooper band in the backseat with a wasted Wayne Kramer controlling the radio riding shotgun to Kojak whos at the wheel a real Frankenstein party right there but there’s a bit of them all in the DNA of Electric Frankenstein and that’s the beauty of the kings of Action Rock. It’s a great EP to own seeing as a lot of their records are as expensive as hell on the second-hand market and as some get reissued and gobbled up its nice to see places like Ghost Highway respecting the rock and breathing new life into solid gold like this – As if it needs saying but go get it, kids, you won’t regret it.
Berlin power-trio PABST share video for new single Skyline and announce new album ‘Deuce Ex Machina’
Berlin power-trio Pabst are today sharing the video for brand-new single Skyline, a track that was born from their frustrations with living in a city that is being rapidly gentrified. In what they describe as a “post-grunge hymn” on which their rage is manifested in a muddy, fuzzed-out wall of distortion, they bemoan being priced out of their own town, and condemn homelessness, greed and profit. Pabst, being three of a dying breed of non-riches in their city, are watching the development of theirs and other cities in disbelief, with Skyline erupting into its hook, “This city is no place for losers like us.” The band explains further.
“Although more than half of the world’s population lives in cities (and the trend is rising), they seem to be becoming more and more hostile places as they increasingly develop into “locations”. Especially in Berlin, where we come from, we have noticed vast changes in this direction in recent years. High fluctuation determines the cityscape and the housing market, with more and more furnished apartments being built. If you want to live somewhere, you often have to compete with hundreds. Houses classified as dilapidated will be demolished or fully renovated (’cause otherwise the price will not rise).
Nobody who owns the apartments really lives in them: students live there who stay in the city for a comparatively short time, tourists stay there for whom the apartments are converted into holiday homes, and above all; for people who can afford it. Everyone else has to move out of the city to where it’s boring and cheap. You know that, it’s nothing new. And, of course, this affects not only living space, but also the rest of the infrastructure. Many clubs and other cultural venues have to close because their rental contracts are passed on to the highest bidder, or because of a few residents who seemingly realized too late that the city apartment is not a country house by the lake.”
After releasing the critically acclaimed debut album ‘Chlorine’, playing too many gigs to count, supporting the likes of Bob Mould (Hüsker Dü) and Kadavar on tour – as well as making over 30 festival appearances in 2019 alone – Pabst return in 2020 with the announcement of their new album Deuce Ex Machina for release June 19. Lead single Ibuprofen was accompanied by visuals reminiscent of classic ’90s MTV music videos with pastel-grunge scenes, directed by Constantin Timm. Watch IbuprofenHERE.
When we were running Uber Rock at its peak, we used to get literally hundreds of new albums to download and review a week. So, how did we pick out what fitted best with our readership and most of all our dedicated team of writers, who let’s remember were effectively working for free? Well I found the best way to weed out the real crackers was via a technique I used to call “lucky track number seven”. It was something I’d used for years when test driving albums, ever since CDs were invented in fact, in so much that the first track of any new album I would play would be track seven. My twisted logic being that in the age of thirteen/fourteen track albums if a record could blow you away half way through then…it must be a great record.
So why am I telling you this? Well it’s through this technique I first discovered Swedish goth outfit Then Comes Silence. It was back in early 2016 that I first heard their third independently released album, ‘Nyctophilian’, (well it was track seven ‘Animals’ actually) and it immediately impressed the hell out of me sounding not unlike Sisters of Mercy might sound if; 1) they had a drummer, and 2) they actually still put out records.
Fast forward to 2017 and the band were snapped up by Nuclear Blast for the release of their awesome ‘Blood’ album and I for one thought that with the surge in popularity at the time of bands like Ghost that the arena stages of the world were just a hit single away for the band, and let’s face it that album had about six or seven tunes that could have been HUGE hits given the right exposure and a little bit of help from Lady Luck.
Which kind of brings us bang up to date, albeit for the fact that ‘Monster’ the band’s first for the Oblivion/SPV, Metropolis Records alliance still sees the band without that illusive mainstream breakthrough.
I’ll admit for this one I didn’t start with track seven, and in many ways, I actually wish I had, because it did initially take me a few spins to get under the skin of ‘Machine’, yet rather spookily it was ‘W.O.O.O.U.’ (the lucky seventh track on the album) that finally got me pressing the repeat button, and now I just can’t stop playing this gloriously dark thirteen tracker.
The pop hooks of ‘Blood’ are still present it’s just they take a little longer to become earworms, with the likes of ‘Dark End’ and the simply magnificent ‘Ritual’ (featuring True Moon’s Karolina Engdahl on guest vocals) initially half-masking their infectious charms in the shadows before finally getting around to sinking their teeth into your neck come chorus time. There’s an almost Mission goes industrial feel to ‘I Gave You Everything’ something Wayne and Co have tried to do on so many occasions and, in my opinion, have never quite pulled off, but here Then Come Silence do it with ease. ‘Apocalypse Flare’ likewise is possibly the best Mission song The Mission have never actually written.
In many ways Then Comes Silence are like Stockholm’s answer to Helsinki’s Grave Pleasures both bands painting a post-apocalyptic soundscape that melds together elements of goth and electronica for the next generation of khol-eyed musical vampires to fall in love with, and in the outstanding ‘Glass’ they could very well have their very own ‘Love Like Blood’.
‘Machine’ is the almost near perfect soundtrack for 2020 – please don’t let it pass you by, because it’s a simply stunning record that truly ‘Cuts Inside’.
The wealth of artists on the ever-growing roster of Chicago based label Bloodshot Records is something to behold. Over the past 25 years, they have been championing American roots music, the sort of bands that maintain a DIY punk ethic, whether they be country, soul or garage rock based. The likes of Banditos, The Yawpers, Barrence Whitfield And The Savages, as well as Laura Jane Grace and Sarah Shook, have all graced our pages. And their latest release is the debut album from a 6 piece bunch of shaggy haired 20-somethings that wear matching boiler suits and go by the name of Rookie.
Rookie are a 6 piece band who formed in 2017 from the ashes of local acts such as Joe Bordenaro And The Late Bloomers and the fantastically titled Yoko And The Oh Nos. They emerged from a grassroots, Midwestern DIY scene, seemingly out of time with their retro ‘cosmic’ country-styled rock ‘n’ roll music. With three guitar player in their ranks and a drummer (Joe Bordenaro) who shares lead vocals with guitarist Max Loebman, they evoke a classic period of American rock ‘n’ roll, seemingly untainted by modern technology or social media.
Opener ‘Hold On Tight’ evokes 70’s rock radio from the opening chords and high registered hollering. Simple rifforama and blistering lead guitar solos give a high energy introduction to a band that seems far more clued in than their years suggest.
The lazy, hazy groove of ‘I Can’t Have You, But I Want You’ is prime Americana as much as Neil Young or The Allman Brothers in their prime. Sweet, full vocal harmonies flow through the chorus as slide guitar takes precedence. Likewise, closing track ‘E Jam’ is an excuse for the guitarists to shine and break out the extended solos like no one’s watching.
One thing’s for sure, Rookie go a long way to remind music fans about the glory of the guitar solo. And I don’t mean the widdly, over-played 80’s rock solo, I mean back when men were men and rock music did just what it said on the tin!
Rookie are the perfect soundtrack to any highway cruise. Just roll the top down, turn the radio up and light the doobie in your hand. Take ‘Fake Grass’ for example. It has an instantly satisfying melody you will swear you know already. A tinkling of the ivories and some gently weeping guitars give an Exile-era Stones feel. A sense of yearning is accomplished by the time they reach the first chorus and all your woes will be forgotten (at least until it finishes). Classic Americana with a Southern rock twist; they come on like The Band meets Skynyrd on a dusty highway, which surely ain’t a bad place to be. Glorious.
They veer into indie pop territory momentarily too. Recent single ‘Sunglasses’ flows along like a summer breeze, without a care in the world. With clean guitar tones and sweet acoustics, it has quirky, hippie-fied feel, reminding this reviewer of BMX Bandits or even The Thrills. Instrumental ‘Introduction II’ comes on like a lost 70’s Aerosmith studio jam, with solos aplenty, before the band segues into ‘One Way Ticket’, a tune choc-a-bloc with Hammond and finger-picked guitar.
Seemingly untainted by the last 40 years of music, Rookie are a band rooted in the past. There are no Grunge, R&B or rap influences here. They don’t deal in Nu Metal, Ska or even punk rock. Hell no, I wager Rookie don’t even own iPhones! They play no frills rock ‘n’ roll from a different time, hats off to em, I’ll raise a glass to that!
Channeling the pop sensibilities of Cheap Trick, the riffage of Thin Lizzy and laid back, west coast Americana vibes, Rookie have succeeded in delivering a debut album steeped in 70’s rock nostalgia, yet still sounding remarkably fresh.
“We assure you, this was filmed ages ago, before any quarantine! No monkeys were harmed. No viruses spread. Not even a vegetarian was offended. Stay safe, rejoice responsibly and see ya down the line. DP.”
…exclaim Dirty Power, who in times of gig cancellations and uncertainty throughout both the music industry and the world, have taken the opportunity to send out some digital cheer, releasing earlier than expected their latest track ‘Oh God’, newcomer to the bands 2018 EP ‘Notions’.
Influenced by gloriously timeless ‘legacy acts’; Dublin based hard-rock trio Dirty Power are driven by an independent D.I.Y. punk ethic, in everything from the writing, recording and release process, to approaching performing and touring. They stick to doing what they want to do, and do it their own way. Dirty Power is an ever evolving collective of musicians, and OH GOD is their 2020, gorilla reincarnation.
Think Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Audioslave and Rage Against The Machine, all in one giant melting pot of influence yet creative originality. Having taken to the stage internationally, the live scene is where Dirty Power’s music really comes alive, but since the unfortunate cancellation of their recent London show (curated by Camden Rocks) due to the worldwide pandemic, amongst other engagements, Dirty Power have taken to the net to dish out one giant “clean elbow wave” in the form of ‘Oh God’. And rest assured, when the live scene is back in action, so will Dirty Power be… Expect ‘Fist-pumping, cathartic, mosh-pit-rock for the mind’ and ‘Heavy rock riffs, big grooves, with tricky solos and sing-along choruses’.
‘Oh God’ – Available to download via BandCamp ONLY: Here
If you want an album that marries pop sensible melodies with some Britpop (I’m well aware they’re Australian) with a twist think Pulp with their Lou Reid angle and some dark topics there is a warmth yet isolated feel to the record it’s like classic Babybird married to some post-punk alternative leanings like Echo and the Bunnymen. Probably a love of Bowies’ darker albums and a pop collection consisting of bands like the Byrds and Teardrop Explodes and Icicle Works. I love ‘Asteroids’ its jangly guitar and sweeping vocals it’s a real throwback to the mid-80s alternative scene where there was darkness amidst all the lovely melodies and nice chord changes. Its a theme I’m taken back to time and again throughout the record it’s like RVG have visited the history of dark pop and inhaled it all to create their own thing.
The single ‘I Used To Love You’ is straight forward look back at love that just went, gone cold and final. There is something that draws you in and whether it be the melody or the arrangments in their uncluttered recording its an easy listen – uncomplicated but enjoyable as you look into the soul of a writer bearing theirs and enjoying what you hear.
None of the songs outstay their welcome and then you arrive at the final destination ‘Photograph’ in all its seven-plus minutes of sparse guitar and voice with the late addition of some floor toms and cymbals before finally opening out towards the end.
A really nice sounding record with some really good songs from a band who have a firm grip on what they do and do it so well. I really enjoyed playing that and all the memories it evoked of times long gone. I love some nostalgia and when it’s done so well its a bonus.
No, you haven’t died and gone straight to hell (not yet anyway) just when you thought you couldn’t picture anything more bizarre yup it’s Rick ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ sporting his own personalized Motorhead named t-shirt.
To kick off the year in which Motörhead’s seminal ‘Ace Of Spades’ album turns forty, the EVERY PLAYLIST LOUDER THAN EVERYONE ELSE site was launched in January. This interactive website enables fans to curate their own, personalized Spotify playlist of ear drum perforating Motörsongs and pitch them against their fellow Motörbangers.
Fans can compete on the global decibel leaderboard and win virtual badges, awarded for their song choices. This opportunity for fans to compile their favourite playlists of bastard rock’n’roll has attracted friends and fans alike with Biff from SAXON, Ice T and BODY COUNT, Cronos from VENOM, Ace from SKUNK ANANSIE and Harley Flanagan from CRO-MAGS, plus KVELERTAK and SEPULTURA, who’ve all compiled their very own speaker smashing Motörplaylists.
Standing faithfully alongside the Motörmusic has been the war-pig (or Snaggletooth as it is also known), the snarling, roaring hybrid embodiment of Motörhead that speaks to millions. Appearing everywhere globally for decades – from album covers to t-shirts to skin- in a variety of guises, the war-pig is more than just a logo. Accompanied by the unique, gothic inspired typeface of the inimitable Motörhead logo, complete with its umlauted Ö, it has become unique and timeless – the ultimate anti-everything -establishment symbol – while bonding a worldwide tribe committed to the Motörhead lifestyle.
And now, like pop superstar Rick Astley and Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell, you’re able to generate your own personalised Motörhead artwork with UMLÄUT YOUR NAME. This unique name generator allows you to have your monicker emblazoned around the legendary Motörhead war-pig, which you can share and save, OR have it printed on a limited edition T-shirt. With three designs running over a limited period, there’s never been a better time to pledge your allegiance as a Motörfan and state your fealty to the worldwide lifestyle.
SINGLE: ‘SHANE’ OUT NOW
PRODUCED BY LUCINDA WILLIAMS & TOM OVERBY
THE FINE ART OF SELF DISTANCING
SATURDAY’S 9PM UK TIME Here
TOUR DATES SUPPORTING BRIAN FALLON RESCHEDULED
JANUARY- FEBRUARY 2021
Jesse wrote ‘Shane’ after celebrating his hero Shane MaGowan’s 60th birthday at the Dublin National Concert Hall (alongside Ireland’s president Michael D. Higgins, Bono, Nick Cave, Sinead O’Connor…). “I thanked him for everything; the songs, the stories, the inspiration. I told him that he better not to go anywhere, that we still need him.”
‘Shane’ is taken off the album ‘Sunset Kids’– which marks Malin’s first new LP since 2015’s OUTSIDERS – further includes the remarkable Malin/Williams duet, “Dead On,” along with guest appearances from Joseph Arthur on three tracks and newly arranged versions of songs from his classic 2010 LP with the St. Marks Social, LOVE IT TO LIFE. Additional highlights include “Strangers and Thieves” cowritten by and featuring vocals from Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong.
The album was produced by GRAMMY® Award-winner Lucinda Williams and engineered by the late David Bianco (Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, AC/DC) and Geoff Sanoff (Little Steven and The Disciples of Soul, Fountains of Wayne)
In the recent climate of the coronavirus pandemic, Jesse has decided to do a Saturday Livestream series called The Fine Art of Self Distancing where he will be playing songs, telling stories and doing bits and motivational backflips.
“It’s free, but with an option for donations that will help band, the road crew and I get through this crazy
time of tour cancellations and postponements. Look at what the Italians are doing. Sing from your window, your fire escape, your balcony, or your roof. Even from afar, the power of love is stronger than you think. Use this time to reflect on what really matters most. A slower tempo can help you feel the real deal inside. Be brave, open, and stay smart. Keep a positive mental attitude and we will back together before you know it.
The tour dates with Jesse supporting The Gaslight Anthem’s frontman Brian Fallon have now been rescheduled for
January/February 2021.
29 Jan Manchester, 02 Academy
30 Jan Birmingham , 02 Institute
31 Jan Glasgow SWG3
1 Feb Leeds 02 Academy
3 Feb Bristol 02 Academy
5 Feb Nottingham Rock City
6 Feb London Shepard Bush Empire
7 Feb Norwich Waterfront
Released via BMG with full support and collaboration of Wendy Dio and Niji Entertainment Group Inc. the ‘The Studio Album Collection 1996 -2004’ presents expanded editions of Dio’s ‘Angry Machines’ (1996), ‘Magica’ (2000), ‘Killing The Dragon’ (2002), and ‘Master Of The Moon’ (2004) with each album remastered (by Wyn Davis) and presented in 2CD deluxe versions showcased in mediabook packaging and containing loads of rare and unleased bonus material.
For the Dio fan who prefers their music on old school vinyl each title also comes pressed on 180gram black vinyl with just the original track listing (so none of the bonus tracks I’m about to go into) but for collectors the first run does also include LP-sized lenticular album art prints. Plus, as a special bonus, the ‘Magica’ double LP also contains a bonus 7” single featuring the track ‘Electra’, the only known completed track from the planned ‘Magica 2’ album.
So, lets take a trip back to 1996 and a time when metal was all about downtuning and being nu and Ronnie James Dio was looking to follow up his much maligned (well by much of the music press anyway) ‘Strange Highways’ album with his seventh studio album ‘Angry Machines’ the first (and only album) to feature Tracy G on guitar alongside drummer Vinny Appice, bassist Jeff Pilson and long-time keyboard player Scott Warren. This is a record that almost a quarter of a century on that (the up-tempo ‘Don’t Tell The Kids’ aside) pretty much sounds like a doom-laden template for what Dio would go on to do when reuniting with his old Sabbath bandmates Iommi, Butler and Appice just under a decade later under the Heaven & Hell banner, albeit the tunes are still tinged with some influences from the by then fast fading grunge movement (I mean ‘Black’ could very easily be an Alice In Chains track).
With an additional twelve track bonus live CD recorded in 1997 on the Angry Machines tour, it’s interesting to see that only two tracks from the studio album make the set list (the broody ‘Hunter Of The Heart’ and the punchy ‘Double Monday’) the other ten songs captured relying very much on the rich Dio back catalogue and of course its always great to hear the likes of ‘Heaven & Hell’ and ‘Holy Diver’ played with RJD’s heart very much on his trademark cheesecloth shirt sleeve, making this perhaps the hidden gem within these reissues.
Moving into the new century and 2000’s ‘Magica’ and this was the first in what was originally intended to be a trio of concept albums (telling the tale of a fantasy netherworld called Blessing which is invaded by dark forces that vapourise people into pure, evil energy) and sees the return of bassist Jimmy Bain and guitarist Craig Goldy to the Dio band alongside ex AC/DC drummer Simon Wright taking up his position behind the kit. This is an album very much viewed as a return to form by many long term Dio fans and I can imagine why they would be excited by the likes of ‘Fever Dreams’ and ‘Turn To Stone’, for me however listening to these songs in 2020 they really do lack that extra spark that burned so brightly on those early classic Dio albums. It’s good stuff, it’s just not that remarkable. Something that is sadly also reinforced by the second CD which contains an eight song live selection from the ‘Magica’ album recorded during 2001 and here they sound like a band simply going through the motions, not unlike Judas Priest did on the ‘Nostradamus’ tour a few years later. The aforementioned additional studio track ‘Electra’ and an eighteen minute spoken word ‘Magica Story’ finish off this expanded version of ‘Magica’, and as I said previously whilst many rave about this record its one I won’t be rushing back to any time soon.
Much more what I would call a proper return to form is 2002’s ‘Killing The Dragon’, an album that sees Doug Aldrich picking up the guitar duties from Goldy and joining the remaining ‘Magica’ line up members and in the process seemingly making the band sound enthused and youthful once more. The opening one-two of ‘Killing The Dragon’ and ‘Along Comes A Spider’ are thunderous slabs of dungeons and dragons metal that have a bluesy undercurrent thanks to Aldrich’s playing. Of the four albums I’m reviewing here, this is easily my favourite simply because the band sound like they are enjoying themselves playing rock ‘n’ roll once again, which is kind of ironic really as the track going by that title on ‘Killing The Dragon’ is perhaps the most un-rock ‘n’ roll you’ll ever hear.
The second CD adds a six track live set recorded during the 2002/3 on the Killing The Dragon tour which is well worth delving into just for the exhilarating four to the floor rendition of ‘I Speed At Night’.
For Dio’s final studio album ‘Master Of The Moon’ released in 2004 we see the return of bassist Jeff Pilson and guitarist Craig Goldy and thankfully a continuation of the more upbeat straight ahead brand of songwriting the band had adopted for its predecessor. Opener ‘One More For The Road’ sounds oddly prophetic given the personal circumstances the singer would face in the years to come whilst the likes of ‘Shiver’ and the majestic ‘The Eyes’ proved that the Dio brand of metal still had a bunch of cool new musical ideas to offer the world. Which is something they took out on the road during 2004/5 and is captured here via a four song live set on the additional CD which also boasts the previously Japanese only bonus studio track ‘Prisoner Of Paradise’.
If the whispers within metal circles are to be believed then this is just the beginning of a more extensive Dio reissue campaign that BMG and Niji Entertainment Group Inc. have in store for us, and of course I’m sure just like me you’ll be looking forward to seeing those early classics in expanded form sometime soon, for now though these four albums are well worth investigating for a multitude of different reasons, not least the small fact that some of them you may not have heard for some time or if you’re a younger headbanger this might be the closest you’ll ever get to experiencing the legend that was Ronnie James Dio live.
It’s fair to say that Empty Friend walk you down a well trodden path, but this grunge tour de force are very much more than “tonight Matthew I want to be signed to Sub Pop records”.
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