Disc Reviews
by Max Ink Staff Writers
Sepultura - Machine Messiah
Sepultura
Album title: Machine Messiah
By Sal Serio
Posted: Jan 2017
Label: Nuclear Blast
(3468) Page Views
‘Machine Messiah’ marks the 14th studio album by Brazilian masters of thrash metal Sepultura, and emphatically could be their best release since 1989’s ‘Beneath The Remains’. Thanks to the inventive arrangements by the band, and the superbly crisp engineering by Jens Bogren at the Swiss Fascination Street Studios, the Sepultura vision is razor sharp and painstakingly realized on their new 2017 effort.
The opening title track begins with quiet, intricate, guitar picking by Andreas Kisser and the calm, reassuring vocals of Derrick Green, building to a soaring lead guitar solo at 1:45, and by the 2:50 mark becomes more angry as the tempo builds and Green instructs the listener to “bow down to the Machine Messiah”. The next track, “I Am The Enemy” is a brief 2:27 blast of intensely brutal thrash attack. “Phantom Self” is colored by detailed and insanely tight drum fills courtesy of Eloy Casagrande, and features orchestration doing battle with the guitar fills as Green is “transformed in to his Phantom Self”.
The instrumental “Iceberg Dances” is seriously epic and thematic heavy metal, yet is filled out by keyboards and classical guitar! This 46 minute metal manifesto comes to a close with pure, unadulterated classic Sepultura: the fierce statement of “Cyber God”. Not even 2 weeks in to 2017, this release gives me great hope for the promise of powerful musical moments to come.
London May - Devilution: The Early Years
London May
Album title: Devilution: The Early Years
By Sal Serio
Posted: Jan 2017
Label: Cleopatra Records
(3390) Page Views
One of the most unusual but highly intriguing releases of 2016 is the London May ‘Devilution: The Early Years’ compilation (CD pressing limited to 1,000 copies). May is a punk rock drummer and actor who began in Baltimore thrashing out the beat for bands like Rat Patrol and Reptile House, which led to work with Washington D.C. punk icons Dag Nasty. Eventually the road led May west to California and gigs with some of punk’s biggest names like Samhain and the Circle Jerks.
Quite a few of these tracks are unreleased, including the selections by the Circle Jerks (live rehearsal of “Wonderful”), Samhain (live), and two Dag Nasty songs. Also included are several songs seeing the first light of day in a digital format. Especially cool is the inclusion of the song “Nuthin” by Lunch Box, which is the only release by this legendary punk band that later included guitarist Ron Emory of T.S.O.L.
Most of my favorite selections from this excellent high-energy compilation are from the more obscure bands like Voice Of Doom, Dead White & Blue, DogPile, and Distorted Pony. There is a commonality running through these 15 songs (by 11 different groups) which of course is London May’s rock steady drum pulse, but also a raunch ‘n roll catchy punk attitude that is easy to swallow, reminiscent of some of the most tuneful punker groups like CH3, T.S.O.L., and Social Distortion.
The Raptor Trail - Devil On An Indian
The Raptor Trail
Album title: Devil On An Indian
By Sal Serio
Posted: Jan 2017
Label: MBM Entertainment
(3353) Page Views
The third release from North Carolina’s melodic prog rock trio The Raptor Trail is a full-on concept album written by multi-instrumentalist Matt Mayes, which details an internal clash between Native American spirituality and 21st century white Christian morality, and inevitably results in an apocalyptic conclusion.
While the theme is intense and demands a certain amount of rapt attention, the music is an overall uplifting and diversely varied experience, featuring instrumentation ranging from the conventional guitar/bass/drums, to the more esoteric guijo, banjo, and various keyboards/effects/percussion. Combining the fascinating storyline with this creative and extremely high level of musicianship results in a special mixture that brings to mind the best works of rockers like Rush or Max Webster, along with the roots music and poetic activism of Bruce Cockburn and John Trudell. The vocals of Matt Mayes, John Meyer, and special guest Edwin McCain keep the proceedings enjoyable and accessible to fans of a multitude of rock music genres.
While the ‘Devil On An Indian’ concept is best taken in as a whole, there are also several tracks that stand on their own strength. My recommendations are “Quaker Pets”, “Froth Squelch”, “The Vanishing Point”, and “Red Giant”.
Foxygen - Hang
Foxygen
Album title: Hang
By John Noyd
Posted: Dec 2016
Label: Jagjaguwar
(3012) Page Views
Recorded and mixed entirely on two-inch tape without a computer in sight, “Hang,” retro-wrangles singular pinnacles from the shoulders of old-school giants with bold homage bathed in brass, back-up singers and Bowie-disposed burlesque. Employing a forty-plus piece orchestra on every track as well as recruiting fellow extroverts from The Lemon Twigs and Flaming Lips, the proverbial kids in the candy store produced tightly-wrapped bombast that’s a total gas. Mixing solid gold seventies chemistry alongside heartfelt soul explosions, Foxygen’s starry-eyed carnies boast Lugosi-toasted vocals exalting a pole-vaulted vaudeville whose giddy symphonies by melodramatic patsies attach unabashed razzmatazz to theatrical malice and cavalier sneers to guileless choirs. Don’t miss out when the electric circus comes to town for some cool tomfoolery April 1st at Madison’s Majestic Theater.
The Transgressions - Fucked Up
The Transgressions
Album title: Fucked Up
By Brian McKay
Posted: Dec 2016
Label: It's Alive Records
(2919) Page Views
The new Transgressions album, Fucked Up, is a great coming of age pop punk record. Channeling The Ramones with short and sweet songs that will hook you after a single listen of the album. It takes a more positive outlook with songs where the loser gets the girl but compliments and contrasts with themes of just wanting to get high and leave everything behind. Each song catches the listener immediately with Ben’s sneering vocal hooks. This record definitely shows growth not just in songwriting, but in life. It shows how punks of a generation removed have become disillusioned yet somehow regain a sense of positivity. Most songs clock within the 1 to 2 minute range and are just the short burst of energy we’ve come to expect from The Transgressions. “Holey Fuck” is a catchy anthem about worn out clothes and the apathy that it comes with. “You’re the One” is the quintessential pop punk love song, combining a love for The Ramones with a love for opiates into a perfect match in this catchy tune. “Fucked Up” tells the tale of punk rock growing up but not giving up.
Harvey Mandel - Snake Pit
Harvey Mandel
Album title: Snake Pit
By Sal Serio
Posted: Dec 2016
Label: Tompkins Square
(2552) Page Views
Musician Harvey “The Snake” Mandel has always been a hard one to categorize, but one can never deny his unparalleled level of excellence on the guitar. Detroit-born, Chicago-raised, and San Francisco-influenced, Mandel consistently seemed to be a couple steps ahead of the trends, being an early innovator of two-handed fretboard tapping, and distinguishing his sound with a mastery of syncopated phrasing, razor-edged sustain, and a genius touch when it comes to command of his effects pedals, as well as such natural phenomena as volume/feedback control.
Mandel, who has been battling illness in recent years, is back with his first studio album in ten years, the aptly titled ‘Snake Pit’, and it is a gross understatement to say it was merely worth the wait. These 10 instrumentals span blues to jazz, hard rock to jammy improv, and show enough chops, licks, and Snake’s unique signature style, to make any lover of the guitar stand up and take notice. ‘Snake Pit’ rivals any of the classic 1970s Mandel releases, and proves unequivocally why “The Snake” is one of rock’s most revered and formidable axe masters. It’s impossible to pick any individual track to study on ‘Snake Pit’, as they are all intense and inspirational in their own way, which truly illustrates what an amazing body of work this is.
KidsonFire - KidsonFire
KidsonFire
Album title: KidsonFire
By Sal Serio
Posted: Dec 2016
Label: 616050 Records DK
(3350) Page Views
Press play, and the first thing you hear is a hellion youngster saying “We’re going to fuck this motherfucker UP!”, and that pretty much sets the tone for these four ruckus compositions that bristle with attitude, confidence, and immediacy. KidsonFire is a new project by bass player Danny Smash (of The Last Vegas) and claims Grand Rapids, Michigan, as it’s home base, although lead singer Karina Zephyr is from Chicago. Their two guitar / pummeling drum assault makes their debut E.P. leap screaming from the stereo speakers. This CD E.P. was released in mid-to-late 2016 as a follow-up to their 2015 single “Coup D’etat”.
You’ll experience an in-your-face heaviness with KidsonFire, but there’s also a tunefulness, a pop sensibility mixed in to their aggressive rock structure, that owes it’s presence to the engaging vocals courtesy of Karina. Songs like “Mother’s Little Monster” and “Anymore” will remain in your head for days. The centerpiece though (included here as both explicit and radio-friendly) is the anthem song “Kids On Fire” with it’s rebellious messages of “No more books and no more bells, I pledge allegiance to myself”, and “We’ll always disagree with you”.
Popa Chubby - The Catfish
Popa Chubby
Album title: The Catfish
By Sal Serio
Posted: Dec 2016
Label: Popa Chubby Productions
(2716) Page Views
By my count, ‘The Catfish’ is the 19th studio album by Bronx blues man Ted Horowitz, aka Popa Chubby. That in and of itself is damn impressive, but consider that this is also one of his finest recorded efforts. From the get-go, on the songs “Going Downtown See My Old Gal Sue” and “Good Thing”, the modus operandi is boogie woogie hip shakin’ with dive bomber wah-wah drenched lead solos. Chubby’s grunt and grind vocals coax the listener through the grooves straight to the trippy downtown honky tonks.
I adore this album’s three instrumentals. Chubby assigns “Bye Bye Love” a reggae persona, flavored by Dave Keyes’ organ fills on the off-beat, which drives the Caribbean calypso rhythm. “Wes Is More” showcases the Wes Montgomery/Chet Atkins/Les Paul finger picking technique, and “Blues For Charlie” is true-blue blues, with chorus-clean singing/stinging guitar notes: crisp, clean, and mean.
“Slow Down Sugar” is the street smart urban blues number, akin to Los Lobos, punctuated by Tipitina Horowitz’ trumpet and Chubby’s gravely Tom Waits-like spoken rap that keep the beat down on the street. The rocker of the album is “Motörhead Saved My Life”, clocking in at 2:41. “Too damn ugly for the limelight. Who wants Ace of Spades? Who wants to get laid? Who wants to get high? Live fast ‘til you die”.
Sad13 - Slugger
Sad13
Album title: Slugger
By John Noyd
Posted: Nov 2016
Label: Carpark Records
(2449) Page Views
In the aftermath of a year fraught with personal loss and challenges, Sadie Dupuis took a break from fronting Speedy Ortiz, moved to Philly and mapped a path into trippy, bedroom-pop that harks back to her pre-band days when she found her bliss in upbeat demos where her rambunctious imagination could run wild. Sounding like a playground princess taking schoolyard bullies down a notch while throwing a Mad Hatter’s tea party for all her friends, Sad13 piles crunchy alt-rock waltzes atop frothy Jenga benders, dovetailing rubber-bullet hooks with frittering synths synched to giddy, gritty double-dutch funk. Fueled by full-throttled optimism spliced inside squishy riffs, “Slugger,” scores and floors, rocketing posh tolerance in frilly thrills spun from subtly bubbly pajama-party caroling and happily scrappy seesaw gloss.
Testament - Brotherhood Of The Snake
Testament
Album title: Brotherhood Of The Snake
By Sal Serio
Posted: Nov 2016
Label: Nuclear Blast
(2606) Page Views
Some bands are just reliable. Like strong coffee on a dark, cold morning; you just KNOW it’s going to provide the jolt that you desperately need. Chuck Billy and Testament are like that, and a new Testament record is similar to a visit from the oldest and truest of friends. Familiarity, yes, but always with a couple new tricks up their sleeves as well.
‘Brotherhood Of The Snake’ marks 11 studio albums in to Testament’s molten metal legacy, and emits a sound as fresh, vital, relevant, and incendiary as ever. Perhaps even more so, as these ten new songs have a sense of urgency about them that is relentless and inescapable. The staccato tempos (Gene Hoglan) and jackhammer riffs (Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson) make pretty much anything the “Big 4” bands have done this past decade seem bleached and sanitized by comparison. Yet, as brutal as this soundscape terrain is, there is still an embraceable and engaging vibe. Meaning that the heaviness does not push the listener away. Rather, these five brothers of the snake weave a sinewy, slithering, snakepit vortex that pulls all into it’s teeming viper’s nest. But don’t be afraid of this beast’s bite. This time it’s brotherly venom.
Glenn Hughes - Resonate
Glenn Hughes
Album title: Resonate
By Sal Serio
Posted: Nov 2016
Label: Frontiers Music
(3378) Page Views
Considering the harrowing accounts of Glenn Hughes’ “lost years” to drugs (as documented in obscene detail in his recent autobiography), it is amazing that Hughes is still writing, recording, and performing, let alone hitting new heights of artistic achievement some 45+ years in to his career. The “Voice of Rock” moniker is no false crown. There are precious few with the range, emotion, and intensity of Hughes’ uncanny vocal prowess.
Never one to shy away from new collaborations or genre-defying free spirited musical excursions, the beauty of the new ‘Resonate’ album is an unabashed attitude of “let’s rock the fuck out”, and the presence of one of the most cohesive and talented backing bands ever showcased on a Glenn Hughes record. The powerhouse drumming of Pontus Engborg is the perfect companion to Hughes’ lyrical bass lines, and the lead flourishes by guitarist Soren Andersen and organist Lachlan Doley take these 11 solid rock compositions to the dizzying altitude of the highest musical mountain. Indeed, these songs and performances rival even the mid-1970s work that Hughes did with Deep Purple to earn his recent induction in to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Feel the groove, experience the volume, and let it RESONATE.
Thompson Springs - Artifacts
Thompson Springs
Album title: Artifacts
By John Noyd
Posted: Oct 2016
Label: self-release
(2544) Page Views
A collaborative side-project from The Sharrows’ Matt Smith, Thompson Springs became an outlet for a backlog of songs Smith gathered over the years. Named after a ghost town in Utah Smith encountered early in his song-writing career, the band consists of a rotating crew who shaped his tunes into folk-rock gems whose casual valor, languid language and modest polish convey an everyman’s candor that rocks gently and goes down easy. Produced by Rob Laakso of Kurt Vile and the Violators, the mini-collection of rambling self-reflection simmers in sing-along homilies and hitch-hiker’s poetry for a laid-back and breezy treatise that makes for a fine traveling companion on the winding road of life. As a taste of things to come, “Artifacts,” packs promising calm for uncertain journeys.
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