CD Review: Colossus - ...And The Rift of The Pan-Dimensional Under-gods

The Raleigh, North Carolina band Colossus’ debut album was released this year on the German label Killer Metal Records. Having been together for around five years, the music has had plenty of time to develop and mature to its current incarnation on … And The Rift of The Pandimensional Under-Gods. Spanning eleven songs, the album is an exciting throwback to the riffs of early Iron Maiden and post-British Steel Judas Priest. They are fast and have a highly nostalgic quality thanks to guitarists Nick Nixon and Bill Fischer’s faithful yet inventive dueling riffs. Truly, the guitar work here is the utmost standout. The solos shred, yet carry constant melody. The riffs are ever-dispersed by rhythm changes and interjected with bits of lead harmony. Song such as “Limit Break,” “Hoc’Tel,” and “Bubba Zanetti” feature some of the albums finest riffs and solos. Vocalist Sean Buchannan’s vocals are also a highlight. His high tenor vocals are akin to those of Wolfmother and Coheed & Cambria (but his are more 80’s arena than 70’s glam). The album’s lyrics are mostly drawn from pop-culture sources, sometimes in a comical way. “Limit Break” is a term from Final Fantasy 7, “The Message” is based on The Day The Earth Stood Still, and the album’s 10 minute epic, “Willow,” is based on a 1988 Ron Howard film of the same name. Great production, ingenuitive riffing, catchy melodies, and good dynamic variety keeps Colossus first album from loosening its grip on listeners, whilst also saving it from being a mediocre rehash of NWOBHM. Instead, it is a genuine tribute, and re-envisioning, of that great era in metal music. 

There are downsides to Collosus’ distinctly throwback sound. At its core, the sound has already been done to death, and in order to survive as artists they must become more progressive on future releases. As an Iron Maiden fan myself, it’s great to relive these awesome tones, because they are in a way timeless. But rarely have bands with a sound so ingrained in a single artist (or group of artists) survived past their second album (see Wolfmother, Jet, and The Darkness).

All in all, Colossus’ first album is a complex throwback record with strong ties to early Iron Maiden. Although these strong ties make for an exciting listen, they throw a shadow of doubt over whether the band can pull influence from other artists and create work which is more diverse in scope, and more conducive to their longevity as a band. 

Tracklist:

1.      Limit Break

2.      The Message

3.      Salamandrastron

4.      One Was Man

5.      Willow

6.      Ghost Fucker

7.      Bubba Zanetti

8.      Legends of The Future

Devilneck and work In progress

The Devilneck Metal Fest was yesterday and Friday and I was there for almost every band. In fact, I only missed one: the first, Utah. So I'm really tired right now and don't even know where to begin with writing an article about all the crazy stuff I witnessed. But I've got lots of material to work with including interviews with Marriage, Wizard Smoke, Shark Heart, Stone Mountain Freeway, Colossus, and Rwake, as well as CD's from Colossus, Armazilla, and Utah to review. I'm also going to write an article which reviews the whole event, although not in any great detail. Just a summation of the fest's highlight moments. 

Articles to expect:
Rwake Interview - script (The Silver Tongue)
Colossus Interview - summary (The Silver Tongue)
Marriage Concert Review + some interview (WUOG blog)
CD Review: Colossus - ...And The Rift of The Pandimensional Under-Gods (WUOG rotation)
CD Review: Colossus - Drunk on Blood EP (WUOG rotation)
CD Review: Utah - ...uhhh, I can't read it. (WUOG blog)
CD Review: Armazilla - Texas Weed (WUOG blog)
Devilneck Metal Fest Review (The Silver Tongue)

Not Devilneck:
Super Cluster - Live In The Lobby concert review (WUOG blog)

Poetry - Coffins Across From Grady

Coffins Across From Grady

A boom-saw clatter sent

large limb clusters to

asphalt hidden by the hill.

                At 10:05

                people left

                the emptied halls of Ta…

    Fate.

Across from Grady –

littered between

stones, groomed stalks

of grass tickle

sneakers

and enshrine stone slabs –

They’ve gathered

to sift words soft in the air.

The school’s false monument

with its smooth tops,

graveled edges, and perfect little

squares built in the ground

around like coffins

with their ghouls

on top.

Alive and not –

                Wake Up!

But they’d just sit there

dead on the coffins.

As the hollowed

husk’s of

sarcophagus.

Like walnuts rolling

in a football helmet.

And I was one

of them.

Waiting for a hand

to send me around again

and come out that hole

where the ear

should be.

They

stopped to look

at some pile

of grey

smeared on the

ground. And they would

drop their

eyes and slight their

heads

only to

keep walking.

By Brad Olsen

Sptember 29, 2010

Hindsight

As I look back somewhat, I realize that I should not play sets which are an hour and ten minutes long. As a new artist, and regardless of my large catalog of music, I should understand that an audience of unknowing people do not want to hear me play for any extreme length of time. They do not know my songs and are probably apprehensive as it is about staying in a hot lounge atmosphere for a one-man band. With this in mind, from now on I will bee keeping my sets to a maximum of 45 minutes with between 4 and 6 songs each set. If I start garnering a following I will begin to play more, but the bottom line is that I want venue owners and audiences to WANT to hear me again. Why would they want to hear me again if I play all my material in one night? What is there to come back for? Unless they REALLY enjoyed watching me play for an hour and a half alone on a stage (and believe me, I know I am incredibly sexy) I would be playing to an audience who was leaving as soon as they walked in the door.

End transmission...

Live Review - Sunspots at WUOG Live In The Lobby

Artist: Sun Spots
Venue: WUOG Lobby
Date: September 7, 2010

Setlist:
1. Relative Patterns
2. Bones
3. Rest Yr Brain
4. Collectin' Specimens
5. Chambers of The Sea


Sun Spots went on at a little after eight, subsequent to the WUOG Informational session held upstairs in the Tate center. Their first song, “Relative Patterns,” was loud and energetic, immediately filing the small WUOG Lobby with resonant volume. Unfortunately, technical problems early on prevented lead singer and guitarist Will Weber’s voice from being heard until the next song. Their second song, “Bones,” wasn’t too different from their first. The drums cracked and cymbals shattered while bassist Will Cantrells homemade speaker cabinet woofed over them. Weber’s simple guitar lines moved up and down the fretboard in quick but groovy patterns and provided a base for his high, almost screamed, falsetto vocals to dance on top. Meanwhile, Ryan Houchen’s bursting, at times over the top, drum fills evoked intensity reminiscent of Keith Moon and complemented the energetic vocals of Weber. At one point during their third song, “Rest Yr Brain,” which featured a nasally, distorted keyboard in place of guitar, Cantrell struggled to keep up with the drummers stampede-pace and casually leaned over to tell him “Slow it down.”  He got the message and the rest of the song moved at a more leisurely pace.

None the less, it was an energetic performance from a band whose sound is both loud and likable.  I look forward to hearing more from them in the future.

Sun Spots play with The Caste on September 25^th at New Earth Music Hall. 

 

CD Review: The Sword - Warp Riders

Artist: The Sword
Album: Warp Riders
Year: 2010
Stars: 4/5

Musically, the album has many positive factors. Most notably is the improved production. Thankfully, The Sword decided to work with a producer this time who does a much better job at mixing the vocals and drums than on previous releases. In addition, the bands musicianship seems to have improved. Drummer Trivett Wingo is much less focused on constant cymbal thrashing and more on creating groovy rhythms. The twin guitars are also utilized highly effectively. Songs like “Tres Brujas,” “Night City,” and “The Chronomancer I: Hubris” display best the bands new hard rock oriented sound. That’s not to say they’ve lost their edge, however. The albums two instrumentals, “Acheron/Unearthing The Orb,” and “Astrea’s Dream” are as heavy as anything they’ve done previously and the latter even showcases a bit of influence from Metallica.

However, there is some bad in this album. Unfortunately, It has not lived up to the full potential I had hoped it would due in most part to a lack of originality. Some reviewers have said that the first and second halves don’t match up very well. I have to disagree with this, I believe that they DO match up well, but that neither has any tracks with the staying power of those on their first album. In the case of The Swords third album, experimentation has backfired slightly and caused the group to loose its focus on writing heavy music. Sure, hard rock can be heavy, but this album with such a great concept and so much potential just falls far from what it could have been. Most notably on songs such as “Tres Brujas,” “Night City,” and “(The Night the Sky Cried) Tears of Fire” which seem like mindless rehashes of one another.

In summation, Warp Riders has its stand out moments and a great sci-fi concept behind it, but the songs are not original or ground-breaking enough to have any long lasting effect on listeners.

 
Tracklist:
1. Acheron/Unearthing The Orb
2. Tres Brujas
3. Arrows in the Dark
4. The Chronomancer I: Hubris
5. Lawless Lands
6. Astraea's Dream
7. The Warp Riders
8. Night City
9. The Chronomancer II: Nemesis
10. (The Night The Sky Cried) Tears of Fire

Track Picks:
1. The Chronomancer II: Nemesis
2. Lawless Lands
3. The Warp Riders

For more info on teh Sci-Fi narrative behind the album, check out www.swordofdoom.com/

Top 10 HEAVIEST Albums - Pt. 3

I'll try to make this brief, because lets be honest, what can I say that hasn't already been said about this band and these two albums?


2. Black Sabbath - Master of Reality - This album for me was a personal awakening for me as a musician and music lover. The tones, the innovations in guitar playing, everything combined perfectly on this album to create a timeless classic.

Chill Factor: Into The Void



1. Black Sabbath - Paranoid - Yes, I concede. Paranoid is better than Master of Reality. I say this because Paranoid not only provides more music, but also more memorable tunes. Not only that, some tracks like Iron Man, War Pigs, and Paranoid have suffered severe radio overplay through the years and have still managed to stand the test of time and be engaging to this day.

Chill Factor: The bridge of War Pigs is especially chilling and is one of Iommi's all time classic riffs.