King Diamond Remasters: Spider's Lullabye and The Graveyard

On October 13th King Diamond rereleased two of his albums from the 1990's. The Spider's Lullabye and The Graveyard are excellent, but often forgotten, chapters in the band's long history. It's somewhat understandable that these albums don't get much credit. Of course, the 90's were a dismal time for mainstream metal, and mostly, Mercyful Fate took precedence in those days. They released five albums while the King Diamond band released three (technically four, but I group The Eye (1990) with the 80's records). King Diamond sort of took a back seat, if only logistically, to MF in those days. And so, many people ignore these albums. Unfortunately for them, they contain some of the most imaginative musical and narrative elements of the entire KD catalog.

The Spider's Lullabye was released in 1995. It is actually the first record since the band's debut, Fatal Portrait, not to have an overarching storyline. It's fitting, since this was really the rebirth of the band. The first six tracks are a nice group of independent songs that give a good reintroduction after a five year silence. The final four songs of the record tell a tale of an aracnophobe who is tortured and killed after checking himself into a sanitarium. The music is a little heavier and a little more brutal than the early records. Production certainly has a hand in that, and with the remastering done by guitarist Andy LaRocque, the record has only gotten heavier. King's vocals are probably the most aggressive since Conspiracy (1989). The four track story arc shows King extending his spoken word intros into complete songs. The title track along with The Poltergeist show the evolution of a classic 80's metal band into a surprisingly vital 90's metal band.

The Graveyard, released just a year later, strengthened the band's new style. More so than the previous record, most of the songs are mid paced. The falsettos are toned down quite a bit. King uses his vocal range more to create creepy settings. It certainly fits the storyline, since The Graveyard is the only King Diamond record that deals with flat out insanity, with nothing terribly supernatural (until the end, anyway). The album tells the story of a man (let's call him King) framed for child abuse. After breaking out of a mental ward in the first few songs, King seeks revenge on the man who framed him. As the album goes on, King becomes more and more disconnected with reality while he hides out in a graveyard. The song Daddy is the climax of King's decent into madness. That particular song also shows off the outstanding guitar work on this album. While the solos on Spider's Lullabye might be a bit forgettable, LaRocque, along with then second guitarist Herb Simonsen really step it up on The Graveyard. Along with great guitar playing, this album probably has more harpsichord playing than any non-symphonic metal album.

These two album came at a slow point in King Diamond's career, and certainly in metal in general. I'm really glad they were rereleased so people can revisit them and appreciate their place in the discography... also, my originals are scratched beyond repair and they were out of print, so that's good too. Next up on the rerelease/remaster docket are Voodoo (1998) and House of God (2000). I'll post about them when the release dates are announced.

HORSE the band - Desperate Living

Desperate Living is the new album from California weirdos HORSE the band. I really don't know how to introduce this band, so let me just discuss their music for a bit. From my first listen to R. Borlax (2003), HORSE satisfied a strange place in me and brought me to a new sort of musical climax. Their music seemed kinda funky at first. Not funky in a George Clinton way, but in a "I bought this deli meat two weeks ago but I'm too hungry not to eat it" kinda way. I'm not sure how helpful that analogy was... so, in other words, their music featured a lot of time changes, odd drum fills, jagged guitar riffs, off-key singing, out of control screaming, and, of course, the synthesizer. With some less than perfect execution, their objective was difficult to see in the early days, leading many people to just discount HORSE as a bad band. But when I really sat down and listened to that first record, it affected me strangely, and attracted me in ways that no other band really had.

When The Mechanical Hand came out in 2005 (with the help of better production) HORSE created a different kind of record. It was super high energy, never letting up its intensity. I bought this one the day it came out, went right home, sat in a chair and listened to it from beginning to end. It slams you like a bitch all the way through. I honestly don't know anyone who had heard this record and doesn't like it. It's perfect in almost every way. With Mechanical Hand, HORSE got a lot of press and their fan base grew significantly.

In 2007, A Natural Death came around, but I never bought it. I still don't have it and I still haven't heard that much of it, even though I'm here to write a positive review of the new record. I guess as much as I liked HORSE, I just didn't know if I could trust them. I don't know exactly why. It might be that HORSE seems like they takes themselves less seriously than any big band out there. But that's not really true, since they booked a gigantic world tour all by themselves. Maybe its because they've never recorded with the same line-up twice, but I know how hard it is to work with drummers and bass players. Maybe it was just the "I saw this band play at the University of Maryland radio station, and now I can buy their CD at Best Buy," weirdness. In any case, I've since gotten over it. And its a good thing, since Desperate Living has proved to be a righteous addition to the HORSE discography.

The feel of the record is much more reminiscent of R Borlax. It's more of a slow bizarre journey, rather than the pop-your-balls-with-an-adjustable-wrench-go-jump-off-a-cliff-cause-its-too-fucking-heavy record that Mechanical Hand was. The guitar is doubled for the most part, creating a more engrossing sound to all the tracks, and the keyboard seems to have a little more variation in sound than on previous releases. Really, the only thing I think could be better would be the treatment of the bass. Most of the time you can't really hear it, and its a bit disappointing since both R. Borlax and The Mechanical Hand had such great bass on them. But that's kind of nitpicking. The record has a bit of dance/club material (like Sex Raptor, one of the only songs I know from the last record), but its well integrated into thier usual hardcore/metal freak out. Science Police and Lord Gold Wand of Unyeilding get me pretty pumped to see them when they come through Baltimore in December.

Desperate Living and HORSE the song are the highlights of the first half of the album. The title track has an extended intro that explodes into a keyboard dominated, additive rhythm breakdown. The song sends me into a great trance, like any good HORSE track. And the Xavier samples compliment the song, and the entire band, perfectly. The highlight of the second half, besides the "Mexico City" breakdown in Big Business, would have to be Rape Escape. Actually, this is the highlight of the entire record. It is probably the most brilliant piece of music I think HORSE has ever written. The keyboard intro puts you into a dark cave, deep underground, on a forgotten and fruitless quest. Then a guitar solo wrenches you high into the air for all of ten seconds before you're slammed back to earth and ground down under blast beats and moaning screams. The electronic break through the middle builds tension that isn't released until Prokofiev's 2nd Piano Concerto creeps in and is left to its own devises. Flawless integration concludes the song while Erik Engstrom squeels. After this song is over, I have a really hard time paying attention to the closing track, Arrive. Which is too bad, because Arrive is a great song as well.

This record shows that HORSE is definitely maturing. Most of the time, musical "maturity" just means playing slower, using 9th chords and putting more reverb on your album. But HORSE is becoming a stronger band and continuing to make challenging music. Writing a record about the horribly depressing nature of life and the music scene, HORSE is moving beyond the nostalgia factory that many people want them to be. So forget "Nintendo-core," forget Megaman, forget all the retro bullshit our generation is so desperately interested in. HORSE the band is writing amazing music. They create a loathing, disturbingly epic atmosphere that is unlike anything I've ever heard.

So pick up the new record. If you're not completely convinced, watch the worst promotional video ever and get pumped for Desperate Living. You can also stream the record here, and read their depressing tour diary here.

Make sure to catch them on tour this fall and winter. Dates can be seen on their myspace.

Japan is winning this heavy metal game: Galneryus

Of all the 21st century metal bands now reaching maturity, Galneryus probably excites me the most (besides Dragonforce, of course). Their records are consistently entertaining, and righteously moving as only the best heavy metal can be. For me, their best songs rank with the greatest metal songs of all time. This band really opened my eyes and made me start paying more attention to Japanese metal.

The first song I heard from this band was New Legend off 2007's One for All, All For One. I was blown away by the entire experience. Galneryus manages to fit a guitar, keyboard, and bass solo into a 6 minute song with awesome riffs and some of the best Japanese vocals I've heard. Not to mention the video is an epileptic nightmare. So after aquiring their records, I realized that New Legend was no fluke and Galneryus was the real deal. Songs like Everlasting and Silent Revelation showed me that this band is definitely important.

An X Japan influence is prevalent throughout their work (this and this), but their style really reminds me of a combination between the band I wanted Sonata Arctica to be after hearing Weballergy and the mostly forgotten 80's arena metal band Alcatrazz. The more interesting of the two, Alcatrazz, was not terribly popular in the US, but had a large following in Japan, so the direct influence isn't a stretch. Former vocalist Yama B even shares some qualities with Graham Bonnet; mostly jumping to notes out of their normal range with reckless abandon. Guitarist Syu also seems influenced by Yngwie Malmsteen's early work (but who isn't).

Syu is a very talented guitar player, with a strong background in classical structure. In his solos he regularly utilizes melodies and sequences most at home in a Bach composition (go to 1:55 if you want to get down to business). What I like most about Syu, however, is how he isn't this super precision player. Don't get me wrong, he pulls of everything he tries on record and in the live footage I've seen. It just seems like he is past having to concentrate on what he does. He moves his hands in wide strums while plucking out these incredible solos and looking off in some other direction. He's powerfully good. And, like all truly great guitarists, Syu understands; along with Bill, Ted, Kiss and Steve Vai; that an electric guitar can save the world (Galneryus example).

Syu's instrumental prowess aside, Yama B is one of the things that really kept me interested in the band. His style fits Galneryus' music perfectly, and its a shame he is no longer in the band. After recording their last record, Reincarnation, in 2008, Yama B left the group because of stylistic differences. The new singer, Masatoshi Ono, is definitely promising, and I hope he can pull it off and contribute some great material.

The only problem with Galneryus? They don't tour in America! They haven't made a big enough breakthrough here to really play the venues they're used to back home. It would be great if they could get on a big tour, like Gigantour or even Ozzfest. Something to get them some badly needed exposure over here. I'm not really sure if they even care about the American scene right now though. It's kind of like how Dragonforce didn't even need to come to America before their Inhuman Rampage tour. In any case, I'll still love the band, and maybe some day I'll be able to see them, either here or in Japan.

Well, I just wanted to give a quick heads up to everyone on a band I'm really excited about right now. Galneryus has some of the most vital material of almost any contemporary metal band you care to name. I recommend getting ALL of their records, because they are all amazing. Their discography can be seen here. Of course, all their records are expensive imports, so do what you have to do to get them, I'll understand.


Official Galneryus website
Galneryus myspace

Megadeth - Endgame (Or The Emperor's New Clothes of Metal)

Megadeth was one of the first metal bands I ever listened to. I collected their entire discography before any other band's. Until about two years ago, if you asked me who my favorite metal band was, I'd say Megadeth, hands down. I allowed Dave Mustaine his mistakes, I cut him a lot of slack on The World Needs A Hero, and I actually liked Risk. After all, no band is perfect (except a couple). I was pretty crushed when the band broke up in 2002, and I was unbelievably pumped when Dave announced that he would put out at least one more Megadeth record in 2004. The System Has Failed was truly promising. It sounded like an 80's metal god brushing off the dust and making a real record again after 20 years. Just listening to it made me excited to hear what the next record was going to sound like.

But then I heard what the next record sounded like...

Listening to United Abominations for the first time was my most dissapointing moment as a heavy metal fan. The riffs were mostly stock and boring, the solos seemed directionless, and some of the choruses sounded straight out of a top 40 record. The "politically charged lyrics" were literally retarded. It sounded like a confused 14 year old who just started skimming the headlines of yahoo news, not a 40 something who once covered the democratic national convention for MTV. Honestly, I'd rather listen to some old Anti-Flag lyrics.

The album sucked, plain and simple. There were literally two songs I could even sit through comfortably, one being outstanding (Sleepwalker), and the other bearable (Burnt Ice). Even after I decided the album was terrible, I listened to it regularly to see if maybe I was wrong, maybe it would be better this time, maybe all the great press it was getting wasn't total bullshit... but no. It was just as stupid, uninspired, and idiotic as ever.

But this review is about Endgame, right? Yeah, that's right, it is. I just wanted to give you some history. I was a die hard Megadeth fan, but this is the first Megadeth album I won't be buying. I'm reviewing this from their myspace. There are a few good things to say about it, and its marginally better than the previous record, although that's not saying much. I'm gonna go song for song on this one...

Dialectic Chaos

This instrumental jam is pretty outstanding. It gave me a lot of hope that this album might actually be good. It showcases the outstanding leads that are on this record. Chris Broderick is a great player, and he actually steps up Dave's playing almost as much as Marty Friedman did. Although, its a little weird to hear straight sweep picking on a Megadeth record. Its almost as good as Into The Lungs of Hell. The only problem for me is Shawn Drover. The drumming just doesn't cut it for a Megadeth song. While it was cool how he joined the band (learning all the songs in a matter of weeks before his first tour with them), Drover just doesn't cut it for the formerly state of the art speed metal band.

This Day We Fight

This is a pretty good song. I would even call it a pretty good Megadeth song. The vocal melodies/rhythms make sense, the riffs are fast and frantic, the lyrics are mostly unintelligible, but when you can hear them, they don't sound stupid. The solos again are outstanding. The drums are ok on this one. Two good songs in a row? Is this the Megadeth album I wanted to hear last time?

44 Minutes

No. It isn't. Dave Mustaine has a terrible habit of writing awesome intros to not so good songs (example). The song starts with a nice epicly bruding solo over droning strings, but drops off into a bullshit riff with nonsense vocals sputtering out an idiotic narrative about some dudes holding up a bank or something. Dave shouldn't write narrative lyrics, he should leave that to the King. The chorus is reminiscent of the Nickleback songs I've had the misfortune to hear. The solos, however, are awesome.

1,320

This is by far the best song on the record. Fast as shit, awesome riffs, amazing solos, good vocals; everything you expect from a good Megadeth song. The chorus is a little weird to me, but I'll cut them some slack. This is the second song Megadeth released to fans. I thought it was great then, but I wasn't holding my breath, since Sleepwalker was one of the songs they released from the last record, and we all know how that turned out. The song is good, and I wish the whole record sounded like this.

Bite the Hand

The intro to this song is stupid and unneccessary. The verse is pretty good, but is always interupted by stupid little modulations. Someone needs to teach Dave how to modulate keys like a fucking human being. The lyrics are about all the financial turbulance of the last two years. This is a perfect example of a song that could be good, but Dave mucks it up with bad lyrics and weird riffs for the sake of weird riffs. Again, the solos are great.

Bodies

Same bullshit as 44 Minutes. I prefer the Sex Pistols version. Solo section is awesome, though.

Endgame

Dave pulls the intro trick again. It's even more dissapointing when the intro has really righteous vocals over it (example). Beyond the intro, it isn't even a Nickleback song, it just sounds lazy, especially the chorus. The vocals, again, just float along without any real direction. It seems like Dave just writes a bunch of lyrics and pastes them onto the riffs he mashes together.

The Hardest Part of Letting Go...

For this kind of Megadeth song, I prefer Promises. The soft intro is ok. Dave's vocals can't really stand up to that kind of vulnerability anymore, but its ok. The galloping in the verse is nice, as well as the synth strings. But there's really not much else to the song. This one is ok, but its not enough to make me want to listen again.

Head Crusher

This is the first song the band released on their website. It's fast and has some good solos. All around its a pretty good track. Its also the first single from the record. The video is a little wack though. This is the fourth and final good song on this record. If you're listening along, things aren't getting any brighter.

How The Story Ends

This a song that might actually be good if it were two times faster. The vocal melodies aren't attractive. If you're going to actually have a melody line in your metal song, make it a good one, not just something that fits with the weird lyrics you wrote. Some of the riffs in this song are good, the solos are good as well, but the whole thing drags because its needlessly mid-tempo.

The Right to Go Insane

Again, why isn't this song faster!? If you slowed down old thrash, the vocals would sound just as stupid as the verse in this song, and the riffs would be just as boring. The chorus is another weird pop hook. But once again, the solos are awesome, and they even pick up the tempo for the solo section!


Bottom line: if we couldn't get a good Megadeth record, this album should have been an instrumental shred record. Dave Mustaine is a fantastic guitar player, and Chris Broderick has the most raw talent of any guitarist they've had (but Marty is still the best). The leads on this record are great, and beyond the solos, the solo sections are usually the best parts of the songs.

The rest of the music, for the most part, is just weird, mashed together and seemingly uninspired. Dave was irreversably corrupted when he started working with producer Bud Prager (of Foreigner fame). With Bud's help Megadeth wrote some pretty catchy, but still kinda heavy, pop music. Now, Dave has categorically spurned all the work Prager did with the band. He is trying to "return to his roots" with bizarre results. His music is now a confused fusion of pop and metal that makes zero sense. It's not the pop metal of the 80's and its not the pop metal you hear now. It's just fucked.

Now, I have no doubt that Dave is fucking pumped that Megadeth is big again, but his music just isn't reflecting it. He says this is the "record of his life," but I just don't see it... at all. So far, he already wrote the record of his life in 1990. It seems like the majority of Megadeth fans don't see through the bullshit. New Megadeth just isn't very good. The newest records are mediocre at BEST. They're certainly not the kind of records people are still going to be talking about and listening to in 20 or 30 years.

The production bothers me a lot too. Andy Sneap produced the last two records and I know exactly his style. Add overdrive to just about everything and compress the shit out of the mix to trick people into thinking its heavy. Well, guess what, its working. The records sound heavy as shit, but they don't sound like Megadeth. It's bad enough that Dave is the only link to the early days of the band, but all trace of the Megadeth sound is pretty much gone. Their early records weren't necessarily mixed heavy, the music was heavy, the guitar tones were heavy, and Nick Menza destroyed the drum kit when he played. That's the Megadeth sound. Four dudes thrashing their fucking brains out, not a producer compressing their record until its flat as a pancake.

These last couple records are the worst Megadeth albums. Even Kill 'em All was a better Megadeth record than these two. Death Magnetic is WAY better. This is the first time Metallica has had a better record than Megadeth in 20 years. If you are thinking of getting this album, listen to it on their myspace first. I recommend waiting for the new Slayer record if you want something real.

Let's just remind ourselves of the good old days. Here's a video from the So Far... So Good... So What! days:

A review! We're All Gonna Die! Kiss the Ground... Curse the Sky!

We're All Gonna Die is one of many bands I found through pandora.com, a great resource that I'll probably talk about in later posts. When I first heard them I was taken off guard by the almost radio rock quality of their big riffs and belted vocals. After a few minutes of listening to I am the Messiah, off their 2005 record The Wreck of the Minot, I was convinced this band was awesome.

Back in my pre-metal days growing up in the mid 90's, I listened to a lot of the "alternative" rock that was out there. I liked Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, and, most of all, Soundgarden. We're All Gonna Die pretty much bridges the gap between my musical interests back then and now. Imagine if Soundgarden played in drop c, gained a few pounds and grew beards (I know Kim Thayil had one, but whatever). Singer/guitarist Jim Healey sometimes even sounds like Chris Cornell if you pitched his crazy wailing down an octave. For fans of 90's hard rock, the band's newest record, Kiss the Ground Curse the Sky (2008), is more than worth your time.

This is the Boston based band's third release since forming in 1998. Kiss the Ground... continues the trend of extremely heavy hard rock. The new album, however, is more mid-paced than the last release, and has more of a rock feel than a metal riffing feel. But while the riffs may be slower, the guitar tone is only more brutal. This album really takes it to the limit with bass frequencies. Its probably the most bass you can put on a guitar tone without completely mudding up your record. But somehow you can still hear the bass thundering away underneath the killer guitars. Admittedly, though, I turn up the treble just a little in my car. The record even has a few slow jams. They surprised me at first, but soon after I got into them. Just like the rest of the record, they're just awesome rock songs reminiscent of the 1990's.

The heavy tones throughout this record create a perfect backdrop for Healey's baritone bellowing. The vocals on this record really hold the songs together and keep them from potentially dragging the way a mid tempo rock song can. Another thing I realized after buying the record was the lack of autotune on the vocals. Healey goes ever so slightly south on a few notes, and it creates a really good natural feel to the whole record. Of course, the record doesn't need autotune at all, and even Healey's screams stay pretty tonal (kinda like Chris Cornell...).

Here's the bottom line: We're All Gonna Die is just a righteous hard rock/metal band that doesn't fuck around and writes really good songs. Their similarity to 90's rock is in no way some kind of retro revival (mark my words, the 90's are next), but is obviously totally organic since they started in 1998. So, check out some of their songs over at their myspace. If you like it, you can buy Kiss the Ground, Curse the Sky over at Underdogma. And if you don't have anything to do tonight (Sept. 5th), and you live in Maryland, they're playing in Frederick at Krug's Place for the Shod X fest. I can't go because I have to go roll burritos at Chipotle... dagger.

On Dragonforce.

It's time to talk about probably the most unexpectedly controversial topic I've come across in metal. I can't tell you how surprised I was when speaking with a fellow metal fan, and first seeing the grimace on his face when I stated, "Oh yeah, and Dragonforce is the ultimate metal band." Then, as now, I really couldn't understand how someone could NOT like Dragonforce. Or, at least, appreciate their complete compositional mastery of the genre. Let me back up a bit and review the path that brought me to this opinion.

The story begins all the way back to my first introductions to heavy metal. Other than early dabblings with Ride the Lightning, Megadeth and King Diamond were the first metal bands I really listened to. Every aspect of metal appealed to me, but it seemed the thing that really got me off was how brutally fast it could be. Some King Diamond songs were decently paced, but not nearly as fast as Megadeth could get. And by the time I finally got my hands on Rust In Peace, I went apeshit at how relentless it was. At that point, I was completely hooked. I was hopelessly addicted to speed and needed my metal to be as fast as possible.

Anthrax wasn't bad, Motohead did it for me most of the time, Megadeth did it for me a bit more, and by the time I found Slayer my hunger was slaked for a little while. Eventually, though, only the fastest, most brutal Slayer songs could truly fulfill my lust for speed; Poison Was The Cure was the only Megadeth song that made me feel alive; and the first four Metallica records didn't even make it off my shelf anymore.

So, in a quest for faster metal, I turned to the most powerful music distribution tool of the time: Napster. Piecing together clues from message boards, I found a few songs that were close to what I was looking for. Songs like Manowar's Ride the Dragon were pretty decent, but collectively they didn't come close to the quantity of material I craved.

Eventually I found my way to more extreme metal. After buying a Cannibal Corpse record, I found some early Dying Fetus mp3's on Napster, and eventually found myself at the hands of The Berzerker. For a 12 year old with no previous introduction to extreme metal, grindcore or hardcore, I had to stop a moment and rethink my life. What was it I was really after? What kind of metal did I really want? I was desperate for a band that didn't fuck around. Desperate for a band that wrote blazingly fast songs, stayed in standard tuning, and actually sang. I was desperate for the band of my fucking dreams.

It took a few more years to finally find my saviors of speed.

On a dark night in the spring of 2004 I received a message from my good friend Chris informing me of a relatively new band out of Britain that played pretty righteous power metal. When I first listened to Valley of the Damned and Black Winter Night I couldn't contain my elation. It was so incredibly fast, and after the intros they didn't let up for a fucking minute. Combined with the speed of the music, the solos were the most insane thing I'd heard. Not necessarily the most virtuosic, but certainly the most impressively frantic lead guitar I'd ever heard.

At that moment did I realize that I had found my holy grail? Did I know that I had completed my quest for the most agressive, yet melodic and totally singable metal known to man...?

...no, not yet.

It wasn't until about a year later. Listening to Sonic Firestorm in my car, I found myself completely overwhelmed by the music in a way that I hadn't experienced before. The brutality of neverending 32nd notes, and the extreme treble of the unbelievable solos cut deep into my subconscious, unearthing those sleepless nights scouring the internet to find the band of my dreams. I began to weep tears of joy, realizing that this was the band I had been waiting to hear since I was 11 years old.

Ever since I have been an unashamed Dragonforce fan. Andrew and I saw them in Philadelphia on their first US tour, and I've been pleased with the fame they have since gained.

So now I've brought you up to speed on my complete infatuation with the band. Now I want to go over the reason people wouldn't like Dragonforce (I know, it sounds unbelievable to me too).

1. BAD LIVE BAND

Ok, this is probably the most controversial, maybe even forgivable, but still completely unacceptable criticism of the band. First of all, when I saw Dragonforce they were amazing. So, I already know from personal experience that they can be a good live band. The biggest problems are their general inconsistency and nonchalant attitude to their own difficult material. While one of the best, they are also one of the most irresponsible live bands I've ever seen. They'll fuck up their songs, their solos and anything else all for the sake of going crazy. But let it be known that I find this completely acceptable (being in a few punk and hardcore bands over the years, I've learned that going crazy goes a long way).

But most of what laymen see as "talent issues" are actually sound issues. In every professional live video (and those are the only ones I'll comment on) I've seen, the rhythm guitars are mixed way too low and lack any mid range punch. The biggest problem, however, is the dual lead issue. The bass is left alone to hold the root notes while the guitars sail off undersupported by the rhythm section. What Dragonforce really needs to complete their live show is a third guitar to fill in the holes in the dual leads. Its not unheard of, and it doesn't even have to be a full-on new member. Maybe even one of their guitar techs could do it.

2. TOO GIMICKY, NOT A SERIOUS METAL BAND

This is something I've struggled against almost since day one with Dragonforce. They got big at a time when I knew a few people in college radio who played them all the time. But most were only "into" them as an ironic pop culture curiosity. Some metal fans have unfortunately lached onto this view. They don't think of Dragonforce as a serious metal band. But let me just ask; what's not serious about them? They write extremely difficult music, make flawless records and have performed their material at a professional level on several world tours. They seem pretty fucking serious about their music to me. Too often fans discount the sheer dedication and hard work it takes to be a professional musician who write, record and perform their own music.

At the root of it all, people are forgetting the basic ideology of heavy metal: grow your hair real fucking long, play real fucking heavy, and write your songs about completely ridiculous, whimsical, and absurd topics. I mean, when Bruce sang "Tell me why I have to be a Powerslave," I was like, "Yeah, why the fuck does he have to be a Powerslave?!" When Ozzy told me I was killing myself to live I thought, "Yeah, that shit makes sense in a weird kind of way." And when Dragonforce tells me that "oceans collide inside of us all," I'm saying, "Fuck yeah, its like the perfect storm beneath my fucking skin."

Basically, lets take a step back and look at metal as a genre and reevaluate our personal boundaries of "seriousness."

3. SINGER SUCKS

Alright. You got me. He's a little weak. But the melodies are good, the hooks are memorable, and if nothing else, its hard to find a good metal singer anymore because they've all killed their voices screaming for black and death metal bands!

There's really nothing I can say to this complaint. If you don't like him, you don't like him. However, the ratio of music quality to vocalist quality is far more balanced than in a band like Nevermore.

4. ALL THEIR SONGS SOUND THE SAME

People say this about any band with a strongly unique style. People say that Iron Maiden released the same record for about 15 to 20 years. In some ways its true, in others not. Maiden has a very strong style, as well as several compositional "moves" and structures that are reused often in their records. But if you listen closely you can see a definite curve of complexity and overall quality peaking at Powerslave, Somewhere in Time, and Seventh Son; then declining to the end of the first Bruce Dickenson era. Dragonforce is very similar to Iron Maiden in this respect. They have released four albums that are stylistically and structurally very similar. However the band's evolution in material, performance and production are at least on par with Iron Maiden's progress by the time of their fourth record, Piece of Mind.

I also have a much less objective explanation for the band's lack of variety. For me, Dragonforce is the be all end all of heavy metal and I'm not afraid to say it. And as far as I'm concerned, we could step into Plato's realm of ideals, put on a heavy metal record, and a Dragonforce song would come through the speakers. I believe that Dragonforce has achieved the closest thing to a perfect heavy metal song as anyone since the inception of the genre. Because of this, there can be no significant variance from this perfect form. Dragonforce's continuing quest is to keep writing the best heavy metal song over and over again.

Johann Sebastian Bach perfected the form of Baroque music, Van Halen perfected rock and roll/rhythm and blues, and Dragonforce is perfecting the genre of heavy metal.

There's not much left to say really. Dragonforce is my ultimate metal band. Not necessarily my favorite, or the most talented, but the utlimate. They have achieved the most aggressive music that still fits the classic form of heavy metal. If you don't agree with me, that's fine. If you don't really like Dragonforce for reasons other than the four I listed, that's ok, I guess. But there's really no good reason to ignore their mastery of the genre. They've taken it to its limit. There may be better, more interesting and musically adventurous heavy metal acts, but no one as brutal and aggressive in the same way as Dragonforce.

This post may be full of opinion, but I think I presented some good, objective reason not to write off this band completely. But, when it all comes down to it, if you're into metal, and you don't appreciate Dragonforce, you can go to hell.

Mercyful Fate to mount a new comeback? Let's hope so...

I never intended to just repost news on this blog, but I think this is the most exciting thing to happen in mainstream metal in a long time.  I touched on the subject briefly in my Rock Band post, but let me relay the rest of the story from King Diamond's official website:

Late last year, our old pal Lars Ulrich approached King Diamond and asked him if he would like to submit a Mercyful Fate song to the new Guitar Hero: Metallica game. King was all over it, and Lars suggested that he submit Evil and Curse of the Pharaohs. Sounds kinda cool, right? Mercyful Fate on a Guitar Hero game? Well, the story is just beginning...

The two songs Lars suggested were, of course, off their first record, Melissa, from 1983. King called up Hank Shermann, founding member of Mercyful Fate, to ask if he had any idea where the master tapes were. King talked to their old label Roadrunner, and Hank called up the old owner of the studio in Denmark where they recorded Melissa. No one had any idea where they were. So King, being the crucial motherfucker he is, devised an elegant solution. He, along with Hank Shermann, would get the band back together to rerecord Evil and Curse of the Pharaohs.

They called Michael Denner who was in right away. The band then asked Timi Hansen, and despite claims that he hadn't really played at all since the first Mercyful Fate reunion in 1993 he was all in. Deciding not to ask original drummer Kim Ruzz, who's kind of been a mystery to the band and the fans since the old days, King and Hank invited Bjarne T. Holm. Bjarne played on the last three Mercyful Fate records, and was almost in the band back in 1981. So, with this line up the band recorded the music and sent it off to Activision.

Evil was the song selected for the game, but since the band was so pleased with how the recordings came out, they are going to release both songs on iTunes and, according to King and Hank's official websites, a picture disc 7 inch.  Judging from the Guitar Hero mixes of Evil, the new recording is really tight, way more aggressive than the original, and, of course, way better produced.  And there is no reason to think Curse will be any different.

Kings falsettos are a little flat, but it's good to remember just how fucking high he sang in those old days.  Listeners may also find his vocals a little unfamiliar because of the way he's prefered to mix them of late.  Since the latest King Diamond record, he has preferred to compress them as little as possible and keep the EQ as flat as possible.  In the 80's they would squash the vocals flat and cut out all the low frequencies, making his falsettos particularly ear-piercing.  The effect of this new approach creates a more natural sound, for better or for worse.  If you don't understand what I'm talking about that's fine, you can ignore this paragraph.

Now, it's very hard for me to keep the MF fanboy that lives inside me calm and subdued, but it has been ten years since this band has done anything. And it isn't as though they peetered out like Black Sabbath in the 90's or Megadeth in 2001. Mercyful Fate's 7th and last studio album, 9 (1999), was arguably their best, and definitely their heaviest, record. They were still at their creative peak.  The only thing really keeping them from working was the fact that the King Diamond band could record for free at Andy LaRocque's studio while Mercyful Fate had to pay.

Mercyful Fate was a victim of circumstance, and while I still love the King Diamond band, and their new records are outstanding, there is a gaping whole in my life that is partially being filled by this new development. I ultimately hope that this project drums up enough interest for a new reunion and hopefully a new record. It's a stretch but I still say that even this small chance of new Mercyful Fate material is far more exciting than a new Megadeth, Slayer or even Black Sabbath (Heaven and Hell my ass) record.

Get King's full account of the story here. The songs will be available from iTunes on July 14th and the picture disc is set to be released September 1st. Everyone needs to buy this shit so we can show the band, Metal Blade Records or any other label that WE WANT A NEW MERCYFUL FATE RECORD! Hell, if you are motivated enough, write an email to Metal Blade telling them to resign the band and get them in the studio as soon as possible.

I'll finish off by posting the 2008 rerecording of Evil, as well as the video for Egypt, from their 1993 comeback record In The Shadows.