Episode 24 12/28/2014

Gene’s homework: Pantera songs with backing tracks?

Yes, Metal Magic had them, Projects in the Jungle had them, I am the Night had them, Power Metal had them, Cowboys from Hell had them (Psycho Holiday doesn’t though, Message in Blood has no backing guitar but dual-guitar leadwork), Vulgar Display of Power has them on Mouth for War, at the end of A New Level’s lead, Fucking Hostile, This Love, By Demons be Driven has some, Hallow does as well. (6 of 11)

Far Beyond Driven has them in tracks 1,6, and a bunch songs have no lead section. Great Southern Trendkill has them, Reinventing the Steel has at least 3 (Death Rattle, It Makes Them Disappear does in the very beginning of the lead but it’s VERY short, and I’ll Cast a Shadow does) as well as some songs with no leads.

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What’s Nate been listening to?
Artist: Christ Inversion
Album: Self Titled (2008)
Song: Lucifer Rise

This is a reconfigured release of the first demo Obey The Will Of Hell (1994).

Wayne Fabra – vocals (Christ Inversion, Graveyard Rodeo, Necrophagia).
Anton Crowley – Guitars, Backing Vocals (AKA Phil Anselmo)
Jay Gracianette – Bass (Christ Inversion, Graveyard Rodeo, Haate, Valkyrie)
Big Ross – Keyboards (Down)
Gary Hebert – Drums (Christ Inversion, Graveyard Rodeo, New Religion, Valkyrie)

http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Christ_Inversion/2818

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NEWS
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1. Bob Daisley Was Devastated By Judge’s Decision To Dismiss Lawsuit Against Ozzy Osbourne.
http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/bob-daisley-was-devastated-by-judges-decision-to-dismiss-lawsuit-against-ozzy-osbourne/

2. Former Megadeth Members Drover and Broderick Have Six Songs Demoed With Ex-Scar The Martyr Singer.
http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/former-megadeth-members-drover-and-broderick-have-six-songs-demoed-with-ex-scar-the-martyr-singer/

3. Arizona Pastor Blasts ‘Satanic’ Metal Band Pantera.
http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/arizona-pastor-blasts-satanic-metal-band-pantera/

4. Mustaine’s Hint On Megadeth Lineup.
http://metalhammer.teamrock.com/news/2014-12-24/mustaine-s-hint-on-megadeth-lineup

Quick News Bites:
5. Found out why American Head Charge will not be performing at first Ave: “…we love First Ave. it’s just that we are doing a full headliner set Turf Club on Sat. 12/27 for our Holiday Hangover show. Hope to see y’all there!”

6. http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/accept-parts-ways-with-guitarist-herman-frank/

7. http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/carmine-appice-explains-why-he-is-a-better-fit-for-led-zeppelin-than-jason-bonham-is/
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SONG INTERMISSION (Featured Independent):
Artist: Coraxo
Album: Starlit Flame II
Song: The Bastion

http://coraxo-official.com/
https://www.facebook.com/coraxoband

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HUFFING THE ASS OF FAME: Life on the road with the Reverend Poky Bunge: EPISODE #4

Be sure to check out Reverend Poky Bunge on Facebook, Twitter, etc. or visit http://www.reverendpokybunge.com for all of your musical delights.

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FINAL DISCUSSION TOPICS:
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Kreator: Flying The Flag Of Hate
Kreator vs. The Big Four
http://metalhammer.teamrock.com/features/2014-12-27/kreator-flying-the-flag-of-hate

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Nate and Gene homework: Listened to and we discuss St. Anger/Metallica

Gene’s notes:
(Remember to deduct 1 point on all ratings. It’s the ‘Metallica’ factor…

Frantic – not the worst Metallica song. Not even close to the best. Every time he sings “Frantic-tic-tic-toc” tries to sound ‘frantic’ – I chuckle. No lead… 2.5 stars out of 5.

St. Anger – Nice thrashy part in there. Then it dies when the first verse comes in. That horrible snare sounds very much distracts me on this one. Keys work, but feels very un-Metallica to me as they’re SO present in the chorus. Song is way too long for what it is – almost like they thought that they needed to write something outside of the “radio length” that they’d done with the previous 2 albums. No lead… 2.5 stars out of 5

Some Kind of Monster – Sort of a passive lead going on here. Long intro on this one almost made me fast forward to the next song. 8.5 minute song? Not looking forward to this one. Lyrically stunted – not up to 80’s Metallica standards at all when James killed at turning a phrase. Ugh – chorus fell flat, no payoff for this lame-ass song so far and I’m not even half of the way through it. Dear god – why hasn’t someone fixed that snare by now?! These guys are millionaires – they can afford a new snare if it can’t be replaced. Finally – the bridge! Oh, weak. End of the song starting to get interesting – oh wait, more lyrics and another chorus to destroy it even more. What’s this? A TERRIBLE ENDING!! UGH! No lead!! Some kind of horrible song. 0 stars out of 5

Dirty Window – That god-damned snare is killing yet another song. So far, this one is better than Some Kind of Monster, but still lame-ass. Zero interest in this one lyrically. Lame laughing portion dropped more points. Whiny ‘Iiiiiiii’ ‘Iiiiiii’ singing part – lose even more point. No lead. Fail. 1 out of 5
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Thank god – Spotify played a commercial. I needed a break from that snare and these horrible lyrics. Oh dammit – another long song on a horrible album so far. Not looking forward to this one. Worst homework project ever…
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Invisible Kid – This intro shows the most promise, but that god-damned snare ruins it again. This song sounds better than the last two though so far. Oh great, the lyrics are right there with the snare – they ruin the song. Dear god – he’s still singing. Stop and get to a lead!! Nope – no lead, only more lyrics. Ugh. Trying to make it through – WHAT! I’m only half of the way through this 8.5-minute song!! Singing is getting worse! Inconceivable! No lead. 1 out of 5

My World – Another promising intro, but I’ve been fooled before. Oh – there’s the chorus. I vomit. Lyrically lame-ass AGAIN! I could easily fix this song with better lyrics and an unbroken snare. No lead, but a bass ‘featured’ riff. The lyrics at the end just cost them another .25 point. 2 out of 5.

Shoot Me Again – So far, this song isn’t as horrible as the last 4 or so. Oh wait – “shoot me again – I ain’t dead yet” ruins it. Ok, this song is one of the better ones on the album, but that damned “bridge” section or whatever you’d call it (“shoot me again – I ain’t dead yet”) needs to go. A lead may have helped it out, too. 2.75 out of 5

Sweet Amber – Ahh, there we go. Back to the suck. Has some interesting ideas in it, but the lyrics just lose it for me, and that damn snare debacle. Oh – the ending is getting interesting. No, wait – another chorus to kill it. Ugh. Rookies… No lead again. 1.75 out of 5.

The Unnamed Feeling – What?! Another weak-sounding song? Must still be listening to St. Anger. Will it ever end? No, it doesn’t. Lyrically lame again, bad singing on this one AGAIN! Well color me shocked. No lead. 1 out of 5

Purify – Ok, I’m digging this intro again, but waiting to be disappointed. Yep – there it is. There are a couple of good riffs that could be used in a better song. Maybe I’ll steal them and write something better than this dreck. No lead. 1.75 out of 5

All Within my Hands – I can’t believe how much Lars is in love with snare sound on this. Yuck. Featured in it’s own little section to start off this song. Sounds a little more experimental to start, but then falls short again once the lyrics start. Oh great, and it’s 8.75 minutes. Will Metallica finish strong here? I’m doubting it. So far, at almost 1/2 of the way through, I’m losing hope. There’s a few riffs here and there that are cool, but too few and far between. The bad parts overpower any little nuggets of good. “Kill Kill Kill Killl Kill Kill Killl Kiiillll!” LAAAAMEEE! This just became the 2nd worst song on the album. .5 out of 5
OVERALL:
Hetfield trying hard to sound “angry” and “Metal” at times. Almost seems like he’s trying too hard. Some singing was so bad I almost felt bad for James.
HORRIBLE snare sound. Guitar sounds are a bit weak.
Lyrically it’s stunted. Not up to Metallica’s standards from ‘…And Justice For All’ and previous releases.

Overall, I can understand Metallica wanting to venture into other avenues of music, like Pop Metal and Nu Metal. Lots of bands experiment with the “current flavor” of the times. (Kiss with Disco, etc.)

According to setlist.fm, here are the breakdowns of how many times these songs have been played live:
Frantic has been played 180 times, the most from this album
St. Anger has been played 172 times, the 2nd most from this album.
Dirty Window has been played 31 times live.
The Unnamed Feeling has been played 17 times live.
Some Kind of Monster has been played 3 times live.
All Within my Hands has been played 2 times live.
Sweet Amber has been played 1 time live.
Invisible Kid, Shoot Me Again, My World and Purify have been played 0 times live.
Total live plays from this album: 406 with 11 songs. St. Anger was released in 2003

To give you an idea on how bad these songs are, this album had tour support and everything. Here’s the breakdown from Death Magnetic released in 2008 – 5 years later:
1. “That Was Just Your Life” played 170 times
2. “The End of the Line”  played 149 times
3. “Broken, Beat & Scarred” played 156 times
4. “The Day That Never Comes” played 155 times
5. “All Nightmare Long” played 102 times
6. “Cyanide” played 175 times
7. “The Unforgiven III” played 7 times
8. “The Judas Kiss” played 30 times
9. “Suicide & Redemption” (Instrumental) played 2 times
10. “My Apocalypse” played 37 times
Total live plays from this album: 983 with 10 songs. 577 more plays overall.

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FINAL SONG
Artist: Pantera
Album: The Great Southern Trendkill
Song: 13 Steps to Nowhere