Changes

Hey everyone. So I have not been able to post for a few days because I have been working on some new ideas for the blog. I feel like only reviewing metal bands leaves me without a very broad range of things to post about. So coming this weekend at some point I plan to revamp everything and change the direction of this site. I plan to still do albums of the day every once and awhile, but in addition to that I'll start posting reviews of MMA and Professional Wrestling events, and any news regarding either sport. Thanks for sticking around through the beginning and hopefully the changes will inspire me to keep writing.

Black Metal

     

          Today's album of the day is one of the most influential Metal albums of all time. "Black Metal" by Venom along with other bands like Bathory, Hellhammer and Celtic Frost are the bands that formed the prototype for the genre known as Black Metal. Though "Black Metal" is largely considered a thrash metal album, it's influence on other genres like Death and Black metal can not be denied. Things like vocal styling, lyrical content and guitar work that Venom did on this album have DEFINED those genres and was first heard on this album. Released in 1982 by Venom a trio from the UK. Upon release the album had almost no commercial success and most critics referred to them as "a trio of buffoons". Venom is known for their controversial lyrical content with almost all songs dealing with some satanic material. Though almost all the songs are performed in a very tongue and cheek manner that seemed to go over most people heads. Venom's music helped shape the development of many thrash metal bands, specifically the Big Four of Thrash (who in turn were highly influential): Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth. Venom would also be of extreme importance to the black metal and even the early death metal scene, with numerous bands copying styles, themes and imagery from the band.

Through all that, a lot of people questioned the bands musical talent. Venom's members were apparently well aware that their musical skills were questioned, especially by other bands. During a concert at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1984, guitarist Mantas was doing a between-song rant when he remarked rather loudly: "A lot of bands are out there tonight, waiting for Venom to make a mistake. Well, we are the fucking mistake!"

This album has been listed as one of the 1001 albums you must hear before you die.

Track Listing:

Black Metal
To Hell and Back
Buried Alive
Raise the Dead
Teacher's Pet
Leave me in Hell
Sacrifice
Heaven's on Fire
Countess Bathory
Don't Burn the Witch

You can hear the album here:

Spiraling Out of Control!

IN THE EYE OF THE STORM. DISCONNECTED FROM THE WORLD YOU WERE BORN. CHEATING DEATH JUST TO GET YOUR FIX. CANNOT SURVIVE, IT'S THE END OF THE LINE!

     So starts the 2nd track "Living in a Whirlwind" off of Warbringer's sophomore release entitled "Waking into Nightmare". Warbringer formed in 2004 under the name "Onslaught" but soon after changed their name to Warbringer after finding out a UK band was already performing under that name. Waking into Nightmares is pure thrash and will leave your neck sore by the time you reach the end of the first track. Warbringer are known for their high energy performances and respect for their fans. Lead Vocalist John Kevill has been known to dive off the stage into the crowd after the band is done playing, and mingling with fans after shows. I have seen Warbringer live multiple times and each time is better than the last.

Notable tracks off of Waking into Nightmares include the opening track Jackal, Living in a Whirlwind, Severed Reality and Abandoned by Time.

The opening track "Jackal" is a song of revenge. The protagonist has been seriously wronged by someone, so much so that they take their life. The wrong doer is referred to as a jackal. After the deed is done remorse is felt for the deed as the protagonist realizes he has become what he set out to destroy."Deed is finally done.What have I become? Hate what is myself. Two jackals burning in hell."

Lyrics:

"Born with the soul of a liar
A murderer, bred for the kill
Out from your mouth comes forth nothing but deceit
I want only to see it shut

After what you've taken away
There can be no forgiveness
An eye for an eye
Will make the whole world blind

Still I want you to die!
Tack back what is mine
Still, I want you to die
Thief who steals life

JACKAL!

You were the hunter...but now I'm hunting you down
You were a sinner...but soon you will sin no more
Cannot escape...I never rest, I never desist
Feel no remorse

You lose! I gain!
From all your suffering
Now your lying tongue has been cut out

Deed is finally done
What have I become
Hate what is myself
Two jackals burning in hell"

Next up on the album and arguably Warbringer's most popular song is Living in a Whirlwind. The song can be interpreted in a number of ways from someone dealing with Addiction, to someone suffering from a mental illness that is slowly driving them insane, Living in a Whirlwind is all about losing your grip in life and being caught in a whirlwind.

Lyrics:

"Living in a whirlwind!

Spiraling out of control!
In the eye of the storm
Disconnected, from the world you were born
Cheating death, just to get your fix
Cannot survive, its the end of the line

They look you in the eye and all they see is an empty stare
Living like a rat, you choke on your own despair
Still you're sinking lower, each day more desperate
You hide below the surface, waiting for the end

ESCAPE
Must escape

Ridden with the stress that YOU CAN'T TAKE
Arrgh, must escape
Not time to turn back, FAR TOO LATE
Can't escape

Everything around you, ceased to make sense
Waiting until your time will come...
To pass

Look into the mirror at what used to be your face
A ghastly visage you don't recognize, gone without a trace

Wasted"

Third song up is Severed Reality. Which is all about descending into madness as sanity slips away.(see what I did there?)

Lyrics:

"Descending! Into madness
Sanity falling away
Nothing remains from the world you have known
Enter the realms beyond the gate

Twisting masses taking form beyond the murky black
A scream breaks the silence and the skies begin to crack

Eyes burst forth from the body
Their whispers seared into your brain
Beckoning your descent
You stare into the void and it calls your name...

Twisting masses taking form beyond the murky black
Severed from reality, impossible to turn back
Souls held captive, wither away and die
Sickening screams of horror rend the affrighted skies

Trapped in the path of an oncoming STORM
Looking behind the eyes of the dead
Empty walls with no way out
Lost inside this...

SEVERED! Severed Reality
SEVERED! Severed Reality, Ugh

The mind falls into black abyss
Nothing left the same
Mouths emerge from every shape
Howls like dust from the grave
Within cryptic realms unknown
Draped in endless night
With all your might you try to escape
but still you're lost inside...

SEVERED!"

The last track that stands out to me is Abandoned by Time. This track is about the shortcomings of mankind. Simple as that.

Lyrics:

"Blood spilled upon the sands of time, the years passing by take their toll
Atrocities of ages gone, their tales forgotten and old
Another wicked tyrant reigns in terror, another city falls
Through thousands of years and millions of deaths we learn nothing changes at all

Lost from memory
Abandoned...by time
Through ages of depravity
Abandoned...by time

Though we thought the time was done when man preys on man like beast
Man is just an animal, its hunt for power will never cease
The ones who rule use you as a tool to meet their ends
Their hunger never sated,
their bloodlust infinite

Lost from memory
Abandoned...by time
A dark age of brutality
Abandoned...by time

Look at all the horrors
Across the centuries
Volcanic explosion
Brings kingdoms to their knees

Left a smoking ruin
Smoldering decay
Buried beneath the ashes
Lies shattered remains

It all passes by, beyond your control your control
The march of time keeps pressing on, devoid of any sould
Witness your mortal life fade into the pass
As all you have known and all you have loved disintegrate into ash

Into ash!

Can't find a solution for your harrowing distress
Impermanence of all you see renders it meaningless
Those in your life one by one passing on
Who will speak of them when a thousand years are gone...

NONE!
Abandoned...by time"

Listen to the album here:

Opiate

Alright. As previously mentioned i'm doing two reviews today. First up is the first EP from a band you have probably heard of. That's right folks today's first album of the day is "Opiate" by Tool.

In March 1992, Zoo entertainment published the band's first effort, Opiate. Described by the band as "slam and bang" heavy metal and the "hardest sounding" six songs they had written to that point, the six song long EP included the singles "Hush" and "Opiate". The band's first music video, "Hush", promoted their dissenting views about the then-prominent Parents Music Resource Center and its advocacy of the censorship of music. The video featured the band members naked with their genitalia covered by parental advisory stickers and their mouths covered by duct tape.

In my opinion this is Tool's best album overall. It is short, sweet, fast, and every song tells a story.

The album starts off with "Sweat" which starts the album with a bang. With a drudgy bass line and kick ass drumming "Sweat" is an awesome song to start off the album. I think the song is about losing your sense of well being or about someone who can't seem to handle their anxiety. These lines from the song give me that impression.


"I'm sweating, and breathing
and staring and thinking
and sinking deeper.
It's almost like I'm swimming"

"Seems like I've been here before.
Seems so familiar.
Seems like I'm slipping
into a dream within a dream."

"It drags me under and takes me home."

This is one of the weaker songs on the album but that's not saying much since all the songs on this album are spectacular.

Next up is "Hush" which is probably my favorites on the album. "Hush" is all about censorship. This song is short and to the point. It pokes fun at censorship, and pretty much says "Why can't I say what I want to even if I'm not serious?"


Lyrics:

"I can't say what I want to,
even if I'm not serious.

Things like....
"Fuck yourself,
kill yourself,
you piece of shit." 

People tell me what to say,
what to think ,
and what to play. 

I say...
"Go fuck yourself,
you piece of shit.
Why don't you go kill yourself?" 

Just kidding."

Next up is "Part of me", which is probably my least favorite song on the album. Don't get me wrong though, its a good song, but it doesn't really fit in well with the rest of the songs on the album. Oh and did I mention its about jacking off?

Lyrics:

"I know you well. You are a part of me.
I know you better than I know myself.

I know you best, better than anyone.
I know you better than I know myself.

You are a part of me.

You are just a part of me.
You are just a part of me.
You are just a part of me.
You are just a part of me.

Give it up...

You don't speak.
You don't judge.
You can't leave.
You can't hurt me.
You're just here for me to use.

I know you well. You are a part of me.
I know you better than I know myself.

I know you best, better than anyone.
I know you better than I know myself.

I know you well, better than one might think.
I know you better than I know myself.

I know you well. You are a part of me.
I know you best, better than anyone.

I know you well. You are a part of me.
I know you best, better than one might think.

It's time for you
To make a sacrifice.
It's time to die a little.
Give it up.

I know you best, better than anyone.
I know you better than I know myself.

A part of me."

So after a song telling censors to go fucking kill themselves and a song about choking the chicken its time to get back to more serious topics. The next song on the album is called "Cold and Ugly". The recording on the album is a live recording. The song intros with the bands vocalist Maynard James Keenan telling someone to "Throw that Bob Marley wanna-be motherfucker out of here." The original theory was that during this live recording, some guy with dreadlocks kept blowing an air horn, forcing the band to start over. A telephone hotline takes credit for this; it may have been Maynard kidding around with the singer from Green Jelly. After that the guitar riff kicks in and Maynard lets off a growl. My interpretation of this song is that it takes place through the eyes of someone(possibly Maynard) who meets someone who hides their true self away from the world. She never lets emotion get to her and just follows the masses because she is scared of being herself.. He sees that in her and realizes that everyone does that to an extent and is trying to tell her he is scared as well. This is probably my second favorite song on the album.

Lyrics:

"Underneath her skin and jewelry,
hidden in her words and eyes
is a wall that's cold and ugly
and she's scared as hell.

Trembling at the thought of feeling.
Wide awake and keeping distance.
Nothing seems to penetrate her. 

She's scared as hell.

I am frightened to.

Wide awake
and keeping distance from my soul.
I am scared like you."

You would think that this next song would be the one about masturbation but that's Tool for you. "Jerk-off" Is the 5th track on the album and easily my favorite. It starts off with Maynard saying "used to be a bunch of assholes that lived in this part of the building here, but we systematically exterminated them like you would any other termite or roach." This plays into the theme of the song which Maynard has stated to be based on an ethics system known as consequentialism. Consequentialism essentially is the line of thinking where one believes that the ends justify the means. Maynard said "Information, itself, is pure. Take a knife, for example. You can use it to cut up vegetables, meat, butter your bread, etc. Or you can use it as a weapon. The way in which information exists in its many forms leaves for us the decision as to how it is we wish to use it. Information itself has a certain purity. Humans have intentionality. It's humans who decide how it is they wish to behave. Information and technology are pure". The song itself tells a story of someone thinking about someone else they see or know and thinking that that person would be better off dead. And in the song the protagonist thinks he should just shoot that jerk-off right in his fucking head.

Lyrics:

"Someone told me once
that there's a right and wrong,
and that punishment
would come to those
who dare to cross the line.

But it must not be true
for jerk-offs like you.
Maybe it takes longer to catch a total asshole.
but I'm tired of waiting.
Maybe it's just bullshit and I should play GOD,
and shoot you myself.*
Because I'm tired of waiting.

Consequences dictate
our course of action
and it doesn't matter what's right.
It's only wrong if you get caught.
If consequences dictate
my course of action
I should play GOD
and shoot you myself.*
I'm very tired of waiting.

I should
kick you,
beat you,
fuck you,
and then shoot you in your fucking head.* "

* All references to "shoot you in your fucking head" are now performed live as "fuck you in your fucking ass" -- clearly a more appropriate message for the times.

Last but not least we move on to the title track "Opiate".  This song is a satirical representation of organized religion, and it's control of the people. As the deaf, dumb and blind followers are led, they are being violated. This song is a bit dramatic, with rants of God wanting to rape the listener and blind them with his lies, but it does provide a thoughtful message into Tool's feelings towards hypocrisy and corruption in the church. The title, Opiate, is allusion to Karl Marx's quote "Religion is the opiate of the masses" 

Lyrics:

"Choices always were a problem for you.
What you need is someone strong to guide you.
Deaf and blind and dumb and born to follow,
what you need is someone strong to use you...

like me, like me.

If you want to get your soul to heaven,
trust in me.
Don't judge or question.
You are broken now,
but faith can heal you.
Just do everything I tell you to do.
 

Deaf and blind and dumb and born to follow.
Let me lay my holy hand upon you.

My God's will
becomes me.
When he speaks out,
he speaks through me.
He has needs
like I do.
We both want
to rape you.

Jesus Christ, why don't you come save my life.
Open my eyes and blind me with your light
and your lies."

And there you are. All six songs on the albu-WAIT A MINUTE. "Opiate" ends around 5:30 of the song. From there until 6:06 is complete silence. Once it gets to 6:06(6 minutes and 6 seconds of the 6th track...666) another song can be heard. This so called secret track is called "The Gaping Lotus Experience." 

Lyrics:

"I had a friend once he took some acid
Now he thinks he's a fire truck
It's okay until he pisses on your lighter
Kinda smells kinda cool kinda funny anyway

satan, satan, satan...

I had a friend once he took some ecstasy
Tried to marry me and every one in the room
He was sort of loving kinda caring,
kinda tried to fuck my lazy boy
It got a bit messy all over the curtains,
arm chair covers, throw pillows, and carpeting

satan, satan, satan...

I'm getting bored again..."

That's it for today folks. I said I was going to do two but this took me almost 3 hours to type up and I need some sleep. 

You can listen to the whole album here:

About Yesterday.

Again sorry for no content yesterday. Today I  plan to do a review of two albums to make up for it, both coming later in the day. So stay tuned folks!

Sorry!

I'm not going to be able to write an album/band review today because of some personal issues I need to attend to. Don't worry though its nothing extremely bad. I'll make it up to you all tomorrow. Thanks for being supportive!

This Godless Endeavor

Todays artist of the day is a band from my neck of the woods Nevermore, started when the band Sanctuary was being pressed by its record label to change from a heavy metal style into a more popular grunge style. Vocalist Warrel Dane and bassist Jim Sheppard didn't want to sell out to obtain commercial sucess. So what did they do? Gave a nice one finger salute to the suits and started their own project, Nevermore. Soon after Jeff Loomis who was touring as Sanctuary's lead guitarist joined on and he has been with them ever since. The band incorporates elements from styles such as Thrash Power Progressive, and neo-classical Metal into their songs, and also makes use of Acoustic guitars and a wide range of vocal styles. Their best album in my opinion is their sixth studio album "This Godless Endeavor". From the high energy beginning to the 9 minute title track this album takes you on a journey through reality. All the songs on the album deal with real life issues such as The consequences of advanced technology, and religion among other things. I highly recommend this album to metal fans and non-metal fans alike. Did I mention they put on a kick ass show? Because they do, my ears were ringing for days after.

Heres the Track listing:

 

1.	Born	05:05
2.	Final Product	04:22
3.	My Acid Words	05:42
4.	Bittersweet Feast	05:01
5.	Sentient 6	06:58
6.	Medicated Nation	04:02
7.	The Holocaust of Thought	01:27
8.	Sell My Heart for Stones	05:18
9.	The Psalm of Lydia	04:17
10.	A Future Uncertain	06:08
11.	This Godless Endeavor	08:56
Total playing time		57:16

Evile Rocks El Corazon

Welcome to Metal Mayhem. For my first post I thought that I would focus on a great band I saw recently. Evile is a thrash metal band out of Liverpool UK and they kick serious ass. Their debut album "Enter the Grave" (pictured below) is a solid piece of work. They put on an amazing show and I can honestly say they are one of the best bands I have seen perform live. After their set was over they played with their debut album's title track "Enter the Grave" as an encore, thanked the crowd and headed off the stage. I caught a souvenir guitar pick thrown by Matt Drake, the lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist. Probably my favorite thing about seeing these guys live is how they warm up. Ol Drake the lead guitarist warms up by playing other popular metal songs. Nothing gets me more pumped up then hearing some of my favorite riffs before the actual show.

So if you are looking for some good old fashioned thrash metal, look no further.

Heres the track listing for Enter the Grave(I personally recommend Thrasher):

1. Enter the Grave
2. Thrasher
3. First Blood
4. Man Against Machine
5. Burned Alive
6. Killer from the Deep
7. We Who Are About to Die
8. Schizophrenia
9. Bathe in Blood
10. Armoured Assault

Until next time, Thrash on.