Agressor – Say Your Prayers (1996)

Here’s a good one from the vaults that most metalheads probably haven’t heard…but should.  Agressor was a NY band that apparently had been around since the 1980s but really only got decent recognition when their debut full length album, Say Your Prayers, was released in 1996.  Kelz turned me on to these guys on a compilation tape that he had made for me.  After hearing it I immediately called Sentinel Steel Records and ordered it from Denis.

The best description is to call these guys a poor man’s Overkill because the singer could fill in for Blitz and I doubt anyone would notice the difference.  Say Your Prayers certainly has a feel of Overkill’s Feel the Fire and Taking Over, but of course not quite as good…and a decade late.  That being said I have always loved this CD.

These guys apparently changed their name to Magus Beast in 2002 and I don’t think they ever released anything else.

If you dig Overkill’s early sound, then certainly download this and you won’t be disappointed.

DC4 and Warrior – 11/7/09 – Whisky A-Go-Go

When I was still in high school there was this dude that everyone called Big Bill.  He was the other metalhead in the Catholic school that I was stuck in for 4 years.  That dude and I were the best of friends, inseparable for the 2 years he went there and for the few years after we graduated.  We traded a lot of music over those years and he really turned me on to quite a bit of metal that I probably wouldn’t have heard.  I’m thankful for those years.  As mentioned previously, Bill turned me on to Odin.  I in turn “discovered” Warrior.  Both Odin’s debut and Warrior’s debut stayed in heavy rotation throughout the late 80s.  Both of them still get played quite often around here.

Earlier this year during the South By Southwest Festival in Austin, TX I had the pure pleasure of playing tour guide, roadie, chauffeur etc for LA’s DC4.  This band is comprised of Jeff Duncan (Odin, Armored Saint), Shawn Duncan (Odin), Matt Duncan (Odin) and Rowan Robertson (DIO).  They were the coolest dudes and we had a blast for the few days they were here.  Shawn and I have been in contact on and off for a few years and I was glad to offer them assistance while they were in my wonderful city.

I saw a few months ago where DC4 was playing with Warrior at the famous Whisky in Hollywood.  It was a weekend show and I decided that I might as well go.  Why not?  I totally dig DC4’s music and of course I love Warrior.  Shawn was gracious enough to open his home to me for the quick weekend trip.

I hadn’t been to LA since 1997 and had a blast.  I was looking to move there and even had 2 job offers from the 2 biggest metal labels in the area.  Unfortunately with 2 days left on my trip, I received a call from my Mom saying that my Dad had cancer again and that I needed to get back home.  Unfortunately Pops died a few months later and my thought of moving to LA went away as I figured I needed to stick around town.  I ended up sticking around until 2006!

I took Friday off from work to get ready for my 2PM flight.  I got to LA (Burbank) around 5PM Cali time and grabbed my rental car and headed north to Monrovia.  The sun had already gone down and I didn’t get to see any of the scenery on the drive.  With traffic I got to Shawn’s around 6:30.  After hanging out for a bit and waiting for his significant other to get home from work, we ll went to downtown Monrovia for sushi.  I swear it was some of the best I have ever had.  We went back to the house, jibber jabbered for a while then I hit the sack.  I was beat from the trip.

The next morning I went up the street to get some Diet Mt Dew.  When I walked out of the 7-11 all I saw was a mountain…literally…a mountain.  It was gorgeous with the sun shining on it.   Shawn and I ran some errands and I got to see and remember how beautiful California can be.  We went by the Santa Anita Raceway.  It was busy there for the Breeder’s Cup.  I only saw the outside of the place but it was gorgeous.

After returning back to the house, we got the drums packed up and loaded into his truck.  He had a wedding to attend that afternoon and I offered my services to get his gear to the Whisky.  It was a gorgeous drive into Hollywood and I saw many familiar sites from my last trip there.  Rolling up on the Whisky I got parking right out front and got the gear loaded in.  It was a bit brutal as I had to lug it upstairs.  Damn!  No worries, got it done.

After load-in, I mulled around Sunset for a while.  I met up with an old pal of mine who had just moved back to LA.  It was awesome seeing him.  We went to the Rainbow for some pizza and I got to hang out with some of his LA crowd.  Good times.  I was in there earlier that evening for a few beers and played on Lemmy’s video game machine.  That dude has the high score on every game.  It was funny.  It was getting closer to showtime so I walked back down to the Whisky.  My dogs were tired so I just found a spot upstairs and rested for a bit until DC4 showed up to the club.  It was great seeing the dudes in the band before they went on.  I sat with Rowan and friends for a while.  He’s such a cool dude.  Great guitar player as well.  Jeff was pretty happy to see me as well.  We talked outside for quite a while.  New Armored Saint album is finished!

The opening bands for the show were all pretty awful.  Seriously.  Awful.  It was DC4’s turn to hit the stage so we got the drums down the stairs and on the riser ASAP.  shortly thereafter they started up.  Because of some rockstar BS their set got cut by about 4 songs.  Didn’t matter.  They kicked ass and the crowd was really into it.  It was a pleasure to see.

By the time that Warrior was about to hit the stage we had just finished packing the drums back up and loading th em in the truck.  I was getting really tired but wanted to catch some of Warrior’s set.  Fortunately I got to hear 3 songs, the last being my favorite from their debut, Mind Over Matter.  McCarty’s voice sound GREAT and Joe Floyd was playing very well.  I was fading fast though.  It was already 12:30 Cali time, 2:30 my time and I had been running around all day.  Shawn’s fiance was going to leave so I left with her.  Said goodbye to some of my pals there and headed back to Monrovia.  I had to be up early for my flight out as well.

All in all it was a great trip albeit brief.  After the first of the year I think I’ll make another venture out there and have a few more days to screw around.

On my flights there and back, I got to see some parts of the country that I really hadn’t seen from the air.  The Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and the beautiful deserts between Texas and California really took my breath away.  We really take for granted how pretty this place is.  I will also say that California has some of the most beautiful scenery on earth.  I will also add that LA has some of the most fake people I have ever come across.  I noticed it in 97 as well.  I also met some really great people as well.  I guess both types are everywhere.

Looking back I really am glad I didn’t end up out there although I know I would have made my way just fine.  Austin is incredible and I think we have much better looking Latinas here!

Already I am looking forward to my next trip out there.

Thin Lizzy – Are You Ready? DVD – Live 1981

I’ve had the bootleg version of this 1981 Rockpalast show for many years and am glad to see that it’s finally coming out officially.  It’s a great show.  It always made me giggle that the bootleg had Angel of Death listed as “Desaster”.  It made me giggle even more to see that the official version kept the title the same.

If you like Thin Lizzy, this is a must have.  Snowy White on guitars with Gorham.  Lots of cool tracks on here too like Memory Pain(!!!), Got To Give It Up, Hollywood, Desaster and Chinatown.  Can’t wait to get the official version in my hands.  Release date in the USA is November 10, 2009.

1. Are You Ready?
2. Genocide (The Killing Of The Buffalo)
3. Waiting For An Alibi
4. Jailbreak
5. Trouble Boys
6. Don’t Believe A Word
7. Memory Pain
8. Got To Give It Up
9. Chinatown
10. Hollywood (Down On Your Luck)
11. The Cowboy Song
12. The Boys Are Back In Town
13. Suicide
14. Black Rose (Roisin Dubh A Rock Legend)
15. Sugar Blues
16. Baby Drives Me Crazy
17. Rosalie
18. Desaster
19. Emerald

Buy it from your local indie record store or online at DeepDiscount.com.  Great prices and always free shipping.

AT WAR – Infidel – CD Review

It was 1987 when I first met and saw these guys.  I was with Big Bill and Kirshon and I think we were at the keg party on Potter’s Rd seeing Ratchet.  I saw them live shortly thereafter and was just blown away.  Pure American thrash.  They were good friends with another band from that area that I loved, O.T.T., so I got to see and hang out with these guys often.  I believe I may have only seen them live twice, which was a pity since they were local homeboys.

It was pretty exciting for me when Paul sat in with my Motorhead tribute band and sang The Hammer.  What an honor!  It’s really only been in recent years that I really got to know those guys and again, it’s a pity that I don’t live near them these days.  Paul and I have become great pals and I got to hang with him here in Austin quite a bit a few months ago when he came in for a visit.  What a blast!  He’s still a maniac.  I love it.

But I guess I am here to talk about their latest album, Infidel.  All of us have been asking those guys for years when they would get back together and do another album.  We always heard the same thing, “It’s coming.”  Sure, Paul.  It had been coming for 20 years!

But then it happened.  Boom.  At War got on Myspace.  Started posting news about recording an album with the world famous Alex Perialas.  The buzz got going and I was excited that they were really doing it.

So when the record came out, I pulled the rock star card and emailed Paul with “Where’s my copy?”  It was said facetiously as anyone who knows me knows I always buys CDs and even hate being on the guest list for a band.  Those folks aren’t playing for free, ya know?  But Paul sent me one anyway.  It was nice to see my name in the special thanks, albeit undeservedly.

So I put the album on right when it came in.  BOOM!

AT WAR!  Infidel!

Fourteen seconds of noise and then it’s Paul Arnold in your face on the opener Assassins.  Hot damn, this sounds like At War!  I’ve listened to this about 15 times now and there’s not a stinker in the bunch.  If you’ve ever liked At War, then you still will.  This really picks up where they left off 22 years ago, except with better production.

It’s difficult for a band that gets back together to record 15+ plus years after the fact and to be able to retain the level of good metal that they once had.  At War did it with this one.  To be truthful I like this one even better than their previous albums.  I really don’t think I am being biased at all.  This album kills.  It’s At Wars perfect blend of Venom, Motorhead and their own touch of thrash that really always set them a bit apart of other thrash bands of their time.

So…Nice work Paul, Shawn and Dave!  Now bring the show to Austin, you fuckers!

Visit them on Myspace.

Colin Hay – Concert Review – 101409 – Austin, TX

As noted before, I’m a huge Men At Work fan. I found out the day of this show that Colin was playing at the tiny little Cactus Cafe on the campus of UT.  This place is typically a first come, first served so I got there early.  Being the dork that I am, I brought my CD covers (previously signed by Greg Hamm) for the only 3 Men At Work albums.  I used to have some of Colin’s solo CDs but his solo work never did much for me.

I was one of the first few people there and ended up meeting a guy who had also just found out about the show.  Super nice guy, screenwriter.  We talked for quite a while before they let us in and then sat together.  The cactus only holds about 50 people and this show didn’t sell out.  Criminal!!!

Colin got on stage and instantly just started telling stories, very funny stories.  Intermingled with his storytelling he also played some music.  Truthfully I think he may have only played 8 or 9 songs, but it didn’t matter.  His stories were very engaging and absolutely hilarious, even if a bit embellished here and there.

The only Men At Work songs that he played were Down Under, Who Can It Be Now and the closer Overkill.  I admit to getting a little choked up when he played that song.  It’s always been one of those songs from one of those eras, ya know?  I would like to have heard a few others that I think would have done well acoustically, but hey, it’s not my show.

He played practically flawlessly and his voice was still powerful and stayed crisp the whole night.  He’s a solid player on guitar.  I was impressed.

After the show he said he’d come out and do a quick meet and greet.  Of course I stuck around (groupie!).  Only about 10-15 people stuck around to say hi and I just waited at the end of the line.  When he got to me, he looked at my stack of CD covers and I think it was pretty blatant that I wasn’t a fan of his almost 10 albums of solo works.  He asked who had previously signed them  and I told him about the show in Virginia Beach in 1999.  He recalled the show as “Upstairs venue?  Hot as hell?”  He nailed it.  He was very amiable and I just thanked him and told him how much those 3 albums meant to me as a kid and even now as an adult.  He thanked me, shook my hand and looked at my shirt and said, “Black Sabbath, eh?  Good on ya, mate.”  We snapped a quick foto and I shook his hand one mroe time and left.

It was very special for me.  I’d certainly go see him again.  His comedy routine is worth the price alone.  Add in his music and it’s a double bonus night!

Tommy Pons – Artist

Great artist (Dangerous Toys, KISS, etc), fellow resident of Austin, TX and fellow Steelers fan.

Check out his new blog.

And his other site.

Watchtower – Energetic Disassembly (1985)

I remember clearly the first time I saw this on cassette.  It was at the Music Man at Military Circle Mall in Norfolk, VA.  The cover was upside down as compared to how the majority of cassette j-cards were printed.  It always struck me as odd but I always felt it was intentional, especially after listening to this album at least 100 times since I first heard it.  It certainly turned my mind upside down several times.

My friends and I were pretty shocked by this one.  Most of us were into thrash ala Overkill’s Feel the Fire, Anthrax, Testament etc…but this was something different.  Something special even.

The album opens with a frenetic frantic pace with crazy guitar riffs, insane bass lines and hyperactive drumming.  They don’t stop until the end of the album.  Mix all of this with Jason McMaster’s incredible vocals that cut through all of this madness and you have a perfect technical thrash album…perhaps the first truly technical thrash album.  Some may debate that one but for me, this is the first.

While I love every song on this album, my absolute favorites are Tyrants In Distress, Violent Change, Meltdown and Argonne Forest.  The whole band really seems to just be together and well-rehearsed.  Billy White (f. Don Dokken), Doug Keyser and Rick Colaluca just flat out lay it down on this album.  Period.

I still don’t feel that this album gets enough respect although some of the major metal players loved them such as Chuck Schuldiner (RIP) and Dream Theater.  Watchtower set the standard early for technical metal.  Their popularity is Europe still seems to be pretty strong as I believe they’re playing one of the Euro-Metal fests in 2010.  It seems that they are still pretty huge in Greece.

While Control and Resistance was a good follow-up and was partially written by Billy White, a lot changed in their sound.  Ron Jarzombek (Spastic Ink) and Allan Tecchio (Hades, Non-Fiction) do a fine job, but the loss of Jason McMaster and Billy White took them down a slightly different progressive thrash metal path.  Both albums are certainly worth owning, but I have always preferred the debut.

Watchtower is in the studio recording a new album with McMaster on vocals (!!!) and I can’t wait to hear the whole thing.  Hopefully I’ll finally get to see them live.

Living here in Austin, TX now, it is great to see how much that band is loved and respected around here.  It gives me a warm tingly feeling.  It’s also pretty incredible for me to have McMaster in my Motorhead tribute band.  He’s a talented musician all the way around and bring a lot of energy to the band on rhythm guitar and backing vocals.  Certainly one of my musical idols.

If you don’t own Energetic Disassembly and you like thrash, prog-metal, RUSH on steroids, you need to own this one.

Just do it.

“Breakdown, warning – Nuclear nightmare, reality”

Motorhead…MOTORHEAD!

To be truthful, I’m still only a relatively new fan of Motorhead.  I never really checked them out in the 80s and never owned anything by them until the 1916 album, which I love.  I first saw them live in 1993 and really only went to see Mikkey Dee and got to hang out with him quite a bit that day.  It was seemingly a down time for them as the Peppermint Beach Club in Virginia Beach, VA may have been have full.  I’m glad to see that their popularity has gone back up in the last decade or so.

It really wasn’t until the last 10 years that I started digging deep into their repertoire and became a fan, especially of the Fast Eddie/Philthy era.  One of the first ones that I bought was the debut album, Motorhead.

I can see why a lot of the punk crowd digs this album because it really is a punk record IMHO.  I love it and it’s easily in my top 5 Motorhead albums.

Train Kept A-Rollin’ notwithstanding, this album is almost perfect.  I never cared for that song after hearing the Aerosmith version my whole life.  Blech!  But the title track, Lost Johnny, Vibrator, Keep Us On The Road, IRON HORSE/BORN TO LOSE!!!  C’mon!  Those songs are great!

Oddly enough, though, I don’t think this album gets enough credit.  Granted the production isn’t the greatest and it’s not really a heavy album, it shows their roots quite a bit.  When people ask me what I recommend to start them off on a band, generally I tell them to start at the beginning and work their way up and this is especially true with Motorhead.  The transition from this album to Overkill is perfect.  Getting the On Parole version is worthwhile as well.

Alright!

I’m just waiting on a friend…

It’s no secret that my older brother, Robert, was a big influence on my musical development, especially between 1975 and about 1981/82.  One of the bands that he introduced me to is The Rolling Stones.  To date they are still my 2nd favorite band of all time behind Iron Maiden.  He loved the Stones and subsequently so did I.  He played them a lot and they became ingrained into my musical repertoire.  After Wyman left I was done with them, but I love just about every album they did with him save one or 2 in the 80s.

I can remember coming home from school and listening to Tattoo You on vinyl.  Typically mom and dad were at work and who knows where my brothers were.   I seemed to have time to spin records before they all came home.  Very influential and time well spent.  Homework?  Pfffft!

This album was always special to me though.  It’s one of those albums that brings me back to a certain time in my life, actually to 2 different times in my life.  I guess I have a lot of those types of albums and I am glad for it.  Without music I don’t know how I would have ended up.

Tattoo You wasn’t a perfect album for the Stones although it had one of their biggest gits on it…Start Me Up.  Sure it’s a fun tune but not one of their finest moments in my opinion.  I really loved their slower tunes and this one has some great ones on it, pretty much all of side 2.  Worried About You, Tops, Heaven, No Use In Crying and Waiting On A Friend.  Such a smooth album side.

Side one’s highlight for me is Little T&A.  When I was 19 I briefly dated a girl that this song seemed to fit so well.  Typically when we went out I would play it sometime during the evening.  Hang Fire is pretty good too.  Pretty cool cover art as well.  But all in all, side 2 rules this album.

There are many other Stones album that I like better, but this one does have that special place.

“Ain’t no use…”

Damien Thorne – Sign of the Jackal – CD Review

Damien Thorne hit the scene in 1986 with their debut release Sign of the Jackal on Roadrunner Records.  At that time Roadrunner had decent distribution and their tapes and records were in most stores.  I am pretty sure Big Bill and I were out and about when this one got discovered.  Sometimes it gets hard to remember.  Doesn’t matter.  This was a good discovery.

Damien Thorne fit the category for what I considered speed metal with a hint of NWOBHM in them.  Justin Fates vocals were definitely the high point for me with these guys.  He reminded me a lot of Glen May from Tyrant (LA)…good normal singing voice and great high notes heavily laden with reverb/delay/chorus.  Good times!

Since I was listening to this on cassette for many years, side 2 would be considered my favorite side.  Hell’s Reign, Escape or Die, Siren’s Call and Damien’s Procession (March of the Undead).  Side 1 wasn’t shabby by any means, but the album got better as it went along.

DT had pretty decent riffs and good drumming with some good straightforward double bass stuff in it.  Most of the songs are good mid-paced US metal.

While Damien Thorne weren’t any sort of groundbreaking act, the debut is certainly worth tracking down.  The  CD version was available for a few years but seems to be out of print now.

Tonight was the first time I have spun this in a few years and it really brought back good memories of my high school years (there weren’t many) of hanging out in Churchland with Big Bill, Kirshon, Woodley, JayJay, Frog, RickRick, Nick etc…

Man, looking back it’s a wonder that some of us are still alive.  Well, sadly, some of us aren’t.  It’s interesting to see who ended up where doing what.

Going back and listening to some of these old albums really sets off some stuff in the brain.  It’s a good stroll down memory lane with some music that always takes me back.  I definitely wore out a few cassette copies of Sign of the Jackal.  Riding around in my 66 Nova II 4dr.  While I generally don’t miss those days, there were enough good times intertwined with friends and music that will never be forgotten.  Luckily I talk to friends that remind me of an album or I listen to an album that reminds me of some old friends.

Download it here. Buy it if you can find it.