Wolftooth “Wolftooth” Album Review + Stream…

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Wolftooth

Wolftooth – Vinyl // CD // DD

Physical CD available on March 5th, 2018 on Blackseed Records

Limited & Standard 180gr Vinyl available April 20th, 2018 through Cursed Tongue Records

Reviewed by Eric Layhe

 

Tracklist:
Blackbirds Call (5:41)
Aegaeon (5:16)
Sword of my Father (3:55)
White Mountain (4:31)
Frost Lord (4:18)
The Huntress (6:06)
Forged in Fire (6:14)
Season of the Witch (6:07)

 

 

Review:
Stoner Metal has a very storied history. Debatably beginning with Black Sabbath and Hawkwind and surviving through Monster Magnet, the bandcamp era has created something of a golden era of Stoner Metal and one of the beneficiaries of this golden age is Indiana’s Wolftooth.

Wolftooth is a classic Stoner Metal band through and through, albeit one with a little extra heft added for good taste. Their self-titled album is chock-full of great riffs and much better vocals than the genre usually calls for and even features a few twists and turns as well – album opener “Blackbirds Call” opens with an atmospheric intro that is almost symphonic in nature. “Sword of my Father” is (fittingly) extremely reminiscent of the Apocryphon-era of The Sword, with Kentucky-fried grooves and lots of southern twang. Through its raw production, Wolftooth’s “Self-titled” album does a great job of emulating a live show. If you close your eyes, you can almost imagine that Wolftooth is right there playing for you.

Band Pic

It’s not a perfect album, though. In terms of the genre of Stoner Metal, Wolftooth doesn’t bring a whole lot of new material to the table. If you’re a member of the fairly sizable group that feels as though Stoner Metal is a tad tired and needs a major mix-up in order to be truly rejuvenated, then you probably won’t find a whole lot to enjoy here. It really is a faithful recreation of the genre and therefore won’t be much of a treat if you’re not a fan of that particular style.

With their self-titled album, Wolftooth has created a very faithful recreation of Stoner Rock with a modern edge. Fans of the genre will love it, whereas those that aren’t simply won’t. While it really is as simple as that, I cannot emphasize how good of a job Wolftooth has done. If you enjoy Stoner Metal, I absolutely recommend you check out this excellent release.

Additional Links:
http://cursedtonguerecords.bigcartel.com/

https://www.facebook.com/wolftoothmetal/?ref=br_rs

Concert Review – Sons of Apollo @ Music Factory, Battle Creek, Michigan + Videos + Pics…

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Concert Review – Sons of Apollo

The Music Factory, Battle Creek, Michigan – February 17th, 2018

Review by Eric Layhe 

Photos by Eric Layhe & Terry “The Ancient One” Cuyler

 

Review:
Speaking as a fan of Progressive Metal, this show was basically a dream come true.

On a chilly February night in Battle Creek, Michigan, a seemingly endless crowd of people representing nearly every age demographic (albeit almost entirely male) crammed themselves into a fairly small music venue for the opportunity to see a group of veritable giants of the music industry play- but more on that later. The night consisted of three musical groups, each of a different distinct sort of progressive metal. As we entered the venue, the stage was packed with instruments, including two normal-sized drum sets and Mike Portnoy’s drum kit, which is so ridiculously large it should have its own zip code and no fewer than five keyboards including a full-sized Wurlitzer Organ.

This jam-packed stage presented something of a challenge for the first act, Dark Trilogy. Dark Trilogy are an instrumental, progressive metal band from South Bend, Indiana with (rather fittingly) three members. Nevertheless, they seemed a bit cramped on the already jam-packed stage setup. That said, I have to say that they made the most of it, delivering a short but well-crafted setlist consisting mostly of shredding prog that gave each member more than enough opportunity to showcase their considerable talents, the peak of which was an excellent drum solo featuring entertaining theatrics and an impressive display with LED drumsticks!!

After a relatively quick reprieve between bands and the removal of one drum set, second act Sifting took the stage. Sifting are a Progressive Metal band from Los Angeles, California. Sifting, the touring opener, has a very radio-friendly but still proggy sound, as if Avenged Sevenfold took some songwriting lessons from Claudio Sanchez of Coheed & Cambria. From the first note, it was immediately apparent why Sons of Apollo chose Sifting to tour with them; While they are indeed a young band, they have immense talent, expertly blending complex guitar work with classically-influenced songwriting and well-executed vocal harmonies.

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After the clearing of one more drum set, finally leaving enough room for a band to perform, Sons of Apollo took the stage, and they did not disappoint. For the uninitiated, Sons of Apollo is a Supergroup, comprising of former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, former Dream Theater keyboardist Derek Sherinian, Mr. Big Bassist Billy Sheehan, Former Guns N’ Roses Guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, and Trans-Siberian Orchestra and former Journey vocalist Jeff Scott Soto. This virtuoso pedigree made itself apparent right out of the gates with their album’s opener, “God of the Sun.”  The band transformed and contorted with incredible aptitude to fit each and every song from their epic album “Psychotic Symphony”, including several covers (see below). In Sons of Apollo’s case, each member (debatably barring Portnoy) had an entire song peppered throughout the setlist to showcase their world-class talents.

Band Pic_Good

Keyboardist_Good

Sheehan and Sherinian each had an original (and possibly improvised) solo section for each of the two, while Thal had a beefed-up cover of Henry Mancini’s famous theme to “The Pink Panther” and Soto had given himself the previously-thought-to-be-impossible feat of covering Queen. He began by mimicking the now-famous call and response schtick popularized by Freddy Mercury and then transitioned into a downright exquisite cover of Queen’s deep track “Save Me”, tastefully backed by Thal on guitar.

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Re-sized Singer_Drummer

The aspect of the show that was most impressive was just how comfortable Sons of Apollo felt with each other on their very first tour. The entire group, even the famously stoic Derek Sherinian, were smiling like goofballs through the entire set, and were playfully joking with each other throughout the show, with special mention going to the mesmerizingly energetic Jeff Scott Soto. Most important, they were clearly having the times of their lives, and if you want to as well, do not miss Sons of Apollo on their continuing tour.

Re-Sized_Singer_Guitarist Singing

 

Sons of Apollo Set list:

  1. God of the Sun
  2. Signs of the Time
  3. Figaro’s Whore
  4. Divine Addiction
  5. Just Let Me Breathe (Dream Theater Cover)
  6. Labyrinth
  7. Bass Solo
  8. Lost in Oblivion
  9. Prophet’s Song (Queen Cover)
  10. Save Me (Queen Cover)
  11. Alive
  12. The Pink Panther Theme (Henry Mancini Cover)
  13. Opus Maximus
  14. Keyboard Solo
  15. Lines in the Sand (Dream Theater Cover)
  16. And the Cradle Will Rock… (Van Halen Cover)
  17. Coming Home

Octopussy “Dwarfs and Giants” Album Review + Stream…

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OCTOPUSSY

Dwarfs and Giants – CD // Digital Download

Independent: Released – Nov 10th, 2017

Reviewed by Mike Hackenschmidt

 

Line Up:
Jan Babiński – vocals
Konrad Ciesielski – drums
Piotr Danielewicz – guitars
Michał Banasik – guitars
Marcin Bąkowski – bass guitar
Michał Koziorowski – keys

 

 

Review:

Ring ring… Ring ring…

(Man on receiver) – Hi! You’ve reached Octopussy. How can we help you?

(Caller) Hi this is the late 60’s and early 70’s! Who am I speaking with? We want our sound back.

(Octopussy) – Well you certainly called the right people. Where should we start?

(60’s/70’s) – How about some funky, bass driven rock?

(Octopussy) – Can do

(60’s/70’s) – Hendrix inspired guitar work?

(Octopussy) – Check

(60’s/70’s) – Disco vocals?!?

(Octopussy) – uhhhh… let’s keep that to one track…

(60’s/70’s) – I was only kidding on that one.

(Octopussy) – Well too late. You’re getting it. It fits with the funk track anyway. We’ll stick to a more bluesy, psychedelic groove for the rest of the album. Maybe a splash of southern rock but not too much.  Sound okay for ya?

 

Band Pic

 

(60’s/70’s) – So how about the vocals on the remaining tracks?

(Octopussy) – We’re going with a mix of smooth melodic, and raspy blues… plus some heavily distorted screams and speech.

(60’s/70’s) – Uhh.. screams?

(Octopussy) – Don’t worry about it. We’ll make sure it works within the context of the album.

(60’s/70’s) – In that case, we demand a ballad.

(Octopussy) – Sure. But it’s going to be trippy as fuck and really short.

(60’s/70’s) – I feel you don’t much like compromise.

(Octopussy) – Not at all

(60’s/70’s) – Great. I can’t wait to hear it.

(Reader) – Me too.

Uhhhhhhhhhh…. OK then. Links are below:

https://octopussyband.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/octopl/