Bonus bogus boners
I have no excuse for my blog hiatus, other than that I've been up to my rucksack in condo searches, psychics, "Unwrapped" episodes and one poorly-attended but enjoyable party.
Yes, the search for a dwelling continues. The first place I liked was in the same town I've resided in since I was 12. I'm sort of reluctant to move from Palatine to Palatine because in addition to that fact, shortly after I saw the place, two different people brought up Idol's to me in association with the town. Never mind that I only enter that skeezy scumhole under extreme circumstances. If that special little corner of Hell at the intersection of Rand and Dundee is what people think about when they think of Palatine, I think I'll take my chances in Rolling Ghettos or Scumburg. I've seen nice places in both of those charming hamlets, and neither has bars that give me the heebie-jeebies. (Well, the Alumni Club is pretty appalling.)
Having just torn through the first three "Harry Potter" adventures, I'm a little bit into the weightier fourth volume. The plan is to finish before the movie comes out. That Rowling, she's addictive. I'm counting down the days until my Toronto overnighter while trying to figure out if I can also attend the Heathen Crusade. And after last weekend's surprise, if I win the lottery, I'm going to Inferno. It's Eurometal heaven right now, folks.
In the interest of somethng interesting, here's an ABC7 News report starring my buddy Kyle, who is not, as the clip might imply, a vegetarian. Also, twangier than ever, a new Murder By Death demo. Finally, a piece about the huge honkin' (and, word has it, poorly attended) metal extravaganza at Metro last weekend, as well as a review of the new Drums & Tuba record.
Yes, the search for a dwelling continues. The first place I liked was in the same town I've resided in since I was 12. I'm sort of reluctant to move from Palatine to Palatine because in addition to that fact, shortly after I saw the place, two different people brought up Idol's to me in association with the town. Never mind that I only enter that skeezy scumhole under extreme circumstances. If that special little corner of Hell at the intersection of Rand and Dundee is what people think about when they think of Palatine, I think I'll take my chances in Rolling Ghettos or Scumburg. I've seen nice places in both of those charming hamlets, and neither has bars that give me the heebie-jeebies. (Well, the Alumni Club is pretty appalling.)
Having just torn through the first three "Harry Potter" adventures, I'm a little bit into the weightier fourth volume. The plan is to finish before the movie comes out. That Rowling, she's addictive. I'm counting down the days until my Toronto overnighter while trying to figure out if I can also attend the Heathen Crusade. And after last weekend's surprise, if I win the lottery, I'm going to Inferno. It's Eurometal heaven right now, folks.
In the interest of somethng interesting, here's an ABC7 News report starring my buddy Kyle, who is not, as the clip might imply, a vegetarian. Also, twangier than ever, a new Murder By Death demo. Finally, a piece about the huge honkin' (and, word has it, poorly attended) metal extravaganza at Metro last weekend, as well as a review of the new Drums & Tuba record.
posted by SoulReaper at 10:13 AM
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Grave Invitation: Metro festival welcomes various flavors of the dark
Note: Kittie, Thine Eyes Bleed and Epoch of Unlight all eventually canceled, the latter sadly because they boke up on the road.
Take a couple of Ozzfest veterans, two tours by lesser-known metal bands and a handful of local favorites, and you've got one of this year's most diverse metal shows.
The Windy City Invitational begins early Saturday at Metro. With the aforementioned combination comes a chance to sample many forms of loudness. The lineup includes both the touring International Extreme Music Festival and an independent tour by a heavy metal husband and wife. Here's a look at the day's scheduled performers.
Macabre: The longtime Chicago trio's often tongue-in-cheek lyrics focus exclusively on serial killers, and they call it "murder metal." Musically, it's a tight mix of speed, death and doom metal, punk, children's songs and who knows what.
Kittie: Sisters Morgan and Mercedes Lander soldier on behind nu-metal's most famous all-female band, still heavier than many of their male peers. They're the event's "name" act, but their rhythmic sound has fallen out of trendy favor, so the Ontario quartet will stick out.
Bury Your Dead: These bruisers from Boston come straight from this summer's Ozzfest second stage. All the songs on last year's "Cover Your Tracks" (Victory) were named after Tom Cruise movies, but their pummeling mix of hardcore and death metal isn't very dreamy.
Kataklysm: Like Macabre, the Quebec fixture invented their own subgenre ("northern hyperblast," in honor of their creative use of blinding speed). They've developed into a more controlled sort of melodic death metal, but recently returned drummer Max Duhamel still kicks his skins into impressive overdrive.
God Dethroned: Another in a long line of undervalued Dutch metal bands, the IEMF headliners' furious black/death seethes with incredibly catchy guitar melodies. Vocalist/guitarist Henri Sattler always creates memorable tunes, even if his lyrics, although unique, can get a bit silly.
Most Precious Blood: This group featuring ex-members of the seminal Indecision play New York hardcore, but not of the simplistic variety. It's socially relevant and confrontational, but with elaborate songs that deliver more emotions than anger - without getting "emo."
Acumen Nation: Experts after countless local gigs, their driving mix of guitar crunch and electronic hooks keeps true to the feel of Chicago's once-thriving industrial scene. Their newest album, "Anticore" (Cracknation), is out soon.
Leaves' Eyes: The German band is fronted by Norwegian singer Liv Kristine Espenaes Krull, formerly of Theater of Tragedy and familiar to Americans from her appearance on Cradle of Filth's "Nymphetamine." Expect a classy, folksy torrent of gothic bombast.
Atrocity: Liv's husband (and Leaves' Eyes bandmate) Alexander Krull leads this enduring German mob, who have gone from playing technical death metal to industrial. Along the way, they even made a record of '80s pop covers.
Manntis: These runners-up for MTV's "Battle for Ozzfest" reality TV contest are actually better than the guys who won (the pedestrian A Dozen Furies). The southern California quintet's melodic metalcore doesn't rewrite their clone-plagued genre's rules, but their solid, short songs don't wear out their welcome.
Nightrage: More melodic death metal, this time from a supergroup whose most famous recording members are not on this, their first tour. The Swedish/Greek configuration still slays, thanks to the prodigious guitar duo of Marios Iliopoulos and power metal journeyman Gus G.
Hell Within: If you know that melodic metalcore coming from Massachusetts isn't a surprise, you won't be expecting anything out of the ordinary from these guys. And you'd be right to do so, although that's not to say they're bad at it.
Epoch of Unlight: Black metal's often associated with frosty Scandinavia, but this Memphis outfit scare up an intimidating blast. Sharp, intricate harmonies get a boost of vitriol from powerhouse drummer Tino LoSicco, also of prog supergroup Subterranean Masquerade.
Thine Eyes Bleed: Yet another melodic metalcore band, this time with a thrash slant and an Ontario address. Among the ranks are former Kittie guitarist Jeff Phillips and bassist John Araya, brother of Slayer frontman Tom.
Lilitu: The Atlanta group started out playing intellectual gothic doom/death, earning a cult following through a pair of self-released albums. They've gradually picked up the tempo in recent years, but there's still a lot of emotional turmoil in their European-style blend.
Novembers Doom: Chicago's doom/death favorites are getting some of the best reviews of their career for their latest, "The Pale Haunt Departure" (The End). It's deserved, too; epic, textured and extremely sad, it hurts like a good doom record should.
Hurtlocker: This harsh thrash band has been slogging it out and bashing in heads around the Chicago club scene for years. The work paid off, as they were recently signed by Austrian goth metal harbor Napalm Records, which releases their debut "Fear In A Handful of Dust," next month.
Drums & Tuba, "Battles Ole" (Righteous Babe) * * 1/2
Don't let the name fool you: There's more than drums and tuba here. Although Tony Nozero's percussion and Brian Wolff's tuba and trumpet form the backbone, Neal McKeeby's effects-drenched guitar and Nozero's array of electronic embellishments add volume and vibrancy to the tapestry.
The grooving results come off like a mutant hybrid of anxious funk, marching band, exploratory prog rock and one of those "live electronica" jam bands. Wolff uses his tuba like a loping and moaning bass guitar; Nozero fills out the mix with all sorts of reverberating clicks and swirlies. It's an admirably otherworldly concoction, but to the trio's detriment, this time they've tried to sound more like a normal band.
The major difference on "Ole," the band's sixth album, is that it's their first featuring vocals. Nozero's nasal drawl is kind of punk, kind of indie and often entirely unnecessary. The wailing crescendo McKeeby builds within "Four Notes of April" would benefit from breathing room, and Nozero's faux-Brit rapping nearly kills "If I Die." However, he sounds perfect on the long, jammy centerpiece track "Magnum Opie," where the vocals are wordless "ohhs," blending into the honking trumpets and organ noodling with refreshing restraint.
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