Haven't done one of these in a while, so here ya go:
Eidolon -- The Parallel Otherworld
30 Seconds to Mars -- Edge of the Earth
Primal Fear -- Thunderdome
Iron Maiden -- Sea of Madness
Sparta -- Taking Back Control
Muse -- Map of the Problematique
Motorhead -- In the Name of Tragedy
Bruce Dickinson -- Power of the Sun
Kyuss -- Green Machine
Mastodon -- This Mortal Soil
Tool -- Right In Two
Geto Boys -- Die Motherfuckers
This must be one of those eat-shit-and-die playlists that come about subconsciously. I love it when that happens.
Some of these bands, such as Eidolon and Mastodon, have been thrashing around for a while, and deserve greater recognition. Everything I've heard from them is great. Actually, all of them have been around for some time, and all deserve more play. Check 'em out. I'm not trying to out-hip you with the next Aztec Camera, I just think that if you're into heavy music, you'll like all of these bands. This is how the new revenue model is going to roll, just you watch.
2 comments:
Good stuff. The only two I haven't heard are Eidolon and Sparta. And Blues for the Red Sun - for me, that's one of those records that always bring back vivid memories of where and when you first heard it. Man, I worshiped that band. Queens of the Stone Age, not so much. But still, Josh Homme could start a boy band and I'd always overlook it in honor of his having created ...And the Circus Leaves Town.
Lately, I've been checking out a lot of, well, "medieval folk-rock", for lack of a better term. It seems to be mostly centered in Germany, with the common theme being a use of lots of traditional instruments, either combined with heavy metal guitars (In Extremo), electronica (Qntal) or a more traditional folk sound (Faun, Corvus Corvax). In Extremo even sing entirely in dead languages, which I thought was interesting.
Eidolon are pretty good, kind of an updated Rage For Order-era Queensryche type of sound. They are the main band of the Drover brothers (Glen, guitar and Shawn, drums), who are currently on tour with -- wait for it -- Megadeth.
Sparta are actually fairly commercial-sounding; I'm surprised this song in particular isn't a Z-Rock staple. Must not be kicking down enough payola. Anyway, I came across them in a recent issue of Guitar World, where they were mentioned as contemporaries (or maybe ex-bandmates) of The Mars Volta. They don't sound anything like Mars Volta, whom I actually like but are pretty distinct musically.
I like Kyuss a lot, what I've heard of them. QSA have their moments as well. Loved the Saturday Night Live appearance, with Will Ferrell rocking the cowbell on Little Sister.
Ritchie Blackmore has been doing that medieval folk-rock thing since the last short-lived Rainbow lineup, with Blackmore's Night. They have some decent songs, but could stand to rock a little harder. Growing up, I always liked the way Jethro Tull experimented within that quasi-Elizabethan genre, sometimes successfully, sometimes not, but at least they tried different things. In Extremo sounds intriguing; I'll definitely keep an eye out for them.
I wish I had more time to check out new bands; I think the availability of technology is putting a stake through the heart of the record companies' distribution/promotion model. I'd much rather see a hundred bands sell 30,000 copies a piece than one or two sell a million or five million, usually at the expense of lesser-known (but equally or more talented) bands.
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