Photos By: Lena Linkovoi (Red Aries Photography)

Chicago, IL - Short Attention Span/ADHD Review: Great concert, great band; if you like rock music in any
form, you will like Blackberry Smoke!

Now… What I really get paid for…

I ain’t never been to Georgia, but one recent hot and humid Chicago night, Blackberry Smoke took me home. Great southern rock doesn’t hit you over the head or scream in your face – It invites you over for a shot and a beer, and before you know it, the hardwood floor is rising up to meet your face – of course there is an ear to ear smile on that face.

Ah – those southern boys – kinda laid back – it takes a while but there’s no question they really know how to get the job done. I don’t have to research the History of southern rock, because I’m a small part of that history. I’ve seen all the great southern bands in their prime, and Blackberry Smoke is both the successor and the equal of any of those bands.

When a band really hits its stride, it starts working, playing and singing like a finely tuned race car.
In BS’ case, think NASCAR with a little moonshine in the tank for that extra kick across the finish line.

Looking at BS’s strengths in depth is for me a pure delight.

The Brothers (Richard and Brit) Turner are one of the best Rhythm sections ever, very solid and very tasty. They’ve got a couple of REAL guitarists that have to be kept in line and they do it with the natural ease of truly talented musicians. Then there’s Brandon Still on Keys – BS’ newest member –Stand up every once and awhile and let the folks see ya – you’re a great addition to the band, so don’t be shy. Now, we come to the guitar lightning that might have sparked the Smoke. Paul Jackson is the solid, no-nonsense, ‘let’s get the job done’ player. He can play just about anything rock, and he excels at dual guitar harmony leads, plus his sustaining one chord rhythm parts are killer!

Charlie, you threw down the gauntlet, so you shouldn’t be surprised that I’m picking it up. You do know that- “He who dies with the most toys – wins!” is only a saying? Dude, my wife, whose shoe closet rivals Superman’s Fortress of Solitude in size and scope, has less shoes than you have guitars!

I’ll keep this as short as possible because not everyone is a gearhead (sigh) like us. Gold SG Jr.with soap bar pickup, PV (Hand Carved) Tele-style with P90 and lipstick pu’s, Plexiglass Dan Armstrong – surprisingly stock, Sunburst Tele with B-Bender and of course your main guitar, one of the nastiest workingman’s Les Paul’s I’ve ever seen.

HEY! Wake up I’m working here! Charlie Starr cares enough to use the right tool for the job. He’s a great, quirky guitar player who puts the unique sound of each guitar to good use for the job/song at hand. He’s also the best country/rock vocalist I’ve heard in a long time with a powerful, clear voice
that grabs you by the ears and drags you into the song. The rest of the band adds harmonies that
might be compared to the Beatles if they had the advantage growing up in the South.

In my Blackberry Smoke album review I said that the Smoke would be your new favorite southern
rock band. This concert proved to me that they should be your new favorite band – period.

Boys – I hope you’re not making Charlie sleep on top of his guitars out in the equipment trailer.
Let him back on the Bus now, ya hear?

Rock Bottom Line:
Oh – Why is life on the road fun?
Because you can always find a truck stop that sells sparklers and Hank Jr. ashtrays!

Want More Blackberry Smoke?
Blackberry Smoke @ The Viper Room
Blackberry Smoke – Little Piece of Dixie
Blackberry Smoke Goes #1

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2. Blackberry Smoke Goes #1
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Is Gene Hoglan the nicest metalhead ever?

That is the question that was left in my head after spending a half an hour on the phone with him today.

This guy has been doing the metal thing for three decades. He has played with damn near every amazing metal band in existence during that time. He is gonna go down as one of the greatest heavy metal drummers ever.

What was I expecting? I wasn’t sure. I saw some youtube clips of him talking and he seemed like a nice guy.

The man I talked to on the phone was way beyond that. This guy talked to me like an actual person. Not a media obligation. Not someone who could help him make money by writing about him. Nothing like that. He talked to me like he had known me for years, like we do this all the time. Like he had thoughts and ideas he wanted to share with me. And he did. Big time.

We started off the conversation talking about his new DVD, “The Atomic Clock” which can be purchased here. Check out the trailer for the DVD here. We talked all about it for a while and he really shared with me what it was all about and why he made it.

From there, I hit him with some random facts about him that I found in my research for this interview. We talk about the experience of drumming for two different bands in one night, writing lyrics for Dark Angel albums, how he became a drummer and his all-around musical skills, and his musical idol (listen to the interview for his surprising response).

This is a solid 30 minutes of talking with a legend of the metal community and someone who wants you (and me) to know what makes him tick.

He is Gene Hoglan, aka- “The Atomic Clock.”

Enjoy and follow along with my conversation with him below.

Gene Hoglan of Fear factory

00:05: Opening greetings.

00:45: “Jamming with the Stones.”

About the new DVD

1:40: The main order of the day…

1:50: Gene’s new DVD- “The Atomic Clock.”

3:45: “At the end I want people to think that this was a couple hours well spent.”

6:45: The origin of The Atomic Clock.

8:10: About the DVD extras…

10:20: “There are no instructional DVD’s with extras on them.”

12:00: ‘The Hoglan Blast.’

13:50: Where to get the DVD. Here and here.

Some random stories

14:25: Playing drums for Strapping Young Lad and Opeth in the same night… for 20 nights!

16:20: “Anybody can do anything…. but not as good as me. (sarcasm)”

16:45: Writing lyrics for Dark Angel albums.

20:20: Started drumming at 13, playing guitar since 15.

21:15: Jason- “Lemme get this straight. You’re telling me that you are a better guitar player than a drummer?!”

22:20: Gene the all- around musician.

24:58: Gene’s musical idol is…

27:30: Jason- “You are super- articulate and awesome man.”

28:00: Closing thoughts and comments.

Find more on Gene here and here.

Stay tuned for updates on Gene and Fear Factory, here as always, in the Continuum.

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2. Devil Wears Prada, Fear Factory, Rob Zombie @ The Golden Gods
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Like metalcore and nü metal (gasp!) before it, retro hard rock seems to be a trend as of late. As in any sudden infestation of a niche genre, you’ve got your contrived, popular acts who have taken the sound to its marketable conclusion; Wolfmother and, increasingly, The Sword, fall into this bracket. Luckily, there are a few bands out there who insist on keeping this whole thing like it was in the “old days”: organic, laid back and just damn cool. You can thank Led Zeppelin worshippers Graveyard and Witchcraft for holding up their end of the deal on this one, the latter especially seeing as they’re the most underrated rock band of the past decade, even if they basically play slightly tweaked Pentagram covers. Originality isn’t the key here; it’s style and swagger, man.

The idea is to pretend – as Decibel once stated in a blurb on Witchcraft’s 2005 slab Firewood – that “the last 30 years of recorded music never happened.” If your parents were to walk in on you jamming one of these guys’ records, they would assume it was an unsung LP from that halcyon era of bell bottoms, lava lamps and chemically altered states of consciousness instead of a gaggle of contemporary rockers deliberately recording straight to tape with the oldest equipment they could find, which it is. So let’s go back to that “cool” thing and talk about the Netherlands’ own The Devil’s Blood, who exhale the stuff in wisps as thick as the cloud of smoke over glory days Haight-Ashbury.

I mention that infamous neighborhood in San Francisco because this quartet sounds like a long forgotten band who probably shared an apartment with The Jefferson Airplane at some point. All the signs of the late 60s/early 70s are here: Altered blues scales? Check. Super analogue, you-are-in-the-studio production? Yep. Fiendishly catchy and unrelentingly melodic riffs? Oh hell yes. There isn’t a single original idea on this record, and your average snotty music critic would call it derivative if he weren’t stomping his foot to the incessant death boogie of “Christ or Cocaine.” Or maybe he’s too busy air guitaring to “Angel’s Prayer”’s Maiden-esque lead harmony. You know, by the time 11 minute closer “The Anti-Kosmik Magick” depletes its stockpile of solos, he’s likely to have dropped out of life altogether. The point is, dude is feelin’ this stuff, and you will too if you claim to enjoy any sort music involving a distorted guitar.

The Time of No Time Evermore is the only album in recent memory I can recommend to fans of all sides of the rock spectrum. Black metal trolls will dig it for the occult lyrics and ritualistic atmosphere. Doom freaks will stare at their speakers without blinking a blurry eye as vocalist F. the Mouth of Satan’s chilling vibrato sends their vertebrae into fits of convulsions. And your parents will probably have flashbacks to the summer after the Summer of Love, when dream was crushed by undeniable reality. Above all, though, this record is simply cooler than anything that’s come out this year. Just ask our European compadres, who have been jamming it since 2009.

Label: Van Records – Rating: out of

For fans of: Black Sabbath, Coven, Jex Thoth

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Photos By: Cole Lundstrom

“Aw, hell no!” The Game hollered, “Whoever threw a beer at me while I’m holding my child, you about to get fucked up, and I’m about to get sued!”

What’s a good rap show with out a good ol’ fashioned ass-whoopin’?

After finishing his encore, that consisted mainly of the L.A. classic, “One Blood,” The Game brought his two sons, Harlem (Age 7) and King (Age 3) out on stage to meet the audience. Game gave a warm thank-you to all his fans, and made his kids thank the audience for ‘paying for their private school.’ King bashfully and adorably told every one ‘thanks’ amidst applause, as his father held him proudly. Out of nowhere, a full cup of beer flew across the club, and landed right in King’s face. Someone in the audience thought it would be funny to throw a beer at The Game while he was holding his child; which in actuality was not at all humorous.

Five members of Game’s entourage lept over the photo barricade and proceeded to beat the living shit out of the man that had purportedly hurled the beer. Security rushed over to stop the scuffle, as The Game and his entourage calmly walked off stage.

Before all the melee, the night had started off with a bang (no pun intended). The Game was a one-man-army, opting to perform without a slew of guest stars (the only one of the night being Xzibit), and without the aid of a hype-man (a rarity at a rap show). Much like Snoop Dogg, The Game is basically a rock star playing a rapper in real life. Game took the stage amidst cheers, and ran right into the title track off of L.A.X. Xzibit rushed the stage, and the two MC’s performed “California Vacation” as a duet. Xzibit ripped in “X” as The Game went off stage to change clothes (something he did numerous times throughout the night). A table with crack-cooking supplies was carted out, complete with Pyrex pots and Bunsen burners, and The Game ran back on stage. He gave a speech about drug-dealing before ripping into “Dope Boys,” which was followed by “Let’s Ride.”

For some reason, Game doesn’t believe in 3rd verses; he didn’t perform a single 3rd verse from any of his songs. Game, if you’re reading this… The 3rd verses are just as good as the 1st and 2nd, you should rap them!

After a few songs, and outfit changes, Game was handed a full bottle of Grey Goose vodka, “It’s about to get real fuckin’ gangsta in here!” he shouted and proceeded to drink the whole bottle in one shot. That’s fuckin’ gangster! Game didn’t even flinch, and showed no outward signs of being intoxicated, as he ran through the rest of the set that consisted of his biggest singles, “Hate It Or Love It,” “How We Do,” “Wouldn’t Get Far,” “Put You On The Game,” “Dreams,” and “Big Dreams.”

He played the Cool and Dre-produced, “Shake,” the most unusual gangsta rap song ever made. Seriously! Picture The Game rapping over a Gwen Stefani beat (watch the video, you’ll see).

I have a feeling that The R.E.D. Album is going to be another hip-hop classic, and may even give the multi-platinum-selling Documentary a run for its money. If you haven’t checked out the list of tracks and slated A-List guest stars that include Dr. Dre, Lil’ Wayne, etc., you can do so by hovering over this link.

The R.E.D. Album is set to drop August 24th on Aftermath/Interscope, so be on the lookout!

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After eight years of studio silence, Indiana native black/death/thrash metal band, Invasion, is back with a furious vengeance.

Orchestrated Kill Maneuver, the third assault-album by the gruesome group released on June 6, 2010 on their new record label, Rotting Corpse Records.

Uncompromising and relentlessly faithful to their musical roots, Invasion’s Orchestrated Kill Maneuver honors the vicious voracity of early thrash and black metal from the Scandinavian music scene like few bands can. If blitzkrieg had a sound track, it would sound something like this.

Summed up in their words, Invasion’s sound is “brutal” and “pulverizing.” Though I tend to agree with their definition, deafening and intense also come to mind; but either way you strike them their sound is nothing short of a sonic holocaust.

With thrashing buzz-saw chord progressions rising and falling in tempo like an orchestra of artillery, blazing leads with banshee wails, carpet-bombing drum beats, and a blistering bass that for all intensive purposes thunders through the speakers like tremors, Orchestrated Kill Maneuver features every tenant of their musical roots with controlled abandon.

Lyrically the album deals strictly with war themes, featuring many songs directly related to World War 2. For those unfamiliar with Invasion, don’t be surprised, this is what singer Phlegm loves; guns, brutal music, and war history. And with song titles mentioning Dresden, the HMS Hood, der Stuka dive-bomber, B-17s, and the Seigfried defensive line, their fascination with 20^th century warfare comes as no surprise.

From a musical standpoint, the sound is simplistically complex through its sheer speed and unrelenting drive. It just doesn’t stop but plows on, chord, after beat, after song, throughout the album. Keeping things short, fast, and visceral; Orchestrated Kill Maneuver is the fastest hour in music I’ve yet experienced. But how these guys manage to play at such an incredible speed constantly and consistently is beyond my talents.

For lead singer and rhythm guitarist Phlegm, doom, gloom, and grutal vocals are still the only options on the menu. Pick any of the twelve tracks to hear for yourself, his heavily down-tuned guitar and throat-wrenching vocals create a sinister atmosphere throughout the entire album.

After a few years’ hiatus, original drummer Crusader is back on the tubs for Invasion without missing a beat. Banging out rolls for miles, while booming blast beats and earth shattering double bass with incredible speed and precision; Crusader dominates each track with one hellish work-out routine. If sound vibrations could be converted into pure energy, this guy could power Manhattan for a month off of one song.

Also back in action is bassist Warbastard. Though at first his tones were difficult to distinguish amidst the cacophony, simply turning up the bass and dropping out the treble brought his bludgeoning bass into full view. And what a view indeed. Though do be warned now. I cranked my subwoofer to 11 and well, the whole house began to shake. Despite lacking a Richter scale, the grandfather clock downstairs danced around as if a 4.0 kept rolling through the neighborhood and the cat bolted for cover. No cops have shown up yet, but I’ve been expecting a ring from the door bell.

As for the new guy, Nifelheinous from Cannon rifles through his riffs like an assault rifle on rock n’ roll. Lock, stock, and two smoking pick-ups. Though I kept the metronome tucked away, this guy’s hands move at tweaker speed with meticulous precision on the fret board and above the pick-ups. For some lessons in shredology listen in closely on the title track, Orchestrated Kill Maneuver.

Though the whole album sounds like a masterpiece of mayhem, Breach of the Seigfried Line is truly something special. Opening with a soundbyte of German Nebelwerfers howling over a battle scene, Invasion wastes no time cutting to the chase on this track. With a furious drummer-boy beat from hell, Crusader kicks off this hellish scene with some of the fastest paradiddle beats on the album before chopping up the rhythm with some off-beat syncopation leading into the first chorus. As for the guitars and bass, if their tempo was measured by RPMs in a car, they’d be red lining, making the four minute track pass right through your ears before you know it.

Despite releasing only three albums in 21 off-and-on years of existence, Invasion has all the energy they need to keep the onslaught flowing. Berechnen!

For fellow guitarists, this whole album is a challenge but a few of the tracks that grabbed my attention are; Devil’s Garden (Journey Through..), When Trumpets Fade, and Black Thursday (Trapped in a B-17).

If you like Invasion, check out: Grave, Exhorder, and Meshuggah.

Label: Rotting Corpse Records – Rating: out of

3 Guns, and a case of shells.

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Four full length albums, 2 EP’s, the summer Mayhem tour and rocking the pants off of everyone they meet. 3 Inches of Blood is tearing up the country and melting heads everywhere they go.

Their latest album, “Here Waits Thy Doom” was recently re-released and can be bought here.

Today I bring you my conversation with Cam Pipes, vocalist of 3 Inches of Blood.

Follow along and listen to the singer talk about the tour, the album, wheelchair crowd surfing and much more.

3 Inches of Blood

00:10: Opening greetings.

00:45: The summer Mayhem tour “like summer camp.”

2:10: Activities on the day of a show.

4:00: The beautiful thing that is summer tours.

5:15: Making new fans.

6:20: The summer of 2010 is taking summer tours to a new level.

8:30: “What does it mean to you to have people that have never heard of you rocking out to your music?”

9:00: “Wheelchair crowd surfing?”

11:15: The re-release of, “Here Waits Thy Doom.”

13:00: Recording three cover songs.

14:20: The status of Jamie Hooper.

16:00: “The Goatriders Horde” and “Ride Darkhorse Ride.”

17:20: “I wasn’t really that accomplished as a bass player.”

18:30: Learning to sing.

19:30: “Did you know all along that you were destined to do this?”

20:20: “You must see shit that most people can only dream about.”

24:30: Other Canadian bands.

Find more on 3 Inches of Blood here.

Stay tuned for updates on 3IOB, here as always, in the continuum.

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Continuing the summer podcast series, I recently went on the record with Jim Markunas.

Jim is the owner and CEO of CWG Magazine online, not to mention my boss.

I got him on the record to help inform our audience about all things going on with CWG. Along the way, we talk about the key members of CWG, its’ history, our plans for expansion, the amazing CWG staff and the recent Country Throwdown and Mayhem tours.

From there, it turns into a conversation about funny stories we have had with CWG. These stories range from Jim’s interview with Rob Zombie, to my hatred of Nickelback and many anecdotes in between.

So, sit back, enjoy, and listen to the story of CWG from the man who created it.

The Jim Markunas podcast updated

00:10: Opening thoughts.

00:30: Hustle and Flow

1:00: Meet Jim Markunas.

1:35: Jim’s goals for CWG.

2:10: About other publications.

3:30: The story of the creation of CWG.

4:30: The origin of the name, “Chicks With Guns.”

5:00: No chicks, no guns.

5:30: The state of the company.

6:00: CWG’s strengths and weaknesses.

6:30: “I am constantly in awe of how talented our staff is.”

7:00: The new advertising specials and promotions.

8:45: Increasing size and notoriety.

9:05: The key players at CWG.

11:15: CWG coverage of, ‘Country Throwdown.’

12:30: The Kevin Lyman interview.

13:30: The summer Mayhem tour.

14:00: Meeting Rob Zombie.

16:00: An Atreyu story.

17:30: The “boner pants” story.

20:30: The Radiohead, Kid A cop out disaster.

23:30: Nickelback sucks ass.

26:40: The fall season at CWG and what is coming up.

29:30: Final thoughts.

Stay tuned for updates, here as always, in the Continuum.

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7-23-10

I arrived at my favorite local venue early in the afternoon. Four hours early actually. The reason: an on-site interview with The Devil Wears Prada. This was something I had been looking forward to for some time. I last saw them play here in Sacramento in December of last year (check out that story here). Today I would get to talk to them about their ongoing “Back to the Roots” tour, their upcoming, “Zombie EP” and see what is going on with them in general. Recorded out back of the venue under a tent in blistering heat, singer Mike Hranica and guitarist/singer Jeremy DePoyster gave me their insights and told me what was going on with the band (they also have the nicest tour manager in the business).

talking with Mike Hranica

Listen below and follow along as I chat up Mike and Jeremy:

TDWP July 2010

00:15: “Back to the Roots.”

1:30: Playing the same venue back to back nights.

2:15: The Zombie EP.

3:30: Mike- “This is meant to be our heaviest material.”

5:10: Mike- “A concept we didn’t want to be taken too seriously.”

7:15: “Survivor.”

7:50: “Escape.”

9:10: The intern gets his feet wet.

11:10: Jason- “Thanks for taking the time guys.”

From there, we had a couple of hours to kill, so we found a local restaurant with great air conditioning and chilled out for a while and talked some business.

Eventually we made our way back to the venue and got inside. I sent my interns into the crowd to go have some fun and get a great experience for themselves while I did some work. For this show there was no front barricade and no photo area (hear Mike talk about that above). I tried to scope out the angles and see if there was somewhere to get some shots… there wasn’t (although I got plenty of pics of the band backstage right before they went on), thus- I have no pictures of the band’s performance. That said, they put on a helluva show.

TDWP- Minutes before going on stage

They played a solid hour or more, headlining the show and giving about 500 teenagers everything they could handle and more. The venue was near capacity, with people elbow to elbow all the way to the back. The weather in Sacramento was 90+ degrees outside, with 500 people crammed into a fairly small venue. The heat gave rise to even more intensity in the audience, the performers and the show in general. Every time a mosh pit erupted the place felt very small, but full of love, lol.

As for the band, their instrumentation was outstanding. Drummer Daniel Williams killed it on his kit, while Jeremy, Chris and Andy killed it on their guitars and bass. The story, however, was of course Mike Hranica.

The guy was unbelievable. It should be noted that I see a lot of hardcore bands at this venue. Mike Hranica carries a charisma and power that few hardcore singers possess. He can make the same movements on stage seem fresh every time he does them. He screams with his entire body. Every time he gets into a good one you think his head is gonna burst. He is fit as heck also, like a track star or something. Once his shirt comes off, he looks like a blown up caricature of Bruce Lee whooping someone’s ass. The guy is short, but on stage he is HUGE. He is the freaking man.

I keep searching for ways to explain the intensity of his screams. I can personally testify that his intensity is NOT drug- induced. My latest theory is that he is some kind of mutant, perhaps with four or five lungs in his chest? Maybe any time he needs a little extra he shifts into “four lung mode” or something. Maybe for the encore he quickly turns and inserts and extra lung and battery into his gut? Maybe God loans him the strength before every show. Or maybe, just maybe, he is just a professional that is really freaking good at what he does. Maybe this is a special performer in a special band.

Maybe they are onto something great. Wanna find out? The “Back to the Roots” tour rolls on this summer. Find them at a show near you and see what I am talking about.

Find more on TDWP here.

Buy, “With Roots Above and Branches Below” here.

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Jonny Burgan is a ferocious, relentless growler with marvelous range and this gift is clearly on a mission from god.  Martyn Evans and Rob Purnell play jabbing guitars that define this great record and fight like the greatest boxer of them all, Sugar Ray Robinson.  New skinman Dan Wilding’s drums are like the pretty girl down the road – keeping things warm and welcoming.  David Purnell’s the bassist of this fine band.  Degenerate defines consistency, vision, commitment, and excellence and is extraordinary.

She never showed much and Zeus knows we gave her plenty of chances.  “A Vision Showing Nothing” begins with an uncommon fierceness that every metal band should emulate.  Guitar is varied yet never soft and this is the template for the rest of the album.  There are staccato riffs, longer chords in a higher register, notes that wind,  jump, leap and smack, and flowing notes.  These varied pitches sew seamlessly as drums at an incredible pace and Burgan’s heavy growling redirect our focus.  Backing vocals midway are hard and soft at the same time.  While Burgan is growling fast or growling way down in the sky we’re brought back and even if we wanted to escape we couldn’t.  His ability to display multiple styles within a short period of time is, like this tune, stunning.

We were never going to breed.  Never.  “De-Breed” doesn’t let us rest and man we want to rest like we want Naima to leave.  Driving guitar backed by simple yet right on drums keep us in candy and Burgan’s such a passionate and intense growler that a dead man could feel his emotion.  His growling is deeper than Linde’s and much better and we love Linde but Linde’s a better guitarist than he is a singer.  The guitar solo halfway is stunning because it uses both longer and shorter notes and this shows a guitarist who’s man, myth, legend.  The feel is faster Melvins but just as intense and easily as enjoyable.  Burgan’s talking about execution and we love that kind of talk.

She said that we’d get together.  We never did and never will.  ”Hollow Prophecy” is all guitar and growling and the rhythm’s got longer winding notes while drums and growls convince.  The vocals and drums are incredibly fast but guitar, though fast, keeps things from leaving the park.  Wilding’s drums are alternately way fast and way slow and he uses the bass drum to full effect.  Winding, pulsing guitar is mixed down below and then the solo hits and it’s faster like Van Halen or Linde and it’s short like Zoom and it is perfect.  The pace changes blend so smoothly that we’re hearing genius those who love freedom.

She may as well be dead for all the good she is to anyone.  “Dead Vein” is right in line and we’re marching as drums hammer under guitar effects that are slightly varied and the chords are lasting forever.  Burgan’s growling is in Hades and he’s greeting the sinners and gleefully telling them what they’ll forever endure.  Harder guitar chords lift us out of the mud and we’re ready to find the ogre.  Rhythm guitar above the solo is driving like Foyt and when it’s seemingly only simpler staccato riffs we’re being rocked like Dante rocked verse.  Some of Burgan’s vocals are a little distorted though not by a machine but by him because like the Jam he’s the gift.

She claimed that we dethroned her.  She was never on the throne to begin with.  Stupid girl.  ”Dethrone”, like homers from Gehrig following Ruth’s, keeps things ripping.  Competing vocal tracks bring us back into the box and then guitar’s at a higher pitch and the drums are going forever like Bolton’s.  When lead guitar takes over with a Lindstromesque solo we’re hearing variety and lightness and we needed this.  Burgan’s singing about love and forgiveness and the need to be kind to those who have harmed us.  The occasional bass notes are nectar and we’re drinking like we’ve been thirsty for months.

She shouldn’t be allowed to breed because she’s stupid, mean, and ugly.  “A Sterile Existence” throws flames like the beyond legendary Feller and Burgan’s growling quickly while drums lift him higher.  When an in back, short guitar solo hits we’re moved.  Backing vocals are startling and arresting.  Guitar pounds like a sledgehammer wielded by Hephaestus.  Rhythm guitar beneath the solo once again keeps things at a pace that isn’t Mach.  We’re grooving because it’s all drums, guitars, and howls and we’re being connected like a tree with infinitely deep roots to mother Earth.  Guitar fades out at the end and we’re reminded of another great band but we can’t place the name.

In a better world she’d be dead.  “The Soulful Dead” hits so hard and strongly that we had to turn it up.  There are long growls that are just tremendous and a guitar solo with longer, higher notes that’s incredibly unique and belongs.  Staccato riffs are like a pool beneath a speedboat making skiing, waving, grooving, and laughing possible.  While Burgan’s growling quickly we’re brought into the room where they’re finally going to kill murdering scum and we’re stoked.  This song defines hard rock purity.

She said she’d be the queen or our kingdom and we laughed and laughed and laughed some more.  “Until Kingdom Come” features some nice bass and Wilding’s drumming is beyond fast in small amounts and guitar winds at a medium pace but it’s incredibly arresting and the source.  Burgan’s ability to vary the pace of his growling is impressive and he might be discussing global politics and the economic consequences of the BP oil spill.  He also might be discussing how to get rid of all terrorists in the world in the most vicious manner possible and we like this idea the best.  Another great hard rock song.

She had a black heart that definitely needed cleansing and, if she’s alive, still does.  “Whited Sepulcher” unfortunately is the last track on this album and continues the hard rocking vein.  Guitar once again winds up above and drumming is incredibly fast.  Burgan’s growling is still ferocious yet, like always, never strained.  His longer howls are in a lower register and he’s talking about a hypocrite and we’re listening closely.  As guitar riffs get slower the song seemingly wants to become sludge but Wilding’s amazingly fast drumming keeps it molten.  A shockingly good song.

Degenerate was finely produced by the band and the legendary Mark Daghorn.  Degenerate is an amazing album that we could praise for years and may be better than our second favorite new album this year, Daniel Lioneye’s Vol. II.  Trigger The Bloodshed’s energy, intensity, skill, and musicianship are exceptional and this peerless band must be heard and seen to be believed.  We doubt that there’s a better band that makes this kind of music.

Buy This Album Here:

Like Trigger The Bloodshed?  Check out: Ignominious Incarceration, The Argent Dawn, The Red Shore

Label: Candlelight Records – Rating: out of

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