gloomchen

Website: Barricade Narrow styles of music are hard to create in any sort of vein that would differentiate one band from another. Ask anyone who has explored the black metal realm; 75% of bands are emulating the exact same cookie-cutter formula, leading to a muddled mess of illegible logos, incomprehensible double-bass, and cringe-inducing treble overload. [...]

Website: Belphegor Ahhh, upside-down crosses and pentagrams. Amusing? Cheesy? Admirable? Unforgivable? The metal community as a whole has long since been decorated and embodied by songs of evil. And even though it should most certainly be played out in 2006, some artists manage to continue the legacy with style. Austria’s Belphegor has been upholding this [...]

Website: Saw III Horror movies survive based on their ability to scare. For many, music is a key to creating suspense, mood, and manipulating the viewer. And what’s scarier than metal? Don’t answer that. The folks behind Saw III — regardless of what you think of sequels — had the good sense to release a [...]

I recently wrote up a review of an album by Psychostick. Think of it as a metal Bloodhound Gang, with about that same quality level (some brilliant, some crap). I think that makes them the best comedy metal that I’ve ever heard. The musicianship is pretty damned good for what it is, too. Then comes [...]

Website: Psychostick There’s an art to making a comedy record. Is it fun to make silly songs? Sure. But not everything works. There’s timing, there’s the element of surprise, there’s avoiding the just plain stupid. The best advice could be taken from a band like Bloodhound Gang, where the most ridiculous are lyrics are sung [...]

Website: Hammerfall Funny, Hammerfall may be the only band in existence who can pull off 1980 in 2006. With an ever-changing lineup purloined from seemingly every Swedish band ever created, Hammerfall’s ten-year career has certainly seen its ups and downs. Yet they have not lost their vision in the slightest: to bring back true Heavy [...]

Website: Teddy Bears Ummmm… yeeeeeeeeeeeeah. Such is not only the first thought upon seeing the cover of Teddy Bears’ Soft Machine, but also likely upon first listen as well. Is it disco trip-hop? Dancehall-influenced darkwave? Utterly ridiculous? Brilliantly hilarious? And then Iggy Pop shows up, and everyone’s heads explode. Totally defying explanation, Soft Machine features [...]

Website: Circle II Circle Sometimes, the stories behind an album are utterly fascinating. Such is that which accompanies Circle II Circle’s Burden of Truth. The concept feeds from The DaVinci Code and Holy Blood Holy Grail, exploring the idea of a Jesus/Mary Magdalene bloodline and the possible discovery that one is a direct descendant. Now, [...]

Dave Mustaine is crazy. We love him, but he’s crazy. He was crazy when he drank too much, he was crazy when he nearly OD’d, he was crazy when he found Jesus and decided he wouldn’t play some of his old songs, he was crazy when he fell asleep on his arm thus making it [...]

Website: Marion Raven This girl’s got friends in high places: Marion Raven’s six-song EP Heads Will Roll contains plenty of assistance from the likes of Nikki Sixx and members of Buckcherry, Our Lady Peace, and The Exies. How many beginners get that kind of boost? Throw on top that the cover features Marion naked with [...]