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World Painted Blood : SLAYER

 Now Slayer are fully functioning again-- and it's hard to believe that a 27-year-old band can be this intense. World Painted Blood races through 11 tracks in 40 almost fat-free minutes. Slayer haven't written a great slow song since "Seasons in the Abyss", but the few that are here break up the album nicely. The rest of the record is fast and finely controlled. Hooks peek through often, and the interplay between guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman is lively. Their trademark whinnying-horse solos are intact, and Lombardo still pushes the beat hard. "Unit 731" features some of his best drumming ever, with delightfully crackling fills. An extremely dry mix practically brings the listener into the room next to the band. This performance aspect is crucial to Slayer's success. Unlike, Metallica, whose drummer Lars Ulrich is inconsistent live, or Megadeth, who have settled into a monotonous precision, Slayer have retained their organic energy. They are one of the most electrifying musical units working today.

This upfront sound is double-edged, however. It's thrilling to hear the band in such close audio quarters. But as a result, it loses some mystique. The production quirks of past albums helped give Slayer an aura. Hell Awaits, for example, indeed sounded hellish due to an excess of reverb. The tedious sludge of Diabolus in Musica had a certain charm. Although Rick Rubin's production on Slayer's classic trilogy (Reign in Blood, South of Heaven, Seasons in the Abyss) was dry, the songs still had a smoke-rising-in-the-distance quality. Now the band is aurally inches away from one's face. Additionally, the band has turned its attention from the underworld to the real world. "Americon", for example, condemns the U.S.' blood-for-oil foreign policy. Slayer being timely is not Slayer being timeless. But the way they're still playing, they sure sound like it.

- Pitchfork

MEGADETH "ENDGAME"

It’s a given that Megadeth will never equal their great first five albums, but what’s so surprising about Endgame is just how close it comes. And again, it’s all due to Mustaine sticking to his strengths, and with the extraordinarily talented Broderick as his new wingman, the record positively scorches with an intensity we haven’t heard since Rust in Peace. With its furious back-and-forth solos, opening instrumental “Dialectic Chaos” wastes no time in showcasing that dynamic between Mustaine and Broderick, and combined with the pure speed of “This Day We Fight”, longtime fans will be instantly reminded of the bracing “Into the Lungs of Hell”/“Set the World Afire” one-two punch that kicks of 1988’s great So Far So Good…So What!. Although the lyrics leave a lot to be desired, lead single “Head Crusher” is nevertheless inspired, Drover propelling the fast choruses and then launching the song into a wicked groove that doesn’t feel far removed from ‘86’s “Wake Up Dead”. Similarly, “1,320’” is an old-school thrasher, with Mustaine’s trademark twisting riffs leading the way as Drover takes a more pummeling approach similar to Motörhead.

Lyrically speaking, we get the usual eclectic Mustaine fare, with subject matter that runs the gamut from bank heists (“44 Minutes”), funny car racing (“1,320’”), twisted love songs (“The Hardest Part of Letting Go…Sealed With a Kiss”), his usual “I’m slowly going nuts” shtick (“The Right to Go Insane”), and even the overdone Lord of the Rings saga (“How the Story Ends”). However, where Mustaine is always at his best is when he’s spitting venom towards his political and bureaucratic subjects: Wall Street takes one on the chin on “Bite the Hand” (“The erosion of the peoples’ trust / Of what will come to be an FDIC-assisted suicide”), while the title track gives former president George W. Bush a satirical parting shot.

With nary a throwaway track, not a moment is wasted on Endgame, with even such mid-paced breathers like “Bodies”, “How the Story Ends”, and “44 Minutes” holding their own quite well amidst the more ferocious fare. In addition, Andy Sneap bring the kind of crisp production he’s become known for, which is a perfect fit for the technicality of Mustaine’s compositions. Most importantly, though, this current incarnation of Megadeth (Megadeth Mk. 18 for those keeping score) has Mustaine sounding his most comfortable in ages, thanks in large part to his very strong supporting cast. We can only hope the foursome stays intact for a while, because after a horrible dry spell and years of clawing his way back, Megadeth could really be on to something special here.

-Popmatters

ktmROCKS Halloween GiG

ktmROCKS Halloween Concert 2009 is set for the final day ..[ THE HALLOWEEN ]...of this month bringing some best bands around the scene !!! Are you ready ?

Info :

October 31 (Kartik 14 [ Nepali date ] )
Saturday
Venue: GAA Hall, Thamel, Kathmandu

Bands :

ANTIM GRAHAN
VHUMI
SPELLS OF PROPHECY
BLACK SINS IMMORTAL
STAIRS OF CIRITH
SYATHA
KAAL BHAIRAB

Time: 12 PM – 6 PM
Ticket: Rs. 150/-

LAMB OF GOD : Wrath Review

Track Listing

1. "The Passing" 1:58
2. "In Your Words" 5:24
3. "Set to Fail" 3:46
4. "Contractor" 3:22
5. "Fake Messiah" 4:34
6. "Grace" 3:55
7. "Broken Hands" 3:53
8. "Dead Seeds" 3:41
9. "Everything to Nothing" 3:50
10. "Choke Sermon" 3:20
11. "Reclamation"

During the recording of Lamb of God’s new album, the band frequently updated their fans on the recording process, and what to expect from the album. Chris Adler stated, “This album is going to surprise a lot of people. Typically bands that get to where we are in our career begin to slack off, smell the roses, and regurgitate… No one wants to hear a band member hyping a new record. ‘Wrath’ needs no hype. We have topped ourselves, and on February 24, you will feel it.” Guitarist Mark Morton’s comments on the musical style of the album also increased expectations, saying, “…’Sacrament’ was a really, really dyamic record… and it was heavily produced. This one’s really raw and real sounding, from every angle, and we’re celebrating the imperfections on this record.” Morton stated how the album was “natural and organic sounding, which in itself, is kind of a revolution these days, when kids are making pro audio-sounding recordings in their dorm rooms, or on their laptops, and cutting and pasting verses and choruses. It’s no longer cutting edge to make a completely space aged, robotic sounding record. I think it’s almost fresh to make one that sounds like an actual band played it. Don’t get me wrong… it still sounds airtight and rehearsed, because it’s all those things. But it’s just real.”

With those words, Wrath almost instantly became one of my most anticipated records of the near future. Morton and Adler were dead on accurate in their statements. This album is real. There is a very natural, fresh sound to every track on the album, and the band even threw in a little bit of musical experimentation along with it, including something most fans of the band thought they would never hear, acoustic guitars. The opening track, “The Passing”, begins with an acoustic piece that slowly descends into heavier guitars and an ominous, foreboding drum section. The second track, “In Your Words”, immediately reveals what the intro was building up to, as the album comes in at full force, with a typical Lamb of God guitar riff, powerful and catchy, as the drums pound away behind it, including one of Chris Adler’s best drum fills ever recorded.

Randy Blythe has been known, over the past few albums, to add new vocal styles to some tracks, in what would seem to be an effort to freshen things up with the band’s sound. He immediately shows off his new style, a strained, higher-pitched scream, over the verses of the track. Calling it a scream wouldn’t be entirely accurate, come to think of it. It’s more of a yell. There’s no real aggression to it, like his shrill screams, which also show up on this track. His growls still sound incredible, as well. Full of guttural power, Blythe seems to have the ability to command the attention of the listener over the rest of the music.

And that’s just the opening track. The rest of the album takes the listener of an incredible journey through some of the best metal heard in some time in the genre. The first single off of the album, “Contractor”, is an exercise in sheer speed and power, as it immediately jumps into a grinding, pulse-pounding mosh pit anthem, before slowing down into another incredible buildup to the essential headbanger’s breakdown. “Grace” starts with another Lamb of God rarity, a melodic guitar section. This sounds like something you would have heard off of DevilDriver’s latest album, but it doesn’t last long, as, like most songs on this album tend to do, everything explodes in at once, this time with a moderately paced, power driven guitar riff, with steady, crushing drums underneath.

Musically, and vocally, the band is as good as ever. There are a lot of the band’s signature sounds on the album, especially in the guitar riffs. I don’t know the proper way to describe them, but especially moving into the Sacrament era, the band focused on these types of riffs a lot. Chris Adler is as sharp as ever on the drums, offering incredible speed, precision, and technicality on almost every song. His drum fills seem to get better over every song, and even when he’s not doing anything spectacular on the drums, he still manages to make the drums one of the driving forces of the band. Blythe, as well, has still got that “it” factor that makes his vocals so unique. The man looks intimidating enough, but once you hear that incredible, guttural growl breach his lips, he manages to match the intensity of his look.