Band Chat

A Renewal

2011-08-01T15:41:00.005-04:00

To those who've visited while I've been slacking. I apologize. Good news everyone: Band Chat's back! But this time it's in Turbo 256-3D-Pro-GTX-Modern Form. Come follow me over at the new location and remember what you've been missing.

Short Takes: Black Gives Way to Blue

2009-09-30T20:32:00.005-04:00

Yesterday Alice In Chains released their long awaited new record, Black Gives Way to Blue. It's good, but, not surprisingly, missing the gnarl and snarl of their previous work. Nothing quite explodes off the page like the opening riff of "Dam That River" or has the massive stomp of "We Die Young." Yet it does have some good slow 'n' sludgy burners ("Check My Brain", "Lesson Learned", "Take Her Out"), haunting ballads a la the Sap and Jar of Flies EPs ("Your Decision"), plus that classic Alice In Chains tone. Recommended.

Black Sabbath at the Wallingford, CT Chevrolet Theater, 08/27/2009

2009-08-28T09:51:00.011-04:00

I refuse to call them Heaven & Hell; get over it.

I think the last time I saw a band at this theater was the mid 80s, when it was called the Oakdale, across the street, in the round, and John Sebastian and Weird Al were playing (yes, Al puts on a good show). Only a mere five years ago the venue was mostly used for various trade shows, so if I wanted to pick up some gray market computer games or a cheap network card, it was the place to be.

And now one can see bona fide decent music there. I've seen Ozzy solo, Dio solo, and even Sabbath with Ozzy a few times, but Sabbath with Dio has always escaped me, so it was time to fill a hole in my concert going experience.

I knew I wouldn't be disappointed before the show started, what with the two huge gargoyles with glowing red eyes flanking the stage, and crystal balls grasped by bony skeleton fingers all over the place. That decor, plus the lack of huge buckets of water, clearly meant Ozzy wasn't going to make a guest appearance.

Dio was his usual polite self, exchanging hand shakes with the audience, pumping the devil horns triumphantly forth, and making all the right gestures when singing about wheels, circles, and anything vaguely round.

Lately I've been impressed with the sound quality of the last few concerts I've attended. Everything was in perfect balance here, with all instruments, plus Dio's voice, never fighting for ultimate control. The standards from Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules sounded as good as one expects, and the tunes from Dehumanizer got some extra heft since the reverb that drenches that album was peeled away. Iommi's main riff of "I" sounded particularly mighty, and hearing "Time Machine" was a pleasant surprise. "Heaven and Hell" went on (and on and on) for about three hours, and while I can't say I was ever bored listening to it (Iommi and Geezer really show no sign of aging when it comes to deftly coloring outside the standard rock music lines), I also can't say I would've been disappointed if they had shortened it a tad to make room for "Voodoo" and "Sign of the Southern Cross".

Vinny Appice was the usual rock while drumming, and while people enjoyed his solo, it's always difficult for me to watch this sort of thing. It's hard to live up to a guy I've seen perform a dozen times who's got a whole DVD dedicated to constructing drum solos.

The only improvement I'd suggest to the band is to beef up their video screen entertainment. It was a nice LCD, but they couldn't have paid more than five dollars to some grubby 13 year old to come up with the CGI that was displayed on it. Most of the time it was by the numbers animation of lightning, rain, clouds, canyons, and crosses. When it wasn't, we got treated to ten panel looped animations of the album cover mascots. Life for me just isn't the same after seeing the Live Evil knight swing his sword aimlessly left and right for five minutes straight.

The only thing worse than these animations was the opening band, Coheed and Cambria. I think I was supposed to like them, going by the likes of their Rush-y progressive style, plus well executed guitar solos (very creamy tone coming from their Flying Vs), but it was far too emo for my taste. Their cover of Iron Maiden's "The Trooper" is quite good, but man is it emo-fied.

The final song, however, is what did me in permanently. They took every cheesy rock staple they could think of: the theremin, the talk box, and using a drum stick as a guitar pick, then lambasted the audience with this nonsense. If they were good at using any of these trite devices, that would help, but I'd much rather hear Jimmy Page on the theremin, David Gilmour on the talk box, and Thurston Moore wack on his ax with the sticks (he knows how to wedge them in the guitar neck...a key to stage coolness). At the end they topped it off by attempting to coax feedback from their amps in some kind of weird tribute to Kurt Cobain, but were largely unsuccessful, and left the stage noiseless.

Set List:

E5150
The Mob Rules
Children of the Sea
I
Bible Black
Time Machine
Fear
Falling Off the Edge of the World
Follow the Tears
Die Young
Heaven and Hell

Encore:
Country Girl (edit)
Neon Knights

Digitally Louder Beatles Coming In September

2009-04-07T15:17:00.000-04:00

"Engineers used de-noising technology and cleaned up glitches like electrical clicks and microphone vocal pops, so long as it didn't affect the original integrity of the songs. They also slightly boosted the volume levels."

Ooh, yay.

Faith No More to Reunite For Tour

2009-02-26T09:49:00.003-05:00

This clinches it; 80s and 90s alterna-metal is back in full swing. Sadly, original guitarist Jim Martin won't be joining them, since the band is opting to use the lineup that recorded their final record, Album of the Year. Martin always has his pumpkin growing to fall back on.

Quick Takes - No Line On the Horizon

2009-02-20T12:41:00.007-05:00

Due to the recent leak of U2's No Line On the Horizon (the current theory is that Universal Music Australia had it for sale online by accident), the powers that be have made it available, legally, at their MySpace page.

It's a strong release, but what I find curious about it is that it isn't exactly a large musical departure for them, even though everything that's been said about it up to this point led me to believe otherwise. Sure, we get some unusually minor key feel via rockers like "Get On Your Boots" (including a midpoint drum break which reminds of Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks"), but the rest is mostly a mish-mash of U2's last two albums peppered with a bit of techno a la Achtung Baby.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing. The title track is a space-y number with catchy sing-along bits ("Oh whoah oh whoah oh whoah oh-oooh!"). "Magnificent" begins with a foghorn inspired guitar line, is followed up by some Pop-esque keyboards, before exploding into a standard Larry Mullen drum roll and The Edge's trademarked delay-ridden arpeggio picking. And for those who truly dig songs like "Stuck In a Moment", that's here too, via "Moment of Surrender" (which has a very effective, restrained, slide guitar solo), and "White as Snow" (with horns that remind one of "Love Rescue Me"). Bono's lyrics? U2 fans are all familiar with his wordplay by now, and it hasn't gotten stale here.

What stood out to me was the excellent flow of the album. I don't think they've ever produced a record that segued so well track after track. For that reason, it's almost concept album in feel, and that goes a long way towards making Horizon a very pleasant listening experience. So kudos to Eno and Lanois for that touch, but a big minus for not caring enough that any dynamics that were in the album (and there were) are lost in the compression.

The bottom line is that this is clearly a U2 album, so it will go over well with anyone who's enjoyed the band's last two releases, but its contents aren't going to turn the music world upside-down. This is truly ok with me: they already did that in the 80s, so I don't expect it again.

nin and Jane's Addiction to Tour

2009-02-17T08:36:00.005-05:00

Think they'll honor my tickets for the JA show that got canceled around the time Dave Navarro divorced Carmen Electra? I didn't think so. At least I'll have some time to figure out how to secure tickets. With luck it'll be more than one show in CA. And this better happen quick...before JA remembers why they dislike Eric A so much.

New Sabbath Album to Be Released This Spring

2009-02-10T12:47:00.003-05:00

Billboard is reporting that Heaven and Hell (i.e. Black Sabbath with Dio) will release an album of brand new songs, The Devil You Know, on April 28th. Blabbermouth has a number of further details, including song titles, plus the news that a fair amount of it will sound like their last full album, 1992's Dehumanizer.

I admit that I've started to appreciate Dehumanizer as the years have gone on, but it's still very pale compared to Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules. It plods just a bit too much, and sadly, that feel is very present on their three latest songs (found on their The Dio Years collection). But I have faith that as long as there's at least a few references to rainbows, circles, chains, keys, darkness and light, or at least doorways, then we'll have something worth listening to.

Metallica at the TD Banknorth Center, 01/18/2009; Prudential Center, 01/31/2009

2009-02-09T11:23:00.008-05:00

I haven't seen Metallica live since the Load days, nor been too upset by this, considering their material hasn't made me jump up and down with glee in a while. But their latest, Death Magnetic, really is an excellent release, so I jumped at the chance to catch them on this tour.

I had the good fortune to catch them twice: from the 4th row on the floor in Boston, and from the 8th row in a section right next to the stage in Newark (big thanks to Mark Yarm and Blender magazine). Much like the gigs they did for "The Black Album", the band is "in the round" for this tour, meaning that the stage is in the very center of the auditorium. James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo run all over the place so everyone gets a chance to see them throughout the night, plus Lars Ulrich and his drum set rotate every few songs as well. In theory this sounds great, but in actuality there's quite a few times where the band can't be seen because they're across the stage or their backs are to you.

Fortunately the band was in top form, so even if there were times when one couldn't see them, the audience was still treated to an excellent performance. Six songs from the album with "the little coffin on it" were played, and while a lot of people hate it when bands play new material, I felt they went over really well with the crowd. There was no shortage of fan favorites either, with "One", "Enter Sandman", and "Master of Puppets" really getting huge reactions. And the truly faithful were treated to some extra goodies, with "...And Justice For All" being played in full, plus "Ride the Lighning" and "Blitzkrieg" making appearances in Newark.

What really impressed me during these shows was just how much fun the band was having, and how hard they worked to engage the audience. I've now seen Metallica half a dozen times, and they are one of the few bands (I'd put U2 on this very short list) that are flawless in just about every way live. They are true professionals: they play well, have great stage presence, engage the audience in a genuine matter, and make it all seem effortless. In Newark they even pulled an eight year old boy out of the audience onto the stage. The look of awe on his face as Lars pointed out the immense size of the audience to him was priceless, which continued as Lars sat him down on the drum kit for photos, then let him do the intro cymbal hits to "Seek & Destroy".

James light heartedly encouraged passing the heavy metal down to future generations by telling the boy to come on back when he has children of his own since, "We'll still be here." Judging by the energy I saw those two nights, I don't doubt it.

(For more information, set lists, and full downloads (mp3 and flac) for all shows Metallica has played lived on this tour, visit LiveMetallica.com)

AC/DC's Black Ice: What Did You Expect?

2008-10-23T11:40:00.005-04:00

I've been on something of an AC/DC kick ever since snippets of their newest, Black Ice, started hitting the tubes. Truth be told, it's only over the past few years that I've started to appreciate the band beyond the perennial favorite Back In Black. Sure, "Thunderstruck" will probably always be my favorite tune by them (who are we kidding; it's the best song they ever wrote), but it's rather impossible to put in a classic album like Highway to Hell and shut it off. It's one foot stompin' good tune after another.

So the answer to the big question, "Is Black Ice a worthy addition to their catalog?" is a yes. As per the course for an AC/DC album, it blasts forth immediately with the crush of "Rock N Roll Train" and "Big Jack," then settles in nicely via their unique brand of pop courtesy of "Anything Goes". Angus Young's leads slash like a knife through Malcom's tight rhythms and sound renewed. Fear not: it's an AC/DC record.

Sure my wife's comment about "Train"( "That's 0ld sk00l.") is beyond apt, since the band hasn't really changed much since 1980. Would it hurt Phil Rudd so much if he played a drum fill every so often? If Malcom used a guitar effect? Hell, I'd be appreciative if they could at least get back the really big drum sound of the For Those About to Rock album.

Initially, regardless of the relative strength of the songs, like others I was about to dismiss the album as nothing more than "just another post-Flick of the Switch AC/DC album". Enter oddity: Black Ice is a beastly 55 minutes long, so for the crazy among us, it does invite some deeper examination. In my opinion, no AC/DC album should push past 40 minutes, so this can initially be a bit tough to take. But after a while you realize that at the midpoint, when most current AC/DC material begins to falter, this album gets some extra juice in the tank. It's hard to not smile during Angus's slinky Led Zeppelin slidework on "Stormy May Day", or Cliff Williams's funky bass on "She Likes Rock N Roll". It's touches like these that make one realize, "Hrm, maybe this band has evolved."

So for a big taste of the old, and maybe just a hint of new, take the surreal experience of visiting the "Rock Band AC/DC Store" within your local Wal-Mart, and grab a copy of Black Ice. Hell, at under $10 for the rest of their catalog, pick up a ton of their other discs el cheapo while you're at it.

"Chinese Democracy" Hits the Airwaves

2008-10-22T14:00:00.003-04:00

Axl Rose's overwrought new song, "Chinese Democracy," hit radio stations today, and you can listen to it (if you haven't already downloaded the leaked version) via imeem. I personally like it, and feel the solo is cool, even if a bit of it is Rage Against the Machine-y.

Preorder the CD or vinyl via Best Buy if you dare.

Rush: Retrospective 3 to Feature Remixed Vapor Trails Tunage?

2008-10-17T10:01:00.005-04:00

The Rush Is a Band blog is reporting that the latest Rush "best of" package will contain remixed and remastered versions of two Vapor Trails songs. My research has shown that a lot of the damage to this album was done during the recording stage, but if they've been able to improve upon it at all, is it too much to ask for a redo of the entire album?

Free Dr. Pepper For GnR Fans?

2008-10-16T15:57:00.003-04:00

Way back in the Spring, DPSU stated that a free Dr. Pepper would be available to all who wanted one if the new Guns N' Roses album, Chinese Democracy, came out this year. Unbelievably, it looks like they're going to have to make good on their claim.

It appears that Axl's management has yet to officially announce the release date, but there have been enough leaks regarding the exclusive launch via Best Buy that (and I say this with true sincerity) it's hard to believe it isn't going to happen. Is Duke Nukem Forever far behind?

Iced Earth at the Worcester Palladium, 10/15/2008

2008-10-16T12:55:00.007-04:00

Lately I've seen the same bands in concert over and over again, so I was quite excited when I learned that Iced Earth, a band I have never seen live, was going to be on a headlining tour across America. I've seen snippets of their performances on video, plus own enough live material (including the excellent three disc version of Alive In Athens) to generally know what to expect, but that didn't curb my enthusiasm for the night.

First, I was a bit surprised at how many people showed up to see them. The club was pretty full, which is impressive for a band that doesn't receive one bit of radio airplay. The crowd was respectful towards the opening bands, but were clearly getting impatient once those sets were done and the club started pumping Iron Maiden songs ("Afraid to Shoot Strangers" being one of them; yes, quite an unusual choice) through the monitors.

Iced Earth's unveiling at the stage could only have been improved upon by Judas Priest or, well, Spinal Tap. As they stood solemnly in the darkness, a humongous banner of Set Abominae (via the album cover of The Crucible of Man) rose behind them while a recording of "In Sacred Flames" played. When complete, the band burst ferociously into "Behold the Wicked Child", the first rocker off their latest release.

I found the sound a bit mushy for the first few songs, but by the time the band paused, then introduced and launched into the chug-a-thon of "Burning Times," my fears regarding sound quality were put to rest. Throughout this song, and especially the faster galloping of songs like "Vengeance Is Mine", "Stormrider", and "Ten Thousand Strong", Iced Earth mainman Jon Schaffer's riffage on his Gibson Les Pauls and Explorers was tight and controlled. Troy Seele's solos were well played, which was welcome considering he didn't go out of his way to preen for the audience. Too bad the sound guy was probably told "Jon must be louder than everyone else," because the lead levels definitely weren't at the right volume until the encore.

I'd be shirking my duties if I didn't mention the excellent frontman work done by Matt Barlow, who recently returned to Iced Earth following Tim Owens' recent departure. Fan favorite Barlow commanded the stage, authoritatively belting out tunes that spanned across four singers worth of albums, and deftly engaged the audience during band breaks.

Although songs played came from the entirety of Iced Earth's long career, there were a greater amount played from Something Wicked, only one from The Dark Saga, and sadly, none whatsoever from Burnt Offerings (further proof that Schaffer really does hate this point of his recording career). We did get treated to a triumphant "High Water Mark", the highlight of their Gettysburg trilogy, even if the tune is a bit pompous to ever take completely seriously. But that kind of stuff is thoroughly enjoyable in a live setting, and the crowd ate it up. Also of note was a touching rendition of "Watching Over Me", a song Schaffer wrote for his childhood friend who came up with the band name before dying in an unfortunate motorcycle accident.

Set List:

In Sacred Flames
Behold the Wicked Child
Motivation of Man
Setian Massacre
Burning Times
Declaration Day
Vengeance Is Mine
Ten Thousand Strong
Stormrider
Pure Evil
Watching Over Me
The Coming Curse
I Walk Alone
Dracula
High Water Mark

Encore:
Melancholy (Holy Martyr)
My Own Savior
Iced Earth

Blender Interviews Lars On Death Magnetic Sound Quality

2008-09-29T18:16:00.011-04:00

Blender was able to speak to Lars Ulrich and directly ask about Death Magnetic's sound quality, but sadly, he just isn't seeing it. The H-Man's take:

Of course it sounds good on a car stereo. The music was mixed to be the background in your life. Cars inherently are noisy, so it's much more difficult to pick up the distortion that's going on underneath the music. It sounds fine on my car stereo too. No matter what extra crap is happening around you, the music is just pumping along at loud volumes and it's hard to notice unless you know what to look for. If I was in the car with Lars, however, I'd be able to point out to him which parts suck, thus, he'd have a harder time ducking the issue.

It's too bad Lars probably hasn't listened to the Guitar Hero mix. If he had it, and cranked it up, even he'd hear how much more dynamic it is. The GH mix has punch, detail, plus very little haze and fuzzy distortion artifacts, compared to the CD and vinyl versions.

And of course Lars had to throw ...And Justice For All into the argument, which proves he doesn't understand our grievance. The Justice issue is a case of production. The guitars and drums are thin, and the bass is too low in the mix. But that was a production choice by Flemming Rasmussen that ended up not working out. In terms of sound quality, that album sounds great. You can crank the volume on a stereo, radio, whatever, and it comes alive. No extraneous artifacts or noise that makes the album grating. If Metallica had kept the volume level of Death Magnetic the same as it is on Justice, no one would be complaining.

So people out in 'Net land: don't let Lars try to convince you that the people complaining about Justice is comparable. It's not. Different type of problem. Production choices (Justice) vs. mixing problems (Magnetic). Apples and oranges.

I contend the mixing problems are problems, not choices. They could've made the mix loud and "in your face" without causing distortion if someone took more care to watch that the levels weren't bleeding into the red.

Metallica Reps Start to Defend Sound Quality

2008-09-29T13:19:00.003-04:00

The Wall Street Journal is reporting on the Death Magnetic sound controversy, and has gotten Metallica's manager, Cliff Burnstein, on the record saying the people complaining are a "tiny minority".

It isn't the news fans wanted to hear, but at least it's a little refreshing that this issue is finally getting tackled by Metallica's management. The answer is no surprise though. If they admit the quality is less than perfect, then they would have to do something about it. And why bother saying anything is wrong if the album is still selling like crazy?

Frank Zappa's Widow to Sue Apple?

2008-09-24T20:32:00.006-04:00

I found this article stating that Frank Zappa's widow is unhappy with the quality of his music catalog via iTunes. Granted: the bitrate iTunes generally uses isn't that great. But, considering that a lot of the items in his catalog have been remastered, could the problem actually lie within the remastering, which may be squeezing the dynamic range and life out of the songs before they hit Apple's store?

Will Guitar Hero Save Death Magnetic?

2008-09-18T23:22:00.005-04:00

News of Guitar Hero's mix of Death Magnetic being of better quality than the CD or vinyl has now hit mainstream. Yahoo has it on their front page, and Rolling Stone has an article as well.

Some people on the Metallica forums have asked the question, "Why did no one notice this before the record went to mass duplication?" My guess: someone did know. And they ignored it.

Any reader of Band Chat knows I've been complaining about the Loudness War for some time. This is not news. Almost every CD released today is a victim to it to some degree. The issue has got some attention as of late, but the general public has mostly ignored it. So record companies have continued to punish us with this garbage. And they felt, once again, that only the audiophiles, a very small minority, would be upset with Death Magnetic.

So what was the difference this time? A direct comparison to something obviously better: the Guitar Hero mix. Metallica, in their infinite business savvy way, managed to release the album for Guitar Hero the same day the CD went on sale. Up until that day, even though the mp3 releases were unsatisfactory, most Metallica fans were uneducated and stated there was no issue. That changed once release day hit, because any fan that wasn't deaf could easily tell which version sounded better.

So now the band has a real problem on their hands, and for the sake of their reputation, I hope they address the issue publicly soon. DVDs and CDs have been recalled before, so will Metallica do the right thing and offer a trade-in?

Death Magnetic Via Guitar Hero

2008-09-16T23:07:00.010-04:00

It looks like news that the version of Death Magnetic for Guitar Hero is of higher quality than the CD version is spreading far and wide. At least two fans have gone to town furiously recording the Guitar Hero tracks and spreading them around as mp3 and flac files, and the response from listeners has been overwhelmingly positive. For weeks the Metallica forums have been spewing hate due to the sound quality of the CD, so it's good to instead see the community moving together for the common good.

What I've heard of the tracks is astounding. They are much lower in volume, have dynamic range, and the instruments don't fall into a mush when the band really kicks it into high gear. Not only that, but because the developers got this before the final master was created, their mix is a bit different in places. "The Judas Kiss" features a little laugh by James and layered vocals, "The End of the Line" has an extra chant of the title, and "Suicide & Redemption" has an intro bass line.

The lack of compression has at least one side effect I find undesirable. The riff James plays underneath Kirk's solo in "Day" is not nearly as loud as the CD and vinyl version. I really like the machine gun attack feel, and that's definitely muted via Guitar Hero.

But the overall sound is miles above the standard versions. This goes a long way to prove that the original, separate tracks are fairly clean, and that the majority of volume spiking was introduced during the mixing phase. Maybe Metallica should hire Neversoft to produce the final mix and master for their follow-up record. Or they could be all cutting edge, Trent Reznor style, and simply release the original Death Magnetic tracks to the public for the fans to remix as they see fit (a la nin's Ghosts and The Slip).

Death Magnetic, a Review

2008-09-13T00:15:00.004-04:00

So much for all the talk about the sound quality. Back to what matters: the music itself.

Death Magnetic has been a long time coming, and I was convinced it was going to be terrible. YouTube videos of new material, so aptly titled "The New Song" and "The Other New Song" had me scared. A plod fest and a Misfits rip-off...is this all you guys can muster?

But after what feels like an eternity, the new album is now here, and I say it is good. Very, very good. After all these years of being disappointed (at least fifteen), I'm amazed that Metallica had it in them to make an album like this.

Death Magnetic is full of details. I find the record to be a mix of ...And Justice For All and "The Black Album". Songs like "The Judas Kiss" and "All Nightmare Long" are long and strung together with many Justice type riffs, but they have a catchiness that reminds of their '91 chart topper. If there's any part that strikes one as being "off", just wait two seconds, and another new riff will back it up. James Hetfield outdid himself with his rhythm playing: it's tight, precise, under control, and heavy.

Some coolness examples: the riff at 3:49 of "Broken, Beat & Scarred", and the way it leads into the solo, plus the riffage after the solo, is classic thrash Metallica. Also note the speedy riff after the solo in the aforementioned "Nightmare" (5:21). Their galloping/chuggy riffs are back as well (4:47 in "That Was Just Your Life" into the solo...again, very Justice-y). Iron Maiden/Thin Lizzy lead harmonies are sprinkled throughout. The guys have a lot of memorizing to do for their new tour.

Lars Ulrich does a decent job drumming. I especially like the work in "The End of the Line". There's something about some of his patterns that's reminding me of some of his technical prowess he showed off in the late 80s, with a bit of timing flair I found in their "Fuel" single.

Sadly you can barely hear the bass. Every now and then it shows up, like in the beginning of "Broken, Beat & Scarred", but for the most part, er, exactly why do they say Rob Trujillo made such great contributions? If this is true, let me hear them!

Kirk Hammett's soloing is quite good, and he amazes me with his Satriani-ness in "Suicide & Redemption". His guitar work on this is beyond awesome; he threw every trick he knows into this tune. At 10 minutes, it's a hell of a long instrumental, but it's just heavenly for the musicians in all of us. I love the crazy Rush inspired progressive jam that occurs a smidge after the solo ends (8:06 to 8:42). The middle noody bit (3:39) reminds of "Orion", which is never a bad thing.

Hetfield does sing on this album, but he's been doing this since '91, so what can you do. He does yell in key as well, and at least we got a real 100% yell-fest in "My Apocolypse", which is my favorite song on the album.

The only number that flops for me for right now is "The Unforgiven III". I like the beginning moodiness (even though there's something about the very beginning which almost goes off the rails into a Pink Floyd "Atom Heart Mother Suite" jam). The rest is sort of blah "Unforgiven"-ish territory, although I do like the quiet break leading up to the solo ("Forgive me...forgive me not," croons James), which explodes with noise before turning into a wah fest for the second half.

"The Unforgiven III," plus some weirder bits at times in other songs, makes the album 10% meh. Which makes it 90% r0ck. At $9-10 this weekend at most stores, it's a must buy. It's not perfect, but if you were a Metallica fan at any point in their powerful years, you'll remember why you liked this band so much. I do personally believe they tried on their last disc, St. Anger, but while that album was a failure, this is a success. With U2 not releasing their new disc until 2009, I think you'll be hard pressed to find a better album this year. Eet Fuk!

Death Magnetic's Sound: the Scoop

2008-09-12T15:45:00.008-04:00

I am now the proud owner of Death Magnetic in mp3, CD, and two LP vinyl form, and have come to some conclusions.

First, the retail CD is beyond loud. But for a CD being so loud, it's listenable. Yes, there is a layer of distortion that sits like a haze when the instruments really get cranking, but the sound guys were somehow still able to get some space between the instruments. The drums sound crisp most of the time. It's only when things get really crankin' that they, plus the vocals, recede in the mix, and the guitar tone suffers. I should be used to this: Metallica just has never been about the best sound.

The two LP vinyl set: it's a nice package, but don't expect miracles from it. By nature of it being quieter, and warmer, you can push the volume more without it feeling shrill. And I think the drums for "The Day That Never Comes" sound really nice on my stereo for the quieter parts. I've always felt, for whatever reason, that a good piece of vinyl on my stereo has more punch than a CD.

That being said, the distortion is still there. It's easier to take, but it's still there. We get a more pleasing experience because it's vinyl, but it doesn't change the loudness that was introduced during recording and mixing. This was confirmed by Ted Jensen, the disc's mastering engineer. When asked about the issues, he replied:

"I’m certainly sympathetic to your reaction, I get to slam my head against that brick wall every day. In this case the mixes were already brick walled before they arrived at my place. Suffice it to say I would never be pushed to overdrive things as far as they are here. Believe me I’m not proud to be associated with this one, and we can only hope that some good will come from this in some form of backlash against volume above all else."

Forgetting the distortion for a moment, the album's biggest problem (no matter what format you buy) is that there's no dynamics. So the loud part of "Day" is just as loud as the quiet. Furthermore, in all of these songs, near the end where they really start jamming, you get a wall of sound effect.

Is it as bad as Rush's Vapor Trails? Hrm, probably not. That album really suffers in the drum department. Here, most of the time, Ulrich's drums are very easily heard. The stereo separation is pretty good overall. It actually astounds me that the album is this loud and it sounds as good as it does. They wanted this album to "rock" by being in your face, but I do believe they pushed it. Thus: distortion, fuzz, and haze that lives underneath the instruments.

So here's my advice: if you have a turntable, get the vinyl, because by the nature of it you're going to get something that's less harsh than the CD. But don't expect the sound to turn into something miraculously open and full of hidden nuances. If you want something closer to that feel by Rubin, get an unremastered copy of The Cult's Electric: that album has this production style, yet is very open and very clear. The fact is that they shoved the volume on Death Magnetic so it would be purposely intrusive ("Hear my me-TAL roar!"), and it is, whether you have the vinyl or CD.

The downloadable mp3 files are a bit quieter, which also has a pleasing effect, even though they still have haze. Someone over at Metallica HQ is trying to solve the problem, but it's a mostly futile effort since the problem is in the recording.

Metalli-Friday Is Here

2008-09-12T03:04:00.004-04:00

Today is Death Magnetic's official release day, and it will be historical. Partly for the music itself, which is very, very good, but mostly because of the sound quality issues people (including me) have been obsessing over. My latest observations:

Today I got the 320 kbps mp3 files from my Mission: Metallica Platinum account and they are absolutely lower in volume, and, in my estimation, a bit less distorted than the "Day" CD single I have from Hot Topic. I can tell in Hetfield's guitar tone - it's smoother at times because it doesn't have the extra distortion. I suspect the full CD will be at the louder volume of the CD single. If I'm not crazy, the engineering folks realized they pushed the CD too hot, and have compensated for it in the downloadable files. They are by no means perfect, but a little better is still better.

A guy on the Metallica forums swears up and down that the 2 LP vinyl set has no distortion. He insists, "It's no Vapor Trails." Considering what I discovered about the mp3 download, I have hope. It's tough to really judge this stuff, because they all differ in volume.

Although it sort of kills me to do so, I will undoubtedly spent the $10 on the full CD (pretty much the going price everywhere) and $15 on the 2 piece vinyl (Best Buy's price) to hear for myself. I refuse to buy the uber fanboy 5 piece $100+ vinyl set. That money is ridiculous, and who wants to get up nine times to flip the sides?

So if my suppositions hold true, I'll have wasted $10 on the CD, because it'll probably be better quality to simply master the downloadable 320 kbps mp3 files to CD myself. If only they had released them as FLAC...

Sound Curve: "The Day That Never Comes"

2008-09-07T14:41:00.004-04:00

Ever since Metallica's Death Magnetic got leaked last week by the French, the forums have been buzzing about whether the sound quality of the CD is as bad as we audio nuts say it is. I'm here to say that it is.

It is isn't sufficient to analyze the sound of leaked .wma files, so I went out and purchased the CD single for "The Day That Never Comes" from Hot Topic, ripped it to a .wav file, and looked at it in Sound Forge. Two snapshots are here and here.

It's, as I figured, a brick wall. Even more bizarre is the second picture. That's the last portion of the song, where distortion is very noticeable to even an untrained ear. You can see the squared off peaks instead of it being round. What's truly hideous is that it looks like after they were clipped, someone then scaled the volume back.

They're playing hanky-panky over there at the record company, and the listeners are the ones who suffer.

Vinyl - the "New" Hi-Def Audio?

2008-08-29T10:08:00.009-04:00

Over the last year I've been reading how vinyl is making a big comeback (more proof than you can shake a stick at here, here, here, and here). Some bands are taking a large amount of time to make sure these releases sound darn good. They say, "Hey, if you care about how your music sounds, buy vinyl rather than a crummy CD!"

This is inherently stupid. For the moment, let's forget some technical details, such as the fact that CDs have a higher dynamic range than vinyl, and its frequency range is going to more than good enough for most people. And yes, I'm aware that the "feel" of vinyl can be more pleasurable since the analog nature of it gives off more warmth. But the fact is that in most cases, not enough care has gone into making a good CD. If engineers spent half as much time with the CD as they did with these new vinyl releases, a lot of us would be pretty happy.

And what if you wanted that extra bit of technical data on your side? Then the SACD and DVD-A formats are just great. They can store numbers with higher precision (to better approximate the sound samples), they have high frequency response, the decks play your old CDs, the medium is more portable, they're inexpensive, and they support lossless surround formats. Yes, they have copy protection, but if you're fumbling around in the hi-def arena, as long as the copy protection doesn't severely affect your listening experience, who cares? But unless your band's name is Porcupine Tree, releasing in one of these hi-def formats just isn't on your radar screen in 2008.

So exactly why are people gushing over vinyl? Large album art, nostalgia, and "the experience" of unwrapping this huge product and sliding large discs out of sleeves? That's all well and good, but the price of vinyl these days has been bordering on the absurd. It's a bit of a scam, actually. I mean hell, Metallica is going to be releasing Death Magnetic on five pieces of vinyl for around $120. Never mind the absurdity of the price; I'd have to get up off my ass nine times to hear the whole album. And for what increase in quality? Even though Mobile Fidelity is doing the transfer, chances are the original mix isn't that good to begin with, so any advantage spent by someone putting this thing to 180 grahams and at speed of 45 RPM is wasted.

But hey, someone gets a lot of money from the fanboys. And that's what counts.

Your Metallica Sound Quality Questions Answered

2008-08-26T19:06:00.024-04:00

I've been busy reading the Metallica forums regarding the whole sound quality issue with the Death Magnetic sound clips and full song releases. There's so much misinformation out there that I feel it's necessary to take the most common questions regarding this topic, Metallica's producer Rick Rubin, record production, mixing and mastering, plus the Loudness War, and answer them here.

The new Metallica songs rock! I don't hear any problems at all!
Until one knows what to listen for, issues of this sort often aren't recognizable. Listen with a good set of headphones to the loudest part of the song. You'll often notice how the instruments aren't very well defined (they tend to mush together), the drums tend to slip in volume, and in worst cases, fuzzy noise and pops occur.

St. Anger sounded terrible! How can you say these new songs are worse than that?!?!
The majority of St. Anger's problems are due to production choices. For that record, a conscious decision was made by producer Bob Rock and Metallica for the music to sound like it was made by a garage band, which is why the drums are clanky and the guitars are tinny. Granted this album also suffers from being too loud, but the main sound "problem" with St. Anger is a deliberate one. I assure you that the issues heard on the Death Magnetic tracks are not something the band chose to occur.

Production? Mixing? Mastering? What's the difference and who cares?
As implied above, production work is done by someone hired by the band, and his job is to point the musicians in a certain direction with regards to songwriting. It's also the producer's job to make suggestions with regards to recording technique and soundscaping. For example, he might recommend effects such as reverb or echo be placed on a singer's voice or certain guitar passages.

Mixing engineers are responsible for taking the separate tracks (at its simplest there are four: vocals, guitar, bass, and drums), and putting them together to deliver a (nearly) final song. The mastering engineer takes this output and performs certain processing to enhance the sound quality. It is at this point that certain tools, such as compression, are added (compression delivers punch to rock oriented music) to accomplish this task. Misuse of the tools at the mixing and mastering stages has led to what is known as the Loudness War.

WTF is the Loudness War? Is this bad? Hell, I want my heavy metal loud!
The Loudness War took off in the early 90s as a way for record companies to get their bands' albums noticed rather than relying on the listener to turn his own volume knob. Psychologically, a louder piece of music is often determined to be "better" by the average listener when compared to a quieter piece of music. So engineers started making the final mixes of the records they were working on louder and louder, and this is what was transferred to CD. Unfortunately, this process, if applied improperly, can lead to a loss in sound fidelity, which makes the music grating to the ears. At first the effects of this could only be heard by people who knew what they were listening for, but the problem has gotten so bad lately that many "normal" people can hear problems with certain current releases. For more information see this Wikipedia article and this YouTube video.

Rick Rubin is a well respected member of the music community and highly sought after by big-name bands. His stuff can't possibly be affected by this!
Sadly, this is not the case. While his older records, such as The Cult's Electric, Danzig's self-titled debut, and Slayer's South of Heaven and Seasons In the Abyss are landmarks in album sound quality, his recent releases are notorious for being too loud. The problem cropped up with Red Hot Chili Peppers One Hot Minute, and reached peak awfulness for their Californication. The production of Rubin's albums still appear to be quite good, but the final result on CD has gotten worse with time.

Well, even if Rubin doesn't care, Metallica must. Those guys are musicians; they won't let this happen!
Alas, Metallica's track record is not so good when it comes to sound quality. Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets are not exactly hallmarks of great recording due to limited dynamics. Justice suffers from very tinny sounding drums, and we already discussed the issues with St. Anger. So when it comes to an issue like engineering of the final product, which even famed music nerds Rush messed up on Vapor Trails, it's quite likely Metallica will be ignorant of the matter.

I still don't buy it! Those clips must be demos. After all, they're not polished. There's not even any reverb anywhere! Either that or they're purposefully bad because they're free!
It's unlikely the songs are demos or the outcome is deliberate since iTunes is selling them and they're not listed as demos. The "dry" sound quality is most definitely a decision the band and Rick Rubin made, since Rubin is lauded for his "stripped down" approach to recording. Also note that Justice sounded pretty similar, so Metallica is undoubtedly trying to recreate the feel of that record to some extent. We won't know until release date, but if it really was simply an issue with the ripping and encoding of the mp3 files, why does "My Apocalypse" still have issues? Metallica's staff said that any single released after "The Day That Never Comes" would be free from sound problems, but clearly this has not yet come to pass.

---

Any other questions or concerns? H-Man will be happy to answer, so comment away.

Quick Takes - "My Apocalypse"

2008-08-26T11:16:00.004-04:00

It looks like Metallica has finally taken the lid off the Death Magnetic box. The last song on the album, "My Apocalypse", was released to their web site, Mission: Metallica, and iTunes this morning.

The tune rocks. The only song Metallica's written in the last fifteen years that's come close to thrashing like this is "The Struggle Within", and that's pushing it. "My Apocalypse" is much closer to "Damage, Inc." and "Dyers Eve" in tempo. James is actually yelling on this one, and it isn't touchy feely stuff about about his alcoholism. Corpses and mangled flesh ahoy! The riffage is fast and tight, and Kirk even pulls out a bit of "Whiplash" flavor for part of the solo.

So far Metallica has a really nice album on their hands, but I fear, regardless of what their "people" say, that the album will be a milestone in the Loudness War. Once again the 256 kbps version of the song is way too loud and hideously distorts. This is a cryin' shame because their efforts deserve better presentation. Let's hope the right people are reading the forums, they stop putting lousy mp3 files out to paying customers (note to those responsible: lowering the volume after the song has been clipped doesn't solve the problem!), and the album itself doesn't suffer from these issues.

Mastering Problems Plague Metallica's "Day" Release

2008-08-22T09:29:00.009-04:00

Although the writing and musicianship on Metallica's "The Day That Never Comes" is very good, the quality of the recording itself is not. The version I originally listened to was from their MySpace page, which ended up being about 96 kbps, so I accepted the poor quality. Since then I've acquired the 256 kbps versions from iTunes and the pay section of Mission: Metallica, and even though the bitrate is higher, the distortion and clipping due to excessive volume is still present.

Present? Wait, let me rephrase that. I meant to say, "The compression is a Godzilla beastie that has hunkered down within Metallica's homeland, and is now busy sonically destroying anything on the landscape within a 500 mile radius." Just listen!

The tune is so wrecked that even people unaware of the Loudness War can tell it's awful, and are loudly complaining on Metallica's forums. Rick Rubin's last decade of albums under his command are notorious for being some of the worst casualties of the Loudness War, but not even those discs are this bad. Since their cover of Maiden's "Remember Tomorrow" survived intact, here's to hoping the actual Death Magnetic CD isn't fried like this. It would be awfully amusing if the Guitar Hero version, which by design features a remix and remaster of the original tracks, ends up sounding better.

Edit 1: The song has been removed from Met's MySpace page, but still remains at their other two sites.

Edit 2: Metallica's "people" have addressed the issue. Read about it at Blabbermouth.

Edit 3: A new version has been released on Mission: Metallica, but people claim it's simply the same clip at lower volume. Unintentional distortion still rules!

The Day Finally Came

2008-08-21T14:30:00.011-04:00

Metallica's hotly anticipated new single, "The Day That Never Comes", hit the airwaves today. Go to any of their three websites (main site, their MySpace page, and Mission: Metallica) to listen to the stream. The quality, as expected from a stream, is less than perfect, but it gets the job done.

I'll skip to the chase by saying this is one of the best things they've done since The Black Album. In fact, there's a lot about this song that's better than the stuff on that record, especially once it starts really movin' in the middle.

But let's start at the beginning of this eight minute monster. I was turned off at first by the slow picked opening because it reminds me of Korn's "Falling Away From Me". Fortunately that goes away pretty fast, and we're left with a pattern that's very similar to what we've come to expect from the fourth song on an album from their good days. This pattern ends up sounding very "One"-like due to the song's production, which is very dry. There's no hint of 80s reverb here.

I personally wish James would stop "singing". Metallica's songs always seem better when he yells in key. So whenever he croons a slower number, I end up thinking of "The Unforgiven", which isn't a high point for me.

At the four minute mark James starts riffin' out. It's a bit on the slow/slinky side, and has a cool feel to it.

At five minutes Lars ups the ante with a "Whiplash" type beat, and James speeds up the riffs with some "One" endgame style fast picking. Next we we get some lead bits, in harmony, then some cool pull-off type riffage, and similar pull-off high notes.

Right about 6:30 Kirk shows up and does some soloing reminiscent of Kill 'Em All and Ride the Lightning. He isn't quite as smooth, and it doesn't scream or wail as much as we were accustomed to, but he tried really hard, so I suspect he's just getting a bit old.

Verdict: win. At this point in their long career I really couldn't ask for any more from them. They're back to playing heavy metal with their own unique combination of acoustic bits, tightly pieced together riffs, and rapid-fire soloing. Welcome back to the fold guys.

More U2 Deluxe Remasters

2008-07-18T14:12:00.006-04:00

Hot on the heels of U2's The Joshua Tree deluxe remaster comes similar offerings for the band's first three albums. No DVDs this time, but if you're fanboy #1 like me, you can order an exclusive version from Amazon which includes an outer shell to hold them all (plus space for a 4th, undoubtedly the September release of Under a Blood Red Sky) and poster. Also available are 2-disc sets (2nd disc is B-sides and rarities), single CD (album only), or limited 180 g vinyl.

If the sound quality mimics what we got on The Joshua Tree last November, it'll be a good purchase. Available July 22 (Amazon's special set pushed back one week to the 29th).

Remember Tomorrow

2008-07-18T13:29:00.000-04:00

The Metallica hype machine has been in fifth gear as their new album, Death Magnetic, approaches release. So I felt it was apt to review their first official release with Rob Trujillo on bass: a cover of Iron Maiden's "Remember Tomorrow". Currently you can listen to a lo-fi version of it here.

Some background: although I'm a big fan of the covers they released on their Garage Days EPs, plus tracks like Queen's "Stone Cold Crazy" from their Black Album days, I was less than thrilled with the new work on Garage Inc. (i.e. the first disc; except for the Motorhead gunk, the second disc was all good, re-released material), which seemed just a bit too by the numbers. Their cover of Ramones classic "53rd & Third" is reasonable, but it pales big-time compared to the original.

This is why I was pleasantly surprised with their version of "Remember Tomorrow". Interestingly enough, they Metallica-fied it quite a bit by adding a "Creeping Death" style intro and outro, plus "Sanitarium" style leads during the quiet bits. Lars Ulrich goes rather nutty with the drums (especially the snare, but at least it doesn't make a St. Anger style clank sound), but I feel it works more than not. James Hetfield is crooning through most of the song, which does good homage to Paul Di'Anno's original take.

The riffage is decent, although I would've preferred a bit more crunch to the guitar sound. The production is very dry, a la Justice, but fortunately the guitars aren't thin. The bass playing is acceptable, but to be honest, this song isn't exactly a typical Steve Harris thump-a-thon, so any judgment on "the new guy" will have to wait for Fall.

I am, sadly, disappointed with Kirk Hammett's solo. It's decent enough, but it doesn't have the fire of Dave Murray's original, nor does it mimic that lead in any way. Which is surprising, since Kirk is more than capable of dishing out some awesome tributes to other players' solos (granted it's old, but ye gawds his leads in "Am I Evil?" are incredible). Where's the feel?

Summary: song good, solo meh. Kirk: please step it up, and maybe there will be something to talk about when Death Magnetic gets released.

Journey's Revelation

2008-07-14T14:12:00.020-04:00

I'm not too ashamed: I like Journey. If you grew up in the late 70s and early 80s they were a staple, thus, almost impossible to ignore if you went anywhere near a rolling skating rink. Steve Perry could make the ladies swoon and Neal Schon played guitar licks that rocked. What's not to like?

Sadly, over the years Journey's had some problems with their main frontman (Perry was not their first singer), which hasn't helped them any considering Perry is one of the main reasons the band shot to gargantuan popularity levels. In his absence they've had a few clones step up to the microphone, but they've all fallen by the wayside. Until the latest: Arnel Pineda. This Fillipino (yes; it boggles the mind) was hanging out singing cover tunes when Schon discovered him on YouTube (further boggling), flew him in for an audition, and subsequently hired him (now the mind wobbles). The buzz on Pineda and the band grew after Ellen DeGeneres talked about them on her daytime show, then featured Journey as musical guests. They rode this wave and subsequently released their newest album, Revelation, as a three disc Wal-Mart exclusive. This is where I couldn't ignore them any longer, and got the set to see what all the nuttiness was about.

For $11.98, if nothing else, one is getting their money's worth. The Revelation package is a fold-out digipak which includes fabulous classic 70s era Journey artwork, two music discs, plus a live DVD. In my opinion the most interesting piece of the set is the second music disc, which holds fifteen of their greatest hits, all instruments re-recorded, and all re-sung by Pineda. This disc is instantly dismissed by the fans for the obvious reasons (the chief one being, "Unnecessary."), but I find it fascinating simply because of the very reasons they hate it: these redos are beyond similar to the original recordings.

If you play any of the tunes for a person who is not a rabid Journey fan, they'll assume it's the golden oldie. Yes, the playing is that exact and the singing is eerily similar to Perry, straight down to his well-known vocal inflections. Heck, the order of the songs even mimics the order that's on their original Greatest Hits release which debuted twenty years ago in 1988. Whether it was created so they would have less trouble releasing the songs for promotional use, or because Wal-Mart insisted on it being made (most likely a combination of both), what's clear is that the band is still capable of playing their old material well, and their new singer is firmly up to the task. Some songs fare better than others, so it won't make you stop listening to the original version of "Separate Ways", but this is by no means a cringe worthy effort.

The live DVD features a recent show in Nevada, and proves that in concert the band is still no slouch. The songs are fiery (it amazes me how well Schon can still play the leads for these tunes) and Arnel is running all over the stage, emotionally belting out the songs. Journey seems invigorated by their new younger bandmate, and the DVD is definitely a worthwhile watch.

The CD of new music is equally fascinating. Here is where Arnel is not quite as Perry-ish. It's clear to me after listening to the music numerous times that he simply sounds a lot like Perry, but is in fact his own singer to boot. The disc starts off mightily with the lead single "Never Walk Away", a rocker in the same mold as "Be Good to Yourself", with a nice riff, cleanly executed leads, and an emotional chorus (complete with Journey's trademarkable vocal harmonies) that you can't help but sing along to. The next four tracks shouldn't disappoint any Journey fan, since they include "Lights"-esque ballads ("Like a Sunshower"), rapid-fire modern fare ("Wildest Dream"), and sweeping arena rockers ("Faith In the Heartland").

The music wobbles a bit at the halfway point. Their second single, "After All These Years", aims for the heights of ballads like "Open Arms" and "Faithfully", but comes up short. The lyrics are respectable, but the music doesn't reach the same catchiness, and even though one can feel the build, it never pays off the way their better known ballads do. The next three songs teeter as well, and I can't help but feel it's all rather Survivor-like. Unfortunately, it's in an "I Can't Hold Back"/"The Search Is Over" sort of way, not an "Eye of the Tiger" sort of way.

The album does close with a wonderful instrumental, "The Journey (Revelation)". The beginning of this piece starts with a tribal flavor similar to Eric Johnson's "Venus Isle" or "Friends", with leads that remind one of Eric's live intro to "Cliffs of Dover". It's too bad that a lot of Journey fans don't seem to enjoy this, because I feel it's a great instrumental, proof of Neal Schon's prowess as a musician, and the tune clearly demonstrates how underrated he is as a guitar player.

Don't let some of the failures of the second half sway you. I heartily recommend the set. We all remember Journey for their hits, but they shouldn't be held exclusively to that standard. I give them credit for this release, even if it is a bit by the numbers. But I ask every one of you: do you really want Journey to grow and develop that much?

(adjusted up 1/2 star for value of package)

Iron Maiden Covers CD to Accompany Kerrang!

2008-07-10T16:08:00.004-04:00

Much like Kerrang's Remastered CD from 2006, which was a bunch of artists covering Metallica's Master of Puppets, issue 1219 will include Maiden Heaven, a disc containing covers of Iron Maiden classics. The most talked about one of the bunch will likely be Metallica's cover of "Remember Tomorrow", which, judging from the sound clip on Kerrang's web site, doesn't sound so bad. I'm actually quite intrigued to hear Dream Theater's cover of "To Tame a Land".

The magazine is easily found in the UK, but for those of us in the USA, our best bet might be to order it direct. It'll cost about $8.50 shipped.

Tom Petty's New Release: Quiet CD

2008-06-23T21:24:00.004-04:00

Mudcrutch, Tom Petty's old band from the 70s, is doing a vinyl release of their new material this Tuesday. It comes with a CD of the music, which is not so unusual (after all, Judas Priest's Nostradamus vinyl release also comes w/CDs). What is unusual, however, is that the CD packaged with the Mudcrutch vinyl is purposefully quieter than the standard CD that will be sold standalone. You can read about it (and other aspects of the bad quality found in today's recordings) in USA Today and The New York Times.

Bravo to their record company, who realizes that the audiophile wants good sounding music on the home stereo, in a car CD player, on ripped to an mp3 player.

Jon Schaffer's Call For Dynamic Range

2008-06-20T02:09:00.005-04:00

Iced Earth history was remade last week when they released their latest EP, I Walk Among You. Popular vocalist Matt Barlow is back, and sounding just as good as ever did. The lead single for September's Something Wicked Part II (officially entitled The Crucible of Man), "I Walk Alone", is a mighty stomp which pleases even though it doesn't exactly stun the listener with anything unexpected.

Also on the disc are reworked versions of "Setian Massacre" and "The Clouding". Poor Ripper: it's like he never existed. These songs are more or less like the original, sans Owens. "Massacre" gets some flanger added to the guitar, and "Clouding" has Barlow holding a note longer before the big metal flourish. And if you wanna really erase poor Tim from memory, feel free to buy the iTunes exclusive of "A Charge to Keep".

An unexpected spiffiness about the release is this liner note from Schaffer:

This is a dynamic metal record! Play it loud!!! (We refuse to ruin our production by compressing the hell out of it so that it's mastered at ridiculous volumes! That kills the vibe and dynamics of the mix. Just turn it up on your stereo!)

Confusingly said, but kudos for the heart being in the right place, even if it's still a bit loud for my tastes. It definitely sounds better than a lot of other modern CDs, but when compared to most from the early 90s, well, someone apparently forgot to tell the mastering engineer how Jon feels....

Judas Priest's Latest Released

2008-06-20T02:03:00.005-04:00

Well that escaped me. On Tuesday the Priest released their 2-disc Saucy Jack, entitled Nostradamus. If two discs aren't enough, you also have the option of getting it with a hardcover book. And if that isn't enough, you can get it from Best Buy with three pieces of vinyl and a poster. Yay!

Just look at the cover...I'm scared. Comments after I pick it up this weekend.

New Metallica Album Title Revealed

2008-06-20T01:55:00.002-04:00

They've been teasing us for a week or so, but the reveal has happened. Not a bad title, and I'm happy to see the old logo make it's return. There's also a little video with some music playing in the background, and the riff isn't half bad. Check it here or (currently) here.

Cosmo Promotes Music Piracy

2008-06-17T13:16:00.004-04:00

Hey ladies! Can't get yer guy to buy you the sick new tunes? Cosmo to the rescue! Just get your gal-pals to help you steal it. What a great way to get a new BFF! Lollerz! (thanks HardOCP)

Sneak Peak at New Metallica

2008-06-14T11:07:00.000-04:00

Not enough to go on yet, but semi-interesting nonetheless. So share and enjoy here.

Proof that Rolling Stone Has Lost Its Marbles

2008-05-31T05:43:00.002-04:00

The weakest 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time. No Rush. No Maiden. No Priest. And I'd personally throw Jane's Addiction, Slayer, and The Cult on there if you're going for top 100. I half expected Clay Aiken to be on the list.

nin's the slip

2008-05-05T10:26:00.002-04:00

Hot on the heels of nin's free release of the song "Discipline", Nine Inch Nails has released their next album, The Slip, as yet another 100% free digital download. Access it here.

In addition to the usual mp3 and flac formats, with pdf booklet, Trent is also making this available as a 24-bit/96 KHz high definition wave file. Yay! Be aware that the lossless and high definition files are initially downloaded as torrents.

For those who also want some touchable media, a physical release on CD and vinyl is planned for July.

New Iced Earth Single

2008-04-11T17:32:00.002-04:00

Schaffer and Barlow have been busy on the follow-up to Framing Armageddon, plus erasing the Owens legacy. Visit the Iced Earth MySpace page to hear clips of the new single, "I Walk Alone," (available June 17), plus re-sung versions of a handful of tunes off the last release.

Ghosts I-IV

2008-03-12T12:29:00.010-04:00

Ah, it's been quite a break. But to be honest, over the last month or so, not too much has happened to excite in the music industry. iPods are still the rage, CD sales continue to plummet, and Chinese Democracy still isn't out. What else is new?

The spiffiest bit of news is that last week Trent Reznor released a new album, Ghosts I-IV, out of nowhere. Why the guy's decided to be so prolific for the last few years is anyone's guess, but it makes the H-Man happy.

The Ghosts release is interesting for a multitude of reasons:

It is Trent's first release outside of his longtime record company, Interscope.
It is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license.
It is entirely instrumental.
It is currently available via download only.
The songs are numbered, not named.
It is broken into four parts, the first of which (nine songs) is completely free to download in 320 kbps mp3 format, and comes with some multimedia extras, such as wallpaper and file icons.
The entire thing can be purchased for as little as $5 (choice of mp3 or lossless format) or as much as $300 (limited edition set, now sold out). The pricier items include CDs, DVDs of the raw tracks, Blu-ray discs in high resolution stereo, audiophile quality vinyl, hardcover books, and signed pieces of art.

At first I was going to simply wait for the 2-disc version to hit stores next month, but after downloading the first part for free, I caved and bought the $75 set. Why? Because Trent cares. If you play the music files in a supported mp3 player, you get high resolution photos for each individual song (plus time signature and BPM information). The photos are beautiful, and I'm looking forward to seeing them in a printed book. I don't have a Blu-ray player yet (emphasis on yet), but the Internet's tubes know how much I love high resolution audio. A little bit of love goes a long way, so I decided to throw him my cash.

I won't go into too much detail about the quality of the music. Let's just say that it's about what I expected. If you are a fanboy of nin, a fanboy of ambient music, a fanboy of instrumental music (remember his Quake soundtrack? Lost Highway?), and/or are a fanboy of David Lynch, you'll get this. Otherwise you might just want to stick to listening to "Head Like a Hole" and "Closer".

It's hard to ignore this release. It was completely unexpected, gives the finger to the music industry via its delivery system, and is 100% pure art. One has to admire the magnitude of this thing, even though it was destined to be talked about simply because Trent's a magician at drawing attention to himself while somehow convincing us that he hates drawing attention to himself. The Rez-man pulls a rabbit out his hat every time.

For the technically interested: the tricky part for me was "properly" converting the lossless flac files I downloaded into mp3 files (hey, one has to have a version of the album that takes up less space). Decoding the flac to wav, burning to a CD, then extracting and re-encoding to my preferred 192 VBR mp3 quality was easy. The tricky bit was reinserting all the extra tagging that was in there (the time signature and BPM stats) plus the individual photos for each song. Much thanks to Winamp, which allowed me to copy the pictures out to a file, then Tag&Rename, which allowed me drag them onto the new tags. A bit slow, but the end results are very professional.

I'm Metal Thrashing Mad

2008-01-29T09:36:00.000-05:00

To Megaforce Records,

I recently purchased a new copy of your 2005 CD combo release of Anthrax's Fistful of Metal & Armed and Dangerous from Deepdiscount. After playing it, I was dismayed to discover that the CD sounds terrible. This is not a quality issue due to Anthrax not having access to good recording equipment back in 1985. I have over a thousand CDs and have worked with many mp3 files, and this CD sounds like what happens if someone makes very low quality mp3 files (~96 kbps) then burned them back to a CD. Among other problems, it's muffled and the drums make a strange smearing noise.

To further add to the argument that someone botched this release, the segue between "Across the River" and "Howling Furies" should be gapless, but instead there is a silent pause between the tracks. This is clearly wrong.

Please read the following two reviews from Amazon which agree with my sound quality assessment:

Review 1
Review 2

So I went back on-line and purchased a 1998 German import of this release from Steamhammer/SPV. This 2-disc set sounds perfectly fine. All of the problems I noted are not present.

I'm sure you realize that I am in a bit of tight spot since no record store these days will allow one to return a CD that is opened. I am writing, therefore, to ask if I can return this product to you and have my money refunded. I paid $13.29.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Hollow Man

Reznor and Williams Comment On NiggyTardust Sales Numbers

2008-01-11T01:21:00.001-05:00

Trent Reznor has commented on the Internet sales of NiggyTardust here, and is interviewed about these comments here. Saul's comments on the figures are available here.

Reznor states that 28,322 paid for the record. His figures are probably a bit weird (and he acknowledges this) because people like me will be counted twice in his total count of 154,449. I first downloaded for free, then I went back and paid for it. So it sounds like that number of 154,449 really indicates the total number of downloads, not the total number of people who downloaded it.

The New Year In Rock

2008-01-03T14:55:00.001-05:00

A new year, thus new music. Here's a few imminent (hopefully) releases and some comments:

Anthrax: They're on their fourth singer and still refusing to give up. Here's hoping this latest change won't upset their loyal fanbase.

Black Sabbath: It's likely that the original forgers of heavy metal will release an album with Ronnie James Dio this year. With luck it will be a little more exciting than the new songs that were tacked on the end of their The Dio Years.

Guns 'N' Roses: Will 2008 be the year of Chinese Democracy? And Duke Nukem Forever?

Iced Earth: Will the return of fan favorite vocalist Matt Barlow bring success for this fixture of the heavy metal scene? This is one fan that's definitely looking forward to part two of Framing Armageddon (and with luck, a tour).

In Flames: The metal mavens from Gothenburg are busy working on a new album and hoping to really crack the American marketplace. I'm skeptical of the nu metal vibe they've had over the last years, but the kids dig it, so they may see mainstream success this year.

Iron Maiden: These longtime metal titans will hopefully release a follow-up to the fan favorite A Matter of Life and Death this year. I felt that disc meandered a bit, and the guitars seemed to have less bite, but there was something compelling about the album as a whole, so I'm looking forward to new material.

The Jesus and Mary Chain: 2007 saw the return of these noisemakers to the stage. With luck we'll see a brand new album this year.

Eric Johnson: The Tone Ranger normally takes ten years or so between albums, but since he's writing, perhaps we'll get a new disc this year. He's shelved some projects to work on new material, so maybe he'll strike while the Guitar Hero III iron is hot.

Judas Priest: These are the only guys, besides Spinal Tap, who can make an album about Nostradamus listenable. Halford is still at the helm, so I expect greatness. Here's to hoping we get release information soon.

Mastodon: The Men of Math Metal almost broke big with Blood Mountain, and may see real commercial success with their next release. Keep a lone Cysquatch eye on the sky.

Nine Inch Nails: Color me optimistic, but the release of Year Zero hot on the heels of With Teeth is encouraging, and I hope we'll see more new material soon. Trent has dissolved his relationship with his record company, so it will be interesting to see his distribution scheme for the next release.

Tim Owens: Banished from Iced Earth, will the Halford-Dio-Dickinson fanboy be able to find success with his other projects? Here's hoping for some positive buzz in 2008 for the frontman who's impossible to dislike.

Porcupine Tree: With Pink Floyd out of the loop, Rush unlikely to release new material this year, and Tool as slow as usual (see below), that leaves the door wide open for these progressive stalwarts to reach more fans. They're prolific, so I expect we'll see some heavy action on this front.

Tool: I'd love to think we'll get a new disc from these guys, but I suspect we'll just have to be happy with a supposed DVD release. Still, live Tool is better than no Tool, and there's always Puscifer if you want something rather weird to satiate your Maynard fix.

U2: The alternative kingpins will hopefully release their Rick Rubin produced follow-up to Atomic Bomb this year. We got a taste of what Rubin can do on 18 Singles, but no real hope that it will be tamer in the volume department.

iTunes Pumpkins Release

2008-01-03T10:03:00.000-05:00

Proof positive that Smashing Pumpkins doesn't care too much about their fan base and sound quality, they have elected to release an iTunes exclusive EP, American Gothic. And even though they're American, the USA is the only place one won't be able to get a physical copy - whee!

I guess those who are Apple-centric can enjoy this new acoustic record. If you acquire it via other means, stay safe!

Turn Me Up!

2008-01-02T09:16:00.000-05:00

Turn Me Up! is a non-profit music organization devoted to getting the word out on the Loudness War. It would be pretty crazy (i.e. good) if their idea to certify and label CDs that were of decent quality caught on. Good luck to them in coming up with the criteria and making sure it's followed!

Audiopocalypse Now, Redux

2007-12-27T22:59:00.000-05:00

FoB points out two articles on Rolling Stone regarding compromised sound quality in today's music. The first discusses the Loudness War itself, while the second is an editorial regarding MP3 quality vs. CD and vinyl.

Try to Do Something Nice...

2007-12-26T17:30:00.001-05:00

Truth be told, I've felt rather bad for ol' Ripper ever since he got kicked out of Iced Earth. So out of pity I ordered his Beyond Fear CD. Being something of a thrifty individual, I ordered it from Half.com.

So the thing comes today, and it's all wrong. First, it was mailed from the Czech Republic. Hrm, no mention of that on Half. It is not "brand new", as it was advertised. It's not wrapped, the disc is slightly scuffed, and the booklet has obviously been handled. Worse, the CD label looks just wrong due to a poor printing job. Finally, the booklet itself, while glossy and shiny, contains no publishing or copyright information. Yep, I've got myself a bootleg.

I have a message in to the seller demanding an refund. If you look back far enough (I wish I had been this thorough earlier) you will find a person every 20-30 pages who mentions that he thinks he got a "burned copy" of a CD.

A further annoyance is that I'm waiting for a nin CD from another dude on Half.com that should've been here by now. This is all rather frustrating, since I've never had severe problems ordering from them, ebay, or Amazon marketplace.

Let the buyer beware, I suppose.

EDIT: I got a full refund on the Ripper CD. Sounds like the guy has "distributors" all over the place, so every now and then one of them sends out a funky disc. Live and learn. Now on to figuring out what happened to my nin CD single...

EDIT 2: Edited out an anonymous post by someone with a similar experience with the buyer. Names were named, so I've decided to remove all references to the buyer. I do appreciate the story, but I don't want to turn this into a Frankenstein monster style torch mob. There are other places for that (eBay feedback, resellerratings.com, etc.).

EDIT 3: After a full month and much complaining (five emails), I got Vendor Number Two to refund my money for the nin single. Apparently even though it was listed as shipped, they never had it to send to me. I'll file this experience in the "I've got a bridge to sell you" department.

Barlow Comments On His Return to the Earth

2007-12-21T14:30:00.001-05:00

Yeah, I know it's been IE Chat around here lately, but I can't help myself. Linky and more linky!

More On Barlow's Return to Iced Earth

2007-12-17T11:06:00.000-05:00

There is now more information on Matt's return to IE on the official home page. Schaffer is still contending that Tim's voice is the one he "hears" when writing the music...yet he's being fired? Does this mean in another few years when he regrets that Barlow isn't "the voice", no matter how much he's a "brother", that he'll get canned again?

And apparently Barlow still works for the government (and is still in Pyramaze), so now we'll get even less output. It remains to be seen how much worse it can get, since putting out negative albums is tough. But considering Barlow's heavy work schedule, I imagine it'll get to be about -343.

Just as long as I can see these two sometime before I'm dead and they completely suck.

Matt Barlow Back In Iced Earth; Hell Freezes Over

2007-12-12T11:30:00.000-05:00

In news that makes me too excited for words, Jon Schaffer has announced on the IE web page that Matt Barlow is back in Iced Earth. Holy crap. It sounds like we're going to be fortunate enough to have Matt singing on the next Framing Armageddon record, on the USA tour next year, and a Schaffer approved live DVD. R0x0rz.

Interestingly enough, Blabbermouth is reporting that he is also remaining in Pyramaze. How this will work out is anyone's guess.

Alas, poor Ripper. Shafted again. The whole thing is bizarre because recently Schaffer has been quoted as saying that Owens is the best singer for his band, and that Barlow never really complemented the music properly. I didn't agree, I didn't get it, and now I really don't get it.

But I'm choosing to ignore all of this, and simply say I agree with a fan on Blabbermouth that he's something of a good luck charm. If you're a band that wants your recently departed (and fan favorite) singer back, just hire Owens. Worked for Judas Priest too!

New Anthrax Singer Revealed

2007-12-11T09:58:00.000-05:00

Read about it here from Blabbermouth. The clip of the new guy singing the Devilsize song "Taken" isn't bad. He's got something John Bush about him in the chorus.

The New U2

2007-12-06T09:47:00.000-05:00

Thanks to FoB for pointing out this article on U2's yet-to-be-released album. Hardcore guitar? "Real molten metal"? I'm intrigued. I'm ready for anything, considering how I now bona fide like their k00ky Pop album.

Jam Sessions

2007-11-29T11:34:00.000-05:00

A year ago I was introduced to "Sing & Play DS Guitar M-06," a guitar simulator for the Nintendo DS available in Japan. Huh? Yes, that's what I thought, especially because the video I viewed didn't make it look too exciting. I vowed to play guitar on my guitar, and forgot about it.

Fast forward one year, and the title is now available in the USA as Jam Sessions. I took look-see on the tubes of the Interweb, and was a bit more intrigued by what I saw. The reviews are beyond polarized: people either hate it, because it isn't a game like Guitar Hero, and they cannot "play" it to save their life. Or they love it, because they're a guitar player, and they can see the value in having something insanely portable that pretends to be a guitar. So I of course caved and bought it.

Frankly, I'm amazed at what it can do. Jam Sessions is capable of playing just about any chord you can think of by "fretting" with the DS's direction pad (you can alter this "palette" with an editor that allows one to drag-and-drop chords onto it) then "strumming" by moving your stylus or finger across the strum bar depicted on the touch screen. If you move fast across the strum bar, the guitar sound is louder and more aggressive. You can get up-strokes (the strings will ring out from high to low) by moving the other way across the strum bar. You can simulate muted strings by simply not pressing the direction pad. Hell, you can even add effects: among them is distortion, chorus, flanger, delay, and tremolo (all completely configurable).

Anyone who plays guitar can sort of play Guitar Hero, but that doesn't compare to Jam Sessions. If you are a guitarist, you will be rocking with this "game" in almost no time flat, mouth agape because you won't believe that it's actually akin to playing a real guitar, realistically reacting to nuances in your playing. If you don't play guitar, it'll be almost useless and you'll probably through your DS against the wall. It does have a tutorial which plays some popular songs at you and explains how to choose a chord and strum along, but I think it's only going to be minimally helpful to a novice. Basically, you need to know how to play the guitar already, else you're climbing Mount Everest.

At first I screwed around just stringing chords together, then played a bit of "Desire" by U2 (three chords and the truth, baby), and the rhythm to "She Sells Sanctuary" by The Cult. Experience with the thing has shown that Jam Sessions works best with slower songs that don't need tons of fast strumming action, so the other day I decided to learn "Pigs On the Wing" by Pink Floyd (which, by the way, I've never played on a real guitar). And lo, it worked. It has enough chord changes that it's not as boring to listen to as some of the videos you'll find on the web. I dig!

No, it can't do power chords or single notes, but it does a damn fine job of allowing one to play chords with individual style. If you're not a guitar player, then it might be better to pick up Guitar Hero or learn how to play guitar instead. But if you're a musician that owns a DS, I highly recommend Jam Sessions.

Short Takes: The Joshua Tree Limited Edition

2007-11-20T22:44:00.002-05:00

I picked up my Limited Edition tonight and got to quickly examine it.

First off: the packaging. A fair amount of work has gone into its presentation. This limited set is housed in a cardboard shoebox style container which has a small, but nice looking "widescreen" version of the original art. Lifting the lid reveals a hardcover book that has the Joshua Tree symbol embossed on the front. The book contains essays, lyrics, photos, and album credits. Underneath the book is a brown envelope (with a raised Joshua Tree symbol on the front) containing five lithographs of U2 photos by Anton Corbijn. Both of these items are extracted via tugging on a strap of black ribbon.

Underneath these items is the heart of the matter: the discs. They are all housed in individual cardboard sleeves that are recessed into the box. Let me get this out of the way: as nice looking as these are, cardboard sleeves suck because it's far too easy to scratch the discs when extracting them from these envelopes.

I'm not going to comment on the music itself because a zillion people have already reviewed The Joshua Tree plus a majority of the extra songs that are contained on the second disc. I haven't had time to explore the DVD yet, so no words there. What I'm after is the sound quality: "How does the remaster compare to the original CD?"

I was beyond surprised to discover that these are by no means loud discs. This is shocking because the last two U2 releases, Atomic Bomb and U218, are beyond loud. I've compared the waveforms of the 1987 disc and this release, and the first six or seven songs on The Joshua Tree remaster are only marginally louder than the older release. For some bizarre reason, from "Trip Through Your Wires" on, the album appears to have been bumped a little further in volume. It's not a "the dynamic range is destroyed" or "the waveforms are clipped" type of boost mind you, just a small increase in overall loudness compared to the first portion of the CD.

I'm at a loss to understand why this is case. Perhaps they wanted people to not have to turn the volume knob up quite so much to hear the beginning of "Exit" and the entirety of "Mothers of the Disappeared". Perhaps the new engineer decided that the original person mastered the second half of the original too quietly, and that it should be rocking harder so people don't fall asleep in the last twenty minutes.

Regardless, it is fact that none of the songs are anywhere near as loud as current CD releases. This is a pretty astonishing achievement, and I applaud the efforts of the people responsible. Someone over at the Popmart realized that people would buy this set no matter what, so why not make the music sound good regardless of what the suits want? "We're all winners!"

Fancy Pants Joshua Tree

2007-11-20T15:37:00.000-05:00

This year marks the 20th anniversary of U2's The Joshua Tree, and to celebrate, Island has released more than a few remasters of it. All include the art that graced the original vinyl and cassette cover, rather than the old CD booklet picture of their blurry faces.

Boring Edition: remastered CD
Uber Edition: remastered CD, extra CD of rarities and B-sides, and mega-paged booklet
L33t Overpriced Edition: the above 2 CDs, a DVD of videos and Joshua Tree era concert, plus a hardcover book
Nerdy Vinyl Edition: Original album spanned across two pieces of vinyl

The Joshua Tree was in fact the first CD I ever purchased (yeah, I'm sure you're all really surprised to get an idea of how old I am). I bought it before I even owned a CD player, so for once I don't feel so bad about rebuying the same thing I already own. I'm stupid enough to go for the L33t (this makes up for the fact that I didn't buy the extra expanded version of Atomic Bomb), and will report back on how bad the remastering is.

The Master Control Knob Is a Lie

2007-11-13T13:28:00.000-05:00

Hot off the presses is Gibson's Robot Guitar, which has electronics in it that automatically turns the tuning pegs to pitch. Words fail me (it's both pure genius and mind-numbing stupidity), so decide for yourself by watching it in action.

The worst thing about it is the steps you have to go through in order to get certain tunings. The number of different colors the Master Control Knob gives off, plus the manner in which you have to twiddle it, is mind-boggling:

"Turn the MCK to the 'E' position. Push twice. Wait until it glows blue. Turn 1/4 rotation until illuminated amber. Wait until coffee is served by guitar. Pull until the MCK glows red, then immerse in water. If not electrocuted, strum lightly. That was great!"

Weekly Album Rundown

2007-11-09T13:04:00.000-05:00

Here's some albums (besides the ones I've already mentioned this week) that have been on my radar screen for the past seven days. Get 'em while they're hot.

Puscifer - V Is For Vagina - Tool's Maynard James Keenan's solo release. An unusual array of tribal beats and alternative weirdness, with guest talent Herb (Primus) and Milla Jovovich (yes, that Milla, of Fifth Element and Resident Evil fame). Good mood music, and a winner for CD packaging that parodies aircraft safety cards.

Circus Diablo - One of those supergroups of assembled rock star talent, featuring The Cult's Billy Duffy and former GnR skins player Matt Sorum. An entertaining listen, but nothing that's making me beyond excited. Curiously enough, if going with assembled bands, I much prefer the 3/4s Jane's Addiction hellspawn The Panic Channel, even though no one else on the planet agrees with me.

Freeheat - Don't Worry, Be Happy - Jesus and Mary Chain's Jim Reid's side project. This EP is a winner for those who miss the stylized noise of the Chain. Also be sure to pick up the longer release, Back On the Water, which includes both studio and live tracks.

KMFDM - Tohuvabohu - These industrial pioneers are still pumping it out. Their latest is no Nihil, but it sounds great cranked up to eleven nonetheless. Leave it to the Germans to remind us that thrash, complete with intelligible lyrics and guitar solos, is still cool ("Saft und Kraft").

Twin Peaks: Season Two Music and More - Why it took so long for this to be released is beyond me, but fanboys finally rejoice. You'll have to buy the first soundtrack to get this groundbreaking TV show's haunting main theme, but this follow-up disc also comes highly recommended. Spin it in the background and enjoy a cup of damn fine coffee. And buy the show's DVDs while you're at it, dammit.

Monster Magnet - 4-Way Diablo - On deck for me, but I expect good things. Dave Wynforf is out of rehab and ready to r0ck. Kiddies: you can't kill the metal.

Prince More Hated Than George Lucas?

2007-11-07T15:42:00.001-05:00

The Bizarre One has just gotten more bizarre. Prince is apparently moving to sue a bunch of fan web sites for the "heinous" act of publishing his images (even album art) and lyrics. Apparently he's also upset about pictures of tattoos based on him and his logos, and even license plate photos.

George Lucas used to get upset at such things, but after getting such bad press about it, he relented, and now embraces the culture. As near as I can tell, it's been 100% to his benefit to allow fans to use Star Wars everything on their web pages, in their fan-made movies...you name it. If anything it's made the brand stronger rather than water it down.

I'm not quite sure what Prince is thinking by doing this. It could end up being as bad for him as when Metallica got all hot and bothered by Napster. True Napster went the way of the dodo, but that whole fiasco still caused irreparable damage to their image, as fans accused them of being out of touch with their listeners.

I guess I should be fearful that he'll come after me because of the Planet Earth image, huh? Come and get me!

Shaking the Porcupine Tree

2007-11-06T11:31:00.000-05:00

Porcupine Tree really pushes all the right buttons for me. I was originally turned onto them because the Rush fanboys were going on about their music. That alone wasn't enough to get me interested, but once Alex decided to guest-play on their Fear of a Blank Planet, I sat up and took notice. The album title is terribly annoying, but the music is quite exceptional. A crazy combination of Tool, Pink Floyd, and Rush; now that's progressive. And having Robert Fripp play from time-to-time doesn't hurt.

What's more, these guys care about their sound quality. The discs I own aren't overly loud, and the instruments have plenty of space to move around in. Many of their releases are available as a true high resolution DVD-Audio (with both stereo and 5.1 mixes). They also sell flac files and high quality vinyl via Burning Shed. Thus, no matter what format you prefer, they'll sell it to you.

Their latest release, Nil Recurring, is a 30 minute EP originally only available for purchase at their concerts. It is currently being sold via their on-line store as a limited edition CD or by way of digital music files (mp3 or flac). It's also included in the Blank Planet DVD-A (high resolution 5.1 only).

Reznor Comments On Producing Saul Williams, Speaks of New Release Via Interscope

2007-11-05T10:03:00.001-05:00

Reuters has a Q&A with Trent and Saul Williams where they talk about all things music. So if you want to learn about downloading mp3s, plus Interscope's plans for a nin greatest hits and remix disc, there ya go. And if you want to download/buy Saul's album, do it here.

I downloaded the 192 CBR files for free (might as well get a taste before paying) and so far it's good. "Convict Colony" (and many others) is very nin-y, and "Tr(n)igger" uses Public Enemy samples. And you can't beat the cover of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" with samples of Larry's drums plus a very industrial/nin-y guitar. Trent sings and plays on so much of this that it's almost like having another nin album.

I may have to buy the flac files.

Mastodon on Aqua Teen Hunger Force

2007-10-10T15:01:00.000-04:00

R0ck. Thanks FoB.

Trent Dumps Record Label

2007-10-08T22:46:00.000-04:00

Hot on the heals of the Radiohead "pay whatever you want" announcement, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails has decided to ditch his record label. Months ago he was upset at how much Australia was selling Year Zero for, and recently he told a bunch of fans there to simply steal the album, so this latest development makes plenty of sense.

Pay Whatever You Want For Radiohead's New Album

2007-10-02T10:49:00.000-04:00

In a way cool move, Radiohead has announced that the cost of downloading their new album, In Rainbows, will be up to the consumer. You want to pay nothing? You can do that too.

I thought this concept was so l33t that even though I'm not a big fan of buying mp3 files, I went ahead and did it. I decided two pounds fifty pence (roughly $5 USD, or 50 cents a song) was about right. Although they did tack on an extra 45 pence service charge (bleh, oh well).

A limited edition box set (the digital download, a CD, two vinyl records, and fancy packaging w/book, etc.) will be available later in the year and cost about $80 USD. A regular CD version will be available next year.

If interested, you can preorder your digital download here.

Van Halen x3 Reunion

2007-09-28T16:00:00.000-04:00

The picture just says it all. I'm speechless, really. That bass with all the tape over it...hoo-boy.

To those that are going: have fun, and just block that side of the stage with your hand.

Create iPhone Ringtones That Don't Sound Horrible

2007-09-27T21:03:00.000-04:00

The "magic"?

"Before saving your modified file, click Effects > Decrease Volume. Do this two or three times. Then, save your .WAV file and close Sound Recorder."

Genius.

Fear of a Blank Planet DVD-A

2007-09-15T19:32:00.001-04:00

The limited edition DVD-A of Porcupine Tree's Fear of a Blank Planet is now available for preorder via their on-line store. It includes a true high resolution surround mix, a 24-bit stereo mix, plus their Nil Recurring EP in surround (unclear whether lossy or lossy).

The album, plus aforementioned EP, is also available for preorder in 180 gram vinyl (if that floats your boat better).

It's unclear whether these releases will be available in the USA, so if you feel like getting your progressive Tool/Rush/Pink Floyd thing on in a non-CD based format, this is a good way to do it.

Winamp 5.5 Beta

2007-09-15T17:18:00.000-04:00

Bet you never even noticed the link over on the right for Winamp. I don't just do it for health or money (neither comes my way); I link to it because I actually feel it's a superior program for listening to one's music files. It's gone through some changes and additions over the years (including a much hated acquisition by AOL and an equally hated version 3), but continues to provide great functionality.

The latest alteration to come for some time has now arrived in the form of version 5.5. It's been a while since there's been a brand new default skin (their last change: "Modern", is just ok), but "Bento" cometh. It includes great changes/fixes (ye olde style song "ticker", an EQ that doesn't show only bass), but what's notable about it is that the developers has gone full-on into making an interface that's akin to other modern players. In other words, it's big, big, BIG.

Winamp's past skins have featured detachable parts, but Bento has all the pieces incorporated. You get the player itself, the playlist editor, a large area which holds the Media Library/Visualization Studio/browser, and a new area which (by default) shows album art (about time!) and detailed track information. And try as I might, I cannot remove/hide this new area. I also can't detach any of the pieces and reassemble them. I can hide the playlist, but it just fills that area with the new area. This is the best I can make it look. And yes, the word is "Bento is a SingleUI skin", so separate components won't be possible if you want to use any of its new spiffiness.

This drove me crazy at first, because I liked to keep my Winamp always visible, at its minimum configuration (only the player itself showing), in the lower-right of my screen. I could pop-up the playlist when I needed it, which would appear to the left of the player itself.

In its new form, even though I've got it as small as I'm willing to go, Winamp just takes up too much room. This bugged me for quite some time, but since I like the new album art feature, I came up with a compromise. I keep it centered in the bottom-middle, and use the "windowshade" mode and docking property to minimize it to a small sliver at the bottom of the screen when it's taking up too much real estate. Check it out. Not too shabby.

In conclusion, I like Winamp 5.5's functionality, and think they did a great job with the look of the new skin. But if you're like me, and you liked Winamp's previous GUI behavior, you're likely going to have to adapt a bit and start using some of the new features they've put in throughout the years.

Mastodon's Brent Hinds In Hospital

2007-09-12T10:44:00.000-04:00

Blabbermouth is reporting that Mastodon's Brent Hinds is in the hospital after reportedly sustaining a head injury. Sounds rather awful, so hopefully it's nothing that can't be fixed with time.

EDIT: He apparently will be fine.

What News?

2007-09-06T16:07:00.001-04:00

Wow four weeks flies by. Sadly, there isn't a whole lot going on music-wise. Nope, the new Guns N' Roses still isn't out, Rob Zombie still makes hefty profits with his rather weak horror flicks (so he'll get invited to make more...yay!), and Metallica is still pretending that their next album will be good.

But for those of you itching to buy a new album, you can spend your hard earned dough next week on the three disc edition of Pink Floyd's Piper at the Gates of Dawn (2-disc edition is available now). And/or you can buy the first half of Iced Earth's Framing Armageddon.

Permanent Waves 24KT Gold Ultradisc

2007-08-11T21:33:00.000-04:00

Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, makers of the 24 KT gold Ultradisc hi-fi line of CDs, will release Rush's Permanent Waves in this format in November. I never even knew they were still releasing these things. It should be interesting to see a) if it sounds better than the original and remaster, plus b) how loud it is.

Cel Shaded Video For "Ten Thousand Strong"

2007-08-09T22:08:00.000-04:00

Share and try to enjoy Iced Earth's $5 video for "Ten Thousand Strong" here. It's a wacky combination of Heavy Metal, Stargate, and the attack on Caprica in the 70's Battlestar Galactica. Words fail me.

"Dirty Little Rockstar"...Unleashed!

2007-08-09T21:33:00.000-04:00

The Cult's new single, "Dirty Little Rockstar," can be heard in its entirety here. It definitely reminds of their self-titled album due to the techno beats and lack of heavy metal guitar stylings. Since it's quite a departure from their last disc, Beyond Good and Evil, it'll be interesting to see if this album keeps their current audience, or perhaps finds a new one.

New Ministry Available

2007-08-07T09:12:00.000-04:00

Ministry's latest song, "Die In a Car Crash," can be downloaded from here.

Rammstein Singer Quits; to Be Replaced With KMFDM Co-Founder

2007-07-16T17:48:00.000-04:00

The subject says it all. This is overall very bad news, but a KMFDM alum might just be the person to fit the bill.

Edit: A hoax? WTF?!?!

New Cult Sound Sample Available

2007-07-12T10:53:00.001-04:00

A 90 second clip of The Cult's new single, "Dirty Little Rockstar," is available here. Sounds more than a bit like something off their 1994 self-titled album (i.e. a wee bit of techno/industrial influence).

The track is scheduled to hit the radio on August 13, and their new album, Born Into This, is slated for a release date of October 2. Thanks Blabbermouth.

Zeitgeist - Complete!

2007-07-11T10:59:00.000-04:00

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that Zeitgeist, as individually released, is not at one with itself. Two of the extra tracks actually have places in the middle of the record. And if you compile them all into one playlist, you get an album that stretches over one hour, which hits a lot closer to the magnum opus length Billy likes.

So what follows is what I dub Zeitgeist (Complete). Feel free to make your own MP3 playlist or actual CD after collecting all the songs. You can buy everything or get them via other means. Just remember that Billy distributed MACHINA II for free. Power to the people!

Doomsday Clock
7 Shades of Black
Bleeding the Orchid
That's the Way (My Love Is)
Tarantula
Starz
United States
Neverlost
Death From Above (Tarantula B-Side/Best Buy Bonus Track)
Bring the Light
(Come On) Let's Go!
Stellar (iTunes Bonus Track)
For God and Country
Pomp and Circumstances
Zeitgeist (Target Bonus Track)

The Loudness War Hits Yahoo

2007-07-10T18:22:00.000-04:00

Yahoo has a front page story about the Loudness War. It's a bit simplified, but the fact that it's a featured article means the word is getting out to the masses. S'all good.

Metallica's "Other" New Song

2007-07-10T13:22:00.000-04:00

You can hear a decent live recording of Metallica playing "The Other New Song" here. The lyrics are terrible (the "whoah" crap makes it sound like a really pathetic Misfits tune), but they'll probably be replaced. The main riff appears to be good, but the more I listen, the more I realize that isn't that sophisticated, and probably wouldn't be too much fun to learn and play. I do quite like the lead breaks and the spiffy middle riff. It gives the song a whole "Hit the Lights" vibe.

We shall see.

The Billy Corgan Experience

2007-07-10T10:23:00.000-04:00

Zeitgeist is here and it's a monster. Not because of the music on it, but because of all the different releases. Someone should be flogged for this comic book cover type nastiness, but alas, there are probably enough fanboys out there to make this a worthwhile stunt.

Here in the USA we have five different options (regular, Best Buy exclusive track, Best Buy 70+ page booklet, Target exclusive track, iTunes exclusive track). I opted for the Target version, which has a purple cover, and includes the title track, "Zeitgeist", as an extra song at the end of the disc. It's a mere 2:50 in length, mellow (acoustic guitar and vox only) and pretty. I could've done worse.

I could go on at length about the quality of the disc, but to be honest, y'all can go to any of a million websites to get this information. Suffice it to say that it's good, but nothing that anyone needs (unless you happen to be something of a record collector completest like myself). The question to ponder is, "Why isn't this album better?"

I contend that it's because the band has officially become "The Billy Corgan Experience". In essence they always have been The Experience, with Billy calling all the shots, but the fact that it's abundantly clear now makes all the difference.

So why is it more obvious now? His second guitarist and bassist are merely there for the tour; they are not listed in the album credits, nor are there pictures of them. I suppose we should be happy that Jimmy Chamberlain got his face in the booklet and some music credit. Somewhere along the line, after the disaster known as Adore, Billy figured out he was worthwhile, and kept him around for Zwan and this record.

I firmly believe that no matter how much Corgan may have suppressed D'Arcy and Iha, that it's nigh-impossible that they didn't have some influence in coloring the music, especially their early efforts. I have absolutely no proof of this, but I simply can't believe they sat around for ten years being little more than studio musicians.

So what Smashing Pumpkins has now is a rotating crop of musicians. And much like Megadeth, unless Billy can settle on a lineup so the members have time to gel as a unit, the sounds he creates will never come close to when he had an actual band.

Sabbath Reunion With Ozzy, Again

2007-07-06T13:57:00.000-04:00

Sharon claims that Sabbath is in talks to reunite with Ozzy. Frankly, at this point, I only want to hear that they're busy recording an entire new album. Seeing them tour ad infinitum, playing "War Pigs", "Paranoid, and "Sweet Leaf" until they're beaten into the ground, just isn't exciting to me anymore.

Bob Ludwig On the Recording Industry

2007-07-04T23:10:00.000-04:00

Sound and Vision Online has an article up which interviews mastering engineer Bob Ludwig (and others) about the state of recording in the music industry. He discusses production, mastering, other talent who have to deal with the issue (i.e. Andy Wallace, known for his work with Nirvana, Slayer, Alice In Chains, Faith No More, Rage Against the Machine), and bands that "do it right" (i.e. Tool).

Zeitgeist Ahoy

2007-07-03T09:37:00.000-04:00

The release of Smashing Pumpkin's latest disc, Zeitgeist, is next Tuesday, but you can listen to the stream here and watch the "Tarantula" video here.

I've heard the whole thing, and to summarize: it's good (say "Yay" if you like the return of guitars that sound like motors and engines) but not awesome. The worst bit is that it has poor mastering. There's no dynamic range whatsoever (all the instruments sit in the same space and barely go up or down in volume) and Jimmy's intricate drumwork gets lost too many times for my taste. Sad, but not too much of a surprise considering what Machina and the Zwan disc sounded like.

And to further add to my displeasure, like the comic book companies in the early 90s, it's coming out in about a billion different flavors (i.e. covers), each with a unique song, book, or DVD. I know artists don't necessarily have tons of say in this, but you'd think Billy wouldn't let this happen, considering he released the last batch of Pumpkins stuff for free.

First Half of Framing Armageddon Set For September 11 Release

2007-07-03T09:32:00.000-04:00

Not much more to say "aboot" that, but if you need confirmation, it's mentioned on the Iced Earth home page.

Snakes & Arrows MVI, a Review

2007-07-01T10:05:00.000-04:00

The introduction of a new music format deserves a review, even when it isn't really a new format, and the H-Man's here to tell you all about it (if you're looking for comments on the music itself, please feel free to read my album review first).

The Music Video Interactive disc, formerly known as a DVD Album, is Warner Music's new way of hyping certain new albums of their choosing. It's a DVD which contains the album's music in a number of forms (note: it's a DVD, not a CD, so it won't play in a CD player) plus extra multimedia features. To date there are only two available, this release, and Linkin Park's Minutes to Midnight (which is bundled as a 2-pack with the CD).

The three main features of the Rush MVI are:

The album in 96kHz/24 bit stereo (a large step up quality-wise from a CD's 44.1/16).
The album in Dolby Digital surround sound.
A 40 minute documentary detailing the making of the album.

In order to take full advantage of the 96/24 mix you need to hook your DVD player up to a receiver using the analog out jacks on your player. Copy protection on the disc will step the mix down to 48/16 if you use the digital out.

I spent a lot of time comparing the 96/24 mix to the original CD one, and, to my disappointment, I could find no discernible difference between the two. I didn't expect the 96/24 to be any less compressed (I already learned my lesson by buying the Vapor Trails vinyl, and finding it was just as bad as the CD), but I expected it to sound different in some fashion. Alas, regardless of what some people on the various Rush forums may say, it does not (I think they mostly compare to the surround mix; see below). Perhaps if you have thousands of dollars worth of equipment you can get something more, but with my Technics receiver, Vandersteen speakers, and Grado headphones, I could not coax any extra goodness from it. This isn't to say it sounds bad, because it doesn't (although they did cut off the last cymbal crash on "We Hold On"; who the hell is responsible for QC over there?), but don't look here for your extra value if you already bought the CD.

The surround mix, however, definitely sounds different. Fortunately it's not gimmicky at all: Alex Lifeson and engineer Richard Chycki enhanced the feel of the stereo mix without making it a constant barrage of surround trickery. The most obvious difference to me is that the drums have been pulled away from the rest of the mix and punched up in spots. They've even "Special Edition"-ized it in parts, such as added flanger to the last drum fill in "Malignant Narcissism". It's a shame that this isn't a high resolution mix, but to carry that off this would have to be a DVD-Audio, and considering how they're failing in the marketplace, I can understand (although not agree) with the suits' decision here.

The documentary is a decent look into the record's writing process, highlighting specifics for about half the songs on the record. I personally would've liked it to be a bit more technical, but the average fan of the band will appreciate the attention on the songs themselves and Neil's inspiration for the lyrics.

The MVI also contains:

MP3 files at a fixed rate of 192 khz. This is a nice feature if you decided not to buy the CD, and don't care too much about the technical specification of your MP3 files.

An application which allows you to create phone ring tones from any part of any song. You need to pay for the privilege after you have made your masterwork, which many people have complained about. I find this absurd, because you can always do this yourself with the CD, a sound editing program, and some know-how.

Wallpapers, AIM icons, and pdfs of a) the printed booklet, and b) an essay by Neil on the making of the album.

The whole thing comes housed in a CD sized box. The lid lifts off shoebox-style to reveal a stapled CD type booklet (with most excellent art by Hugh Syme). The DVD is affixed to the bottom of the box by a standard CD holding nub.

It's a nice little package, and probably worth the sale price of $15.99, especially if you don't own the original CD. The value for me would've gone up a bit more if the high resolution stereo mix was noticeably different, or the documentary was twice as long, but it's not bad for a first stab at trying to appeal to both Joe Consumer and the fanboys.

Prince's Marketing Strategy

2007-06-29T10:00:00.000-04:00

Boldness has never been a problem for Prince. And so the pattern continues as he plans to release his next album, Planet Earth, by newspaper in the UK.

It amuses me to no end how ticked off the record stores appear to be about this, but frankly, they can suck it. Last I saw, the list price of a CD was still around $18, which is about what I paid for the first CD I bought back in the late 80s (it was U2's The Joshua Tree, in case anyone cares). So I have no love for whomever is setting the prices on music. And don't give me that pathetic piracy angle as an excuse - the price on CDs has been fixed this high way before people were storing music on their hard drives.

Heavy Metal Poisoning

2007-06-26T10:50:00.000-04:00

Don't believe Dr. Righteous. Heavy metal's not poison!

Album art (click the pic for full size) for Iced Earth's Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part I) is up at the official site, plus some news on the disc from Schaffer.
Rush's limited run DVD (do I have to call it an MVI?) for Snakes & Arrows streets today. it contains a 96 kHz/24-bit stereo mix (which should play on any DVD player), a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround mix, 192 kbps mp3 files (CBR), a 45 minute documentary, and other doo-dads.
Beastie Boys new CD, The Mix-Up, also comes out today. It's entirely instrumental, although they hope to release another version of it with vocals performed by other artists.

Led Zeppelin to Reunite?

2007-06-25T09:09:00.000-04:00

Normally I'd say no, but I was dead wrong about the Black Sabbath/Dio thing, so what do I know? More here.

EDIT: Plant has refuted the rumors.

Slayer's Christ Illusion To Be Re-Released

2007-06-22T01:07:00.000-04:00

Yep, and all we get out of it is one new song, an original take of "Black Serenade," and a really short run-time DVD. Double-dipping is alive and well in the CD market.

Fellowship of the Ring Soundtrack: Complete!

2007-06-13T11:07:00.000-04:00

Recently I purchased the uber soundtrack box set, The Fellowship of the Ring: The Complete Recordings. This monstrosity contains three CDs and a DVD-Audio (which contains all the music of the CDs in 24-bit two channel and 5.1 surround for DVD-Audio players, and 2.0 and 5.1 Dolby Digital if you have a regular DVD player). It contains all the music of the Extended Edition of the movie.

It's great to hear things I stupidly didn't realize weren't on the original one-discer, such as the music that's played at Bilbo's birthday party. It also has a fair amount of singing in it (Gandalf and Bilbo singing "The Road Goes Ever On", for example), which is a bit weird the first time around, but in actuality, a nice addition.

The 24-bit DVD-Audio on my home rig sounds really nice and smooth. It's a great experience which clearly beats listening to the CDs on a lousy car stereo or through computer speakers.

The discs come in a box that's similar in appearance to the 4-disc DVD sets, although the cardboard is a bit flimsier (and the DVD is housed on a stupid rubber peg, separately from the CDs [which are in their own book-like plastic container]). It also comes with a 40+ page booklet talking about the score, and a nice little ribbon to help pull the stuff out of the box.

Howard Shore really pulled out all the stops when composing for this film, and his work stands heads and shoulders above any other film soundtrack that I've heard in recent memory. And now we finally have a set that does his work justice, rather than continuing to suffer through the "greatest hits" nature of the one-disc soundtrack version. The set is a bit pricey at over $60 list, but with some hunting, you can get it down to $40. A must buy for any self-respecting music lover.

Inexpensive Headphones, an Analysis

2007-06-12T13:15:00.000-04:00

Faithful readers of Band Chat have already discovered that I'm a bit more of a stickler than the average music listener when it comes to sound quality. Sadly, getting equipment that will provide fantastic sound can cost quite a bit. But a cheap way to get you a good deal of the way to bliss is to invest in a decent set of headphones. Fact: this can be a trying experience, since I'm convinced every headphone that comes with today's popular mp3 players (i.e. iPods) is total crap. After chucking more than a couple of pairs at the wall in frustration, I've found a few, all under $100 (and some under $20!), that will definitely enhance your listening experience.

The first time I was in the market for decent headphones, I decided to not mess around, and purchased the Grado SR60. At $69, one is going to be hard pressed to find a better headphone at under $100. The highs are crisp, the bass is tight, and they're designed efficiently enough that my mp3 player doesn't have trouble driving them (you may need some extra volume boost, but not much). You get an extra thick cord plus a gold 1/4" adapter plug (for plugging into a stereo amplifier or receiver). The earpieces swivel so you can easily lay them flat for storage and travel.

The only thing going against them is the design, which is beyond retro and very uncool for 2007. The large pads fit over most of your ear, and will no doubt get sweaty-disgusting if you decide to use them for gym workouts. They're also a bit tight on the head, but with continued use, and (if you're careful) slightly bending the headband outward, you can overcome this. Aesthetics aside, if you only buy one 'phone for general purpose listening, purchase these. Highly recommended.

If you're in the market for something cheaper, lighter, and portable (for walking around and workouts), go for the Koss KSC75. At about $15-20, the clip-on style may be unusual at first, but the sound more than makes up for it. They're not quite as rich as the SR60s (they have a bit more "sparkle"), but they are surprisingly balanced for such a small headphone. Koss also guarantees them for life - just ship 'em back to Koss if they break, with $6 for shipping, and they'll fix 'er up and send them back to you. I did this with the earlier model, the KSC50 (now discontinued), when one of the channels stopped working, and I got them back in no time.

The only problem I've had with the KSC75s is they tend to slip a bit after I've been exercising/running for a while (your mileage will vary depending on your ears), but the kooks at Head-fi.org came up with a solution. Buy the cheap Durabrand PR355 radio at Wal-Mart for $5, snap out the lousy drivers from the headband that comes in the package, snap out the earpieces of the KSC75s, then snap the KSC75 drivers into the headband. With your new stylin' mod, the KSC 75s will press flatter against your ears, so you'll get a little more bass, lose a little sparkle, and they'll stay on your head. Or you can go for the KTX Pro 1, PortaPro, or SportaPro, which supposedly use similar drivers, and are headband style out of the gate.

You can't go wrong with any of the headphones I mentioned above, but it is important to note that they have an "open" design. They don't close around your ears, so sound will leak out to your neighbor (not good for libraries). They will also be difficult to hear without cranking the volume if you traveling on an airplane or walking down a busy street. For these situations you want a "sealed" design. The only problem is that most headphones of this type that are under $100 are terrible.

After researching closed 'phones, I decided on the AKG K 26 P. They are compact, the earpieces can swivel to lie flat, and the headband collapses so the whole she-bang can fit in a small cloth carrying bag (included!). All for about $45 (although I got mine for $35 shipped on sale).

Initially, however, I was disillusioned. Although the closed design did a fantastic job of isolating me from the outside world, the sound was nowhere as good as the phones above. The bass was too strong and muddy, plus the tone was very nasal. If I sat the AKG back and up on my ears I got a little less bass, but something still wasn't right.

On a lark, I took a guy's advice on Head-fi.org: I turned my mp3 player's EQ on and set it to the "Rock" setting. Lo, it sounded close to correct! This setting is all about boosting the highs and lows and lowering the midrange, so I found if I used the custom EQ setting on my player to boost the highs, lower the mids, and flatten the bass (the rock setting is way too overpowering bass-wise), then it was pretty damn good

My current theory is the dumbasses who made this headphone purposefully broke them in such a way so they would sound good with the "Rock" setting on iPods. Good grief. At least the 'phones are actually capable of producing good sound, at a low volume level, albeit with a bit of tweaking.

Closed design conclusion: if you are willing to tweak, the K 26 P may be ok for you. I'm probably going to hold onto mine since I only plan on using them in a small number of situations, and can always fall back on the other items in my collection. But if you are looking to limit the number of headphones in your house, and need the closed design, consider another option. One popular suggestion is the beyerdynamic DT 231, which appears to be superior to the K 26 P, although it will run you about $60.

Overture of the Wicked, a Review

2007-06-11T19:54:00.000-04:00

It's been about three and a half years since Iced Earth released The Glorious Burden, and now fans finally have a new release to enjoy. Overture of the Wicked is an EP of four songs which is a prelude to the full album release of Framing Armageddon (due in September or October). Overture contains a new single, "Ten Thousand Strong," plus a re-recording of the "Something Wicked" trilogy (the last three songs on Something Wicked This Way Comes).

Although the band has been hit with difficulties as of late (drummer Richard Christy [also of the band Death] joined The Howard Stern Show, one guitarist was arrested for rape, and another left due to business reasons), you'd never guess by this recording. The new song, "Ten Thousand Strong", reminds me of a fast "Declaration Day". It doesn't feature a solo, but it drives and gallops fiercely, and does a good job of hinting at what we can expect in the Fall.

The new version of the "Something Wicked" trilogy made me respect the orginal piece more. Jon Schaffer's playing on this is exceptionally tight and very palm-muted. There is also less midrange in his tone than in the original (this is expected, since this tone is prominently featured in the last IE and latest Demons & Wizards records).

The solos really soar this time around. It's unclear to me who plays them, since the EP says the lead player is Tim Mills, but that Schaffer plays the leads; I suspect it's Mills. Too bad he's not around anymore.

"New" drummer Brent Smedley, back from Alive In Athens, is extraordinarily good. He is pounding mightily on the damn things and sounds a lot like Christy. There is very slick double-bass (especially on "The Coming Curse," where it sounds like a machine gun).

Sadly, the only negative is vocalist Tim Owens, whose voice is very pushed back in the mix, and does a very good job of sounding like Dio. He isn't terrible, but it's times like this that I really miss Matt Barlow, who many consider to be the voice of the band. It's a damn shame that he's singing again (for Pyramaze), but not for this band.

Overall this disc is a fine addition to the Iced Earth catalog and is a definite buy for fans of both the band and heavy metal in general.

Summer Album Stack-Up

2007-06-06T15:02:00.000-04:00

Not that I want to pimp Amazon, but if you need some back catalog stuff to fill out your collection, they're having a decent sale:

All studio Rush albums up to Hold Your Fire for $7.97.
U2 albums up to The Unforgettable Fire for $7.97.
The Joshua Tree, Rattle & Hum, and Achtung Baby by U2 are $9.97.
Pink Floyd single-discers range from $8.97 (e.g. A Momentary Lapse of Reason) to $11.97 (e.g. Meddle, Animals). The SACD of The Dark Side of the Moon is a great deal at $10.97.

There are some other good things there, such as Siamese Dream by Smashing Pumpkins (at $9.97), so browse around.

New Releases

2007-06-06T09:44:00.000-04:00

Remember to pick up your copies of Marilyn Manson's Eat Me, Drink Me and Iced Earth's Overture of the Wicked. Both were released yesterday.

Miscellaneous Music News

2007-05-31T09:27:00.000-04:00

From a variety of sources. Feel the burn.

EMI (UK) plans to release a 3-disc set of Pink Floyd's The Piper of the Gates of Dawn for its 40th anniversary. There will be a stereo disc, a mono disc, and a disc of b-side type material.
The Cult has signed with Roadrunner Records for the release of their new album, and plans to tour in the USA this Fall.
Metallica is still "hard at work" on their new album, and Kirk Hammett claims it's the best material they've done in 15 years (which isn't saying much if you do the math). They plan to drop the oh so stylish dropped tuning for this album (thank The Maker).
Danzig says he has no plans to reunite with the Misfits. Color me surprised.

Echoes, a Review

2007-05-29T12:07:00.000-04:00

This "best of" Pink Floyd compilation" is slightly tricky to review considering that two discs is nowhere near enough medium to begin to cover what one ought to have. That aside, I'll begin with my conclusion: this set is a good overview for those who do not have any Floyd and would like to know what they're about. It also does a good job of giving the Floyd fanboy something new and cool for their collection.

The first-timer gets most of the hits ("Another Brick Part 2", "Money", "Comfortably Numb") plus more than the average share of what makes the band unique ("Echoes", "One of These Days", "Shine...Crazy Diamond"). There are a few glaring omissions, ("Run Like Hell", "Mother", anything from Atom Heart Mother), but I chalk this up to "How the hell were we going to include everything on two discs?" syndrome. Certain fans could argue that less of the Syd Barrett and post Roger Waters stuff would've solved that problem and strengthened the quality of the set. I contend, however, that you have to have these eras included to give a new listener an accurate portrayal of the band's output.

The fanboy gets outstanding packaging done by longtime Floyd collaborator Storm Thorgerson, one song that was previously unreleased ("When the Tigers Broke Free"), and excellent mixing and mastering by engineer James Guthrie. The nifty song ordering and well executed segues make this album well worth listening to if you're a fan of the feel and flow of a Floyd album. Who would've thought that "Us and Them" merging into "Learning to Fly" would be so cool? And Guthrie was particular inspired when doing the end of the second disc:

"Arnold Layne", by Syd Barrett, flows into:
"Wish You Were", a song and album about Syd (no longer in the band). This is bookended at the other side by:
"Jugland Blues", Syd's song which appears to be about how he knew he was being kicked out of the band, to:
"High Hopes", an autobiographical song for David Gilmour, thus no doubt including references to Syd. It ends with the sounds of bells, no doubt referring to the division bell in the British House of Commons. This leads to:
"Bike", which kicks off with a newly added sound sample of a bicycle.

Much has been made of the edited versions of some of the songs. Most of them aren't worth mentioning, but the smaller "Echoes" and newly recompiled, yet shrunken, "Shine" are.

"Echoes", the monstrosity that takes up nearly 24 minutes and the entire second side of Meddle, has been sliced to just under 17 minutes. I've always been of the opinion that this song is a bit exasperating, and I think Guthrie did a pretty good job of nipping and tucking the tune in the places it goes on for a just a few measures too long. The incredibly surreal "whale" and "seagull" bit does somehow lose something in its shortened state (art this weird gets its point across better when it batters the listener with no foreseeable end), but it isn't a humongous loss in the grand scheme of the work.

"Shine On You Crazy Diamond", however, doesn't work too well in its new form. Sadly, a great guitar solo has been removed from Part 3, and Parts 8 and 9 have been completely eliminated.

The other experiment, making the song an entire whole rather than split into two halves, makes the song ponderous. On the album version, revisiting musical themes after breaking from them for about 18 minutes, works well. The listener says, "Wow, I did like those passages, and hearing them again now, after I forgot all about them, is like a childhood friend paying a much needed visit."

But with the newly fused version, it just makes one realize that there's no need to hear the end of Part 6 and all of Part 7 because we just heard them a couple of minutes ago during Parts 4 and 5. In this situation, your old friend has come over, and not only refuses to leave, but has set up a shantytown in your living room. Did I neglect to tell you about the Stouffer's French bread pizza boxes and half-empty plastic gallons of milk he's left strewn all over the sofa and floor?

In the final analysis, however, one shouldn't make too much of these shortcomings. After all, the fanboy will own the original albums, and the newcomer will hopefully be enthralled enough to go buy them. What we have here is a package that is a lot better thought out and executed than your normal "best of" collection, which is just what the music of Pink Floyd deserves.

Rush MVI Pushed Back to June 26

2007-05-29T11:06:00.001-04:00

The date has been changed a few times, and now sits at June 26. The Rush Backstage Club is reporting that they're sold out of their stock, so if you want a copy, better get your order in to Amazon, Deep Discount, or Best Buy now.

Monster Magnet Back On Track?

2007-05-28T21:41:00.000-04:00

According to Blabbermouth, Monster Magnet is back in business and working on their follow-up to Monolithic Baby. This is a bit of a surprise considering that their main man, Dave Wyndorf, has been out of it for over a year due to a drug overdose.

The news appears to be courtesy of guitarist Ed Mundell's web site. There's still no word on how Dave is doing.

Happy 30th, Star Wars

2007-05-25T09:31:00.000-04:00

Star Wars is 30 today - happy birthday! You don't look a day over 1 (I'm not speaking to you, Special Editions).

John Williams' score to Star Wars revolutionized soundtrack music, which is fast becoming a lost art. Every now and then someone will do something spectacular (Howard Shore's work on Lord of the Rings comes to mind), but for the most part, movie music stinks. This was made all too clear to me recently, when my fiancée and I were watching Die Hard, and she recognized that its music was better than what's passing for movie soundtracks these days. If Die Hard is looking like Beethoven compared to the Sanjaya of modern flick music, there's a problem.

So what was it about the Star Wars music that made it a watershed recording? There are many reasons: the use of themes to introduce characters and plot, its ability to establish mood and evoke an emotional response from the audience, and perhaps Williams' ability to successfully infuse a variety of different musical styles.

What makes it special for me, however, is the fact that the music, all by itself, tells the story of Star Wars. There is no need whatsoever to watch the movie or listen to any dialog. I can simply put on the CDs (the latest 2-disc edition is fairly complete, and very closely matches the running order of the film) and watch the story unfold in my mind. This is due to two factors: 1) almost every minute of the movie has music to accompany it, and 2) every plot point has a unique and instantly recognizable piece of music associated with it that cannot in any way be mistaken for any other part of the story.

Take, for example, this excerpt from "Burning Homestead". Here, Luke comes to the realization that C-3P0 and R2-D2 are being sought after by The Empire, so he races off in a futile attempt to save his aunt and uncle from the inevitable Stormtrooper attack. I still feel anxiety every time I listen to it.

The entire soundtrack works in this fashion, and it is why anywhere I can play a CD, or store away an mp3 player and a set of headphones, I can have Star Wars unfold before me at a moment's notice. And that makes this old fanboy as happy as a mynock sucking on power cables.