Best Hard Rock albums of 2014

The problem with lists is that you never get people that 100% agree with them.  However, they are still fun to make, irresistible to read, and though you may not agree with all the contents, you might learn something new that you didn't know about before.  That was the case when I read Loudwire's lists of the top rock albums of 2014 which inspired me to make my own.

Top Rock or Metal Albums of the year 2014:

1. Chevelle - La Gorgola
see my prior review here for this and others on this list

2. Slash - World on Fire
This album by Slash with Myles Kennedy (singer of Alter Bridge) and the Conspirators stacks up with anything these guys have done in the past.  It sounds fresh and inspired, but with the best parts of old GNR still coming through.  Every song is up tempo hard rock with great singing and blazing guitar work.

3. Slipknot - .5: The Gray Chapter
Being their first original release since 2008 and being without Paul Gray or Joey Jordison, you could call this a comeback album for sure.  It has some of their heaviest and darkest material, but shows maturity and depth beyond anything they have done before.  The progressive release of teasers, songs and videos through social media from July to December was also brilliant.

4. Judas Priest - Redeemer of Souls

5. Crobot - Something Supernatural
Because of their funky blues inspired rock they remind me of a heavier Black Crowes.  They sing of supernatural things like chupacabra, succubus, and the devil.  They kicked ass when I saw them open for Chevelle.  Check them out.  

6. Starset - Transmissions
Another Razor & Tie act that I just learned about.  If you like Breaking Benjamin or early Thirty Seconds to Mars you would like these guys.

7. Godsmack - 1000HP
See my review of their 6th major release here

8. Rise Against - The Black Market

9. Nothing More - Nothing More
17 tracks from a new band out of San Antonio that spans the gamut of hard rock with tracks sounding like nu-metal, metalcore, emo, and their own sound that is hard to categorize.

10. Issues - Issues
An interesting blend of pop, R&B, and metalcore that has garnered this band its share of haters.  Maybe it's because it is different, but I put this above bands I love like Nonpoint and Seether on this list because right now I would rather listen to Issues.

It is so hard to compare, contrast, and rank music.  I welcome and encourage you to check out every band on this list and comment about any that you think I forgot or might enjoy next.

My view of Chevelle from balcony of Wellmont Theater 12/13/14 when Crobot opened.

When should a change in singer mean a change in band name?

This is a fascinating topic to me and one that I hope will spark some comments.  When should a change in singer mean a change in band name?

Arguments can certainly be made on both sides.  You might say that the identity of a band is largely determined by the lead singer.  That his/her voice is one of the major defining characteristics of the band.  That his/her personality is what fuels the band and draws the audience in.  Often the singer is also a principle songwriter.  Can you imagine the Rolling Stones carrying on without Mick Jagger?  Aerosmith without Steven Tyler?  And what is the Dave Matthews Band without Dave Matthews? Or Otep without Otep Shamaya?  I don't think so.

The other side of the coin is that a band is much more than just one person.  The creativity, the musicianship, the sound is more than just the fronting member.  Many bands have carried on without their founding or most identifiable front person, and some of them quite successfully.  Black Sabbath was quite successful under Ozzy Osbourne and Ronnie James Dio, and even survived with Glen Hughes.  Van Halen was dominant with both Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth.  Genesis with Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins.  AC/DC has probably the most longevity with Bon Scott survived by Brian Johnson.   More recently, Journey made a huge comeback with Arnel Pineda after being most successful with Steve Perry. 

This question was brought to the forefront of my mind with the recent news that Sick Puppies frontman and founding member, Shim, was leaving the band.  He also claimed on social media that he was dumped without a face-to-face before the other two members announced it online.  Regardless of how or why this came about, fans are all up in arms and seem divided about what the future of the band will be.  I tend to think that Shim was an integral part of their songwriting, sound, and stage presence.  It is hard for me to envision them carrying on similarly without him.  Although, I know that bassist Emma has also written some of their better songs and she is extremely popular as well.  Only time will tell in this instance.

Many modern metal bands have gone through changes in lead singer and the results have been mixed.  In the genre of music where loyalty means a lot, some fans will never think of a band the same when members change.  Other times it takes the band to new heights.  The following are a short list of metal bands I can think of that have made changes to their singer:

Drowning Pool - Original singer Dave Williams died after touring extensively on their first album.  He was replaced by Jason Jones for one album,  Ryan McCombs for two albums, and then Jasen Moreno.  The band was never as successful as with Dave.  I think part of this is the songwriting, but part of it is that Dave was such an enigmatic front man and the memory of his untimely passing at the height of their success was hard to overcome.

Evan's Blue - Kevin Matisyn was a founding member in 2005, came up with the band name and added a unique singing style to their first two albums.  After disagreements with band members he was ousted and eventually replaced with Dan Chandler in 2009.  The band continued through two more albums and had moderate success.  I thought the band name should have changed because Kevin's sound was just so different.  The band is currently on hiatus.

Flyleaf - Lacey Sturm (Mosley) recorded three ripping albums and was an unbelievable performer on stage.  She left amicably and was replaced by Kristen May for the fourth album.  Kristen is not bad, but in my opinion, Lacey was the sound of the band and Kristen is so much more pop sounding that they should not even have the Flyleaf name.

ill Nino - Jorge Rosado was the original singer from 1998-1999.  When he left, bassist Christian Machado moved to lead vocals where he remains.  Some fans thought the band lost some of their rawness and agression with this move.  I only started getting into ill Nino shortly after the switch and I think Christian is a talented frontman.  He also has some of that lead singer cockiness too and I think he has added to the band in his newer role.  Seven albums later they are still putting out great music.

Soil - Original singer Ryan McCombs played on three records, was replaced by AJ Cavalier for two albums while he played with Drowning Pool, and then Ryan returned for the newest effort.  AJ did a decent job filling in, but in my opinion Ryan belongs with Soil and Dave is the only singer for Drowning Pool.

New releases from some old favorites: Finch, Flyleaf, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

At the end of the summer Finch (post-hardcore band from California) released their first full length album since 2005 and I finally got a chance to give it a listen.  Normally I don't make a big deal about labels and producers, but I found it interesting that they had some pretty big names for a release that only real fans would be likely to pick up.  The cd Back to Oblivion is out on Razor & Tie records, a label that has taken on a lot of hard rock artists that had been floating around or dropped by bigger labels (All That Remains, Dee Snider, Hatebreed, HIM, Nonpoint, Norma Jean, Yellowcard, etc.)  Funny enough, they are most famous for Kidz Bop and the Wiggles, but at least they are giving rock bands a fair shake.  The disc is produced by Brian Virtue who has worked with Thirty Seconds to Mars, Jane's Addiction, and Chevelle.  This got me pretty interested.

There are some hard rockers on Back to Oblivion as well as some softer songs.  It definitely sounds like Finch, but in my mind I don't think they could ever recreate the masterpiece that is their debut, What It Is To Burn.  That disc I routinely go back to and often play start to finish.  Following a string of reunion shows commemorating the tenth anniversary of that effort and some dates on Warped tour 2014, the band seems to be back!  The new album is a nice effort, but fails to maintain any momentum in terms of energy or emotion, in my opinion.  If you like their faster tempo stuff, highlights include the title track and "Further From the Few".

Flyleaf came out with a new disc entitled Between the Stars.  Unfortunately, singer Lacey Sturm has left the band to devote more time to family and the band just isn't the same.  New frontwoman Kristen May can sing, but her voice doesn't have the same range, passion, or grit that Lacey's has.  The band is simply pop-rock now.  I personally think it deserves a name change.  Though I couldn't buy the new record, I picked up the last disc that Lacey appeared on called New Horizons (2012).  With Lacey's voice, production by Howard Benson, and mixing by Tom Lord-Alge it is hard to go wrong.  Songs like "Fire Fire" and "Call You Out" really rip.

While on iTunes I also came across a new album from Red Jumpsuit Apparatus that I had apparently missed, most likely because it was an independent release with no advertising.  This band has always put out great emotional hard rock.  This one is no different with anti-suicide song "Not My Style" and a song about lost loved ones called "Other Side."

Reading up on this album I found out that there was some controversy surrounding the band around the time of its release.  They had allegedly posted pictures without proper clearance which led to some backlash from their photographer over copyright infringement.  The band then went on to say that they think most digital art should be free and released their entire catalog of music for free.  Since that time this offer is no longer available and capitalism has been restored.  I happily paid $9.99 for the album called 4.  "California" is a song about lawyers, which highlights exactly what the band thinks they are good for - nothing.  In addition to the songs mentioned before, "It Was You" is a good emo song, but not the calibur of their best work.  I've really taken to the song "I Know Right" about falling in love.  It has deep, poetic lyrics, sticks in your head, and rocks hard enough that I can't stop listening to it.  With the songs about suicide, death, love, and the very blatant "Jesus is My Rockstar," RJA is not shying away from their Christian beliefs.  I don't mind if they keep putting out the headbanging anthems.

Nonpoint - The Return

In the interest of full disclosure I have to say that Nonpoint is one of my favorite bands.  I was first turned on to them with the release of their major label debut Statement in 2000.  They were basically riding the nu-metal wave and fit the typical rap-rock hybrid at the time.  But something was different about them.  They had Spanish influences ("Orgullo" was sung completely in Spanish).  They had dynamic songs.  They had good lyrics that brought you on a journey (see "Mindtrip" or "What a Day").  They were simply better than most in the nu-metal scene.  Over the years they have evolved, but they've still stayed hard rock and heavy metal at the core.  Their latest release is curiously titled, being that they have never really gone away.  Within the past couple of years some members have changed, but the heart of the band: drummer Robb and singer Elias has remained.  They also never stopped touring or releasing records.  I own all nine of their albums and have seen them in concert seven times.  The most recent was a few months ago when they opened for Megadeth.  They definitely made some new fans that night, but I can't believe that people are still just discovering this band.  As a scientist, I think I can remain objective while I discuss The Return.

The album opens with "Pins and Needles."  It establishes the sound of the new lineup which isn't that much of a departure from the previously self titled album.  This song has a simple chorus, yelling verses, good rhythmic guitars, and some soloing.  Following this is "Breaking Skin" which will be the first single.  This song kicks it up a notch in terms of energy with driving rhythms and full on angst in Elias' vocals.  Then things slow down a bit and I was a little disappointed by this.  The next few songs are kind of generic sounding and didn't really move me.

The energy and tempo pick up again with "Take Apart This World"  It is certainly one of the hardest hitting on the album, but still nothing like "Bullet With a Name,"  or even "Rabia."

I certainly hear BC Kochmit’s influence on the guitars in "Forcing Hands" as it sounds like some of the riffs could have been found in one of his previous bands Switched, Dark New Day, or Eye Empire (all worth a listen).  BC is a cool guy too.  I actually met him back in 2002 when Switched was opening for Nonpoint.
**Correction: BC Kochmit did not write or play on this album. He is currently touring with the band and writing new material. (cited BC's Facebook Sept 30)

Chris, Brad (BC) Kochmit, and me after a gig @ Birch Hill 6/14/02

Chris, Switched singer Ben Schigel, and me after a gig @ Birch Hill 6/14/02

Chris, Elias, and me after a gig @ Birch Hill 6/14/02

Other highlights include "Never Ending Hole," the most retro-Nonpoint-sounding in many ways, but with backing vocals and a shredding guitar solo that is bringing something new.  My favorite song right now is "Never Cared Before." I thought Robb was gonna pound through his drum heads as he demonstrates his Animal persona on this one for sure!  It is fast and hard hitting and includes a heavy breakdown.  

This album is definitely taking the band in a new direction.  I think Nonpoint is just getting started with this new lineup and it is going to take some time to develop.  The songs just seem to lack the focus and intensity of the past.  I think the writing has been simplified and stripped down.  They are playing around with some different guitar sounds and layering techniques, but I still think that Elias’ voice is carrying a lot of the load.  Still, there are some rockers here that will be nice additions to the live set and that keep me optimistic about this band's future.  I'm hoping to catch them the next time they play Starland Ballroom in November.  Look for me in the pit!

Robb and me at Wellmont 11/29/13

Latest Nonpoint lineup at Wellmont - 11/29/13 

 

Godsmack - 1000HP review

Godsmack - 1000HP review

Godsmack has always been a solid hard rock band and, while they don't reinvent the wheel with 1000HP, I think this keeps them relevant and is a nice addition to this year's collection.  I was excited about their new album coming out and the fact that I should finally get to see them on stage this year at UPROAR on Aug 26th.  I decided to give a song by song commentary and rate each one. 

1. 1000 HP - The album opens with the title track.  The verses talk about the rise of Godsmack from Boston circa 1995.  The chorus is super huge and anthemic.  I can't help sing along "Turn that shit up louder!  Make it all go faster.  Play it through the witching hour.  Take it to one thousand horse power!"  There is also a pretty nice guitar solo about 3/4 of the way through.  This is just a really great hard rock song and one that I could play over and over again. (8/10)

2. FML - The second track has some dirtier riffs and is one of those songs that is just about releasing pent up frustrations.  It is a decent song, but I think lyrically it lacks a real identity.  Sully sings "Don't try to change me" and then "Fuck My Life" and I get a little confused.  Are we hating the haters or are we self loathing?  Pick your pity party and stick with it. (6.5/10)

3. Something Different - This song has more of a driving rhythm.  I like the lyrics "Don't feel you ever have to speak to me that way."  They could be applied in so many different situations that it lets the listener make their own meaning of this song. (7/10)

4. What's Next - This sounds like classic Godsmack to me.  It's a song with fast rhythms, haunting echo on the background vocals, a big sing-along chorus, questions about the meaning of life and the looming certainty of death.  Pretty kick ass. (8/10)

5. Generation Day - Here we start off rocking pretty hard, but then go into a lengthy slowed-down breakdown that is almost like a dream sequence.  The hard riff and chorus then pick back up for a strong finish.  Yelling "generation dayyyyyyy" is enough to get stuck in your head and make you want to go back to this song. (7/10)

6. Locked & Loaded - With choppy riffs and a heavier sound than some of the other songs, this one really pumps.  To break up the song structure there is a breakdown with even faster chords and chanting lyrics two thirds of the way through and then some nice guitar work at the end.  As the song fades out Sully says "How'd you like that one Frank?....hahaha, fuck him!" which is obviously directed toward Nikki Sixx who has been in a war of words with the band since they had a falling out after touring together in 2009.  The song "Cryin' Like a Bitch" was also supposedly written about Sixx.

7. Living in the Gray - This track is definitely solid, but it kind of gets lost in the course of the rest of the album and comes off like a filler.  On its own, I could hear this on the radio and like it.  It's just not the kind of track I would skip to on a cd or put on a playlist. (6/10)

8. I Don't Belong - This song picks up where the previous was lacking.  We have another good balance of riffs and solos.  We have lyrics that a lot of people can relate to.  I could see this becoming a single, but I don't think it is quite as strong as What's Next.  (7/10)

9. Nothing Comes Easy - The lyrical themes are similar to the previous song, but the guitar work and drum rolls found here gives the track an older, more classic sound.  It kind of seems like a mash up of 80s and 90s hard rock in a good way. (7/10)

10. Turning to Stone - This is the slowest song on the disc and kind of haunting.  It is nothing special musically, but an acoustic version is going to be on the The Walking Dead Season 4 Soundtrack: Songs Of Survival Vol 2 and should fit well. (6/10)

My view of Godsmack from Uproar 2014 Camden, NJ

Ted Nugent @ Wellmont Jul 22, 2014

Ted Nugent @ Wellmont Jul 22, 2014

The following is a recap of one of my favorite concert experiences.  If you weren't there, you missed out - plain and simple.  If you thought Ted Nugent was a washed-up has-been, you are sorely mistaken.

First of all, kudos to "the Nuge" for keeping ticket prices low.  I got fourth row balcony seats for $20.  General admission floor tickets I believe were only about $65.  A big FUCK YOU to the township of Montclair, or whoever they commissioned for parking services, as they were trying to charge patrons $20 to park in what are normally municipal lots.  When I first started going to shows at the Wellmont, parking was free.  When I saw Megadeth there a few months ago, parking was $10 which I was a little annoyed about, but it was still reasonable.  Especially because it was winter and I didn't want to walk.  To charge $20 when that is the cost to attend the concert is absurd.  My buddy and I parked a few blocks away for free.  I intend to walk to the venue whenever possible from now on.

Secondly, I was amused by the 50 or so picketers outside the venue.  I didn't get a good look at all of the signs or hear the chants, but the few signs I did see said "Love Not Hate" or something to that effect.  True, Ted is an outspoken republican who supports the NRA and hunting, but I have never heard him preach hate or do anything harmful to animals besides kill them and eat them.  It seemed kind of stupid to picket to me.  Ted addressed this by saying that if you still have haters after all the years he has been around, he's doing something right.  He also said he would play them "the greatest love song of all time" and then busted into a blistering rendition of "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang!"  In my opinion this was the second most memorable song of the night.

Let me go back to the beginning.  So, the doors opened at 7PM and by the time we found free parking and walked into the theater it was almost 7:30.  I asked the usher if there were opening acts and he told me there would be two of them.  It turned out there was only one and they didn't start until 8.  No doubt a ploy to sell more $8 beers.  Fortunately, the openers played for about 45 minutes and they rocked.  The band was Pistol Day Parade who are also from Detroit.  I had never heard of them before this night, but they picked up a few new fans for sure.  They are straight up rock and roll in the vain of Pop Evil, Sick Puppies, or Shinedown.  There are two guitarists, which gives the band a nice full sound.  The singer has a gritty rasp to his voice which I like, but he can also smooth it out when he wants too.  Except for the drummer, the other guys in the band sing back-up and they are quite talented as well.  The musicianship and the sound were pretty tight.  I was impressed, especially for an unknown band.  Highlights were songs like "New Life, Not Today, and Even When High."  Their next to last song was a cover of "In the Air Tonight."  At first I was thinking this was a bad idea because its been done before and it is a hard song to make sound fresh.  They definitely pulled it off though.  They did the classic version justice and managed to make the sound heavier at the same time.  They finished up with their current single "Rockstar's Girlfriend."  This song is definitely their most commercial, complete with a very simple chorus and "na na nas".  Even though it's a little too poppy for my taste, it was hard not to sing along.

After their set I wanted to go pick up a cd and try to meet the band.  The drummer was the first band member at the merchandise booth and it turns out his name is Jason and so is the bassist!  All of the guys were very cool and willing to chat.  We learned that they got picked by Ted to be the support band without having ever met him before.  I thought it was cool that he picked them from a list and was loyal to his hometown of Detroit.  I was a little bummed that the band didn't know Nonpoint nor their cover of "In the Air Tonight."  Hopefully, they will remember to check it out and I will have taught them a thing or two about a good band!  The other bummer was when I bought my cd the merch guy said it's normally $10, but they were told to "price match" so it was selling for $20.  WTF is this crap!?  I don't know for sure, but I'm betting this was the venue that set this rule rather than Nugent's camp.  This is wrong on so many levels.  The bands should be able to set the price for their own stuff.  It is their property and they are the ones that should be able to judge what is a reasonable price for both the fans and themselves.  I hope the band gets the extra profit, but I'm sure the venue is taking a cut.  Bastards!  Anyway, I got the cd signed by all of the guys, so that made it worth it for me.  Maybe the next time the band has to raise prices they could at least throw in a couple of free stickers or something.

At 9:30 Ted Nugent and his band came out.  They played for over an hour and sounded amazing.  Ted kept boasting that his band is the tightest in the game and he may be right.   Derek St. Holmes (61) plays guitar and is lead singer on some of the songs.  He is an amazing guitarist and even a better singer.  Ted is almost 66 and he still rocks as hard as when he was in his heyday in the 70s.  His new single "Shut Up and Jam" worked into the set well with classics such as "Hey Baby, Turn It Up, and Cat Scratch Fever."  At one point, Ted paid homage to the originators of rock by giving shout-outs to Bo Diddly, Chuck Berry, and multiple mentions of the recently deceased, Johnny Winter.  This shows the class act that Ted is.  I also liked that his only backdrop was the American flag.  He played about six guitars throughout the set.  Each one sounded like it was made for him.  The finale in the set was the best song of the night, "Stranglehold."  After that the band went offstage for a minute before returning for an encore of "Great White Buffalo."  My ears were still ringing the next day, but it was definitely worth seeing these two awesome rock acts throw down.

Rock Flag Still Flies - album reviews 2014

Diary of a Madman, "Rock Flag Still Flies" 7/15/14
by Jason Bink

You could consider this a continuation of my last “state of the union address” for hard rock.  This one is entitled "Rock Flag Still Flies" because that is how excited I am about some of the latest releases of 2014.  Chevelle and Rise Against can also be found on iTunes for $7.99 which is a damn good bargain.  I'll give you my brief summaries of each album in chronological order of release.

Chevelle - La Gorgola
Chevelle have become one of my all time favorite bands.  I was a little bit disappointed with their previous two albums, Hats off to the Bull and Sci-Fi Crimes, however.  La Gorgola absolutely restored my faith in them and cemented Chevelle as one of the best rock bands out there.  In fact, this cd has been played over and over again in my car this summer and I think that the first five songs alone make it better than their last two discs.  The lead single, "Take Out the Gunman" did not blow me away, although it actually grew on me a bit.  It is outdone by the songs that buttress either side of it, however.  "Jawbreaker" contains really sick bass lines and driving rhythms.  Pete repeats the word Jawbreaker a lot during this song,but so do I when I play it in my car on 11.  "An Island" I believe is one of Chevelle's best songs ever. It consists of heavy distortion and groovy hard rock riffs.  The lyrics about escaping the world for a while are pretty cool too, but honestly, there could be no lyrics in this song and I would still play it over and over again.  If you like hard rock, you need to check out this album.
Track commentary part 1 http://vimeo.com/105888376
Track commentary part 2 http://vimeo.com/106974429

Seether - Isolate and Medicate
Seether is another favorite of mine that I love to see live and whose music is always in heavy rotation on my playlists.  This is probably their weakest overall album, in my opinion, but its still about a 7 out of 10.  They tried to grab media attention with their lead single "Words as Weapons" which sampled the melody from "Mad World" (Tears for Fears) and rocked it out a bit more.  Good original lyrics, but as a result of the blatant rip-off, it doesn’t strike me as a strong Seether song.  "Suffer It All"  has crunchy guitar riffs and angry, choppy verses with a catchy smoother chorus.  It is a song about haters, doubters, and searching for inner strength to battle them.  This is more like the Seether I’m used to.  "Goodbye Tonight" sounds like it could have appeared on their previous album Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray, which means it is more poppy sounding, but it still rocks.  "See You at the Bottom," the likely second single, and "My Disaster" are two more strong songs that show off the kind of grunge-metal that Seether does so well.

Judas Priest - Redeemer of Souls
So, Nostradamus himself could not have predicted what a flop that last concept album would be.  I predicted that the mighty Priest would come back to former glory, however, and they prove me right with Redeemer of Souls.  The song samples on iTunes sounded very muddy, but once I downloaded the songs and put headphones on, the song quality was much better.  It still has a lot of low-end and a somewhat cloudy mix.  I wonder if this was done on purpose to try to recreate more of a vinyl sound.  The disc does harken back to the days of Screaming for Vengeance but with some of the newer Angel of Retribution influence as well.  I honestly can't pick a standout track on this album and it will take me a few more listens to really capture it well.  Face to the fire, I'd have to say "Halls of Valhalla" does a nice job showing off some of the classic sound and also the evolution of the band.  Rob does some sinister growling on this one like I've never heard from him before as well as the soaring high notes that made him famous.  Suffice it to say, this album is the Metal Gods showing the new school what metal is all about.

Rise Against - The Black Market
This album begins with "The Great Die-Off." It’s ironic, because an album opener of this title lets me know that this band is still bringing the same mix of punk, metal, pop, and rock that I know and love from them and that the band is not going to die off anytime soon. Track 2 "I Don’t Want to Be Here Anymore" is introspective and anthemic.  It will probably be "The Eco-Terrorist in Me" that becomes a fan favorite, however.  This song is more like Rise Against of albums past, with their socially-conscious emo-punkitude.  Yeah, I just made that word up, but it describes their dynamic energy and balance of singing and screaming with all the angst and political conscience of Rage Against the Machine or System of a Down.  I love this song!

Upcoming albums of note:
Jul22
(Hed)pe, ‘Evolution’ (Pavement)
Ill Nino, ”Til Death, La Familia’ (Victory)

Jul 29
Adelitas Way, ‘Stuck’ (Virgin)
Theory of a Deadman, ‘Savages’ (Roadrunner)

Aug 5
Godsmack, ’1000hp’ (Republic)

Aug 12
John 5, ‘Careful With That Axe’ (60 Cycle Hum)

Rock on,
Jason

Buckcherry at Starland 2/22/14

Buckcherry at Starland 2/22/14

I had been looking forward to this concert as it was my first in three months, I had been on a huge Buckcherry bender and listening to all their albums in regular rotation, and it was to be the first concert for my brother-in-law ever (besides Trans-Siberian Orchestra).  They didn't quite sell out, but the place was packed halfway through.  There was a pretty big variety in ages and a good amount of females for a rock show.  It was a fun time and below is my chronological review of the show.

The first band to come out was called Machine Elves.  The lead singer had a mohawk and black eyeliner and came out with a megaphone.  The megaphone usually does not work for me unless you are Scott Weiland or Otep.  This time was no exception, but it didn't last long.  The band was rock and roll and kind of had an 80s vibe.  The highlight was definitely the two stage dancers they brought with them.  I have never seen this at a club show and especially not from an opening act.  One brunette and one blonde girl danced around stage and flirted with the singer during three different songs including one called "Stripper."  The songs were not terrible, but the musicianship was nothing special and the singer was average.  I told Youssef that this was good for a first band, but I don't expect them to blow up any time soon.

Next up was Trimm.  Three of the guys were bald and most of them had facial hair.  This is a local band out of Piscataway, NJ and they had apparently played Starland before as they kept saying that they were happy to be back.  This band leaned more toward grunge-metal.  They had good energy and I was digging their music more, but not enough to run to the merchandise booth.

The third band was 3 Pill Morning from Minnesota.  These guys came out in dress clothes, with the singer and bass player wearing ties (incidentally, their latest album is called Black Tie Love Affair).  This gave me a weird vibe at a hard rock show.  They were sort of emo, but only in the wrong ways for my taste.  I just couldn't get into them, although they had a few songs that were jamming and a few screams thrown in for good measure.  The crowd seemed pretty divided about these guys as well, although it seemed like the majority were engaged with the fist pumping and waving side to side.

Pre-headlining was Monster Truck.  From the first note, these guys had my attention and they just kept getting better.  The best way I can describe them is like a hybrid of Soundgarden and Winery Dogs.  They are bluesy with dirrrty riffs and Cornellesque vocals.  The lead singer has a huge mop of hair that flops around while he plays bass and sings.  They weren't flashy, but they were tight.  Again, the crowd was a little listless overall except for a few headbangers and foot-stompers.  A cute blonde behind me asked me who the band was and said that she was really digging them too.  Afterwards we chatted about Monster Truck being our new favorite band.  Her boyfriend concurred.  Wah-wah :(  I ran to the merch booth to pick up the cd called Furiosity.  Apparently they are from Ontario.  Unfortunately, the band members weren't around to chat or sign my cd.

Finally it was time for Buckcherry.  I had lost Melissa and Youssef and the place was so packed that I had to squeeze my way down the side of the floor to get a decent place on the floor, stage-right.  They came out blazing with "Lit Up" off their self-titled debut album.  From there they played a good mix of songs covering each of their six albums including tracks Ridin', Porno Star, Sorry, For the Movies, All Night Long, Tired of You, Fall, Everything, Out of Line, new single Gluttony, and of course Crazy Bitch.  Surprisingly they threw in a couple covers too!  They played a little bit of ACDC's "Big Balls," opened Crazy Bitch with a mashup of "Love Rollercoaster" and "Bustin' Loose" and later played Icona Pop's "I Don't Care" during their encore while Josh wore an NWA hat, lol.  Overall this was a really fun concert and, seeing them for the third time, cemented Buckcherry as one of my favorites.  I just wish they would make all their albums like their concerts and stay away from too many of the slow songs.  Oh, and to top off the night my sister, Melissa, caught a guitar pick from the "Filipino Nightmare," Stevie D.  Good time was had by all.