AFI - Blood Tour June 2017

June 18, 2017 @ Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ I saw AFI on the second leg of their Blood Tour promoting their latest release AFI (The Blood Album).  I first saw AFI on the Warped Tour back in 2001 and instantly became a fan.  I was in a bit of a punk phase, but it was Davey's stage presence that first drew me in.  They were one of the most energetic bands on the stage.  Davey had a charisma that was obvious and he interacted well with the crowd.  He also stood out by climbing the stage rigging and singing from 25 feet in the air.  When they played Totalimmortal I thought it was one of the coolest songs I had ever heard and I was hooked.

Through the years their sound has changed and evolved.  They still have roots in punk, hardcore, and goth, but they have become more mainstream in many ways.  That isn't to say that they haven't continued to experiment and evolve.  When I first heard Sing the Sorrow in 2003 I was a little turned off.  I was shocked how different the sound was from the fast-paced punk of just a couple years earlier.  I thought the slower melodies and the almost muted guitar tones was sacrilegious.  I didn't like it.  After I gave it a chance, the album became one of my favorites.  They would play four songs off this album this night, not even making the cut are huge songs Leaving Song Part 2 and Girl's Not Gray from this disc.  They would also make me happy by bringing out Totalimmortal (only played on less than 15% of the dates this year).  Before that, a few notes on the openers.

I love to get to the venue early enough to hear all the bands.  I want the full experience.  I want to learn about new bands.  Frequently, I have been fortunate to hear a lot of good music and to discover bands that would become part of my regular rotation.  Unfortunately, this was not one of those nights.  The music started with a band called Souvenirs.  They were on the young side and they were slow, sleepy, and depressing.  I joked with my friends that my pen got confiscated at the door during the pat down because the venue didn't want me to have an instrument to harm myself during their set.  The second band was called Nothing.  I heard a few good things about them online, but my note to myself during their set was "nothing to see here."  Another boring band that didn't connect with the punk, the emo, the goth, or the rock elements of AFI in my opinion.  In fact, in over 100 concerts attended, I can't think of a worse combination of openers.  I usually get at least one that I like.

Finally, AFI went on and as you can see from the set list below they played a good mix of old and new tracks drawing from 8 different albums.  They played songs from 1999-2017 and only three off the latest album.  The crowd was chanting "Through our bleeding, we are one" before they took the stage.  This is from the opening of the 1999 album Black Sails in the Sunset.  I don't know if this influenced any of the song choices during the set, but Davey said how New Jersey has always been a great place for AFI to play.  I like to think that we earned that second encore of Totalimmortal.  Davey twice during the night came out to sing in the audience, the most notable during that song when he spent a good amount of time being held up by fans and singing from the crowd.

Strength Through Wounding
This Celluloid Dream
So Beneath You
Beautiful Thieves
Malleus Maleficarum
Rabbits Are Roadkill on Rt. 37
The Lost Souls
Aurelia
The Leaving Song
Of Greetings and Goodbyes
Silver and Cold
I Hope You Suffer
The Days of the Phoenix
Snow Cats
Miss Murder
Encore
6 to 8
Paper Airplanes (Makeshift Wings)
Encore 2
Totalimmortal

Chris Cornell and some new releases

So another rocker has been lost too soon.  This sentence is getting old real quick.  Chris died late last Wednesday night (technically pronounced dead at 1:30AM Thursday morning 5/18/17) in his hotel room the night after playing a Soundgarden gig.  The cause of death was apparently self-inflicted hanging, but his wife seems to think Ativan or other drugs are to blame.  Regardless of the cause, Chris was one of the most talented rock vocalists to ever live and his music touched millions.  I never had the pleasure of seeing him live in concert and now I never will.

Soundgarden is without a doubt one of the leaders of the grunge movement that began from Seattle's alternative rock scene.  They are arguably the most successful bands of the genre (selling over 22 million albums worldwide) and one of the most popular.  They also have more crossover appeal and a wider influence than most grunge bands, including Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains.

I first remember hearing about them in 1991 when "Jesus Christ Pose," the first single from Badmotorfinger came out and soon after the video was banned by MTV because of controversial religious imagery.  Subsequent singles "Outshined" and "Rusty Cage" established that this band was not going to be a flash in the pan.  In fact, they still stand up as two of their best songs to date.  From 1991-1992 Soundgarden opened for Guns 'N Roses on the Use Your Illusion tour, Skid Row on the Slave to the Grind Tour, and played Lollapalooza with Pearl Jam and Red Hot Chili Peppers gaining fans along the way.

It wasn't until 1994's Superunknown that I really fell in love with the band, cemented by the song Black Hole Sun.  For some reason it was an earworm of a song and I remember playing it over and over in my mind on the ski slopes that year.  The song wasn't their heaviest.  It was slower than I usually like.  The video was freaky.  The song just touched a nerve and had a great hook and great resonance.  Spoonman, The Day I Tried to Live, and Fell on Black Days are also phenomenal.

Recent Releases (May 12-19)

Linkin Park - One More Light
I knew Linkin Park before their major label debut, Hybrid Theory, hit the stores.  I fell in love with them when I saw them tour for that album and I got to shake hands with the guys after the concert.  In my opinion, they perfected the rap-rock-metal hybrid with that first album.  I knew they would be multi-platinum.  Sadly, they have been veering further from the sound that made them famous in recent years.  This latest album sounds nothing, and I mean NOTHING, like any of their previous albums.  It is straight up pop-rock.  I can't even make it through one song, let alone a chunk of the album.  Chester's voice still sounds good, but this is nothing that I can bear to listen to.  Given Chester's recent comments I won't be supporting them again anytime soon; not until they get back to their roots and what made millions love them in the beginning.

Paramore - After Laughter
Basically I have the same criticism as for Linkin Park except that Paramore were never hard rock or metal.  They were punk though.  This album sounds like 80s pop.  I hate most 80s music.  With the exception of some pop artists, like Cyndi Lauper, you can take this music and shove it.

Seether - Poison the Parish
Seether just released their 6th major full length album. If you like their previous work, you should like this. If you're unsure, but you think a South African hybrid of Nirvana and Shinedown sounds intriguing, you should definitely give it a listen. This isn't their heaviest nor poppiest album. There's a good mix of sounds and influences here with a few more screams than on a typical Seether album.  This is the first disc to be fully produced by the band which lets them be a little more unbridled.  Standout tracks to me include Stoke the Fire, Against the Wall, Saviours, and Nothing Left.  Stoke the Fire is heavy with medium tempo and thick distortion.  To me it exemplifies the evolution of Seether's music with elements of grunge and metal, what some have dubbed nu-grunge.  This track has a screaming breakdown and outro which I would like to hear more of from Shaun in the future. Betray and Degrade is reminiscent of Country Song in the verses, but with more rock distortion in the choruses.  Varied guitar sounds from chugging power chords, to simple strumming can be found on this disc.

Papa Roach - Crooked Teeth
By now you should know who these guys are and you either love them or hate them.  I have been a fan since Last Resort and I've seen them 9 times and met the guys from the band who were very cool in person. "Break the Fall" starts the album off uncharacteristically with only strings which are soon disrupted by Jacoby's rapping verses followed by singing choruses.  Papa Roach seem to be keeping with their patented mix of vocal stylings on most subsequent tracks. "Born for Greatness" is a little more hip-hop influenced, with some dup-step beats and a big sing along refrain, complete with some echo effects and synthesizer sounds.  Their are contributions from rapper Machine Gun Kelly and singer/songwriter Skylar Grey who has worked with Fort Minor and co-wrote "Love the Way You Lie" with Eminem.  The Roach boys come with another anti-suicide anthem called "Help" that is all the social commentary of Last Resort, but lacking any of the angsty grit.  I'd say this album is a more radio-friendly version of the Papa Roach than I prefer, but it will tide me over and it is worth checking out if you are a fan of theirs.  The deluxe version of the album comes with three additional studio tracks and a bunch of live recordings as well.

Not Dank Memes, But Danko Jones: Recent releases and some on the horizon

So I was perusing the new releases as well as some metal albums that were on sale.  Some of what I came across was no better than just a clever name, like SpoonEye and Anal Trump.  Still, some stuff was worth picking up including Volbeat and Wage War for $5.99 each.




Here I'll give my opinion on some recent releases. Again, some rocked and some sucked.

I was really looking forward to this as their album Locked & Loaded was one of my favorites from a few years ago. Unfortunately, they allowed Zardonic to produce and heavily influence this album. He's an EDM dude and as a result they used electronic drums and the sound is a lot less hard rock. It sounds like a completely different band. I hope this was a one-off experiment and not the future direction of the band.


Bush - Black and White Rainbows

Last year I heard some teasers from this album and I was intrigued, but not chomping at the bit for the release. It's finally out. The lead single is called Mad Love. It has a very catchy hook "Still got mad love for you baby," which sounds like it could be an olive branch extended to divorcee Gwen Stefani. That being said, it is a much poppier song than Bush fans may be used to. The slow songs and pop influence continues on songs PeaceS, Lost In You, Nurse, The Beat of Your Heart, etc. Dystopia is the closest track to their classic alternative sound, but even that fails to deliver the rock payoff.


Danko Jones - Wild Cat

Lead track I Gotta Rock has good energy, a driving rhythm, and a fresh take on a nostalgic feeling of letting loose and rocking out. The flavor continues with My Little RnR with a throwback rhythm and blues vibe with attitude. Going Out Tonight brings back the faster tempo. It literally is good music for getting amped before a night out. You Are My Woman sounds like it could be a Thin Lizzy song, partly because the guitar riff is almost a rip off of Jailbreak, but also because of the cool vibe. Title track Wild Cat has cool staccato verses. I prefer their 2012 album Rock and Roll is Black and Blue a little more, but this album is certainly a shot in the arm for the resurrection of rock.

Darkest Hour - Godless Prophets and the Migrant Flora

This has to be one of the most interesting album titles. The music is pretty brutal. It's melodic death metal. Given that DH are no longer contractually obligated to a record label and that they collaborated with former guitarist Kris Norris on some of the tracks, this may be the most pure they have sounded in a long time. If it wasn't constant screaming, I could listen to a full album in one go. But then again it wouldn't be death metal now would it?


Emmure - Look at Yourself

Emmure has more industrial and nu-metal influences than Darkest Hour. They're originally from Connecticut and now reside in Queens, New York. Vocals range from growls to blood-curdling screams. After 9 years and 6 albums with Victory Records, they released their new album with an indy label, SharpTone Records. The only original member is vocalist Frankie Palmeri. I'm no connoisseur of the genre, but I think they may have put out their best overall album with this one.

Eve to Adam - Odyssey

I was really looking forward to this as their album Locked & Loaded was one of my favorites from a few years ago. Unfortunately, they allowed Zardonic to produce and heavily influence this album. He's an EDM dude and as a result they used electronic drums and the sound is a lot less hard rock. It sounds like a completely different band. I hope this was a one-off experiment and not the future direction of the band.

Coming Soon

Art of Anarchy - The Madness; March 24

This is a rock supergroup made of twin brothers Jon and Vince Votta on guitar and drums respectively, bassist Jon Moyer of Disturbed, and former Guns 'N Roses guitarist Bumblefoot. Their first album had Scott Weiland on vocals... Looking to replace Scott they must've said to themselves, "Who can we get that is crazier?" The answer is Scott Stapp. You may remember a crazy story from 2015 where he disappeared from his home and basically held himself for ransom. He posted videos where he threatened harm to his family members. About a month later he claimed he was a CIA agent on a mission to kill president Obama. Scott has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and is now apparently receiving treatment and is on the mend. I previewed four songs from the forthcoming album and I gotta say that they sound pretty good. There are definitely influences from Disturbed on Echo of a Scream. No Surrender sounds like it could be a Godsmack song and then there is a G'NR-esque guitar solo. On Changed Man Scott sings passionately "I had to crash and burn to finally see the light" and begs "will you take me as I am? I'm not who I used to be. Give me one more chance because I'm a changed man; your love is all I need."


Incubus - 8; April 21

I heard Nimble Bastard on the radio and I didn't recognize it was Incubus, but I was like, I gotta check these guys out and then the DJ said who it was. Glitterbomb is also available to preview on iTunes and while slower it sounds more like vintage Incubus. It has been a while since they put out an album and I am definitely interested in what the rest of it will sound like.


New Found Glory - Makes Me Sick; April 28

They are without their founding rhythm guitarist and primary lyricist, Steve Klein, on this one. Released track Happy Being Miserable would suggest they haven't lost much from their signature power pop sound.


At the Drive-In - Interalia; May 5

They are reunited again. Governed by the Contagions sounds very Mars Volta influenced to me. Incurably Innocent is more in line with their post-hardcore sound. I'm digging what I'm hearing. This one will be interesting.


Seether - Poison the Parish; May 12

Since they are one of my favorite bands, I'm sure to pick this one up. The only released track so far is Let You Down and it has the chugging guitar and raspy grunge-like vocals that sounds familiar for this band. It's not their most rocking track, but I still have high hopes for the rest.


Linkin Park - One More Light; May 19

The released tracks Heavy and Battle Symphony confirm that this band is nothing like they were before. I am all for evolving your sound, but these are straight up pop songs. There is barely any guitars audible on these tracks! It is a disgrace to their rock fans and I can only imagine it is an attempt to cash in with the fans of adult contemporary music. At this point, they've sold out more than Metallica.

Concerts I've attended 2000 - 2017

See a list of all the concerts I've been to here

Top 30 albums influencing my teens

This is a topic that I've seen shared on Facebook and thought would be serving the same purpose as the albums that "rocked my world" that I had been thinking about.  The following albums will be ones that were influential to me in my teens.  First of all, my teens were were Nov. 1993-Nov. 2000.  Most of the albums that most influenced me at this time will have been released during my teen years with a couple of older ones that I was discovering or playing a lot.  Further, influential means they had an impact on me and aren't necessarily the best ones of the decade.  Also, they're albums so they have to be more than two listenable tracks deep.  The older ones were most likely discovered by going through my dad's vinyl collection. The ones that were from the teen years were most likely purchased by me.  We had just gotten a cd player and I was snatching up cds via Columbia House!  I'm also going to stick to the rule of one album per artist for this list.

Here's my top 30 influences in my teens:

Cracked Rear View - Hootie & the Blowfish
Pinkerton - Weezer
Under the Table and Dreaming - Dave Matthews Band
Dookie - Green Day
American Standard - Seven Mary Three
Jagged Little Pill - Alanis Morissette
Tragic Kingdom - No Doubt
Superunknown - Soundgarden
2001 - Dr. Dre
The Colour & the Shape - Foo Fighters
Innocent Man - Billy Joel
Get A Grip - Aerosmith
Stay Hungry - Twisted Sister
Sixteen Stone - Bush
Throwing Copper - Live
Third Eye Blind - Third Eye Blind
Yourself or Someone Like You - Matchbox 20
Eve 6 - Eve 6
Sehnsucht - Rammstein
Straight On Till Morning - Blues Traveler
February Son - Oleander
Chamber Music - Coal Chamber
Make Yourself - Incubus
Enema of the State - Blink 182
Doggystyle - Snoop Doggy Dogg
Purple - Stone Temple Pilots
II - Boys II Men
Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life - Jay Z
Follow the Leader - Korn
Better Life - 3 Doors Down

All of these were influential for one reason or another and many of them I still play today.  If you want to know more about how they were influential or to share stories about bands on this list, please comment and let me know.  After my teens my music taste and library was expanding exponentially!  The two main reasons for this was Napster and my college friend Bill Bottino.  Bill introduced me to a lot of nu-metal bands like Deftones, Papa Roach, Staind, etc. and took me to my first concert.  After that I was hooked!  120 concerts later, I'm still going to a handful of shows a year.  Keep on rockin!

Top Albums of 2016

2016 was a crap year for celebrity deaths and politics.  It was a weird year for rock, but overall I think a pretty good one.  My album purchases included a lot of new releases as well as building up my catalogue of classic artists such as Meat Loaf and Jimmy Hendrix.  There were comebacks by Blink-182, Dope, Disturbed, Good Charlotte, Lacey Sturm, Metallica, Sum-41, and many others.  Some were definitely more successful than others.  Some bands like Babymetal, Crobot, and Monster Truck proved that they are more than just a one-off.  And still others like Megadeth and Rob Zombie added to their already rich catalogues.  With so many albums of 2016 to pick from, a top 10 list was difficult to put together, but here are my picks.

Top Albums of 2016
Mark Tremonti is a guitar god and singer Myles Kennedy is a beast!  With bands like Shinedown and 3 Doors Down getting softer as singers age and members change, I think Alter Bridge is the best American hard rock band going right now.  The lead track "Show Me A Leader" is up for rock song of the year in Loudwire's fan poll and that is only the beginning of this amazing album.  See my full track-by-track review here.

Babymetal was written off by many as too pop, too eccentric, too young, or just "not metal enough."  However, their fan base has only grown with live performances in the United States lighting up the stage and now their second album which is even heavier, and maybe deeper, than the first.  It still combines J-pop Japanese vocals with Dragonforce-style riffing, but the beefy bass lines and ecclectic mix of genres is dynamic and exciting.  "Karate" is up for Loudwire poll's metal song of the year and it is rivaled by numerous other songs on the album (i.e. Amore or Awadama Fever) as more metal or most favorite.

I have been a fan of Nonpoint since I first heard them from the car speakers of a fellow Metrostars tailgater in Giants stadium parking lot in 2000.  This album is probably their most complete of a masterpiece since their debut Statement.  Lead single Generation Idiot is a spectacular commentary on the technology zombies of today's youth.  Bottled Up Killer Bees delivers a refreshing dose of guitar riffs from BC Kochmit. El Diablo brings Nonpoint's classic Spanish influences in a hell of a song.  Album closer My Last Dying Breath has become a fan favorite already with a cult following.
Cryptic Rock reviews this album about as good as I could here

I have been singing the praises of this band for a while.  Their sophomore album Memento Mori follows their debut, Lux, perfectly.  There are some heavier songs, some emotional songs, and some real deep themes on this record.  I love the unique rasp of singer Aaron Nordstrom's voice and the band sounds amazing behind him through home speakers or live on stage.  Memento Mori means "Remember We Die" and the single by that name is a face-ripper with a positive message about living for the moment.
Here I review their stage show and album in more detail.

Dave Mustaine has had his doubters who have said his best days are behind him, but I disagree.  On "Look Who's Talking" Dave addresses some of the critics and shit-talkers.  The title track is also driven.  I was skeptical of this album before I bought it, but I was pleasantly surprised.  Dystopia really delivers some good songs and some amazing guitar work.  There are chugging riffs and ripping solos.  It is mixed and mastered perfectly.  Honestly, I like it more every time I listen to it and I haven't found a Megadeth album yet that I don't like.  Sorry, Metallica, this is what real metal sounds like.

Throw the Fight - Transmissions almost didn't make this list simply because I had never heard of them before they started touring with the likes of Bullet for My Valentine and Nonpoint.  Formed in the early 2000's out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Throw the Fight is a mix of alternative and heavy that is right up my alley.  There is also a mix of singing and screaming.  They have a few slow songs and then some headbangers.  Transmissions is going to get a lot of play on my devices in 2017.

Another band I learned about from opening for Nonpoint, Kyng keeps cranking out the stoner rock riffs and melodic grooves with their latest Breathe in the Water.  They at times sound like Soundgarden, Toadies, and/or Clutch.  This is the kind of album you can have on in the background or that you can hang on every note and it is an enjoyable listen both ways.  If you don't know this band do yourself a favor and check them out.

While not my favorite album of Weezer's, the white album is a good mix of their old and new styles.  It has some of the deepest lyrical themes since Pinkerton and some of the catchiest hooks since the green album.  The album is sort of like a continuous story as indicated by the beach noises that begin and close the album.  Sometimes I think Weezer try too hard to appeal to the younger audiences and revert to cheesy-pop styles.  When I want to cherry pick the best, my go-to songs off of this album are are "King of the World" and "Summer Elaine and Drunk Dori."

See my 8-10 album reviews of Weezer, Issues, and Tremonti in a previous post here.

Other 2016 albums worth a listen:

Anthrax - For All Kings
Beach Slang - A Loud Bash of Teenage Feelings
Beartooth - Aggressive
Blink 182 - California
Chevelle - The North Corridor
Crobot - Welcome to Fat City
David Bowie - Blackstar
Deftones - Gore

Devildriver - Trust No One
Disturbed - Immortalized
Dope - Blood Money
Filter - Crazy Eyes
Gojira - Magma
(Hed)P.E. - Forever!
I Prevail - Lifelines
Kings of Leon - Walls
Lacey Sturm - Life Screams
Metallica - Hardwired...to Self Destruct

Monster Truck - Sittin' Heavy
Moose Blood - Blush
Red Sun Rising - Polyester Zeal
Rival Sons - Hollow Bones
Rob Zombie - The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser
Sick Puppies - Fury
Skillet - Unleashed
Slothrust - Everyone Else
Sum 41 - 13 Voices
Testament - Brotherhood of the Snake
Trivium - Ab Initio

Volbeat - Seal the Deal and Let's Boogie
Wolfmother - Victorious
Wovenwar - Honor is Dead

Most disappointing albums of 2016:

Good Charlotte - Youth Authority

Green Day - Revolution Radio

Highly Suspect - The Boy Who Died Wolf

They get a lump of coal for Christmas - for making terrible music

I usually stick to positive reviews, but a couple of things is going to make this post different.  First, I thought about composing a worst singers list while watching some live footage of KISS in concert.  Second, I was scrolling through some new music on iTunes and was disappointed in some recent releases.  So here I will do a bit of trash talk, but I'm not going to go into a tremendous amount of detail, I just had to get it off my chest.  Look them up if you dare - but I warned you.  Feel free to comment if you disagree or, even better, if you have someone to add to the list.

Top 10 Worst singers:
1. Yoko Ono - sounds like a dying cat in every performance I've seen her do.

2. Lil Wayne - I can't stand his voice and honestly don't know how he's sold so many records.

3. Ashlee Simpson - Forget the SNL lip sync debacle.  Watch what happens when she tries to sing at the Orange Bowl https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY2cN3BgPsU

4. Bjork - I'm willing to look past the experimental music, but she can't even carry a tune. 

5. Fred Durst - Limp Bizkit has a few good songs, but Durst cannot sing.

6. Kanye West - all his stuff needs to be autotuned and it still doesn't help make him listenable.

7. Paul Stanley - he doesn't have great pitch, great range, or great emotion in his voice.  Some moments are definitely cringeworthy.

8. will.i.am - very talented producer, but his singing voice is not great.

9. Chris Martin - his voice just isn't interesting and most of their music is boring as well.

10. Vince Neil - similar lack of skill to Paul Stanley.  I saw Mötley Crüe live and Vince is by far the least talented in the band.

11. Anthony Kedis - can be good at times and other times it is so off key, misprounounced, mumbling or just irritating.

New music that is NOT worth your time:
Bruno Mars - 24K Magic - More like, let me try to rip off everyone from James Brown to Bobby Brown and sound like crap with lame lyrics and way too much synthesizer.

Killers - Don't Waste Your Wishes - More like, Don't Waste Your Dollars on this lame Christmas album where there is no holiday spirit to be found.

Highly Suspect - The Boy Who Died Wolf - Sounds like it might be good and then nope.

Sixx AM - Prayers for the Blessed - I pray they go away.

From Ashes to New - Day One - I think they named this album after how long they spent on it.  Maybe if they slept on it they would wake up in the morning and realize that it sucks.

Metallica - Hardwired... to Self-Destruct - Really?  Eight years in the making and you put out what sounds like the Black Album part II.  Some people are calling this a return to their thrash roots, but from the samples I've heard that couldn't be farther from the truth.  It sounds like nothing we haven't heard before.  I wouldn't spend my money on it.