Kickin' Out the Jams w/the Fighting Jamesons

@ Shamrockfest 2015.

We spent the end of February having a blast in Indiana at all three of the 9 Irish Brothers locations in Lafayette as well as the new one in Indianapolis. Leading into March we zipped out to Charlotte, North Carolina to perform at Amos Southend. After that we went to Salisbury, Maryland to play at the brand new Headquarters Live venue-- they have a really unique and fun setup; a converted firehouse turned into a music venue and bar, we had a wonderful time and those folks are definitely putting Salisbury on the map for concert-goers-- we can't wait to return!

We came back home to Norfolk after Salisbury to play Shamrockin' In Ghent; the Deloreans kicked off the night with their stylish 80's tribute set. Despite the weather, the rain and cold wasn't holding anyone up-- Colley Avenue was filled with people ready to party, and we had a blast jamming out for the St. Paddy's celebration.

The next day we were quite busy in Raleigh, North Carolina-- luckily the rain stopped just in time for us to play-- though the wind and runoff water from the roof of the stage provided a serious challenge, we prevailed. We opened for Carbon Leaf at the festival during the day, then we had the honor of closing out the night, as they had been having numerous groups all day long; with a full set later that night a Tir Na Nog. The house was packed full of people and they were most definitely a fun wild crowd that night: full of moshers, happy boozers, and people pumped up for the pre-St. Paddy's celebration! We had a killer night, and were glad to see some new faces as well as folks who had came to see us before.

@ Tir Na Nog

For St. Paddy's this year we performed at the National in Richmond. Born Crooked opened up the night with their bluesy hard-hitting brand of rock' n roll. They remind me a bit of the White Stripes and the Black Keys. It was refreshing to have something that fit the bill with us, it's great to have a band opening for us that is particularly different from us and adds variety to the lineup for the night. They came along and played with us once more when we rode out to play at the Southern in Charlottesville. Unfortunately the Newport News show was cancelled, however stay tuned as we will be doing a make-up date for it in the near future.

Then we set off for Shamrockfest 2015 in Washington D.C. where we took to the Dewey Beach stage after the energetic Go Go Gadget and gave D.C. an hour of our finest raging celtic-punk tunes; we did a set consisting of some classic Irish folk covers as well as some original material from both the first and second album. Our bassist Ryan Ware and our buddy Cooper even met up with some of the dudes in Reel Big Fish while walking around! Afterwards we came back home to Viriginia Beach to play the Shamrock Marathon and the marathon's after-party at Murphy's as well.  

Fairly recently we added several new shirt designs to our merchandise catalog-- so be sure to check that out at our online merch store (personally, the new fist logo design is my favorite!)-- we've got some exciting plans ahead-- so stay tuned to our Facebook, Twitter, and our official website for the details to come.

All Ages: Boston Hardcore DVD Review

All Ages: Boston Hardcore

This documentary focuses on roughly 1980 thru 1984; it dives into the history of the scene, the clubs the bands played at (perhaps most notably the Rat), the straight edge scene in Boston, the iconic flyer art-- as well as the influences of Black Flag, and other bands outside of the area-- perhaps most notably the D.C. scene and Dischord Records is discussed in relation to the early EP's released (Teen Idles, "Minor Disturbance" EP, S.O.A., "No Policy" EP, Government Issue's, "Legless Bull" EP, etc.. The film expresses Boston was particularly known for being a scene that took hardcore, and tried to take it to the most extreme level possible; after the influence of the first wave of punk rock (particularly that of the Ramones) and the their peers in D.C.-- they took their own spin on punk and tried to make it yet even faster and harder than their predecessors.

The film features interviews with key band members as well as active participants of the scene. SSD (Society System Decontrol) is the first band talked about in detail on the disc. The stylistic influence of Minor Threat, combined with the unique and somewhat clashing personalities of Al Barile and Springa. The back-story of the creation of, "The Kids Will Have Their Say" and its influence during the creation of Boston's hardcore-punk scene.

Jerry's Kids is the second band thoroughly examined in this tribute to Boston hardcore. Known for being a highly energetic band always jumping around; a nice selection of both reunion footage as well as early live footage of Jerry's Kids appears throughout the film. Their iconic record "This Is My World" is touched on in the film as well as a highly influential and notable album for the Boston hardcore sound. D.Y.S. is also covered a bit, along with Gang Green, and others.

Though Boston is full super fast bands of it, Gang Green and the Freeze were probably the two most musically proficient groups; both fast and on-point. Gang Green briefly talks about making the, "Pre-School" EP in an 8-track studio.  The "This Is Boston Not L.A." compilation is discussed too; it taps into the exclusion of S.S.D (as Al Barile's policy was no compilations), the inclusion of Gang Green being an obvious choice for their sheer speed alone, and explores the different opinions on its portrayal of the scene. The film also has some reunion footage of D.Y.S. (Department Of Youth Services) sprinkled in the both the beginning and the end.

Boston was a unique scene in both the records and the type of bands that it produced in this time period; hardcore became faster, tougher, and exploded into a new movement of bands releasing incredible and iconic albums that would influence further generations of punk bands to follow. This was a really interesting film and a neat glance into the early Boston hardcore-punk scene, and a fairly informative look into its sound and the groups within it.  One can only hope it offshoots further films on the individual groups and cover Boston hardcore in more depth.

A diamond in the rough.... from my vinyl vault: Bill Costa's, "La Bella Italia"

Bill Costa's, "La Bella Italia".

I picked up this little gem off of Ebay. It's definitely a straight forward album and what you see is what you get: classic Italian folk tunes arranged for tradtional accordion instrumental versions. This is a highly affordable record-- you can usually find a perfectly well functioning copy of it for $3 or $4 online-- and the material itself is a steal for that price. It's a cheap one, but a good one!

The record kicks off properly upbeat with one of  the most famous Italian tunes ever, "Tarantella Napolitana" and then into the lovely, "O Sole Mio"-- a beautiful song that has been reinterpreted countless times by so many artists (Rachid Taha's is perhaps my favorite-- his style mixes Raï and world combined with elements of rock, and he covered it and gave it a very middle eastern feel that is really unique and definitely worth checking out!)-- but when it comes to an accordion instrumental take on it, this one takes the cake.

The backing band consists of gentle acoustic guitar, light bass, light percussion, and vibraphone-- some tracks boast an occasional pinch of jazz, but overall this record keeps it in a traditional pocket for these italian standards. Additional highlights of the album take place on side B with the gorgeous soaring of, "Sorrento" and the fun bouncy folk of, "Funiculi Funicula", and the wonderful version of, "Arrivederci Roma".

Back of, "La Bella Italia".

As for Bill Costa himself he has a few other similar records available, such as, "Holiday And Rome", "Bill Costa and His Accordion", and one or two others I've seen online out there. Surprisingly, other than the records themselves on Ebay and Amazon-- I can't really find any other information on him. Luckily the back of this record alone clues us in a bit: he went to Julliard, worked and appeared on both NBC and ABC television, appeared in a decent list of jazz quartets, recorded with: Sammy Kaye, Dorothy Collins, Ben Selvin, and Jerry Jerome-- that sums up a decent chunk of the bio on the back of the album.

All in all, this is a great affordable fun album of authentic Italian folk tunes as accordion instrumentals-- it'd be an excellent addition to the collection of anyone interested in collecting specifically Italian, world music in general, could slightly interest some jazz fans perhaps, accordion enthusiasts, or even just if your looking to branch out your collection with something new of this caliber that you didn't dabble in before; in which case, this would be a perfect starting point.

A diamond in the rough.... from my vinyl vault: Mayhem's, "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas"

Mayhem's, "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas"

I picked up this incredible reissue of Mayhem's debut black metal classic today at Skinnie's Records. It was re-released a little while back by Back On Black records in 2013 on 180 gram and on a limited 500 copy press of purple splatter vinyl.

This album came third in line after Burzum's first two albums and Darkthrone's first three albums; and the Mayhem debut along with these albums are the three quintessential bands that created the second-wave black metal sound that would spawn countless of other bands to follow in their footsteps and make it known beyond the borders of Norway and as a new subgenre of its own.

Mayhem have always had lots of controversy surrounding them with the suicide of their original vocalist Per Yngve Ohlin (better known by his stage name, "Dead") and the murder of Øystein Aarseth (a.k.a, "Euronymous) by Mayhem's own Varg Vikernes, whom is also the one-man band behind the Burzum moniker. However, plenty of media coverage/silly hype and documentation is rather over-saturated on this angle. This review, and the reason for my personal interest in the group is strictly for musical purposes only and for its historical importance within the context of heavy metal.

Back of, "De Mysteriis Dom Sathans"

There are a lot of interesting things happening musically around the creation of this album, and there was virtually almost nothing else quite like it with the main exceptions of Burzum and Darkthrone (of course some first wave black metal such as Bathory also applies-- the bottom line is that its a very short list of a small handful of groups mostly in Norway all contributing to an entirely new extreme form of metal).

Key characteristics of the album and of Mayhem's early sound are part of what made this album and the early era of the second wave of black metal so unique. Hellhammer's drumming is arguably totally the most impressive display of talent up to this point within the genres early releases; effortlessly blastbeating away, excellent tom rolls, with pummeling double bass on the kick drum. The fuzzed-out guitar effects created the icy distortion the genre is so known for-- the tonality of it was so distinct and different from the classic death metal tones of the time, particularly from that of the Swedish death metal scene. Tremolo picking pulls and breaks apart minor chord progressions, along with thrashy pulverizing riffs, coupled with melodic chunky bass lines. Varg Vikernes (though not a permanent member of Mayhem's lineup) did fill in to play bass on the album, the bass lines are well executed-- but its the drumming and the guitar work that takes the spotlight on this record. I would argue the most addicting track is the legendary, "Freezing Moon"-- the song showcases an incredible riff and a sense of memorability to it, while also displaying all the trademark characteristics of the bands sound.

Attila Csihar took over vocal duties after their original vocalist Dead shot himself. There are recordings of demos and live concerts with Dead--- but this was the groups first studio/official LP recording, and Attila took over after Dead's suicide. His style is unique to the genre at the time-- he intentionally did very strange moans and deep eerie chant-like voices, he sets a very haunting atmosphere appropriate for Mayhem, and his performance matches the music well. 

Reissued on purple splatter colored vinyl.

Originally released on Euronymous's Deathlike Silence label, the record has now been re-released a total of 31 times on various formats. An original copy of the first LP pressing (cataloged as Anti-Mosh 006) has up to date sold at the highest at $453.14 on Discogs (too rich for my blood-- I will just enjoy this reissue!). So the reissue of this historically important and also timeless classic of the Norwegian black metal scene is now affordable and a neat addition into the collection of diehard metal fans. I imagine it will only be a short time before it gets reissued time and time again, as a record so ahead of its time is bound to have people looking back and listening to it over and over; as black metal continues to evolve, and even the newest and most groundbreaking bands within the genre carrying the torch today are undeniably influenced by Mayhem.

Out on the road with the Fighting Jamesons....

Arriving at Lake Saranac, NY. Photo by Geo Bauman.

We finished 2014 with a run starting from the shores of Rehoboth Beach Delaware all the way up to Saranac Lake, New York near the Canadian border. We returned to Rehoboth Beach amped up and excited to bust out our raucous setlist. Rehoboth Beach is a great stop for us, the audience is always receptive, and ready to dance the night away.

After our first night of revisiting Rehoboth Beach we headed for Pennsylvania to perform at Philadelphia's World Cafe Live. We arrived early enough to go for a stroll through Philadelphia and unload the van. After soundcheck, we met and watched local openers the Bloody Catholics play a nice set of mostly bluesy-laced original folk tunes.  We took the stage and gave Philly everything we had for a great night of celtic-punk fury at its finest.

Next we returned to Amityville, New York and played with Bangers and Mash along with a handful of other punk/alternative groups that evening at Revolution Bar and Music Hall. We geared back up and hit the road for Allston, Massachusetts to play Brighton Music Hall. We arrived early and got pizza nearby, and when went back to get set-up I noticed a plaque on the wall for Amanda Palmer & the Grand Theft Orchestra for a date they had previously done on their tour supporting her second album; I thought it was neat to see that hanging since I'm a fan of her music and happened to be reading her new book at the time. I also noticed a picture hanging of Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, another artist I'm a fan of-- it's always neat to see other groups you fancy on the wall! 

at Lake Saranac, NY. Photo by Geo Bauman.

We closed 2014 on a high note at the town hall of Saranac Lake. Already a beautiful snowy mess when we got there, it's a charming town and only a small hop away from the Canadian border. The venue was a very neat building in itself, and the show had a very bouncy (quite literally-- it was cartwheels galore on that dancefloor!) and enthusiastic audience, making for the last show of the year an insanely fun night.

Entering into 2015, we've got some new surprises on our setlist and we'll be back on the road kicking off  the new year properly fairly soon-- keep posted to our website for the tour dates as we continue to count down the days to St. Paddy's!

Tales from the Spaceman: Ace Frehley's, "No Regrets".

Cover of Ace Frehley's, "No Regrets".

Though I don't normally do book reviews-- I felt this would make a great first (of hopefully many more), considering it being a KISS-related and music-related topic. Through all of the KISS books that have just came out over the past few years-- Ace' Frehley's autobiography, "No Regrets" was first of the recent string of self-penned books by the band and seemed to cause a chain-reaction in the release of Peter Criss's book, Paul Stanley's autobiography as well, and the KISS, "Nothin' To Lose" book by both Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley on the creation of the band and its early years.

The previous two I haven't had the pleasure of fully reading just yet. However, I have read Peter Criss's, "KISS and Make-Up" as well as the biography of the whole group, "KISS: Behind the Mask" by Ken Sharpe and David Leaf. The different angles and perspectives of the band make each book, especially Ace's in particular, all worth reading for KISS fans.

Ace's book is a total mind-blower of a tale: full of car crashes, fireworks, guitar solos, wild women-- if he had not have actually lived it, it would sound more like a James Bond flick. Unlike some books that tend to fast-forward up to a certain point of time-- Ace takes you from his childhood to long walks in New York in his years as a gang member; onward to his first moments of picking up a guitar and the moment KISS began, as well as the journey of his solo career. Basically, Frehley doesn't leave anything out. 

Ace's story is also told in what might seem at first to be a bit of a cliche rockstar-alcoholic-goes-to-rehab-defeats-struggles-then-triumphs-over-alcoholism lens. In reality, his story is not so black and white and cannot be simplified as just another sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll story. Of course, all those elements are present in his story-- but it's just one portion of it, and it doesn't revolve around that. The story shines a light on the harsh realities of those situations, and the portions of the story about his struggles don't leave the reader bored and rolling their eyes. Instead, it leaves you thrilled at his overcoming his addiction while witnessing his rising to be arguably one of the most exciting guitarists of rock 'n roll history. 

Ace Frehley & his famous smoking guitar.

Ace's story is unique in the incredible up-close glimpses he gives you into his life, the sort of thing most people can only imagine-- yet within those rare sneak-peeks of seemingly unfathomable stardom he also mentions the less obvious moments he encountered, and these are often the most exciting moments of the book. Some highlights such as these are when he tells of meeting Mitch Mitchell (drummer of the Jimi Hendrix Experience) and Steppenwolf by sneaking backstage and simply pretending as if he was part of a stage-crew and casually walking past security; setting up drums for Mitchell and changing guitar strings for Steppenwolf.

Ace's book gives you his first-hand account of joining and the formation of KISS, designing the logo and his makeup, the explosion of their fan-base with KISS Alive!, his personal philosophy on guitar playing and solo improvisation, his light-bulb moment when he created his smoking guitar-- to his struggles with the band, fighting to get some of his material included like, "Shock Me", the seed of separation being set with the simultaneous four solo albums releasea, the outrageous filming of KISS Meets the Phantom Park, and so much more!

This book is an incredibly fun and insightful look into KISS's original lead guitarist and there is something remarkable for every KISS fan, or quite possibly any music fan in general for that matter. It is one of the most memorable and unique stories from a critical member of a band that pioneered so many exciting aspects into putting on a rock 'n roll show that no one else before or since has ever even dreamed of.

Top 10 Records of 2014

Eugene Hutz of Gogol Bordello- live at the Norva.

1. Gogol Bordello- Pura Vida Conspiracy: Gogol Bordello definitely puts on one hell of a show. After recently seeing them just this past July deliver a top-notch performance at the Norva in support of their latest album, "Pura Vida Conspiracy" it brought to my attention that with this album, the spirit of their live show was captured quite accurately.

The groups sixth album features both the expected and the unexpected. With songs like opener, "We Rise Again", "My Gypsy Auto Pilot", & "John the Conqueror (Truth Is Always the Same)"  they gave their audience what we know and love; perhaps more importantly they threw some curveballs our way too with songs like the catchy tempo-game-changer,"Dig Deep Enough" with its shimmering mandolins-- also sporting possibly one of the biggest choruses (of oh so many!) on the entire album-- as well as, "We Shall Sail" and it's hidden-track to follow the folk-fastcore infused, "Jealous Sister".

Pura Vida Conspiracy.

There are more crowd sing-alongs on the majority on this album than not; possibly more than any previous album at all-- with songs like, "Malandrino" (boasting those lovely horns), "Is It the Way You Name Your Ship", and "The Other Side Of Rainbow", and of course complete with it's soaring quality, gorgeous hand-percussion and instant-accessibility, "Lost Innocent World". Gogol Bordello delivers knock-out performances with each show, and with each album release they grow more and more--- and its both their relentless energetic shows and ability to evolve on each album that make us so eager for whatever it is they are doing next.

2. Night Birds- Born To Die In Suburbia: I reviewed this a while back after purchasing it for the mighty-turntable and listening to it obsessively. Quite simply an infectiously high-energy punk rock record with a sense of fun and memorability that most bands that try to tear it up this hard are severely lacking in. Worth every penny.

3. New Pornographers- Brill Bruisers: Perhaps a return to form for them, nevertheless this album is both everything you have come to expect and love from the New Pornographers. Somehow this many albums on (this is also album number six for them--- I guess it's a lucky number, go place your bets!) and they still managed to churn out this chest of indie-powerpop gems.

Brill Bruisers.

The album has an incredible range of seemingly ever-present hooks: the rise and fall effect in the title track, that brilliant sense of here-it-comes with, "War on the East Coast", and the shiny vocal harmonies of, "Another Drug Deal of the Heart".  As usual Neko Case has her wonderful lead vocal moments combined with the keyboard-driven stuttering of, "Champions of Red Wine" and again to a similar effect on, "Marching Orders".

Eastern Moon Rising.

Perhaps most notably, Dan Bejar might've  stolen the show with, "Born With A Sound" for the title of most-addictive-tune on the album. The New Pornographers never disappoint and never get dull, not even for a second.

4. Boris Kovac & La Campanella- Eastern Moon Rising: A beautiful release by an insanely talented multi-instrumentalist and composer along with his incredible band La Campanella featuring the textures of soothing saxophone, accordion, guitar, stand-up bass, and a full drum kit. Boris Kovac blends his native Serbian style with various other Balkan styles, as well as tango, and chamber music for a beautiful unique orchestral flavor from this impressive ensemble of instrumental virtuosos.

5. Thurston Moore- The Best Day: Yet another solo release by Sonic Youth's frontman, and its another excellent one. Despite the fact that its sad to see a phenomenal band like Sonic Youth go there separate ways, there is a bright side to this:  the solo projects and all the new side projects of each member that arise from it-- and not just Thurston's solo album, but also his Chelsea Light Moving project--- as well as Kim Gordon's Body/Head project, and Lee Rinaldo & the Dust's recent, "Last Night On Earth" to name a few.

The Best Day.

With this particular album, unlike it's predecessor, "Demolished Thoughts" with its intricately finger-picked acoustic guitar, lush orchestral swelling, and sprinkles of harp throughout its chamberpop-like approach--- "The Best Day" is both a somewhat surprising and yet also comfortable return to the characteristics of Sonic Youth (only to an extent though).

The album begins with the brilliant, "Speak To The Wild" and it's trance inducing quality casts a shade on the whole album as the song fades into, "Forevermore" with its chiming upbeat pulse and shimmering haunting guitar hiss, as it elevates into the chugging opening riff and its layers continue to build; stacking higher and higher until Thurston finally declares, "That's why I want you forevermore" making this possibly the best eleven minutes to suddenly have gone by you've ever heard.

The pitter-pattering of, "Tape" as it hums into its jingling guitars continues the album forward as it gradually rises and falls into the title track. "The Best Day" flares its rock'n roll nostrils with a gritty riff and its lyrical tale, with even a pinch of cowboy lurking in those riffs somewhere, before bursting into a spastic aggressive bluesy solo and returning to a calm after the storm.

"Detonation" gasps before launching off into what feels like the most familiar of Sonic-Youth territory on this album yet, with its slight dissonance and churning rhythmic force coupled with the songs anxiety. Guitar birds chirp on, "Vocabularies" as Thurston's day continues into the shoegaze-ish, "Grace Lake" before finally fading into the closer, "Germs Burn".

Thurston Moore didn't simply front an amazing band called Sonic Youth. He didn't simply write a string of solo albums, some of which are similar (and some not) to Sonic Youth's material. He consistently finds a way to dig into his craft and maintain the stance of a recognizable artist within his own framework and simultaneously make great albums that stay fresh and don't simply recycle old ideas; he walks the very fine line of constant expansion versus staying inside his own box. 

Man Man live at the Norva.

6.  Man Man- On Oni Pond: After having the pleasure of watching Man Man open up for Gogol Bordello at the same show mentioned above. Gogol Bordello can't be an easy band to open for, and despite Man Man being such a different band-- I don't know if anyone else could've pulled it off better that night.

Man Man showcases a sound wild enough that putting this beast in a cage was probably just the right way to package this album (the songs on this album came across so much more in-your-face live--it's not that the band doesn't translate well on record though-- it's really more of just that their frontman Honus Honus seems larger than life onstage).

The group has an expansive sound complete with propulsive guitar, keyboard/synths galore, thumping bass, a variety of horns, a full drum kit and additional hand percussion plus mallet percussion/marimba too. On Oni Pond is a record full of variety possessing a groove and danceable charm, dashes of folk, and an overwhelmingly sense of style that reveals its layers more with each spin.

Pale Communion.

7. Opeth- Pale Communion: Another interesting chapter in the gradual evolution of Opeth's style. It's been of note in any article, interview, publication, etc. that with its predecessor, "Heritage" they took on a more prog-rock stance; however, to be fair they've always possessed elements of both, and if anything they simply added more weight to the prog-rock side of the scale with that album (as well as this one), but elements of metal and their older material can still be found here as well.

The music itself is an impressive landscape as always: crisp clean vocals, dramatic organ textures, gliding guitar solos, complex song structures, intriguing time changes, some of the most killer drumming of our time--- parts of this are practically jazz, but still under the umbrella of metal. Any fan of Opeth shouldn't be disappointed with the incredibly skilled performances taking place here-- some bands could spend lifetimes longer in the rehearsal room and still not achieve a sound this equally precise, heavy, and expansive. The only bummer about any Opeth album being released is simply the fact that it'll be at least a couple years before another one comes out; but on the bright side, you'll be so entertained, by their latest album, and that with repeated listens more and more details of the album reveal itself-- you won't mind the wait a bit.

Kaffepunch.

8. Habadekuk- Kaffepunch: This Danish group have added one hell of a notch to their belt with this release with their latest album, "Kaffepunch" winning the Danish Music Awards, "Folk Album of the Year" as well as the, "Tradition of the Year 2014" proving this band has no fear of a sophomore slump.

The machine of this album is built of many different stylistic bits and pieces: its full of celtic flare, hopping polka beats, and even sprinkled with jazz and swing-- reviving some old Danish folk tunes along the way. The album portrays instrumental virtuosos performing anything from jazz to polka to salsa and beyond with plenty of jigs, reels, and polka to spare; soaring horn work, bouncing piano, melodic accordion, flashy fiddle-work, topped off with a full drum kit for a huge colorful sound.

9. Sharon Van Etten- Are We There: With the fourth album in, Sharon Van Etten has really hit it out the park with this one. Her voice is bursting to its full potential, flaunting her soothing tonality and soulful range. The album displays the strength of her craftsmanship alone, with every song perfectly shifting into another; textured with the gliding piano accompaniment, the gentle strumming guitars, the breezy woodwinds, and soft glittering organ.

Are We There

The album is a gorgeous mist of one sappy tale after the other-- its so incredibly bare, and it seems that its all wonderfully held together by a single thread: Etten's voice.  She doesn't hide behind anything, her voice just floats along the top and she just scoops it up along the way; planting little treasures in the daze of this brilliant album from start to finish. Something so sad sounding seldom manages to be so sincere and yet make you so happy all at once.


10. At the Gates- At War With Reality: I have to admit, though I've always liked them, I had never followed At the Gates too closely either-- but they are both grabbing the attention of old and new fans across the board with their latest album, "At War With Reality". Through various interviews, especially a particular one that comes to mind with Decibel Magazine-- it seemed like a huge concern for both the band and their core audience was the fact that they were finally doing another album 19 years later after stating they would never do a new album, topped with the predicament of being caught in the shadow of their own, "Slaughter of the Soul".  The bands latest offering not only prevails, it exceeds expectations. True, "At War With Reality" is a grower, not a shower, or perhaps more accurately--- it's a grower at first, and then a shower.

At War With Reality.

The songs are somewhat complex and aren't necessarily an instantly accessible brand of metal, but the listen is more than just "rewarding after repeated listens"; it's a layered metal album, that with each listen reveals itself more, each scream grows in emotional intensity-- each riff stacks the chips higher, and the weight of the album grows. With that growth, every previous album served as a building block to achieve the massive effect  instilled on this album. The pulsating rhythm explodes, the tremolo picking guitars, the gliding across the strings on the shredding solos, and the sheer relentless energy of the group boils throughout the album better than ever before--- topped with the signature calling of pure adrenalin setting in with the trademark scream of Thomas "Tompa" Lindberg commanding this record full-speed ahead.

It's not, "good for a comeback album"-- it's simply a good metal album, period-- from guys who pioneered a unique subgenre of metal often imitated but never properly duplicated. This album is evidence of them having this reputation: no one could make an album like them and not be anything more than simply a copycat. "At War With Reality" shows they were hailed by those bands attempting to capture what they created with good reason, and that no one else could ever top them at their own game.