Thursday, October 13, 2011

The Iron Atrocity Video Show: Episode 2

The Iron Atrocity Video Show
Episode 2
Featuring: Aftermath AD, Crown the Lost, and Hero Destroyed

Pittsburgh Metal is an awesome thing.  There are so many people who are doing absolutely everything possible to promote the scene.  Some people in particular I'd like to mention are Scott Massie, Craig Anderson, and Joe Stammerjohn.  These guys are working their fingers to the bone and are turning their brains into liquid every month, and most people don't even know it.  

Scott Massie is the voice of Storm King and runs Innervenus Records.  Craig Anderson has played in various local bands, most recently Neverending Misery, as well as running a website called ThePittsburghScene.com.  Joe Stammerjohn plays in A Prior I as well as Directing/Shooting videos with Eye to the Sky Films.  These three together, with the help of Christopher Woodford, have started a monthly video show featuring local music videos. (Forgive me if I left something out, or screwed up a detail.)


This my friends, is awesomeness.  Watch it, spread it to your friends like a disease, show your mom, play it for your schools show-and-tell day.  Do something with it...

-Jared

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Skell - Shangrila 27 Review

Shangrila 27 - 2008

"Bones" Bono - Vocals
Mike Palone - Guitars
Michael Ekis - Bass
Keith Kweder - Drums
Take Slipknot, Mushroomhead, Korn and any other of the bands of that type, blend them up, spit them out... and you’ll get some sort sort of Shangrila 27 blend.  It’s a very catchy cd, without being catchy.  I know that's a contradictory statement, but let me back it up.  The riff work on the cd with the guitar has everything that you would/could as for as a catchy/chunky song... but they all lack that vocal hook on the chorus.  Also, in my opinion, in order for a hook to work you must give some kind of cusp in the music.  It needs to change direction of some sort; a build up, a tempo change, a scale key change or any number of things would work to make this happen... but it just never seems to come in any of the songs.  It just follows the - verse, chorus, verse, solo, chorus, verse/chorus - song structure that is common amongst a lot of bands.  I always feel like I can predict what is going to come next, and I always feel like I’m relating the song to something I’ve heard before.  Also, I feel like the vocals are a little strong in the mix.  I understand that there is probably an emphasis being put on them, but I still would have preferred them brought down.    On to the positive.  
The leads are good.  I enjoyed them a lot, the first song in particular, Fight.  That song has an awesome dual lead full of super-fast note runs topped off with a throaty wah wah pedal.  I like the sweep range of the wah wah pedal.    Don’t Speak has some good leads as well.  I love the album art, it’s very dark and dreary.  On the spots that I can pull the bass guitar out, I like the tone.  It’s very barky and throaty.  If I had to pick a favorite song, it would probably be The Hole.  It’s the heaviest track on the album.  It has a very Pantera feel to a couple of the riffs as well as another great lead.  There is an odd acoustic/clean part towards the end, but I’ll forgive that.
This is probably not a cd I would buy.  I wouldn’t turn it off if it were on the radio or anything, it’s just not the type of music that I put in my cd player.  I’ve seen them live 3-4 times, and I have enjoyed their live set every time that I’ve seen them.  It’s good live music, just not something that I would probably have in my cd player.  If you enjoy most of what 105.9 plays, this is a great CD for you!

Monday, October 3, 2011

Storm King - Angels of Enmity Review

I havent' been able to post as much as I initially wanted to, life catches up to you sometimes.  Here is my very first CD review.  Hope you enjoy it.
Angels of Enmity - 2009
Adam Weston - Guitar
Andy Kichi - Guitar
Mark Bogacki - Bass
Tom D'Andrea - Drums
Scott Massie - Vocals


Storm King, Angels of Enmity is a great offering from the Pittsburgh metal community.  The entire bands has chops, and it comes out during each and every song on this Album.  Scott Massie has one of the most interesting voices in the community.  He’s just the beginning of the band though.  A very solid, solid album.  It has everything.  It starts off with a flurry of solos.  The solos are an awesome blend of melody with just enough shred to keep the guitar players listening happy.  Every song has a great place to bang your head, whether it’s a chunky gallop such as the offering in The Keeper of Shadows, or the end of Miss Anthropy with the extended palm muted section at the end.

There are so many tasteful leads on this album.  I can’t compliment them enough on this.  It makes my ears so happy when a guitarist in the metal scene can show that much feel in a lead, kudos.  I’m not the biggest fan of the all out shred-fest.  The drumming is solid, there aren’t any sections of drumming that particularly caught my ear.  This is not a bad thing, it just didn’t leave me with anything that made me go, “Damn, that was crazy!”.   Although, there was an instrumental - A Constant Struggle, I feel like it was slightly misplaced.  The song it’s self just asks for vocals, and I feel like there wasn’t necessarily enough going on with the guitar that justified not having vocals to the song.  That being said, it’s still a great track.  
If there was a track I had to pick as a favorite, it would have to be The Death Equation.  It’s got a very cool thrashy intro the is followed up by a cool riff with some natural harmonics... which then becomes a theme of the song.  The chromatic buildup to the chorus is also killer.  The chorus in the song is, in my opinion, why Storm King is who they are.  The harmony between the vocals and the guitars is just awesome.  The bass break in this song is very cool too.
I thoroughly enjoyed this cd.  And I will continue to enjoy it.  The production is on par with everything being put out right now, and the music is very pleasing to the ear.  Thanks to Storm King for putting out this great release, Evolution or Armageddon.  
-Jared