Turns out I was wrong

Go to Alice in Chains website and download a brand new track from AIC. Or if you so chose, I guess you can purchase said track, "A Looking in View" from iTunes, Amazon, etc. I personally chose the free way. So what was I wrong on? Well, I thought due to the teaser trailers the band released, it would be a new video. Wrong, it's a new single. So how does it stack up? Read on.

It is, first off, really heavy. Not in that death metal, speed/trash heavy but in a ominous, minor chord, groove heavy. Just like "We Die Young" off of Facelift the track starts off as a straight up heavy handed affair. It's kind of a menacing track, but it no where doesn't sound like AIC. It stacks up remarkably well. Of course that should be expected, as except for the late Layne Staley not being present it's the same band that's been together since 1993. The big question, how does William DuVall stack up with Layne Staley?

DuVall is no replacement. He sounds remotely nothing like Staley and I think this works in the bands favor. There have been dozens of bands that have attempted to recreate Staley's vocals and be the AIC replacement, and failed miserbly (I'm looking at you Godsmack and Staind) and I think that the refromed AIC is better off finding someone who can both hold his own and harmonize with Cantrell, which they have found in DuVall. The man isn't quite as powering of a voice as Staley was, but he fits and most importantly doesn't drag the song or the band down. All AIC fans can breathe easy now, as there is no horrendous vocalist to tarnish the band's legacy.

I was half expecting some sort of solo from Cantrell in the song, but considering half the band's previous material didn't contain solos, I don't know what I was thinking. I am satisfied with the song and as someone who was literally forced by my birth and when I got into heavy music to miss out on AIC's heyday finds the song refreshing. Let's face it, modern hard rock is pretty banal and Alice In Chains releasing a straight up bruiser/mind trip of an excellent return record could be a godsend. On the other hand, it simply could be seen as another old band getting together again. I mean, let's face it, BrokenCYDE is a far cry from the days of grunge and alt-metal and Nickelback, for some unholy reason, continue to be popular. Then again, the Creed renuion is not pulling them in like they used to, so maybe there is hope.

It is a sad day

When this debuts at #83 on the Billboard charts. Wait a second, why should I be sad about that? I wrote off the radio and pop music years ago! Still, it's fun to hate.

Brokencyde- Booty call feat. E-40


On another note, the dudes in the reformed, Layne Staley-less Alice in Chains keep posting trailer videos for their new album, Black Gives Way to Blue. Here's the latest trailer.



The visuals are the same as the last video, but good God almighty does that sound heavy! Oh, and just for the record, the full video that this teaser is promoting, A Looking in View, comes out... TOMORROW!! The album drops September 29.

Now this is what a music video should be!

Here's the crazy thing, I was feeling a little underwhelmed by a lot of what's "up and coming" in metal for awhile there. Then I re-examined Gojira and found them to be even more amazing than I originally thought. Then, I began hearing things about this band called Hacride. So I did a little searching and OH MY FREAKIN' GOD!!! Not quite up to Gojira status, but still some of the more inventive and interesting and utterly crushing metal I've heard as of late. Both bands have pretty awesome music videos and, guess what, they are both French bands. Yes, French metal bands. Good French metal bands. I think I need to re-examine my former dislike for these folk. On another note, the French (and most of Europe for that matter) don't have the same problems with the human body that we do, i.e. there's boobs in these videos. Enjoy!

Hacride- Perturbed


Gojira- To Sirius


Gojira- Vacuity


Why must I be short on cash right as I'm finding music I actually deem worthy to buy>!?

In all due respect

I would like to state that I feel deeply for the families and friends of Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon. All three of these near legendary entertainers passed away within the last couple of days (McMahon on the 23rd, Fawcett and Jackson yesterday, the 25th). I have no doubt the loved ones and those who loved these three are mourning deeply. So my condolences are given. With that said, I think that there are some things to keep in mind regarding at least one of these individuals, one Mr. Michael Jackson.

I, unlike what seems to be a strange amount of people in my generation (I'm 24), did not "grow up" on Michael Jackson. My first memories of the "King of Pop" have absolutely nothing to do with his music, rather it being his voice over appearance on The Simpsons. I guess you can throw up the video premiere of "Black or White" too but outside of those instances I have no memories of MJ other than as a weird, psychologically unstable and maladjusted pedophile. He was, for most of my life a strange, scary, weird individual who at one time was aligned with some of the greatest pop songwriters out there. I have no doubt that MJ was a very kind and decent person to those he loved and early on in his life he was most likely a pretty average individual. For whatever reasons though, whether it be some genetic predisposition or the early spot light or his own father being not much of a father, Jackson went nuts. It is entirely normal for people to view only the positives of a person after they die, it is one of the coping mechanisms we humans use to deal with the absence of someone in our physical lives. Having recently lost two close family members, I understand this very well. So, please, if you have a love for the man's music and that part of his legacy, by all means celebrate it! He made a lot of people happy and no doubt inspired countless musicians. However, I don't think we can forget the fact that he did some really reprehensible things and that if he were not the "King of Pop" and just some other once black, now white, waifish child molester we'd be celebrating his death. One more perv gone.

I don't think he should be held up to the revisionist history of being blameless and I also don't think he should be seen as a total creep with no redeeming values. He was a human being like all of us and his good and bad should be taken as such. He was crazy but a fantastic entertainer who gave millions a bright spot in their lives. I know how much the music I love affects me, so I won't dare take that away from those who cherish his music. Long story short, he ain't no saint, but he ain't no demon and his good should be remembered equally with his bad.

Ladies and gentlemen... get your haterade ready!

A preface; I use wikipedia a lot in this post. Sorry. Bad English major. I also happen to use bad grammar. Bad, bad English major. I would also like to mention that while I did read everything on the websites I link to, I very well could have misread or missed something. So, if you all find something that makes me look like a complete tool, please feel free to point it out. Just try and do it nicely instead of like anonymous poster who felt it was his/her right to tell me I'm an idiot. I already knew that, so please be kind. Now...

I'm gonna piss everyone off. Yep. Everyone. I'm gonna write about religion. Not just any religion though, no sir. I'm gonna write about Christianity, but not just any old Christianity, I am gonna write about... get ready for it... SPIRIT FILLED CHRISTIANITY!!! Yep, here I go writing about the Apostolics, Charismatics, and everyone's favorite evidence of "yep, Christians are crazy, look at them babble!" For those of you who are wondering what a spirit filled Christian is (as I wanted a few more denominations to mention) here is a Wiki-Answer to the question 'What is a spirit-filled Christian?"; A spirit filled christian is a person who has accepted the Lord as their savior they then are filled with the holy spirit. Thanks for clearing that up. I'm glad I now know absolutely nothing about their theology, lifestyle, services, worldwide impact, etc. etc. Really though, I can sum up what this whole thing is for you, as good as any wiki answer can.

The term "spirit-filled Christianity" is something that I have recently had some experience with, but for most of my life I knew it as Pentecostalism or Charismatic Christianity. My first one on one experience was with a friend I had my freshman year of high school who assured me that the evidence of being filled with the holy spirit was speaking in tongues. This didn't sit well with my 15 year old mind, which more or less took him as saying, "you aren't a true Christian because you don't do x." This has been my view of the whole issue for sometime. It still is. I have always viewed this particular "manifestation" of the spirit serving one purpose in the early church, if you are going to follow the Bible as your authority on the matter. It was meant to speak the words of Christ to people in their own language, i.e. no translator. The original Greek phrases used to describe the act of speaking in tongues are the root words of glossa and dialektos which mean, respectively, "tongue" and "language." They are used synonymously and can therefore be seen as the disciples speaking in known languages to the crowd they were speaking to (check out Acts 2:7-8). It was a means to spread the word of God, not a means to communicate to God. That was the gift of no more intercessor, i.e., no more rabbi. The important element in the Pentecost was to allow the direct interaction of everyone with God through prayer, not simply so a select few "chosen ones" who have the "manifestation of the Spirit" can.

There is more though. Did you know that studies have show a heightened sense of emotion that comes with "speaking in tongues?" By the way, from here on out I will simply refer to it by the scientific term of glossolalia, which is the combination of Greek words glossa"tongue,language" and lalein"to talk" Yep, that's right, all those intense moments you see on t.v. where people are crying, babbling, and raising their arms are emotionally charged. It's very easy to follow a crowd when the emotions run high. Think about it in terms of music concerts. How charged up and emotional can you get seeing your favorite band play. Your brain is a delicate instrument and when something gets too much activity and is too focused upon one thing, like emotions, the rest of your brain functions suffer. However, this emotional element does not discount it altogether as there is evidence that glossolalia is still similar to human speech. It has rhythm, intonation and syllables. However, there is no structure, coherence, or intentional methodology associated with forming glossolalia. In essence, it appears close enough to human speech to be able to be picked up, but not close enough to be understood.

So why does this happen? That, I don't know. I'm on the fence. On the one hand, if God is as all powerful as he is supposed to be, then why not? But then why would God chose such an esoteric and foreign way to communicate with his children? If glossolalia is simply some sort of learned, emotional, trance-hypnosis babble, the why can seemingly normal people suddenly become infatuated with it? Are we all open to being "hypnotized" by incredibly emotional experiences? Or, on a far out limb, could this whole movement of "spirit-filled Christianity" be one huge ploy by the dark spiritual forces of this world to lead the faithful astray? Could the second largest movement in Christianity today be one big, misleading, emotional fraud? Hey, at least I'm seriously considering spiritual things again.

Told you I wasn't going to make any friends.

P.S. Read more Here and here.
P.S.S. This is not meant, in anyway shape or form to be the final authority on the matter. I plan to read far more and talk to more individuals about this, including ones who claim that glossolalia is for real and they participate in it. Like everything on this blog, it's something that sparked my interest and I wanted to see if anyone else's interest was sparked.

The most exciting news I've heard all day.

Here was the top story on my news feed this morning.
Woman gets most boring story nod of the month!

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I think we all should start using this device.



I promise to have something more serious up in the next week here. I'm simply waiting for time to sit down and write it. I have tomorrow off and plan on doing ab-so-freakin'-lutley nada. Except clean. Maybe.

Joy and comfort,
-D

In which Faith No More eased the pain

To whit;

This is not metal.
Attack! Attack! -"Stick Stickly"


For all requests of your 3:34 seconds of life back, give me a comment. I'll gladly give it back to you. Metal Sucks however is not so kind.

Now that the first sign of the apocalypse is done, watch something GOOD!

Faith No More -"Midlife Crisis"


Panckaes,
-D

In which we will sanction North Korea

It appears that tensions between the U.S. and North Korea will not get any better anytime soon. In a recent Reuters article we see that the U.S. is in talks with South Korea about financial sanctions against North Korea. It appears as if the Obama administration is doing exactly what it was meant to do, be a prettier version of a Bush administration. I am no political guru and I certainly don't have time to visit every news site out there, but what I have noticed appearing recently in Obama is a strong desire to make friends and be liked. His first 100 days seemed to be filled with bill after bill being signed and the start of an economic stimulus package. However, the shit stained reality is hitting and it seems that most of his promises will go unfulfilled. We might look better to the world, but we are still having the same issues. Bolstering of forces in a war (this time Afghanistan), a prison not being closed, jobless rate at it's highest, etc. And in all honesty, I'm mostly pissed that we are still sanctioning another country. Really, all this does is reaffirm that we are a self interested empire trying to keep a lesser country from gaining a destructive advantage. I don't particularly want N. Korea to have nukes, but I don't want to piss them off more and make them hate us further. All that's going to do is make them nuke the U.S. first chance they get.

I guess this means the Christian Anti-Communism Crusade is getting it's wish. Oh wait, Obama's the communist. I forget.

Fuck politics.

Coffee shops make me sleepy

Or maybe it's my lack of sleeping at night. Whatever. I've got a show on Friday (tomorrow) back in the old hometown of Colorado Springs. Good old Conservachristtown will be assaulted by the tunes of current musical endeavor, Ruins of Tomorrow, and former musical endeavor, Marriage of Convenience. In case you are wondering if playing with a band that I was ceremoniously kicked out off and quit simultaneously is weird much like this awkward sentence, the answer is no. So if you are anywhere near the 719 around 8 tomorrow night, go to Union Station, have a drink and see some metal. It's good for you.

On another note, I am recording the bass lines to a new Ruins of Tomorrow song on Saturday. So far it's sexilicious and no doubt the addition of mastering, bass and vocals will make it that much more enticing. Look for it to be up on the internets around late June-ish.

I've been spinning the recent Success Will Write Apocalypse Across The Sky album and it sounds nothing like what you would expect it to with such a stupidly long name. Think short bursts of modern Floridian style brutal death metal and you've got an idea. Good stuff indeed. Also, the new Daath. I've talked about it before, but dammit did those guys pull out a good record!

Lastly, Pres. Obama has recently been wandering around the world trying to make friends. He has called for a "new beginning between US and Muslims," and stated that "Just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype, America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire," in a recent Associated Press article. I can agree with half of that (not all Muslim people fit the stereotype, I'm sure) but America as a country, well, I wish I had a bullshit button. That's all the politics I'm going to do today, so until whenever, keep your nose clean.

Updte... as if anyone gives a shit.

Alright, to start things off I have a correction to make. In my blog entitled "Grrl Powered Cock Rock!" I mistakenly referred to bands such as WASP, Ratt, Poison etc. as "Power Metal." I realize that power metal is a legit, if equally cheesy, genre of metal and these hair bands have no right to be spoken in the same sentence as Stratovarius, Sonata Artica, Blind Guardian, etc. So I apologize, I need to learn how to proof read. As for the poster who remained anonymous and basically told me my view sucks and I am an idiot, well, fuck you and the birth canal that your mother spewed you from. In all seriousness, I am trying my best to see what I am mistaken on and where exactly my "politics delude reality." As human beings we have the mental capacity to break free from traditionally put upon gender roles and traits. Even if those gender roles and traits are defined by chemical reactions to incoming stimuli, it still doesn't mean we have to go back to men being men, women being women. The only thing that is truly different between myself and any woman walking the street is that I was ascribed a Y chromosome that gave me a penis and non lactating, undeveloped breasts. Everything else is societal, familial, and cultural (and yes, culture and society are different). Once again, I appreciate any and all comments, criticism and editing on these blog posts. I like new information being thrown my way. Just be prepared for a rude, snide, not to be taken seriously, colorful response. I like those.

Alright, now that that's off my chest, I'd like to take a poll. How's that economic stimulus working out for you? It should be happening right? I know that I'm definitely feeling it after only a few months of an Obama administration. It's not like these things take time or something. To be honest, I haven't kept up with the news as of late. I honestly have been wrapped up in my own world as my family has had a time of it. So I guess when I have something more important to write I will. Otherwise, go check out Success Will Write Apocalypse Across The Sky, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Tombs, and Psalters. I'm digging on all of them recently. Til next time.

The metal rain!

It's raining here in good old Greality and snowing, well, everywhere else in CO. Since the rest of the state and the great city of Cheyenne (where my show tonight was, sadly canceled) seem to be covered in the white stuff, here's some metal news. Because I have no life outside of the metals.


Slipknot, The Agonist and Bring me the Horizon all released new videos this week. None of them are that terribly impressive, but I think these three bands each reveal something different about the current state of metal. I'll let you all to make up your minds, but the phrase "twice baked" seems to fit all three.

Slipknot- Sulfur

Slipknot - New Music - More Music Videos

The Agonist- ...And Their Eulogies Sang Me to Sleep
The Agonist - ...and Their Eulogies Sang Me to Sleep


Bring Me The Horizon- Diamonds Aren't Forever

Bring Me The Horizon - New Music - More Music Videos

In other news, Chimaira and Daath are both releasing new albums on Tuesday. Yay! I am currently on my third spin of the new Chimaira disc and I am finding that sometimes I enjoy the piss out of it and others I am bored beyond the desire to piss. Seriously, they seem really lazy half the time and rally inspired the other. Lame. Daath on the other hand, I am so stoked about! Every song I've heard thus far has lead me to think it will be an excellent addition and far above the exciting/boring album that "The Hinderers" is. Anyway, decide for yourself!
Daath on myspace
Chimaira on myspace

Also, apparently Mike Patton wrote the score for the new Crank film. I've never seen the first one and probably wouldn't go see the second if it weren't for the fact that MIKE FUCKING PATTON WROTE THE DAMN SCORE!!! Click here for a glorified commercial for Crank: High Voltage and some insight into Mike Patton's song writing process. Cheers and beers my friends!

The State of Metal, pt. 2. Or in other words, the long awaited conclusion to a barely read and hardly recognizable blog.

To begin this blog, I was going to have a video showcasing the difference between hardcore dancing and mosh pitting (is that an appropriate term?). However, all the videos sucked so instead here's a guy getting kicked in the nuts.



Crappy videos aside, the point of this long, un-awaited follow up to my last posting (dated June 11, 2008) is to finally engage in the discussion of what the hell is happening to metal. The what was originally meant to be a trio of blogs stemmed from a class project on the sociological reasons for the development of hardcore and metal music. I got a B on the project. See kids, do your homework in advance, not the night before. Still, the project made me think about the music. Why did these styles of music gain the steam they did? I won't recount everything here, but suffice it to say you can watch American Hardcore and Metal: A Headbanger's Journey for a crash course in both styles developments. What I am mainly concerned with here is, where is metal now?

Metal has been en vogue for a number of years now. I could cite a number of reasons (the Bush administration, the War in Iraq, the blandness of late 90's music, the coming of age of youth raised on In Flames, At the Gates, etc.) but really those don't matter that much right now. Metal, in 2009, is a fractured, stale, cookie cutter industry. That's right. I'm here to say that for all the good things that have happened to metal since the turn of the century, nine years in the genre has failed to bring about what it so desperately needs. New ideas. When the metalcore boom occured between 2003-2005 the bands sounded fresh. Most of this was due to those bands having had the chance to slog through the club and unsigned scene for a number of years. Plus these were people who were genuine fans of both hardcore and metal and had found a way to combine the two. Shadow's Fall, Killswitch Engage, All That Remains, Unearth, Lamb of God, God Forbid, Chimaira, Shai Hulud... the list goes on. While nothing these bands were doing was inventive, it was new. It was exciting. Soon it got bogged down by imitators and trend setters. Some of those bands saw this as a chance to grow and change (Lamb of God, God Forbid, Chimaira, to name a few) and some saw this as a chance to do the same thing over again (Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, and a host of others). Some soon saw metalcore as too weak, too by the numbers, too "un-metal" I suppose. Enter Deathcore and the current trend.

Before I continue, I must admit that I play in a bonafide Deathcore band. We are called Ruins of Tomorrow and I absolutely love playing in this band. Compared with my past musical endeavors, I feel like I am playing with fully committed, articulate and creative musicians. I will make no bones about it. We have breakdowns. We have melodeath, swede heavy riffs. We've got two vocalists. We have fans who two step and hardcore dance and who spend more time on their hair than I would ever care too. I say this because I am going to be unwavering in my accusations against this current trend of deathcore, knowing full well that the "true kvlt" will label me a hypocrite, bandwagoner, or pay me no mind whatsoever because at last check, 84 people have viewed my blog.

So deathcore, we meet at last. For those who need a primer, I am not giving one. I'm simply sending you to wikipedia and horrifying all of my ex-English profs in the process. I didn't really discover this phenomenon until I joined my current band and they began talking about Whitechapel, Despised Icon, Suicide Silence, etc. What I found was an attempt at a new take on being heavy and brutal and I kind of liked it. At the same time, I didn't. I found in it a lot of trappings that made metalcore stale. Excessive use of breakdowns, unimaginative swede rip off riffing, chants, and that bane of all "true headbangers", hardcore dancing. There was little sounding longevity to the style and as second tier bands have emerged (Rose Funeral, Oceano, Emmure, ABACABB) there is less hope for longevity. It's not that these bands can't play. They all have chops. Lots of chops. But there is no, and I mean NO real creativity in them. Personally, I enjoy listening to most of these bands when I am pissed off. It's a great fucking release, but don't fool yourself into thinking that they are adding anything new to the metal gene pool. These bands come off as recessive genes, adding the brown eyes, brown hair, moderate skin tone and other plain white, European traits to an already boring looking person (how's that for Eurocentrism?). But this person is fun to hang out with. A lot of fun. I think I've put my finger on it. Metal, in it's current form is less about innovation and more about imitation. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but eventually the flattered upon says, "enough for fucks sake! Be your own person!"

As I am typing this, I realize there are a host of great albums out there. From 2008, we have Origin's Antithesis, Becoming the Archetype's Dichotomy, Meshuggah's Obzen, Gojira's The Way of All Flesh and more recently God Forbid's Earthsblood. I'm sure most of you could compile your own list of greats from 2008 and 2009, but these are the ones that come to mind. Mastodon's Crack the Skye proves to be a contender to inject a much needed shot of ingenuity into the genre, but really isn't that band kind of their own at this point? Some of you could even point out the most obscure death metal band as the contender for king of the proverbial mountain and some of you would say, "you overlooked insert my favortie band of the moment!" Here is the other problem I see as I wind up this long winded, go no where blog. There is a lot of metal out there. The internet and the ease of sharing your music has caused an influx of new bands that hasn't been seen since... well ever. Sorting out the wheat from the chaff is becoming increasingly harder. Something has to change.

But what? I don't actually have any answers aside from, be more unique and creative. But where to go from here? Become more technically proficient in hopes of becoming more creative? Start listening to other genres and add them? Get heavier? Faster? Slower? It's all been done. Where metal will go from here is anyone's guess. Hopefully someone will spice up the metal stew soon. For now, we all must be content with having ourselves spoonfed a satisfying, if an ultimately bland metal meal. Metal is more popular than it may have ever been, but is it better? The answer, like all hard questions, is yes and no. For the moment, I need to go practice, because ultimately, someone has to do something and that's my starting point. Keep the metal faith alive!

The State of Metal, pt. 1

Metal. It's been the code I've lived by since I was 16. The music of metal has colored my worldview in more ways than even I may know. To those of you who don't listen to metal as obsessively as I do you probably don't understand the appeal. It's loud, full of lots of notes played really fast, aggressive and very much counter cultural. Metal, real metal, will never "sell" and will never be understood on a grand scale. Every now and then a band like Metallica will make waves, but let's face it; the 'tallica boys gave up on real metal right around 1991. Still, somehow they have been able to expose the main stream of society to the world of skull crushing, house shaking music. Metal is much more than a style of music; it is a lifestyle. It is not, despite some misguided assumptions, about becoming an ardent Satanist. It is not about being an overly aggressive meathead. Does it appeal to these folks? Hell yea it does. Why is that? Well, metal has at it's core several characteristics, two of them being aggression and dissent.

Aggression is in the nature of the music itself. Metal was always about playing faster, rougher, louder, darker, and angrier. It's music that gets the blood pumping. It’s music that makes you, as a guitarist friend said, "want to break a rule." However, the music is also about dissent, but not necessarily in the "punk rock" sense most imagine dissent to be.

Dissent in punk music revolves around rallying against something happening presently in society that you don't agree with. It is a reactionary form of music. Metal on the other hand, grew organically from harder edged rock of the 60's and 70's. The people creating the music though were not the disenfranchised middle class youth of punk. Rather it was kids who had nothing more to do than play music. Kids who grew up in rough neighborhoods, in families that were sometimes broken, and didn't necessarily make a whole lot of money. It came from people who lived in "shit-holes." In severely non-affluent backgrounds. To wax sociological and somewhat Marxist, it came from the "peasants" and the "workers," those who are under the heal of the Capitalist system. Here is metals dissent. It is not a reactionary form of music like punk, but rather an outgrowth of strained cultural dynamics. Here is where metal begins to become a lifestyle. It grew initially out of the same stock of people, growing up in the same depressed urban and rural environments and presented itself to these same people. As such, it's influence and ability to appeal to a wider audience was built in from the get go. However, someone from an affluent background would not particularly understand the issue of growing up in this culture and system. The aggression of the music, the rallying against religion as a form of social and cultural control, grows from the frustrations born into an individual from this facet of society. This is what I have come to think is at the heart of metal as a lifestyle.

This is not to say that one must come from this sort of background to understand and appreciate metal, but it helps. I myself am from Colorado Springs, CO. I grew up in a loving home, with parents and family who have supported me every step of the way. We have always been considered "poor" by American standards though. I think, at our peak, my family made around 26,000 a year. For a family of five, that's just barely scrapping by. Of course, as a teenager I didn't understand the things that I just outlined above, I just liked the music. There is something in there that speaks to the same type of person though and I now feel that part of that was what I outlined above.

Due to the title of this blog, I am assuming many of you felt I was going to talk more about what is actually happening in metal musically today. Don't fret I will get to that. I feel though that some background was needed as metal has also changed in regards to its "lifestyle." Culture is not a static thing and neither is metal. The music as well as the culture of metal is changing in sometimes-drastic ways. If this is for the best or not, I haven't decided. Personally, my view on metal and the culture surrounding it have changed as I've grown more and dove more fully into the metal world. It is these ideas and perceptions I have come to over the years that I want to talk about in the next few parts of this blog. I will begin the next time outlining the current musical state of metal, how it got to the point it is at, and where I feel it is headed. Then I will begin to talk about the implications on the culture of metal and it's changing state. I don't know if I'll have more after that, but there is a good chance. So, stay tuned, I hope to get the next part up soon (which I always say, I realize that). Horns up!

-Dan

Vegan update

Well, it's been a little more than a week of trying to be vegan. First off, I've been hungry. Really hungry. Getting enough foodstuffs is a problem for a college student, let alone a vegan one. But, I did alright. Raisin Bran is a good source and there are these really good vegan frozen waffles. They are called "Vans'" and you can find in the frozen "naturals" section of most supermarkets.

Second, I "graduated" college yesterday! Woo hoo! I still have a couple classes for the summer, but for all intents and purposes, I'm DONE! My g/f threw me this huge party yesterday, lots of friends and family and tons of food. Problem is, none of it was vegan. So, in order to keep things easy and not complicated, we recanted on our month long vegan-ism yesterday. Yes, I ate cheese, cake, and snack mix with cheese. Later, my body decided to yell at me after playing a gig, forcefully stating just why I can't splurge on something I've cut out of my diet. So, if any of you were going to chastise me for not sticking to it for a straight month, and rightly so you would be, let it be known my body told just how stupid I was.

The cake was flippin' incredible though. And all the other food. I'll have a graduation blog later, as it was kind of a trip.

In case you are wondering if I am going to keep with the vegan thing for the rest of the month, I think that I am. I haven't decided totally yet, but I think I will be.

Grrl Powered Cock Rock!!

I took this Anthropology class which discussed the implications that art has on globalization and how art has and is an expression of an individual's culture from their own viewpoint. Basically, the whole issue of globalization is seen as a negative, however through the medium of art, which is constantly crossing international boundaries, there is a positive take on globalization. There is a crossing over of genres and new ideas being added to old sounds. Exciting stuff really. This blog however is not about that. No, this blog in fact is about feminism and rock music. One of the girls in my class gave a presentation where she exposed the class to, as she deemed them, "girl cover bands of cock rock bands." I know what you are thinking; "some chicks out there are doing their own version of Ratt, Poison, WASP, etc." See, when I hear "cock rock" that's what I think of. Overly masculine, horrible 80's power metal bands. Perhaps I'm mistaken in that definition. If I am, please correct me.

The cover bands she featured were "Lez Zeppelin," "AcDshe," "Kisses (female Kiss cover band)," and "Iron Maidens." For the most part, these bands sound like cover bands. They play the songs decently well, don't sound terribly original, and overall have bad vocals. Still the implication that these bands are taking what is perceived as a hyper masculinized form of rock music and making it their own is an indication of female empowerment (mind you, this was still the presenters assertion). I would like to disagree with this.

First off, I will admit that it isn't a huge stretch to reach the conclusion she made. However, my first problem is that these bands are not doing anything new. A cover band is meant as one thing; to pay tribute to a band that you enjoy to listen to. To regurgitate someone else's artistic accomplishments and then say that what's being done is new and empowering, is recursive. There is little ground made by a group of women covering "Number of the Beast" in a smoke filled bar in Southern California. Sure the idea is neat, and the whole "taking back the phallic symbol" of the guitar does have some implications, but really it's not going to advance the state of equality and feminism. These tribute bands come across as more of a shtick than anything else and I think most people would view it as such.

Second, the idea of simply doing something that's been done before lends little credibility to someone as an artist. These women could very well try and create music of their own, something that allows them to say what's on their minds. This in and of itself could be a source of motivation and empowerment for younger women who see these original female groups. The idea of, "I want to do what she's doing." The young woman would then go home, learn an instrument, and start the process of creating something new. With the right mindset, the lyrics and the music could be a vessel for change, much as rock music has been in it's short history. A cover band does little to nothing to advance these goals.

Third, focusing on these types of bands as the source of empowerment does not give credit to the real force of change going on in the metal community; female fronted metal bands. If you are even remotely familiar with the heavy weights of the metal scene at the moment, you know that Arch Enemy are huge. Arch Enemy are fronted by none other than Angela Gossow. Otep (not Opeth) are also a female fronted metal band who have gained a fair amount of popularity. Both of these bands feature aggressive vocals (of the "cookie monster" variety), places that have been dominated exclusively by males. The fact is, these women (along with many others) have taken the most unintelligible, aggressive and what would typically be thought of as "masculine" vocals and done them extremely well. Sometimes better than most guys. If you want to talk about women taking over something that has been seen as masculine and domineering, talk about this. Not only are these women creating something of their own, but they are also placing themselves in the position of authority (the singer) and doing it in a hyper masculine form (death metal style vocals).

There is still a breach though. There are very few female guitarists out there. Very few female drummers. There seem to be a disproportionate number of female bassists though. Also, while Gossow and Otep have talked about empowering young women by being on stage, the majority of the metal fan is still male and still only sees "the hot singer." While this in itself is nothing new to rock (there has always been the "hot singer" in rock, male or female) there are still more "hot" sentiments towards the women. This is a chasm that the rock/metal community may never pass.

I've only touched on the surface of a very complex issue here. Mostly, it's me reacting and raving. However, I think I've got something here. I would suggest going and looking up some female fronted metal bands. There are some good ones out there. I'll even give you a short list too. Look at me, all nice and shit. :P

Arch Enemy
Otep
Straight Line Stich
In This Moment
Nightwhish
Within Temptation

And there are more. Those are simply the ones I can pull off the top of my head.

Mayday! Mayday!

Alright, so my month long poetry-a-thon Didn't pan out as planned. However, I'm still going to try something here. First off, many of you know that I am a vegetarian. Well, I've decided for the month of May that I am going to attempt to go full fledged Vegan. Mostly, I'm doing it to try and get myself out of some bad eating and spending habits. So, it's kind of like a fast. Starting tomorrow and up until the 31st I will not consume a single animal byproduct. No cheese, no milk, no ice cream, no chocolate... I must be crazy. :P I do however think this will be a good thing for me though, get me back to eating better and not spending my money on Taco Bell or Qudoba.

With this though, I would like to extend an invitation for anyone who is interested to go vegan (or at least vegetarian) with me. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to go veg, or felt a pull to do it recently, this could be your place to start. Hey, I freakin' started because of Lent, so it's not that strange.

I'll be using this blog as a kind of weekly, maybe semi-daily journal to record my progress, my feelings, and other such reality-TV esque variables. So, come and watch me give up that last bastion of dietary normalcy! It'll be a fun ride!

Sad Day...


Goodbye... it's been fun...


Here! Fun link!

You know, just in case you need a reason to go veg. :D

Fearful Women

Arms and the girl I sing - O rare
arms that are braceleted and white and bare

arms that were lovely Helen's, in whose name
Greek slaughtered Trojan. Helen was to blame.

Scape-nanny call her; wars for turf
and profit don't sound glamorous enough.

Mythologize your women! None escape.
Europe was named from an act of bestial rape:

Eponymous girl on bull-back, he intent
on scattering sperm across a continent.

Old Zeus refused to take the rap.
It's not his name in big print on the map.

But let's go back to the beginning
when sinners didn't know that they were sinning.

He, one rib short: she lived to rue it
when Adam said to God, "She made me do it."

Eve learned that learning was a dangerous thing
for her: no end of trouble would it bring.

An educated woman is a danger.
Lock up your mate! Keep a submissive stranger

like Darby's Joan, content with church and Kinder,
not like that sainted Joan, burnt to a cinder.

Whether we wield a scepter or a mop
It's clear you fear that we may get on top.

And if we do -I say it without animus-
It's not from you we learned to be magnanimous.

-Carolyn Kizer

February in Sydney

Dexter Gordon’s tenor sax
Plays “April in Paris”
Inside my head all the way back
On the bus from Double Bay.
Round Midnight, the 50s.
Cool cobblestone streets
Resound footsteps of Bebop
Musicians with whiskey-laced voices
From a boundless dream in French.
Bud, Prez, Webster and The Hawk,
Their names run together riffs.
Painful gods jive talk through
Bloodstained reds and shiny brass
Where music is an anesthetic.
Unreadable faces from the human void
Float like torn pages across the bus
Windows. An old anger drips into my throat,
& I try thinking something good,
Letting the precious bad
Settle to the salty bottom.
Another scene keeps repeating itself;
I emerge from the dark theatre,
Passing a woman who grabs her red purse
& hugs it to her like a heart attack.
Tremolo. Dexter comes back to rest
Behind my eyelids. A lonliness
Lingers like a silver needle
Under my black skin,
As I try to feel how it is
To scream for help through a horn.

-Dexter Gordon

A plethora of poetry!

Since I forgot to post the past few days, you all get four poems today! Neat huh?

My Husband Is a Sniper

And the fat kid likes cake.
We live in the sewer stewing over
melted flesh and our right
to pursue death.

My husband is a sniper
and he waits in the trees
for me to come home
before he fires.

Something went wrong in the desert
and he doesn’t know
whether he pulled the trigger
or not.

And all the men
slip into their corners
to be alive in nightmares
and not remember.

Pike felt blood on his hands
in the right light.
-Amy Solomon-Minarchi


My Sister, Who Died Young, Takes Up The Task

A basket of apples brown in our kitchen,
their warm scent is the scent of ripening,

and my sister, entering the room quietly,
takes a seat at the table, takes up the task

of peeling slowly away the blemished skins,
even half-rotten ones are salvaged carefully.

She makes sure to carve out the mealy flesh.
For this, I am grateful. I explain, this elegy

would love to save everything. She smiles at me,
and before long, the empty bowl she uses fills,

domed with thin slices she brushes into
the mouth of a steaming pot on the stove.

What can I do? I ask finally. Nothing,
she says, let me finish this one thing alone.
-Jon Pineda

Same Old

The same old story is different with each
re-telling. What did mother say? One
of the sisters asserts her truth to the other's
incredulity--someone has to be right.
Was the forest dark or light? Chiaroscuro
doesn't count. It's not logic but will,
the will to win. The trail in Mohican Park
leads to Lyons' Cave, deep and murky
with its rocky brow above the spring
you can drink from, or could. And the dark rot
of leaves under the oaks sprouts morels
you can fry, spongy smoke on the tongue.

You can't make people get along.
Are the sisters speaking? One sulks
outside. The other begins again,
the audience all her own. Branches
break their fall, and the few grasses
are shriveled. Why enter the forest at all?
The arrowheads have been harvested,
and all the bones filed into needles.
-Mary Crow; Colorado Poet Laureate


What It Was Like Those Days

Since, as a child, I was happy
as a child, I thought every one
was happy, including the grimy man
who lived at the city dump in a shack
decorated with hubcaps, broken chairs
by the door cheerfully facing out to a waste,
those days, of rubble smoking and oily dirt,
although it was a strange kind of happiness
I knew I wouldn’t ever know.
Even the dead, I thought then,
grinning as I biked around town,
were happy in their own way.
That’s what it was like.
-Robert King
(by permission Northwest Review)

Believing in Iron

The hills my brothers & I created Never balanced, & it took years To discover how the world worked. We could look at a tree of blackbirds & tell you how many were there, But with the scrap dealer Our math was always off. Weeks of lifting & grunting Never added up to much, But we couldn't stop Believing in iron. Abandoned trucks & cars Were held to the ground By thick, nostalgic fingers of vines Strong as a dozen sharecroppers. We'd return with our wheelbarrow Groaning under a new load, Yet tiger lilies lived better In their languid, August domain. Among paper & Coke bottles Foundry smoke erased sunsets, & we couldn't believe iron Left men bent so close to the earth As if the ore under their breath Weighed down the gray sky. Sometimes I dreamt how our hills Washed into a sea of metal, How it all became an anchor For a warship or bomber Out over trees with blooms Too red to look at. -Yusef Komunyakaa