The thrash metal revival over the past few years has birthed a number of really good bands like Evile, Havok, and Warbringer (to name just a few) but there is only one who’s had a release that has been in constant rotation in my CD player.  With one listen to lead cut “Executioner’s Tax” I knew I’d found a band that had a little extra oomph in the tank over this new breed, so much so that I felt like a mad scientist on the brink of discovery:  “YESSS!  YESSSSSSSSSS!”  That band is Power Trip and their newest release is the mighty Nightmare Logic.

I’m not kidding that this has been non-stop in the CD player.  I may take the occasional break to listen to something else but I’ve returned to this one quite frequently based on multiple factors.  Nightmare Logic is relatively short for the modern CD era but that’s part of its effectiveness-  its eight songs are generally no more than three or four minutes with only one topping out over five, leading to a sonic punch to the gut that’s barely over a half hour.  Once you are done playing it, you want to hit repeat again and again and again.  There is not one wasted moment here-  just one solid wallop after another of varying speeds, heaviness, and intensities that get your blood flowing.

Granted, what you are hearing here is nothing groundbreaking-  you’ll definitely hear elements of various thrash bands:  gang vocals, boot stomping riffs, manic lead breaks, and often politicized lyrics.  But there are a few reasons why this works moreso than their modern day peers:  For one the production leans more old school, sounding as if this was recorded deep in an echoey cavern with everything clotting together in one giant (and I mean GIANT) wall of sound-  riffs are thick and meaty and drum tones are thumping.  And speaking of the drums, sticksman Chris Ulsh is as old school thrash\metal as you can get.  There are no blastbeats or double kicks here; Ulsh is more of a compact pounder akin to early Lars Ulrich, Philty Animal Taylor of Motorhead, or Kirk Arrington of Metal Church, which is very refreshing compared to modern heavy metal drummers of today who rely more on triggered drum kicks.

However, the BIGGEST reason this disc ranks high is the incredible vocal presence of Riley Gale.  Sounding equal parts hardcore roarer and death metal bellower, Gale pulls every note from somewhere deep in the depths of his soul as he belts each lyric with serious conviction.  His delivery is “venomous maximus”:  there is no screwing around here as Gale means business.  The amazing part of his delivery is varying layers of intensity-  you may get a deep howl to intro a cut followed by a menacing spit take of a few lines and then on to a half sung, half shouted chorus.  Just when you think he’s going out of control he’ll reel it back a little with a commanding bark of a few lines before that mania creeps back in.  Awesome awesome stuff.

As for songs…  well, you’ve got your pick of the litter here.  The aforementioned “Executioner’s Tax”, with its straight out of the 80’s video, is huge, as are its closest rivals in chug factor in “Waiting Around To Die” and “If Not Us Then Who”; all three featuring massively stomping riffs and classic gang vocals.  If you want speed, look no further than a good chunk of lead off cut “Soul Sacrifice” (dig that Slayeresque lead break!) and all throughout the incendiary “Firing Squad”.  Or how about slightly less speed but just as much intensity?  “Ruination”, “Crucifixation”, and the title cut.  There is really no weak link in the bunch.

So if you miss old school thrash vibes and have a hankering for seriously raw yet massive production and a singer with an incredibly intense vocal approach, go out and grab a copy of Power Trip’s Nightmare Logic.  Be forewarned… your neck may be sore for weeks!

(Mom and Dad’s 50th anniversary – 2011)

For Father’s Day this year I figured I’d write a little about the relationship with my Dad and his impact on my wide ranging listening habits, as well as give you all a little insight around the title of my blog.  As a kid (and even to this day) my Dad and I rarely argued and when we did it was more the results of a spirited discussion where we may have more or less agreed to disagree.  He was never one to rule with an iron fist (sorry, no Motorhead puns here) but he more or less gave me the freedom to be who I wanted to be, even though he didn’t come right out directly and say so.  Sure, we had some basic ground rules that my brother and I would occasionally test but because we respected our Dad and the man he was (and continues to be) and we didn’t want to let him down.  Dad always did a great job of showing his sons off to his friends and those he worked with, telling everyone how proud he was of us.

Did I say “rarely argued”? Ha ha ha…  ’tis very true although we’d have animated discussions about various things, sometimes revolving around music.  I can remember having one of these discussions when I was ten or eleven and I was playing “Beth”, the classic ballad from KISS-  my dad…  “hey, who is that?  I’ve heard that before and kind of like that”…  me…  “that’s KISS Dad!”…  my dad…  “THAT’S NOT KISS!”…  me…  “yes it is!”…  you get the picture.  Or another time we somehow got into a discussion about the guitar virtuosity of Willie Nelson vs Eddie Van Halen (me…  “Willie Nelson IS NOT A GREAT GUITAR PLAYER!”  wellll….  no one really plays like Willie so he did have a point).  But mostly, Dad’s musical tastes have rubbed off on me.  Sure he’s more ballad oriented and loves more of a crooning style than, say, the outright rock and roll of Elvis Presley (who Mom adored and Dad likes the King’s softer tunes) but there’s nothing wrong with that.  He likes “Three Times A Lady” and I prefer “Brick House”…  he likes “I Want To Know What Love Is” and I’d rather hear “Hot Blooded”…  the funny thing is though, I like a lot of the songs he likes and I enjoy making him discs of his favorite songs and throwing in a handful of uptempo ones that I’m sure he’s heard in the past and totally forgot about (stuff like Chicago, Paul Simon, Steely Dan, etc).  And when I hear those songs on the radio that I know Dad loves always bring a smile to my face (and to my wife, because she likes a lot of what he likes!)

My all time favorite story though revolves around the title of this blog.  When I started putting this thing together a few years ago I was wracking my brain trying to think of a creative and unique title and striking out.  I was too busy overthinking and trying to be too fancy when it hit me-  how about making it more personal?  Once I made that decision the choice was easy as the “origin of Ironriot” was the accidental outcome of an animated discussion between me and my Dad.

I don’t remember the year exactly…  probably 1984 figuring the timeline, nor do I remember exactly what we were going on about.  It may have been something to do with school, it may have been me not playing basketball that year; hell, for all I know it may have been a minor quibble about what was the better TV show:  “Taxi” or “Mork and Mindy”.  At any rate I didn’t quite agree with something he was saying and his reply was the magic words that have stuck with me for all this years:  “ahhhh…  all you care about is that Iron Riot!”  Once I heard that I could not stifle my laughter and I had to say “no Dad…  it’s Quiet Riot and Iron Maiden!” (which happened to be the first concert I had seen the previous year).  I don’t recall his exact reply other than “whatever!” but his laughter about the incident quickly broke any tension we may have had about this particular discussion.

So on this Father’s Day, thanks Dad for everything and your inspiration for this blog.  I love you!

Wow, shame on me for having a blog and getting away from one of my original intents- turning folks on to newer artists and newer songs.  I’d been spending too many Shameless Plug posts pontificating on the wonders of some older tuneage but I’ve not spent a whole lot of time covering the new stuff.  Time to address that by turning you on to Rival Sons and a song from their 2012 album Head Down called “Until The Sun Comes”.

For classic rock fans, there is a lot to like about Rival Sons: songs with an old school vibe, killer musicianship, and a top rate vocalist in Jay Buchanan.  Hailing from California the band has put out five albums and an EP since 2009 of excellent retro rock, gaining them a number of fans over the years and also featuring as support act on a number of high profile tours (Black Sabbath’s “The End”, Deep Purple, AC/DC, etc).  While some critics think their style is too reminiscent of artists like Led Zeppelin (well…  “Pressure & Time” does feature the first four notes of that bands’ “Out On The Tiles), I think they do a fine job of spreading their influences far and wide across each album.  If anything, it’s the production techniques and live vibe of recording that hearken back to classic bands from the 60s and 70s.

As a fan of the band I like quite a few of their songs but one that should have been a hit and turned quite a few people onto the band young and old alike is the rocking fun of “Until The Sun Comes”.  Not as bombastic or atmospheric as some of their other work, “Until The Sun Comes” features a punchy riff, an understated yet breathy Buchanan vocal, and an awesomely cool singable chorus over the course of three minutes.  This is a song that drips a sense of 60s garage rock/maximum R&B cool and once it’s over you’re ready to hit the repeat button a couple more times to soak in more of the goodness.  Think a cross between The Romantics/Monkees/Rolling Stones with some slithering, bad ass bass grooviness and you’re in the ballpark.  Compact, concise, not too much over the top, but with enough wallop to please the senses should make this one your new favorite.

Now tell me… who doesn’t want to dance until the sun comes up?  Download it now!

It’s always easy buying my brother a gift for his birthday or Christmas- ever since we were kids it’s always pretty much been music related.  Sure, there may be something a little different that shows up in the pile o’ presents but since we both have similar tastes it’s easy to get something that I know he’d like.  So as he was approaching his 47th birthday in March I asked him a few weeks in advance what he’d like to celebrate the occasion.  After giving it some brief thought he said…  “how about tickets to see Testament?”  Ahhhh yessss…  a mighty fine choice indeed.

I have to say that I was slightly surprised but not too much so considering that we’d seen the band a couple of years earlier performing a set that consisted of material from their first two albums plus one from third LP Practice What You Preach.  That was an incredible show (see previous Showtime article on that gig with Exodus!) and me thinking he may not want to see them again so soon should have been far from my mind, especially considering how strong their latest LP Brotherhood Of The Snake is.  Plus we’d have the extra bonus of seeing Sepultura or Prong in concert as part of this show, two bands that we’d never seen before.

And what a show it was!  Prong kicked off the night with oldie “For Dear Life” and played a brief set of eight or so songs, covering mostly their classic early period up through Cleansing with a couple of new tunes added for good measure.  Frontman\lead guitarist\chief songwriter Tommy Victor has been the band’s mainstay since day one and put on an entertaining show, hopping around vigorously like a man half his age.  The same could be said about his bandmates, who while obviously much younger than Victor also brought their “A” game and added their own spirited touch (drummer Art Cruz is a powerhouse, adding a bit more flair and panache to the songs- no knock on original great Ted Parsons).  As a Prong fan from the early days, I was pumped to hear “Unconditional”, “Whose Fist Is This Anyway?”, and that ol’ chestnut “Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck”.  Unfortunately, their thirty minute set was far too short and left me wanting more.

After a quick changeover, Sepultura came out for a 45 minute set heavy on material from their latest release Machine Messiah.  While the show was good and the band’s overall performance was impressive, I have never been much of a fan of the band regardless of the era.  Granted, I came to know the band via their Roots and Chaos A.D. CDs but I only know and like a handful of their songs and I’m not at all familiar with their material released with new singer Derrick Green.  And, I’m not one of those guys who says “it ain’t Sepultura without the Cavalera brothers” either.  Major props to this version of the band though-  Green is a commanding presence on stage and did a great job leading the band, plus Andreas Kisser is a fantastic guitarist and the rhythm section is solid.  “Refuse/Resist” and “Roots Bloody Roots” were two that I knew and both featured at the end of the set, but by that time I was wishing that Prong had played the longer set instead.

As always with a show, my bro and I ALWAYS try to inch just a bit closer to the stage.  After a quick restroom and beer break we weave our way through the crowd to get as close as possible, ending up less than ten feet from the barrier.  Yeah!  Soon the houselights go out and the band’s intro tape begins before coming full force with the first song of the night (the self titled from the new LP Brotherhood Of The Snake) and from there things did not let up-  heavy thrasher “Rise Up” from the last LP and two heavies from Brotherhood in “The Pale King” and “Centuries Of Suffering” before getting a minor breather with a lengthy Alex Skolnick solo piece.

By this point the pit had got a little too manic for my tastes and I’d lost my brother, so I skipped just to the rear of the madness to avoid a kick to the back of the head or an unwanted ACL tear and caught the remainder of the show.  I’d seen Testament before with this lineup and they are outstanding, but I must admit that I’d never realized just how well that Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick play off each other-  Skolnick the more fluid and versatile and Peterson the abrasive and cutting, but at the end of one of the songs they stood side by side on stage and NAILED the melodic ending to (I think?) “Throne Of Thorns” with such precision that likely made even those non-guitar fans take notice.  These guys were ON all night and it was a thrill to watch.

Oh yeah, the songs…  “Into The Pit”… “Low”… “Stronghold”… “Seven Seals”…  and on and on.  After a slew of great albums, these guys have a lot of old and newer classics to choose from and did a great job mixing in all periods of the band for the evening’s show.  As for the other band mates?  Chuck Billy was in incredibly fine voice, showing everyone why he is a (the?) top tier vocalist in the thrash realm; Gene Hoglan was spot on behind the kit with precision and heft; and bassist Steve DiGiorgio fits like a glove and adds fine tenacity to the thrash proceedings.  These guys are an incredible live unit and if you’ve never seen Testament before and they are within two hours of where you live, you MUST go check them out.  You will not go away disappointed!