Sadgiqacea - False Prism

SADGIQACEA plays some really great sludgy doom Metal, but the problem is that this release is plagued with mixing issues. Well one issue actually. The vocals sound like they were recorded with the microphone on one of those old Radio Shack tape decks an elementary school music teacher might have had in the 70's. I think SADGIQACEA could have ended up with a better production just doing a live recording of a show with a good microphone plugged into a laptop with the Audacity software going. I think I have ended up with better audio recording bands with my video camera. I am not joking. The sound quality here is pretty pathetic. If this is some lame attempt at being "KULT" I think SADGIQACEA might be smoking a little more than just weed.

The song writing is some strange mix of 90's era Neurosis, Eyehategod, and early Mastodon. It is super heavy and crushing one second, with the soft and mellow parts coming off as somehow more creepy than the heavy parts. The clean vocals have an ethereal vibe that could really get under your skin if the production wasn't so horrible.  The screaming vocals feel more like a recording of someone being victimized by a master of torture than the flat monotone death growls that are so overdone in most modern Metal.  

I have to say that with the right producer SADGIQACEA could really make a huge impact. Now I'm not saying they could end up with some radio hit, headline a future Mayhem Festival, or even win an award at the Golden Gods. That stuff is for trendy Metal bands. However, SADGIQACEA could become the next big thing for those who prefer their Metal to be more raw, passionate, and real. I am willing to bet that SADGIQACEA is a band that slays all in their path live, so it is a shame that the production here is so tremendously weak.

http://sadgiqacea.bandcamp.com/

http://www.facebook.com/sadgiqacea

http://www.twitter.com/sadgiqacea

http://www.candlelightrecordsusa.com

Free Fall - Power & Volume

Despite having a connection to the extremely trendy and annoying Post-Hardcore scene, FREE FALL have nothing to do with that sound, style, or hipster scenester crap in any way. In fact, I would say that some ways they have more in common with the true old school Punk attitude. I started playing this one at work well before I know anything about the band though. I do my best to do reviews with as little research as possible. It keeps the review about the music and nothing more. So I will not look up any information on this band other than what I just found out in an email from the press agent. Nothing against the press agent for doing their job, I just think it taints things. You could say that I Refused that International Noise Conspiracy.

As soon as the first song started I was in shock. I expected the standard emo/screamo vocals to start at any second. Instead what I got was a full on late 70's and early 80's style rock the likes of Thin Lizzy, Hanoi Rocks, MC5, UFO, and a touch of Janis Joplin. The songs are written with a respect for the craft that is rarely heard in modern times. There is an attitude here that fueled not just Rock, but Metal, and Punk into becoming the statement it did. The song Attila has a vibe that will bring chills up your spin and create goosebumps on your flesh. It's mix of soulful spirit and Hard Rock punch raises the bar further than any band currently being over hyped by clueless morons. Now don't think for a second that this band is just a second rate rip off of the Rock that got the grandparents of some of our readers excited. They bring a modern flair to it all without that "piss take" after taste that bands like The Darkness seem to leave. Sure I have enjoyed a song by The Darkness before, but this release is everything The Darkness tried to pretend they were.

I don't care if you are an old fart like me who remembers when Rock came with a demand of quality song writing, or a young whippersnapper who has been caught more than once digging through your parents vinyl collection, this CD is a must listen. Click the Cd Review section on RockMyMonkey.com (if you are reading this in another section or website that stole our content) and take a look at how often I do cd reviews anymore. To be honest I am old, burnt out, and more jaded than a $2 whore judging a penis beauty contest. I almost never feel inspired to write even three paragraphs anymore. Every time I preview a new release I find myself relating to THIS EPISODE OF SOUTH PARK. But I wrote a review of this cd because people need to know just how damn good it is. I feel there needs to be a bigger effort in letting everyone know that good music is actually still made. Buy this cd and support music that doesn't suck! 

Review: Soilwork The Living Infinite

To be honest I have lost interest in Soilwork over the past few releases. Strid seemed to go from being one of the most innovative vocalists in Metal to being just another in a sea of millions. What I used to like so much about his vocals was that he would use so many different types of "extreme" vocals that it wouldn't get boring. So many of the so called extreme vocalists are so damn monotone and flat that it just loses something. Strid seems to be coming back to pushing the limits of extreme vocal diversity to some extent here on The Living Infinite. Because of that he has caught my interest once again. In fact I even dug out all my old Soilwork releases and started to listen to them all again to prepare for this review. Yup, there was a total drop in quality for a few releases. We can all agree that Stabbing The Drama was their weakest, right?

"Spectrum of Eternity" starts  The Living Infinite off kind of weak with clique blast beats that seem to be there more because the band feels they have to use blast beats instead of it being something that the song needed. After that things pick up quick though. The back and forth vocals of "This Momentary Bliss" keep things at a level the band has not seen in years. I hear at least 3 different styles of "extreme" vocal alone. I could go song by song, but I think my point is clear. Soilwork is again one of the bands that does "extreme" vocals right. Mix that shit up already! The contrast between “Drowning With Silence” and “Antidotes In Passing” has me convinced that this is the best release from this band since the classic Natural Born Chaos. 

I know a lot of people will want to focus on the involvement (or lack of involvement) of Peter Wichers. I think the guitar work here is just as good as his stuff. He has been so hot and cold with the band over the past few years that I'm not sure he adds much passion anyways. I still think that this is the band Soilwork returning to the work ethic of their earlier beginnings. This cd truly does Rock My Monkey!

Review: Tankard - A Girl Called Cerveza

Germanys' Tankard after 30 years together have 'dropped' A Girl Called Cerveza on us.They have a painting of a big fugly toothless woman getting her mug shot as their cover,fitting for those of us that have worn beer goggles. Tankard is a synonym for 'beer mug', from the start they have been a tongue in cheek thrash and then thrash/punk band with their sound not having changed much in thirty years though their style has.
Tankard's sound is raw,garage style,a mix of punk,metal and rock. It's heavy. It reminds me of Suicidal Tendencies, DRI, and even a little King Diamond. From start to finish this effort bashes with titles like "Witch Hunt", "A Girl Called Cerveza", and Not One Day Dead.

But, It just doesn't do it for me, it sounds under produced which I'm sure was done on purpose but jeez, it's time to grow. This to me sounds like a bunch of 18 year olds first demo (maybe second) they slammed out in a weekend because they couldn't afford more studio time and didn't know better. I wont listen to this again, there's nothing there for me. Having said that, they've never been that serious, they've always gone for laughs and are basically a party/club band. So maybe they're doing it just right for themselves, but I can't take it.

Thumbs up/down is taken, how bout new or broken strings? I give Tankard's "A Girl Called Cerveza" four broken strings out of six. They get a couple strings because the guitar player does some good things here and there when you can hear him and the vocals don't suck all the time, but there's nothing else that stands out as good for me.

Not recommended.

Review: Testament - Dark Roots of Earth

When I was a kid I loved Testament's Legacy, New Order and Practice What You Preach.  I've always been a fan, but this recording is putting them at the top of my favorites list again.  Dark Roots of Earth starts with a track called 'Rise Up'.  It's fast, melodic, and wicked heavy, reminding me why I've always liked Testament.  Dark Roots had the bands highest opening sales release opening at number 12 on the U.S. billboard top 200 with over 20,000 'scans' in the opening week.

Alex Skolnick in my opinion has always been one of the best Metal lead players and he shows plenty of those talents in Dark Roots of Earth, he and Eric Peterson are two of the best in Metal.
Chuck Billy for a while went a little heavier, in Dark Roots he goes back to his original sound that made him so popular in the Metal scene and it's great to hear again.

For this Metal fan, Dark Roots of Earth is a must have.  It's great thrash and Testament's best effort in years. Check them out while they're touring the U.S. and Canada.