Detritus
Issue #219
Week of April 21, 2003
http://www.dynamitemetal.com/detritus/

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*** CAST OF CHARACTERS ***
*
Tim Wadzinski, Editor
tsw512@...

Steve Shumake, North American Peeps Eating Champion
vongoober@...
http://listen.to/vongoober-radio

*
*** LET IT BE KNOWN ***
*
-Went to my first Cubs game of the season last night and it was a
little chilly. Good thing they won or else it would've sucked! I bet
the San Diego Padres players are glad their only trip to Chicago this
year comes in April and includes a night game! :) That has absolutely
nothing to do with metal but I had to share. - Tim

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*** PRESS RELEASE #1 ***
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-2000 Decibel Not More Than A Month Away

2000 Decibel - Swedish Metal At Its Best!
17th May 2003 * Valhall * Bengtsfors, Sweden

Today it is exactly one month until the 2000 Decibel-festival takes
place, in Bengtsfors, Sweden (180 km north of Gothenburg).

2000 Decibel is the only festival that is totally dedicated to Swedish
Hardrock and Metal. The previous festivals have gained a lot of
attention from all over the world, with visitors from as far away as
Canada and New Zeeland. The Swedish Metalscene has never been better
or more interesting so it is definitely a winning formula.

Unfortunately Gardenian recently cancelled their appearance at this
years festival. The official statement can be found at
www.gardenian.net. They will be replaced by Transport League, who will
visit the festival for a second time.

Otherwise the following 20 bands will make this years festival
something to remember: Candlemass, Clawfinger, Pain, Talisman,
Vintersorg, Thyrfing, Dimension Zero, Dionysus, Pathos, Falconer, The
Project Hate, Nightingale, Seventh One, Diabolical, Beseech, The
Goddamned, Hellfueled, Hell N' Diesel, The Enemies och Scenteria.

For more information contact:

Lennart Larsson
2000 Decibel
Box 84
660 10 Dals Långed
Sweden
Phone/fax: +46 531 407 47
Mobil: +46 531 52 60 22
phantom@...

or visit http://www.mfdecibel.com/

SPREAD THE WORD!

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*** PRESS RELEASE #2 ***
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-New James Murphy Auctions

The following new auctions have been posted to help with James
Murphy's ongoing medical expenses:
http://www.msanthrope.com/jamesmurphy

Carcass - Heartwork CD - Like New
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2522114175

Death - Spiritual Healing vinyl LP - Original Pressing - signed by
James Murphy
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2522065338

Immortal - Sons Of Northern Darkess CD - New. Sealed.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2522863430&ssPageName=ADME:B:\
LC:US:1

Megadeth - Killing Is My Business... CD - Like New
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2522863911&ssPageName=ADME:B:\
LC:US:1

Onward - Reawaken CD - Like New
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2522864297&ssPageName=ADME:B:\
LC:US:1

Testament "Baby Doll" style T-shirt for women
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2522864808&ssPageName=ADME:B:\
LC:US:1

Cacophony promo 8x10 siged by Jason Becker and Marty Friedman - RARE!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2522865648&ssPageName=ADME:B:\
LC:US:1

Testament promo comic book signed by Chuck Billy and James Murphy -
RARE!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2522866544&ssPageName=ADME:B:\
LC:US:1

Guillotine - Under The Guillotine Picture Disc vinyl - Old School
German-style Death/Thrash
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2522867379&ssPageName=ADME:B:\
LC:US:1

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*** PRESS RELEASE #3 ***
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-Brazilian Titans Sepultura Previews Vicious New Material On Tour W/
Voivod

'Roorback' Due In Stores This June!!!

With a gargantuan roar, the mighty Brazilian metal pioneers Sepultura
returns to North America, embarking on a national trek with Voivod to
usher in a brutal summer. Sepultura's motive: to introduce America to
some of the band's most potent material to date; a preview of the
upcoming June release of 'Roorback' - a twelve track slugfest that
further cements the band's creative force & unrelenting determination.
The band's music is as diverse and multi-layered as ever, and the US
tour will testify to Sepultura's unique dynamic of unified aggression.

Celebrating nearly 20 years of innovative & compelling music, the
current incarnation of the band (Sao Paulo natives Andreas Kisser -
guitars, Igor Cavalera - drums & percussion, Paolo Pinto - bass, and
Ohio-bred vocalist Derrick Green) plans to bring its tribal fire to
the people for a month-long stint advancing the new record, and then
will head to Europe to perform a string of festivals and a headline
romp. Following this, Sepultura will return to North America to tour
through August & September. Autumn will see the band heading to the
Far East, touring through Japan, Thailand, Singapore & Taiwan, then
trekking to Australia and finishing the world tour through South
America, culminating with 22 dates in Brazil alone! Many of the
performances along the tour are being recorded for a forthcoming
'ultimate' live album & DVD, which is planned for a 5.1 Surround
'in-your-face' Sound production.

Sepultura comes to America after a wildly successful European leg, to
which Kerrang! Magazine described in a '5-K' performance review: "...a
rampage of gut-busting fury...on the eve of a shock and awe campaign
of their own while the world plunges into Chaos AD, Sepultura are as
relevant now as they've ever been."

Current tour dates with Voivod include:

Friday, April 18th - San Francisco, CA Avalon
Saturday, April 19th - Hollywood, CA The Palace
Monday, April 21st - Anaheim, CA House Of Blues
Tuesday, April 22nd - Las Vegas, NV Huntridge Theater
Thursday, April 24th - Phoenix, AZ Celebrity Theater
Friday, April 25th - Tucson, AZ Rialto Theater
Saturday, April 26th - El Paso, TX Club 101
Sunday, April 27th - Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theater
Tuesday, April 29th - San Antonio, TX Far West
Wednesday, April 30th - Houston, TX Numbers
Thursday, May 1st - Dallas, TX Deep Ellum Live
Friday, May 2nd - Corpus Christi, TX Concrete Street Amp.
Saturday, May 3rd - McAllen, TX Villa Real (Sepultura only)
Monday, May 5th - Chicago, IL House Of Blues
Tuesday, May 6th - Milwaukee, WI Eagles Club
Wednesday, May 7th - Minneapolis, MN Quest Club
Friday, May 9th - Detroit, MI Harpo's
Saturday, May 10th - Grand Rapids, MI Intersection
Sunday, May 11th - Norfolk, VA Norva
Tuesday, May 13th - Cleveland, OH Odeon
Thursday, May 15th - Boston, MA Wonderland Ballroom
Friday, May 16th - Old Bridge, NJ Birch Hill
Saturday, May 17th - Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
Sunday, May 18th - Hartford, CT Webster Theatre

An MP3 for the track "Mind War" from Roorback is currently available
for download here:
http://www.uol.com.br/sepultura/Sepultura_Mindwar.mp3

Additional news & updates can be found at http://www.sepultura.com.br
and http://www.sepultribe.com .

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*** PRESS RELEASE #4 ***
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-Behemoth Become Metal Gods, Prepare For Blackest Of The Black Shows

Polish metal titans Behemoth have just been added to the first three
shows of the Metal Gods 2003 tour beginning April 25th in Chicago.
They will be playing alongside a stellar line-up that includes the
genre's premier acts. The headliners, Halford and Testament, cap off
the metal insanity each night after support acts Immortal, Carnal
Forge, Primal Fear and Pain Museum deliver their unrelenting musical
assault. Behemoth will then head west to the Blackest of The Black
tour featuring Danzig, Superjoint Ritual, Opeth, Lacuna Coil and Nile.
It is time to prepare for musical Armageddon.

Behemoth just completed their first U.S. tour as part of the Coalition
For Muzikal Armageddon along with Deicide, Amon Amarth, Vehemence and
Revenge. The tour was a huge success and Nergal (vocals/guitars)
recently got in touch to let us know how the tour went, "Well, it took
us some years to make it to America, but with a strong help of Century
team we managed. Coalition For Muzikal Armageddon was our first, but
definitely not the last tour here. We totally had a blast and although
there were ups and downs the whole tour turned out great. All the
people we've met, all the places we visited were a great and
unforgettable experience for us. It feels great to get such a kick
from the people who've never experienced Behemoth live! Thank you so
much! Gratitude goes to Deicide, Amon Amarth, Vehemence and Revenge
for being great comrades on this unholy crusade. All I have to say is:
WE WANT MORE."

Their new release Zos Kia Cultus (Here and Beyond) continues to garner
rave reviews, and it is not going to be long before this killing
machine becomes one of the genre's leading forces.

To check out the MP3 track for "As Above So Below" click on the
following link:

http://mp3.centurymedia.com/Behemoth_AsAboveSoBelow_ZosKiaCultus.mp3

Behemoth on Metal Gods tour w/ Halford, Testament, Carnal Forge,
Immortal, Primal Fear, Amon Amarth and Painmuseum:
4/25 - House Of Blues - Chicago, IL
4/26 - Agora Theater - Cleveland, OH
4/27 - Clutch Cargo's - Pontiac, MI

Behemoth on Blackest Of The Black tour w/ Danzig, Superjoint Ritual,
Opeth, Lacuna Coil and Nile:
5/2 - Mesa Amphitheater - Phoenix, AZ
5/3 - Universal Amphitheater - Los Angeles, CA

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*** PRESS RELEASE #5 ***
*
-Z Records News

ENZIGN DEBUT OFFICIALLY RELEASED:

Enzign featuring John Halliwell of Ten have now released their debut
album "Cast The First Stone". Live dates are currently in the planning
stages.

BLACK 'N BLUE UPDATE:

As previously reported, Black 'N Blue will record a new album to be
released on Z Records in the fall. Original lead guitarist, Tommy
Thayer, will not be appearing on the album. In Thayer's place will be
Billy Morris, previously from the Paul Gilbert Band and Warrant. A
special updated from Jaime St James will be posted next week!

Z ONLINE STORE:

Our store has been updated with new releases such as Enzign and Marc
Ferrari.

http://www.zrecords.net

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*** PRESS RELEASE #6 ***
*
-King's X Releases 'Black Like Sunday' On May 20, 2003 Through Brop!
Records/Metal Blade Records

Fan Demand Results In Studio Album Featuring Newly Recorded,
Previously Unreleased Songs Dating Back Prior To Band's First Signing

Tour With Fishbone Imminent!

Rock trio King's X is a putting a new twist on the practice of
established bands releasing "pre-fame" material. The new studio album
'Black Like Sunday,' scheduled for release on May 20, 2003, on Brop!
Records/Metal Blade Records, features freshly recorded songs written
and performed live more than 20 years ago, well before the band
changed its name to King's X and earned its first record deal. The
band used two different names during this period.

NOTE: 'Black Like Sunday' is NOT an album of previously recorded but
unreleased "vault" material. King's X recently recorded the songs in
the studio; they are NOT live recordings.

Longtime fans had kept asking vocalist/guitarist Ty Tabor, vocalist/
bass guitarist Doug Pinnick and vocalist/drummer Jerry Gaskill to
bring these songs back to life by finally recording and releasing
them, and the band decided the time was right.

The 14 songs on 'Black Like Sunday' include: "Johnny," "Bad Luck,"
"Danger Zone," "Finished," "Won't Turn Back," "Screamer," "Rock Pile,"
"Working Man," "Save Us," "Down," "Two," "You're the Only One,"
"Dreams" and "Black Like Sunday."

"These songs are from our first seven years as a band, and most are
from between 1980 and 1983. We were based in Springfield, MO, and it
was a really healthy market for original music," Tabor says. "There
was a really intelligent group of music listeners there. I attribute
that to Springfield being a college town. There were about nine
colleges around. I think it's really unusual to have a city embrace
original music any time, any place."

The strange thing was that record companies did not pick up on the
Springfield scene, and Tabor is still baffled by this. It certainly
wasn't like what happened a decade later when the music industry
gobbled up the bands from the Seattle grunge scene.

"All of the biggest bands in Springfield did their own tunes. We were
scared at first because there were no mediocre bands. The competition
was awesome," Tabor recalls. "Bands did make their own records, were
getting their songs on local radio and were getting those records in
local stores.

"We did one record back then, but we didn't like it at all and weren't
involved in the mixing. We did give copies away free at shows because
we didn't want it sold in stores!"

Tabor, Pinnick and Gaskill were certainly gaining attention and
building a strong following. For five of the first seven years
together, they used Springfield as a base to tour west to Colorado,
east to North Carolina, north to Michigan and south to Texas. It was
by playing original music to these different audiences that audience
favorites emerged, and some of these songs were resurrected for 'Black
Like Sunday.'

"We've written hundreds of songs over the years and as we kept writing
new ones others got left behind. Our song turnover was really fast.
But every batch of new songs had a couple of fan favorites in them. We
wouldn't really look back, but sometimes parts of songs would get
used. With the knowledge we have now, we don't mind going back to
rediscover these songs," Tabor says. "We're harder on ourselves now,
and we've learned many things over the years.

"As for the songs for this record, there were some obvious ones that
had stuck in our minds. We always find ourselves on the same page. The
songs have not changed very much. The first day or two that we went
through our old tapes of these songs we realized the original ideas
are better than we thought they were. One thing we discovered was that
it was more time-consuming to go back to these songs than it would
have been to write a new record."

Tabor says that most of the songs were rediscovered by going through
tapes of old live shows, and that Pinnick is the main archivist in the
band.

The great news for King's X die-hards who inspired 'Black Like Sunday'
is that there is enough vintage material for at least one more album.

"You never know what the people are going to like," Tabor says.

Be sure to catch King's X on tour with Fishbone this spring and
summer. For updates, visit http://www.kingsxonline.com . Upcoming tour
dates for King's X are as follows:

DATE - CITY - VENUE
Friday, May 2nd - Tallahassee, FL - Floyd's Music Store (KX only)
Saturday, May 3rd - Atlanta, GA - Music Midtown Festival (KX only)
Sunday, May 4th - Nashville, TN - Exit/In
Monday, May 5th - Charlotte, NC - Amos' Southend
Tuesday, May 6th - Ocean City, MD - Brewmasters
Thursday, May 8th - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero
Friday, May 9th - Springfield, VA - Jaxx
Saturday, May 10th - Hartford, CT - Webster Theatre
Sunday, May 11th - New York, NY - Don Hill's
Monday, May 12th - New York, NY - Don Hill's
Tuesday, May 13th - Cambridge, MA - Middle East Club
Thursday, May 15th - Ferndale, MI - Magic Bag
Friday, May 16th - Cincinnati, OH - Bogart's
Saturday, May 17th - Chicago, IL - Abbey Pub
Sunday, May 18th - Flint, MI - Machine Shop
Tuesday, May 20th - Denver, CO - Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
Thursday, May 22nd - San Francisco, CA - Avalon Ballroom
Friday, May 23rd - Santa Ana, CA - Galaxy Theatre
Saturday, May 24th - West Hollywood, CA - Key Club
Sunday, May 25th - San Diego, CA - 4th & B
Tuesday, May 27th - Las Vegas, NV - Huntridge Theatre
Wednesday, May 28th - Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
Friday, May 30th - Dallas, TX - Canyon Club
Saturday, May 31st - Austin, TX - Backroom

http://www.kingsxonline.com
http://www.metalblade.com

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*** PRESS RELEASE #7 ***
*
-Dog Fashion Disco Gets The Nation Committed

BALTIMORE, MD -- Dog Fashion Disco will be releasing their new album
Committed to a Bright Future (Spitfire Records) nationwide on May 6,
2003.

The new album takes DFD and their audience to a whole new level of
invention. While retaining the same off-the-wall themes prevalent in
their previous recordings, the band feels that Committed is a new and
diverse sound that music fans are looking for. "We are better song
writers now," said vocalist Todd Smith, "and this album is the
result."

The band's classically unpredictable style and high-energy antics have
created controversy and hysteria at performances surrounding the album
release. The chaos that has followed them during their nationally
touring schedule is only a small preview of the insanity found on
Committed. With tracks entitled "Love Songs for a Witch" and "The Acid
Memoirs", Dog Fashion Disco has once again stretched the boundaries of
creativity and broken all rules of convention.

The band is currently touring in support of the release. Preview
tracks off of the Committed album are available for download on the
Jagermeister website at http://www.jagermusic.com .

http://www.dogfashiondisco.com
http://www.spitfirerecords.com
http://www.jagermusic.com

*
*** NEWS/RUMORS ***
*
-Agalloch (US), Antimatter (UK), and Virgin Black (Australia) are
heading out on a US tour. It's Agalloch's first tour and the US debuts
of both Antimatter and Virgin Black. Dates:
5/16 - The Catwalk Club, Seattle, WA
5/18 - Dante's, Portland, OR
5/20 - The Curve, San Francisco, CA (w/ Ludakris)
5/21 - The Cat Club, W. Hollywood, CA
5/22 - The Mason Jar, Phoenix, AZ
5/23 - Club DV8, Salt Lake City, UT
The End Records will release Antimatter's LIGHTS OUT and Virgin
Black's ELEGANT...AND DYING on June 24. For more information see
http://www.theendrecords.com/ .

-ASKA is recording new material for the follow-up to AVENGER "slowly
but surely," and wants fans to be sure they have the correct, updated
band mailing address: ASKA, P.O. Box 561311, The Colony TX 75056, USA.
A new interview with vocalist/guitarist George Call from Belgium's
Metal To Infinity will be posted at the band's Web site soon, and in
the meantime the site has links to two new slide shows set to music.
The first shows the band performing at Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul's
private birthday party last month, and the second features "stills AND
vintage video footage" of the band. See http://www.askaband.com/ for
more.

-Bitch, featuring Betsy Bitch, will gig at the Cat Club in Hollywood,
CA, this Saturday, April 26. The band has done some other shows
recently to prepare for its appearance at this year's Bang Your Head
festival in Germany. Betsy is joined by other original band members
Robby Settles and David Carruth, plus new bassist John Zell.

-Brocas Helm will make its German debut at the Keep It True festival
on July 19 in Gerlachsheim, with a "special medieval stageset." See
http://www.keep-it-true.de for more on the festival, or contact
brocas@... for more on the band.

-Sammy Hagar's LIVE HALLELUJAH is due next month on Sanctuary/Metal-Is
and the Sanctuary folks have set up a new Hagar home page at
http://www.noiserecords.com/sammyhagar/default.html . Samples from the
album and more goodies will be posted there soon. In other news, this
year's "Cabo San Lucas Meltdown" at the Cabo Wabo Cantina in Mexico
will take place October 3 and 4.

-Ilium is "currently negotiating deals" for its debut album SIRENS OF
THE STYX, and also looking for a new keyboardist and drummer. See
http://www.ilium-metal.com for more information, including new band
photos, a video clip of "Antigone," merchandise, and a competition.

-Music from Kataklysm's single "In Shadows & Dust" will appear in
"True Life: I'm Shipping Out," an MTV documentary about US Army
soldiers "in their final days on US soil before deploiting [sic] to
Iraq for the war." See http://www.nuclearblastusa.com/ and
http://www.kataklysm.net/ for more.

-Lion's Share is looking for a new bassist and drummer; demos, bios,
and photos should be submitted to: JK Productions, ATTN: Lion's Share,
Vinterv. 8K, 135 40 Tyreso, Sweden. Those selected to audition will do
so in Stockholm this fall. Meanwhile, guitarist Lars Chriss is writing
songs with a new vocalist for the band's next album, tentatively due
out in late 2004. See http://www.lionsshare.org for more.

-Updates on two of Jason McMaster's bands... Broken Teeth gigs:
5/2 - Clicks-Rock Room, Baton Rouge, LA
5/3 - The 19th Hole, Houston, TX (w/ Six Past Hell & Mercury Down)
5/8 - The Red Eyed Fly, Austin, TX (w/ Active Radio, Big Balls (AC/DC
tribute), & Drifter (Iron Maiden tribute))
The band might also have a summer gig or two planned for the Chicago
area, and the members are currently seeking out other show
opportunities. Fans are invited to e-mail club details (contact info,
etc.) to brknteeth@..., and to see http://www.brokenteeth.com/ for
information about joining a street team. Then Gahdzilla Motor Company
will gig May 23 at Steamboat in Austin, playing fourth between
Powerplant, American Idles, Superheavy Goatass, and Hekill Three.

-Check out the new French metal band Metal Messiah -- named after the
Judas Priest song -- at http://www.metal-messiah.com/ . The site has
MP3s of three demo tracks available for download: "The Gods Of Wind,"
"Drink New Blood," "Killing Field."

-The folks at Noise Records are celebrating their 20th anniversary. A
special "Anniversary Sampler" is being assembled, but in the meantime
check out http://www.noiserecords.com/20years for a newly-written
history of the label (by _Rock Hard's_ Boris Kaiser), a guestbook,
congratulatory quotes from musicians, and a contest where you can win
prizes by identifying three bands from old photos.

-The Michael Schenker Group -- Chris Logan on vocals, Schenker on
guitar, Stu Hamm on bass, and Jeremy Colson on drums -- will release a
new album in June on Mascot Records in Europe and Shrapnel in the US.

-TotalRock.com reported Skid Row will release its latest, THICKSKIN,
in the US this summer on the band's own Skid Row Records. The European
release will be on SPV.

-A new "WebCatalogue" has been added to SupaRed's site,
http://www.SupaRed.de , enabling fans to order band or Michael Kiske
solo merchandise.

-The five finalists of the Young Metal Gods contest have been
announced: Persuader, Beyond Surface, Orion, Dyecast, Soul Source. The
five will now compete in a battle of the bands on May 11 at Zeche in
Bochum, Germany, for final honors. DragonForce will also perform at
the show, while the judges are picking the battle winner. See
http://www.noiserecords.com/youngmetalgods/default.html for complete
details.

Thanks to Basti, Neal Woodall, Naughty Kuntz, rocknews@...,
Antonis Adamakos, Michael Kopp, Bill Kotowski, and Michelle Ferraro
for help gathering some of this information.

*
*** FLAMES FROM THE LAKE ***
*
by Sean P. Gahgan (QA2263@...)

-Short column this week as I am getting psyched up and preparing for
some interviews...only a few days and I FINALLY get to see Primal
Fear, who along with Evergrey and Kamelot, have been my favorite bands
over the past four years. Anybody else out there going to hit the
House Of Blues show this Friday in Chicago? Drop me an e-mail. Thanks
to our wonderful editor, I will hopefully get a chance to speak with
either Metal Mike or Roy Z from Halford.

-I have to comment on this KISS/Areosmith tour. I know the trendies
will go to see these two bands and there will be a decent turnout, but
I still don't get it. Both of these bands sell just fine by
themselves...why the need to tour together? I don't even want to know
how much tickets will be.... $128 for pavilion seating in some
cities...and Saliva opening up??? I'll pass. Until next week, "No
Fate...Only the power of Will!"

-Playing in the Lake of Fire this week: A FLAME TO THE GROUND BENEATH
by Lost Horizon, AGE OF INNOCENCE by Emerald Rain, POETS AND MADMEN by
Savatage and RECREATION DAY by Evergrey. (Yeah...I got it back from my
Dad...I just can't stop listening to it!)

*
*** FROM THE MEGA-VAULT ***
*
by Keith Abt (keithabt@...)

-THIS WEEK: "SPRING CLEANING!"

In the words of Monty Python's John Cleese: "Now for something
completely different." The following is a compendium of some rants and
observances I've written recently that by themselves weren't quite
enough to make an entire Mega-Vault column. Therefore it's time to do
a bit of spring cleaning by smashing them all together into one BIG
column. Enjoy. :-)

-Wow, George Lynch has been a busy beaver lately. In my last column I
mentioned that I'd just heard his new Lynch Mob disc, REVOLUTION,
where Mr. Scary reheated a baker's dozen of his old Mob tunes and
threw some curve balls to a couple of Dokken tracks for good measure.
REVOLUTION was an occasionally interesting, but hardly necessary
release as far as I'm concerned, because I'd much rather hear new
material from an artist rather than "re-inventions" of past glories.
Imagine my surprise when scarcely a week later, a copy of WICKED
UNDERGROUND (Spitfire) by Lynch/Pilson (or "L/P" if you prefer),
landed in my lap! This much-anticipated collaboration between Lynch
and his old Dokken band mate Jeff Pilson not only smokes REVOLUTION,
but it shows just how much George and Jeff truly contributed to
Dokken's sound back in the olden days. (I liked LONG WAY HOME, but it
didn't sound quite right without Jeff backing Don up on those
harmonies!) Pilson steps confidently up to the lead vocalist's
position on WICKED UNDERGROUND, which reminds me quite a bit of
Dokken's excellent DYSFUNCTIONAL album (1995), where Dokken updated
their classic sound by rubbing off some polish and exploring darker
lyrical paths than on their '80s material. WICKED sounds to me like a
follow up to DYSFUNCTIONAL, with occasional dips into the gloomier
pastures of the poorly received but underrated SHADOWLIFE. (I'm one of
the few people who actually liked SHADOWLIFE, by the way, I just don't
think it should have been released under the Dokken name.) George's
chunky, groove-laden guitar keeps things heavy while Pilson's soulful
vocals on tracks like "Ever Higher," "Goodbye Utopia," "Closer To
None" and "Vaccine" put a modern stamp on things. If I were Don
Dokken, I'd watch my back, because his former compadres may provide
him with some stiff competition if there are any more albums like this
one in them. In other words, George, you can start the REVOLUTION
without me, but I'll gladly stay WICKED UNDERGROUND.

The title of the L/P disc (Too bad it wasn't on vinyl or I could've
called it "the L/P LP!" Heh heh!) struck my brother and I particularly
funny, by the way, because "Wicked Underground" is a sarcastic catch
phrase we've been using for years. Whenever we see something silly or
clichéd about metal (i.e. "Evil" bands that wear makeup and carry
spiked clubs, Cannibal Corpse's entire career, or Vince Neil's attempt
at a solo comeback) we always say "Dude, that's WICKED underground!"
... Well, maybe you have to be there.

-From the "Foul-Ups, Bleeps & Blunders" file: Some of you know that I
work for a newspaper conglomerate here in New Jersey. One of our daily
papers recently made a rather embarrassing error when an article on
L.A. Guns' stop at a local club was accidentally accompanied by a
photo of Chris Jericho's Fozzy, which was supposed to go with a story
about them running the following week. Oops! (By the way, it wasn't MY
department that goofed; I had nothing to do with it!) Well, my
employers don't have to hang their heads in shame any longer, because
I just got my newest mailing from the Columbia House Music Club and
whoever edited the "Metal" pages in this month's catalog deserves an
even BIGGER smack on the head. As usual, the featured CDs are listed
with a short capsule description of the disc and a band photo, and
shamefully, half of these pictures don't jive with the corresponding
album. Alongside Iron Maiden's SOMEWHERE IN TIME listing is a photo of
the Blaze Bayley lineup (D'OH!), the picture for Judas Priest's RAM IT
DOWN re-master has Ripper Owens in it (OUCH!), and Dokken's UNDER LOCK
AND KEY is represented by a shot of the Reb Beach version of the
group. (DUH!) That's three strikes, but wait, it gets worse!
Motorhead's KEEP US ON THE ROAD: LIVE 1977 is illustrated with a photo
of the current Head (was Mikkey Dee even BORN in 1977?), and perhaps
most embarrassing of all is a shot of the Ozzy-era lineup of Black
Sabbath next to a blurb for HEAVEN AND HELL, which then states
"Featuring DIO!" in bold type. YIKES! I realize the corporate suits at
Columbia House are probably so busy trying to push Mudvayne and Avril
Lavigne CDs on the kids these days that they probably don't know one
lineup of Sabbath (or Dokken, or Maiden, or Judas Priest) from
another, but to have this many silly errors on the same PAGE simply
boggles my mind. To add insult to injury, the "selection of the month"
for my "listening category" this time was THE YOUNG AND THE HOPELESS
by Good Charlotte. Yuck! Needless to say, I'm not taking them up on
that one, which will probably prompt them to send me even more junk
mail asking why I haven't ordered from them in a while. :-)

-Last Tuesday, April 15th, was Tax Day of course, and it also marked
the second anniversary of the passing of Joey Ramone. In the spirit of
his memory, I'm finally going to say a few words about Rob Zombie's
Ramones tribute album, WE'RE A HAPPY FAMILY (DV8/Columbia), which I've
been procrastinating about for two or three columns now. My feelings
about tribute albums should be common knowledge by this point
(99.9999% of them suck and you should stick to the originals in most
cases!), but I couldn't help being curious about this one for two
reasons: first, the Ramones were and still are GODS in my book; and
second, Senor Zombie lined up an impressive roster of talent from all
walks of the rock world to pay tribute to the Pinheads, which in and
of itself demonstrates the amazing breadth of the Ramones' influence
over the past twenty-five years. They may never have sold a hell of a
LOT of records, but the ones they DID sell obviously got into the
hands of the right people! When I first received this CD, I truthfully
expected an even more painful tribute-listening experience than usual
because my opinions about three quarters of the performing lineup
ranged from "mild disinterest" right up to "outright hatred." :-)
Still trying to keep an open mind, I hoped that at least the
participants wouldn't f*ck with the songs very much, because as far as
I'm concerned the entire Ramones catalog is perfect just the way it
is. (OK, so I'm biased. Sue me.) Using that criteria immediately
deleted the tracks by Marilyn Manson (a HORRENDOUS techno-goth
rendition of "The KKK Took My Baby Away"), Tom Waits (an equally
horrible rockabilly version of "The Return of Jackie and Judy"), and
Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante's funereal solo take
on "Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World" (a limited edition bonus
track). Speaking of the Peppers, their slowed-down, reggae-injected
"Havana Affair" didn't do much for me either. None of those tracks
were really a disappointment, though, because I pretty much expected
them to suck before I even hit the "play" button. I had higher hopes
for Metallica's cover of "53rd & 3rd", but the dry, plodding,
unexciting result shows that this wasn't the right song for them. Just
imagine the younger, more thrashing Metallica of fifteen years ago
taking on a speed burner like "Psycho Therapy," "Teenage Lobotomy," or
"Wart Hog" and weep for what might have been! On the up side, Kiss'
"Do You Remember Rock & Roll Radio" is the best track on the CD,
capturing the fun, '60s inspired spirit of the original while still
giving it their trademark arena-rock flavor. U2 also does a nice job
with "Beat On The Brat," although Bono probably should've toughened up
his breathy delivery a little bit. Rob Zombie turns "Blitzkrieg Bop"
into an electro-metal anthem that I can imagine being played in sports
arenas very soon, and Garbage's "I Just Wanna Have Something To Do"
maintains the original's punk attitude. (Besides, I think their singer
is hot.) Also in the "plus" column are Chrissie Hynde and the
Pretenders, who provide a fine acoustic take on the under-appreciated
ballad "Something To Believe In" (from 1986's ANIMAL BOY) as well as
the offerings by Green Day ("Outsider"), Rancid ("Sheena Is A Punk
Rocker") and the Offspring ("I Wanna Be Sedated"). Of course, those
three bands are basically Ramones tribute acts on their original
material, so none of them are really stretching here. :-) I even have
to give Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam some grudging props (even though I
absolutely DESPISE his band!) for his reverent covers of "I Believe In
Miracles" and "Daytime Dilemma (Dangers of Love)" backed by the punk
band Zeke. In other words, if you're half the Ramones fan I am, some
of WE'RE A HAPPY FAMILY will make you raise your fists in the air, but
the rest will make you want to rip it out of your CD player and throw
it out the window. (That's pretty much the standard review for ANY
tribute album, isn't it?) Unless you're a fan of one or more of the
contributing acts, my advice would be to wait a few months and then
look for a used copy. Or you could do yourself a favor and just buy a
Ramones CD, many of which have been re-mastered and reissued by Warner
Archives/Rhino Records over the past year with fantastic new liner
notes and boatloads of bonus tracks.

-(PHEW) My desk's all cleaned off and now I feel better. I can see the
stagehands coming towards me with "the hook," so I guess that means
I'm done. Fare thee well until next time!

-THIS WEEK'S PLAYLIST: Angel Dust - OF HUMAN BONDAGE; Halford -
CRUCIBLE; Trouble - MANIC FRUSTRATION; Lefay - THE SEVENTH SEAL; Dio -
MAGICA.

[Note: Keith informed me my "editorial red pen of doom" struck too
soon recently. He listed a band called "Bad Biscut" in his Playlist,
and I corrected it to "Bad Biscuit." Oops, turns out the band wants it
spelled "Bad Biscut" after all. Sorry. - Tim]

*
*** REVIEWS ***
*
EVERY MOTHER'S NIGHTMARE - LIVE SONGS FROM SOMEWHERE! (B/B-) Perris
Records, 2002
14 tracks, RT: 70:02
[ http://www.emnonline.net/ ]
[ http://www.perrisrecords.com/ ]
Here's another Perris Records release with a track listing in its
press kit that reads like an abbreviated live set list a band would
tape to the stage... This bugs me if I'm not familiar with the band
because I don't know what the real, full song titles are. Thankfully
my friend Michael Henderson clued me in to this live disc's real track
list: "Bathe Me," "Walls Come Down," "The Hole Inside," "Deeper Shade
Of Grey," "Delta Voodoo," "Pray," "Sympathy," "Love Can Make You
Blind," "Bring Me Down," "Solid Ground," "Long Haired Country Boy"
(Charlie Daniels Band cover), "I'm Eighteen" (Alice Cooper), "Saturday
Night Special" (Lynyrd Skynyrd), "Takes Your Breath Away." (Thanks,
Michael!) So with the logistics out of the way, on to the review... If
you're like me you probably remember the band's 1990 s/t debut and its
balladish radio hit "Love Can Make You Blind" -- but not much else. So
then, like me, you would be surprised to learn EMN apparently took a
break after releasing its second album (1993's WAKE UP SCREAMING) and
has now reconvened and put out a rarities compilation, 2001's BACK
TRAXX, and two more studio albums, 2001's SMOKIN' DELTA VOODOO and
last year's DEEPER SHADE OF GREY. This new live disc samples from all
of the band's studio albums except WAKE UP SCREAMING, plus throws in a
handful of cover songs and a couple new tracks to boot. Overall LIVE
SONGS FROM SOMEWHERE! is a solid, workmanlike release that mixes
southern and '80s hard rock. The band has energy, unlike some other
'80s metal survivors, and vocalist Rick Ruhl attitude and ability fits
the music well. Oddly, "Love Can Make You Blind" has its trademark
chorus melody kinda tweaked in this version -- you might think the
band would play its big hit straight -- but I guess that's what live
albums are for. "Solid Ground" and the Charlie Daniels and Skynyrd
covers rock, and one of the new tracks, "The Hole Inside," has a
terrifically funny intro from Ruhl before displaying a sinister,
slightly more modern vibe that works for the band. Curiously, for over
a minute after the show ends, the last track continues on with some
ambient conversation *way* in background. It's nearly inaudible and
leaves you scratching your head... - Tim

LOST HORIZON - A FLAME TO THE GROUND BENEATH (A) Music For Nations,
2003
13 tracks, RT: 52:30
[ http://www.oncelosthorizon.com/ ]
[ http://www.music-for-nations.co.uk ]
OK...first off the comparisons... Think of a more musically
progressive Manowar. The songwriting deals with all that is majestic
with Metal (thus the comparison to Manowar as well). This type of
music can be very uplifting and powerful to some who embrace the
imagination. I have been listening to this for the past two weeks. And
with each listen it is growing on me more and more. I did not care for
Lost Horizon's debut release, AWAKENING THE WORLD, at first. I
listened to it once and was not knocked out so I put it on the shelf.
I then pulled it out a couple months later and was really impressed.
Catchy melodies, powerful vocals, very tight production. A FLAME TO
THE GROUND BENEATH is much of the same, which is good and bad. There
are some good Power Metal songs on here but most of these songs could
be interchanged with songs from the first CD. I would like to see a
little more diversity as this band shows a tremendous amount of
potential. Ethereal Magnanimus (vocals, and yes...that is how he is
credited on the CD) throws in so many nice little tight harmonies with
himself; they blend together so well they are almost transparent, with
the exception that they sound so good. He can also scream with the
best of them...or as Magnanimus would say, "exhale the war cry."
"Think Not Forever" is my favorite song on here. It starts with the
aforementioned wailing war cry, transcends into a moody keyboard part
and then explodes into a powerful, chugging rhythm. With some great
guitar harmonies and melodies, along with an inspiring vocal
performance, I believe this is the standout song. These guys put a
great deal into their songs and the power, emotion and messages behind
them. They have a great Web site so check it out. I love the names of
the individuals and their outlook on life. A slightly more crunchy and
aggressive guitar sound would be the only thing I would change about
the production. Summary: If you liked Lost Horizon's debut, you should
eat this up...much of the same pounding melodic power metal with great
vocals and a tight production. - Sean P. Gahgan (QA2263@...)

*
*** OUT ***
*

=====
Detritus Rock/Metal e-zine
"Rock Hard With A Purpose"
http://www.dynamitemetal.com/detritus/

BW&BK 6-PACK WEEKEND - "Domestics & Imports"
http://www.bravewords.com/6pack/
June 13-14, 2003 - The Odeon - Cleveland, Ohio USA

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