Nebular Nine: June 2023

Man alive! June featured some of my all time favourite bands. I've been listening to almost all these bands for years. I only discovered Crown Lands this year but I am falling in love with the Toronto prog rock duo. King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard have only been on my radar for a couple years but their output feels like a decade! Petrodragonic Apocalypse is their latest banger! 

Up top we have Black Rainbows, Royal Thunder, and QOTSA. Three kinds of rock, man. Black Rainbows are so fun. Mlny Parsonz is probably my favourite vocalist (and RT songs are excellent regardless). It did take me some time and dedication to warm up to the new Queens though. It's been like that for their last few albums. 

It didn't take as long for the new Dead Quiet. Some dang catchy tunes! Happy Canada Day!!

And with Bongzilla you know what you're getting and they never disappoint. Tolerance is never an issue! 

Clutch is my fave so....bonus tracks!!!

Last but not least, the live drums on the Fear Factory sound great! Remix/master is cool too.

And the rest of these. Will update later.

Clutch! with Orange Goblin, Lionize and Scorpion Child, April 18, 2013 at Sound Academy, Toronto

I'd been looking forward to this show for a LONG time. For a number of reasons. First, Clutch is my favourite band, DURR. And it had been over three and a half YEARS since I'd seen them. An event now known as "The Incident". But that's a blog post for another time. On top of that, Orange Goblin had never played Toronto before. Therefore, I'd never seen them play. I've been a fan for over a decade so I was stoked. I'd caught the tail end of Lionize when they toured with Clutch a few years ago but I remembered almost nothing. And lastly, I saw a Scorpion Child video on youtube and was looking forward to hearing more.

In my excitement (and anticipating heavy traffic) I left my house way too early and showed up at the venue over two hours before doors. I doubled back to an Asian market and bought some food. I wasn't eating no bar food, I can tell you that. But I should have checked the ingredients on the (super-calorific) Vietnamese red bean pastries. Lard. Fucking lard! Read beans, I'm thinking all vegetarian and stuff but no. Wasted a buck fifty. Almost sat down on the curb to eat right by a discarded condom. Listened to the new Black Sabbath track (meh). Exciting stuff, I know! So with like an hour before doors I headed over to the venue and sat in the parking lot watching the weirdos roll in.

Once inside, and thankfully with no guest list issues, I chatted it up with fellow Hellbound.ca writer Gruesome Greg. I was almost as excited to meet him as I was to see the show! Almost. It was really cool to finally put a face to the name. As well as spend some time with a handful of other friends I don't see nearly enough. Alright, alright. Enough preamble.

First band to hit the stage was Scorpion Child. As I said, I'd watched a video for "Polygon of Eyes" on youtube and liked what I saw. To my delight, they did not disappoint. Heavy on the Zeppelin and other 70s rock acts influence, their style fit perfectly with the other bands on the bill. Despite the crowd being comparatively sparse, they played like the house was packed already and the crowd responded. Their enthusiasm was unflappable. Hair flying, guitars raised, drums being handily abused, and vocalist Aryn Jonathan Black slinking around the stage belting out the tunes with dynamic range. His passion, as was the rest of the band's, was never in question as he engaged the crowd and even sang much from his knees, compelled by the power of music. And yes, they did play "Polygon" after which Black quipped, "Now that that's out of the way.." They knew what people wanted to hear. Their album comes out June 25th on Nuclear Blast and you can bet they made some fans who'll be checking it out. Myself included.

I'd been looking forward to seeing Lionize again. From what little I could remember (Re: "The Incident") I dug their vibe but for some reason I never took the time to check them out between then and now. Well, because I can never get enough Clutch, I won't be over-looking Lionize anymore. It's obvious they hold Clutch in high regard as, to the unseasoned listener, you could be forgiven for mistaking the two bands. The most glaring differences being the vocals and their use of keys (although Clutch did for a time). Their laid-back, grooved out rock with bluesy influence gave the crowd a taste of what was to come yet allowed the gathering to hold some energy in reserve. Especially when they pull a little Sublime out of their sleeve and add some reggae flavour to the recipe. While I found nothing to complain about, the highlight of their set was the jam session. I couldn't see the stage well, but I heard something change. A shift in position revealed Clutch's Tim Sult up on the stage with them! There's no mistaking his sound. A few minutes into the jam Orange Goblin's Joe Hoare also grabbed a guitar and joined in. At the end of it, Lionize guitarist/vocalist Nate Bergman sort of, apologized, for it. Hey man, no apology necessary! That's what live music is all about!

By the time Orange Goblin took the stage for their first ever Toronto show, the Sound Academy was about as packed as it was going to get on this evening. And the assembled mass was ready. When the OG boys walked out on stage they received a welcome a headliner would be proud of. And for the love of Sabbath, Ben Ward is a beast. I had heard he was a large man but until you see him in person, you never really know. Never mind his well-seasoned vocal attributes, his mere presence demands your attention. And what a frontman he is. Stalking around that stage with his fist(s) raised and pumping, he makes it his mission to ensure the crowd is amped. How could you not get behind a band who's singer air guitars just as hard as anyone else there? Any Goblin fan worth their weight in salt was sure to be pleased with their set. Not surprisingly leaning on tracks from 2012's Eulogy for the Damned, they played a selection from across their career. Orange Goblin's high-octane, blooze-fueled stoner metal ran the gamut with cuts from the more psychedelic Frequencies From Planet Ten and The Big Black through to the newer stuff and even included a number of songs I was shamefully unfamiliar with. (Which will be rectified, whether you like it or not.) Ward's between song banter showed how appreciative the band was of the reception they received and the crowd responded in kind, pumping their fists and banging their heads ever harder through set closer "Scorpionica".

At this point one could be fully satisfied that they'd received their money's worth on any given night but there was still possibly the greatest touring band on the planet yet to come. Clutch. I'm not just saying that because I think they're the best. Their reputation as world class performers should be well known to anyone reading this.

By this point there was a healthy percentage of the patronage well acquainted with the bar staff and as such the buzz of anticipation was almost a physical thing. Any flicker of movement from the area of the stage lead to a chorus of hollers from the uninhibited. The glowing Clutch logo of the backdrop cast an eerie light over what was soon to become the highlight of any given attendee's week/month/year. When the fantastic foursome of Neil Fallon, Tim Sult, Dan Maines and JP Gaster took the stage they received no less than a hero's welcome before launching into the set with a trio of tracks from the recently released Earth Rocker in "Crucial Velocity", "Book, Saddle and Go" and "Cyborg Betty". The band's motive towards Earth Rocker was to create an album with good energy from front to back and lend itself to being played well live. Starting the show with those three only proves that their mission was accomplished. Here Fallon states "We're only three songs in and you're already the best crowd we've had all tour!" I like to think he wasn't just saying that. What followed was a set heavy on Earth Rocker cuts but featuring a splendid selection of tracks from Elephant Riders on. What Clutch show in Canada would be complete without "The Mob Goes Wild" and the lines "Everybody move to Canada. Smoke lotsa pot. Everybody move to Canada, right now."? It's a given. It's expected. And it's probably the only time EVERYONE sings along. (I suspect "The Yeti" is a must when they play in Winnipeg as well.)

Part of what makes Clutch such an amazing live act, in addition to their near-encyclopedic knowledge of their own material and subsequent varying set list, is the jams. On this night, not one, but two songs were extended by the magnificent jams of these four individuals that just know each other so well. "D.C. Sound Attack" and "The Soapmakers" got the extra time as well as a sweet drum solo from Gaster. He's just such a unique talent. He thinks drums differently while not thinking about them at all (at least while on stage). Sult and Maines were in their familiar places to the left and right of Gaster, respectively, as Fallon stalked the stage in his usual animated fashion. He's almost like the director of a travelling sideshow, waving his hands around with sweeping gestures and finger pointing. His captivating stage presence enthralls the onlookers and innocent bystanders, demanding their attention. (Which baffled me all the more that there were people NOT paying attention. For shame!)

The low-key "Gone Cold" gave the crowd some time to recharge before finishing the set with "The Face" and  "Oh, Isabella" and closing with a crunchy version of "Dragonfly". But the closing number is never the closing number with Clutch. Returning to another raucous reception, the Maryland quartet wowed the crowd with an encore of "Cypress Grove", "Electric Worry" and "One Eyed Dollar". The closing words being "Today's our day!" a fitting end to what was unquestionably Clutch's day indeed. Clutch never fails to deliver and this night was no different. While I personally would like to have heard at least one song from their self-titled, I was by no means disappointed. In fact, it was quite possibly their best performance I've been witness to. Start to finish, every band put on an excellent show, complimenting each other in one way or another. The lesser known Scorpion Child and Lionize no doubt won over some new fans. Orange Goblin as well, while reaffirming their might to the previously converted. And Clutch? Well, Clutch proved yet again that they are an untouchable live act, thrilling fans young. old, drunk, stoned, sober and of almost every conceivable hard rock/metal subculture. Because hey, that's the name of the game.

Full Set List:

Crucial Velocity

Book, Saddle and Go

Cyborg Betty

The Mob Goes Wild

DC Sound Attack

The Soapmakers

Burning Beard

Earth Rocker

Unto The Breach

Subtle Hustle

Regulator

Gone Cold

The Face

Open Up The Border

Oh, Isabella

Dragonfly

Cypress Grove

Electric Worry

One Eyed Dollar

Top 40 Albums of 2009 Part 4: #10-1

10. Cannibal Corpse - Evisceration Plague: This one might also fall into the “I don’t care what you think” pile. Some bands just have “it”. That knack for making brutal punishing death metal. “Corpsegrinder” has the best vox in the biz. And you can take that to the blood bank. Because that’s where you’ll need to go after Evisceration Plague tears you to pieces. For death metal, it’s pretty catchy. I don’t know how many times I get a riff from this album stuck in my head. Gory death and murder still have a place in metal and Cannibal Corpse lead the parade of carnage. Album highlight: “A Cauldron of Hate”

9. Cobalt - Gin: I’m not a big black metal fan. And you might not consider this black metal. It certainly doesn’t have typical black metal lyrical inspiration. But stylistically, it leans that way. There isn’t a weak spot on this album. The music is pure genius. All from the brain (and hands) of one guy. And the vocals! Oh yeah baby! Scathing to say the least. I recently saw an interview with Phil McSorley and you would never guess that voice came from that person. That gives me hope for myself. Gin gets better every time I hear it. Instant classic. Album highlight: “Arsonry” if I have to choose.

8. Burnt By The Sun - Heart of Darkness: THIS is what metal and hardcore is supposed to sound like. That full sound  of metal with the rawness of hardcore. If I saw them live, (which I probably never will) I’d have the world’s biggest bangover. It’s literally impossible not to throw yourself around violently while listening to Heart of Darkness. At least in private. This might be BBTS’s swansong too. A crying shame.  I wish I’d gotten into them earlier. I don’t know why I didn’t. This is one album that won’t get forgotten for a long time. Album highlight: The (simple yet) killer, album closing riff in “The Wolves Are Running”

7.  Converge - Axe to Fall: How to talk about Converge? That’s tough. And so is singer Jacob Bannon. Dude has tattoos on his neck! It’s basically hardcore but better. Complicated riffs abound. This train could fall off the rails at any minute but it’s Converge, so it doesn’t. Converge are at their best at lightning speeds (“Dark Horse”) but when they throw one out of left field, (“Cruel Bloom” ft. Steve Von Till, “Wretched World”) they still have a captivating impact. They’re just incredible. Bannon is a man possessed, Kurt Ballou is a genius both on the guitar and in the producer’s chair. I’ve (sadly) never heard Jane Doe, but as long as I have Axe To Fall, I don’t really need to. Album highlight: closer “Wretched World”. After all the chaos, it’s a nice cool down.

6. Megadeth - Endgame: As much as I like the classic Megadeth lineup, Mustaine really is Megadeth. And I think his giant ego is backed up by his music. He’s that good. I am amazed at his guitar prowess. You’d never know he was close to never being able to play again. Endgame is classic Megadeth. Maybe not Rust in Peace classic, but Countdown to Extinction classic. Or better. (Countdown was the first Megadeth album I heard.)I think I’ve referred to it as shred-tastic at some point. MegaDave has the same way of telling stories with his songs as always. He’s got the “love song” in there too. And of course, the lyrics are littered with clichés and common expressions/sayings. That’s just Megadeth style. I think Megadeth is  a pretty polarizing band. Not many people are on the fence. If you don’t like Mustaine’s vocals, you never will. Megadeth has always been one of my all-time faves and Endgame only strengthens that. Favourite driving album of 2009. Album highlight: Other than the shredding throughout, it’d be “Bite the Hand” I suppose.

5. Slayer - World Painted Blood: It was a hard decision to put this above Megadeth. Really. I think what put it over was Lombardo. Possibly the best drummer ever. Slayer is one of those bands that never has to change. They just do their thing and it’s awesome. Like Endgame, World Painted Blood reminds me of some of their older albums. There’s an urgency to it. It never lets up. Araya is still at the top of his game. If I caught myself with a tune stuck in my head, the majority of the time is was from this album. Even if I hadn’t listened to it in a few days. There’s not really much more I can say. It’s fucking Slayer! I think there was a stretch of a good month that this didn’t leave the cd player in the car. How else am I supposed to warp my young girls minds? Ha, my youngest (2) asked me, “What song is this?” Slayer, I said. “ I know Dad, but what SONG is it.?” I’m so proud. That song was...Album highlight: “Unit 731“. The drums on that track are just so fucking rad.

4. SerpentCult - Weight of Light: I cheated on this one. It was originally released in 2008 but the North American release wasn’t til Jan ‘09 so in my mind it counts. I bent the rules because this slab of doom deserves all the cred I can throw at it. Sometimes it’s categorized as sludge, but the band prefers doom and I agree. It might not be at a snail’s pace, but this fucker is HEAVY! Oh, so heavy! The tones are so crushing. You can really hear the bass guitar too. It sounds like the strings are gonna fall off. As low as everything is on this, they have a female singer. With a beautiful voice. Every once in a while she throws in a grunt just so we know she’s metal. I wanted to go see them play with Zoroaster and The Gates of Slumber but I was unable to make it. What a shame. I bet they destroy all live. They were on first but they should headline. That’s just me. IMO, the singer (I really need to get better at names) puts Christina Scabbia, that chick from Evanescence, or any of those chicks in goth metal bands to shame.  The album wouldn’t be as awesome with a male singer. Best new band of 2009. Album highlight: “Arkanum”

3. Baroness - Blue Record: Early in their career, Baroness were thought of like Mastodon clones. Like Mastodon, Baroness has evolved beyond that. Continuing with what they started on Red Album (My Top Album of 2007), Blue Record isn’t so much sludge metal as it is heavy rock. What makes Baroness so great is their song writing ability. Every song takes you on a journey. It consists of so many parts (not verse/chorus/verse) but every part is there for a reason. And it all flows so well. Every note leads to the next like they were meant to be together. Another great part is the range of tones. It’s not flat. For the most part the tones are very bright. Despite the name, Blue Record makes me feel good. Maybe because it makes feel like I’m flying. Or given the fish imagery on the cover, speeding through the clear blue sea. Something I usually don’t care for but do on Blue Record is the little acoustic passages. They sound like they fit. Almost Americana. Not Across Tundras Americana though. That IS too much. Blue Record sounds like it couldn’t have originated from anywhere but America though. I can only imagine what the future holds for Baroness given that this monumental, dynamic, inspiring album is only their second full length. I can’t wait to find out. Album highlight: “Swollen and Halo”

2. Blood Tsunami - Grand Feast for Vultures: There’s two main reasons this is ranked so high. 1. Overwhelming winner on play count. 2. Not a day goes by that I don’t want to listen to this. No matter what mood I’m in, I can listen to Grand Feast for Vultures. It’s new thrash but it’s not American. I can hear the Slayer influence and at times a riff is only a note or two off from Metallica. I don’t care. I get so amped up listening to this. If I’m in a pissy mood, I scream along to this and it gets that negativity out of me and I feel much better. Speaking of scream along, that’s my favourite part. The screaming. It’s so powerful. He’s giving it all he’s got. And so do I. I don’t know most of the words but I scream right along with it. I’m actually pretty proud at how well I can emulate his style. Their debut, Thrash Metal, was great but Grand Feast for Vultures is a big step up. There’s just something about this album that speaks to me. It’s hard to explain. It just must have the same resonance frequency as I do. Whatever the reason, this is one of my all time favourite albums. Album highlight: “Nothing but Contempt”

1. Kylesa - Static Tensions: I knew this was going to top my list from the first listen. There was no doubt. It has everything you could ever want and more. Phillip Cope and Laura Pleasants are an incredible team. From the guitars to the vocals, they compliment each other perfectly. The album is very layered and complex. However, in a live setting, they can pull it off and nothing seems missing. Awe inspiring. While Kylesa’s not the only band to have two drummers, Kylesa’s the only band that does it this well. Eric and Carl are in perfect unison. (When they’re supposed to be) Cope did an amazing job producing. Sometimes the drums are separate and sometimes centered. It’s quite the experience with headphones. Seeing the two drummers live was one of, if not the, greatest concert experience of my life. My jaw was on the floor almost the whole time. Unbelievable. My buddy Mark McGee (drums, Architect) and I couldn’t get over it. I was also lucky enough to interview Phillip and Laura before the show. (transcription in progress) I was truly grateful they shared their time with me. There is no weak spot on this album at all. Amazing front to back. By this point in many bands careers, they’ve hit their stride but with Static Tensions, Kylesa is still accelerating. The jump from the last album (Time Will Fuse Its Worth)to this one is staggering. They were amazing before but they’re exceptional now. If you’re not in love with Static Tensions, shame on you. Buy it now!! I have but I need to get the vinyl now. Album highlight: “Said and Done” but really they’re all highlights.

0. (What? There’s a 0?) If any one of you has read my lists before you know that some bands have a special place in my brain that absolves them of all flaws. They can do no wrong and I am unable to be unbiased. So instead of just making them Number 1 every year, I just make them 0. It’s only fair. This year, like 2007, it’s Clutch. Strange Cousins From The West. Clutch’s blues tinged brand of hard rock is second to none. No matter hard a band may try, none sound like Clutch. Every member of the band has such a unique style which cannot be emulated. As with previous releases, SCFTW is just stylistically different enough from the rest that for the most part, the songs only fit on this release. It’s amazing how Clutch can still sound distinctly Clutch but never become stale. Neil Fallon has to be the greatest front man ever. As captivating as he is live, he commands just as much respect on the album. I think there’s so much going on in his head, he could write a new song everyday and still not run out of ideas. Between Christmas and New Year’s, Clutch was playing their self titled album in its entirety. Too bad I missed that. I’ll have to settle for SCFTW. That’s not so bad. It’s Clutch and they are better than you. Album highlight: “The Amazing Kreskin”
0b. Yup. A b. The Bakerton Group - El Rojo: It’s basically Clutch without vocals (with Per Wiberg from Opeth on keys). Fantastic!


So that’s the list. Argue with me if you like. It’ll be fun. Time to start on 2010!

Clutch! Comin atchya live!!

I made the trip to Toronto last Wednesday to see the greatest band ever, live in concert. Oh yes. I'm talkin' about Clutch! They played at the Phoenix. I had never seen a show there. It's quite the place. I'm used to seeing shows in small clubs/bars. And I'm usually right up at the front so sound quality goes right out the window. So, I was really impressed with the sound at the Phoenix. I could listen to each component. I could distinguish each guitar from the other, the bass from them both. It was a nice change. Don't get me wrong, I love small clubs. But with a band like Clutch, it's not about screaming or headbanging or moshing or being as loud as (in)humanly possible. At a Clutch show, it's about the experience. A religious experience. And Neil Fallon is the preacher. The stage his pulpit. Guitarist Tim Sult and bassist Dan Maines, while being absolutely amazing, are pretty much glued to the floor. Drummer J.P. Gaster (who pulled double duty with Wino) is a spectacle unto himself. Watching him play is fun! Between his facial expressions, his bouncing around on the stool and his unique beats, he'd be worth the ticket price alone. Back to Neil. He's probably the best frontman I have ever seen. (Phil Anselmo may be the other) He has such a conviction. An energy that is hard to describe. He is one with the words. He can look you in the eye and you will believe whatever comes out of his mouth.

One of the best things about seeing Clutch live is you never really know what to expect. They change the setlist up every night. So if I had the extreme pleasure of catching more than one date on a tour, it would be a like a whole new experience. Even better than that are the jams. Oh the jams! The Clutch boys have such an incredible sense of each other. They are locked in. It's like they can read each others minds. They can slip into a jam and carry it out for 5, 10, 15 minutes and be so far away from where they started and WHAM! Right back into the song. Perfectly. And it's not just the bass and drums providing a beat for the guitar to do it's thing. At any given time, any instrument can be the centrepiece. It's amazing. One of these days, I'm half expecting Neil to just start rambling off lyrics improv style. They played for about an hour and 45 minutes including, I believe, a 4 song encore. You get every penny worth. None of that 45 minute set crap. I don't recall them playing anything pre-Clutch. I also don't remember anything from Jam Room or Pure Rock Fury. They might have. I'd have to check the setlist. They played a good chunk off the new record, Strange Cousins From the West. No "Spacegrass", no "Escape From the Prison Planet", no "Dragonfly" but you can't have everything. If I had anything bad to say about the show it would be the occasional echo effect on Neil's mic. I don't know if it was just the acoustics of the building or if it was a bad effect, but it didn't sound very good. They used some weird effect during "The Yeti" during the "...time is of the essence..." parts. It didn't fit at all. It wasn't even close to the album sound. Instead of it sounding like someone talking farther from the mic it sounded like someone talking underwater. I don't who's idea it was, but it was a bad idea. Relatively minor complaints, I guess.

So basically, what I'm trying to say is, Clutch were, are and always will be, the best live band you will ever see. (Best recorded band too. Just the best. Ever. Believe it.)

In case you were wondering about support acts, I have a few words for them too. Circumstances prevented me from seeing opener, Lionize. I'm not hearbroken that I didn't get to see them. But I would have liked to. They sounded kinda trippy from what little I heard online. And I was in a trippy mood. (wink wink) I did see/hear most of Wino's set though. By that point in the day I hadn't eaten in almost 12 hours. ( I just plum forgot. Too excited) So that signature Scott "Wino" Weinrich tone and it's subsequent low-frequency resonance was doing funny things to my stomach. I had to step away for a few minutes and then stand in a ridiculously long and slow moving line to get some $3 water. I was concentrating more on the line and the loudmouthed idiot in front of me than the band. What I did see though was pretty good. Performance wise it was kind of sub-standard. They didn't move that much. The music was great but it wasn't so much a "show" as a listening party. Plus, they had J.P. on the kit so that was like an extra bonus. I'm a big fan of all of Wino's work so I would like to see them again. On a full stomach.

Below is the shirt I bought. Sweet.

Another new Clutch song!!

Streaming on Ultimate Guitar!!!!

New Clutch Song!!!

Satan is smiling on us today brothers!!!

Check out the new song "50,000 Unstoppable Watts" here!!

Thanks Metalsucks.net!!!

New album Strange Cousins From The West (Weathermaker Music) drops July 7!!!!