Rebelution re-introduces 15 of their greatest songs in dub style in a killer album appropriately titles, The Dub Collection. Featuring remixed versions of songs from past albums, this collection presents a different shade of the classic reggae combined with a California-style of rock that this band does so well. Between their reggae-rock fusion, their tight musicality, and the unique style they bring with this new album, Rebelution has created an interesting Summer playlist.
Anyone familiar with Rebelution’s previous work will immediately notice a difference in style, instrumentation, and overall mix as “Attention Span” opens the album. There’s more ambiance in the track overall, and many elements have been made brighter, especially the brass. On most of the songs, Rachmany’s vocals swell in and out in various sections, leaving extra room for instrumental work. A few songs, especially “Feeling Alright,” have a more trippy vibe than their original cuts. Many songs also provide extra instrumentation in the mix, making some feel much more alive, and allowing for a new taste.
This mix of reggae and rock takes an extra step with the production choices made. Williams’s bass dominates in a way that still allows the rest of the music to stand out, and serves as an excellent counterpart to Finley’s drum work. While the mixing took away the better rhythmic qualities of certain tracks, the production on this album overall is impressive, and breathes a new life into the music. Of course, Rebelution’s ability to groove shines through on this album, and some songs contrasted others in creative ways, despite little compositional variety overall.
“Mirage” stood out in particular, for its smooth feeling, with an extra haunting mix. This song is a fine example of how Rachmany’s vocals benefit from the style on this album. The ambiance on his voice gives a certain darkness to his bright tone, without sacrificing its presence in the mix.
The keys work by Carey also has a new color in these mixes, and makes the music much more full. Rachmany’s guitar compliments and is complimented by the keys, and they work together to define the music’s tonality—both in the original and new cuts—and have an excellent new vibrance on this album. With the grooves from the rhythm section, and various new instrumentations, there is a freshness that doesn’t quite compare to Rebelution’s other albums.
Overall, The Dub Collection is a great choice for reggae and rock fans in general, and makes a solid introduction for new fans of Rebelution, as it peaks into the band’s various talents and takes on their genre. It’s fun and lively, but most importantly a jam that will keep this on repeat throughout the Summer and beyond!
As always, rock on my friends! Hunnypot Approved! Overall Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Artist: Rebelution, LP: The Dub Collection Release Date: July 17th, 2020, Label: Easy Star Records
Tokyo Motor Fist comes in heavy with their new release, Lions. Featuring singer Ted Poley of Danger Danger and guitarist/producer Steve Brown of Trixter along with Chuck Burgi on drums and Greg Smith on bass, Tokyo Motor Fist produces an old school metal and hard rock sound with new and interesting takes. Lions is an excellent entry for old and new fans of high energy, guitar-driven, kick-you-in-the-face music.
The album starts off hot with a classic ‘80s feel. Listeners will immediately notice a freshness in delivery in opening track, “Youngblood.” This song’s catchy hook and lively gang vocals give the listener a taste for what’s to come. The victorious mood is fitting for the overall theme of Lions. “Monster In Me” includes fun, walking rhythms by Brown and gives an interesting contrast to the previous track. Then, “Around Midnight” shifts to a fun, modern feel, with some of those more classic metal and rock influences still very present. Immediately, there’s a nice mix of style and arrangement, making it feel fresh track after track.
“Mean It” is another energetic piece with charming guitar work from Brown and a thick bass tone from Smith. The album then makes a shift with the title song, “Lions.” Featuring a dark orchestral arrangement, this one is highlighted with an amazing performance by Poley along with an incredibly impactful hook. Without warning, “Decadence On 10th Street” takes the listener down a hard, riffy trail. Creative melodies on the guitar keep the song moving, while Poley expresses a late ‘70s hard rock attitude. The band really glues together on this track. The victorious feeling of the album returns in “Dream Your Heart Out” and “Blow Your Mind.”
Possibly my favorite song on Lions was “Sedona,” and not just for the brass that makes for a pleasant surprise, and without taking away from the harder styles found within this album. “Sedona” shows the versatility of these artists, taking a big step away from the vibe of the other songs on Lions, but doing so in a way that couldn’t be smoother. This song definitely has something to offer for lovers of various genres. “Look Into Me,” takes it back again to an atmospheric ballad, then “Winner Takes All” makes for another triumphant anthem, to close out this powerhouse of an album.
Overall, the heavy tone and riffing by Brown, cool bass lines by Smith, and the fat kick and snare by Burgi, coupled with Poley’s spectacular vocals, makes this album feel nostalgic, yet new. While it all has a heavy rock and metal feel, many of the songs step away from what one might expect, and generally in creative ways, which definitely pay off. Whether you love old school or new school hard rock and metal, you will love Lions. It's truly a pleasant surprise in an otherwise chaotic world, and an album that will have you pressing repeat over and over. Great job Toyko Motor Fist, this one ROCKS!!
As always, rock on my friends! Hunnypot Approved! Overall Rating: 8.1 out of 10
Artist: Tokyo Motor Fist, LP: Lions, Release Date: July 10th, 2020, Label: Frontiers Music Srl
My roots in Hard Rock and Metal music reach back decades. During my formidable years, I can remember spending endless hours in the record store rifling through rows of vinyl discovering bands I'd never heard of, and imagining what they'd sound like based on the album art. Metal was mostly an underground, word-of-mouth society that stayed that way until the 80's glam movement broke and catapulted the genre for all to hear. One of the bands that created some buzz at the time was a little known band by the name of Alcatrazz. This English-American band's unique melodic, soaring theatrical style lasted only a few short years but not without exposing us to the now legends Graham Bonnet, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Steve Vai.
Now, almost 35 years later, Graham Bonnet, along with fellow founding members including Jimmy Waldo (keyboards) and bassist Gary Shea have put together a flat-out barn-burner of a record! With a reputation of launching guitar virtuoso's, Born Innocent marks the studio debut of Boston-based Berklee College Of Music assistant professor of guitar, the magnificent Joe Stump. With Mark Benquechea on drums, Alcatrazz continues their heavy, melodic and finely articulated hard rock flavor that was a cornerstone of the likes of Rainbow and the Michael Schenker Group, when the band went on hiatus decades ago.
The album begins with the title track "Born Innocent", showing us immediately that Bonnet's unique and powerful self-taught singing style is alive and well. Stump's guitars are also in the forefront here, and we're treated to a perfect song to get one's blood pumping. The album's first single "Polar Bear" follows, and here is where they start to shine. A double-base tour de force showcasing soaring vocals along with a refreshing melody that's all wrapped up in another double-bass ass-kicker of a song. You immediately get a taste for the classic sound of Alcatraz presented in a modern package that feels nothing short of exhilarating.
The album continues, one killer track after another. "Finn McCool" rounds out the 1-2-3 punch to open the record, which leads to a couple of medium tempo grinders. "We Still Remember" and "London 1666" where Stump unloads a solo that'll surely scorch anything not fireproof. This guy's insane. "I Am The King", a big fat grinder of a song along with "The Wound is Open", a groove-laden tune, further showcases Bonnet's unmistakable power. Perhaps my favorite song on the whole album could be "Body Beautiful," a behemoth of a song nestled toward the end of the collection. Again, a classic Bonnet melodic chorus wrapped up by a song that could rest easy on a newer Judas Priest album. A hidden gem for sure.
Fans of Alcatrazz will surely embrace this album as it checks all the boxes for an amazing rock masterpiece and then some. For me, it serves as a reminder that this music we love is nothing short of timeless. Alcatrazz has proven here that despite their 35-year hiatus, they are still relevant to the classic Hard Rock sound and have much to offer still. Fingers crossed that soon they'll be free to take this new fistful of metal on the road, as surely there will be many folks clamoring to be a part of the classic Alcatrazz's resurgence. In the meantime, grab this album when it drops and listen to it often and loud, you'll be glad you did. Be well!
As always, rock on my friends! Hunnypot Approved! Overall Rating: 8.9 out of 10
Artist: Alcatrazz LP: Born Innocent, Release Date: July 31, 2020, Label: Silver Lining Music
Continuing our 20 year tradition of identifying and sharing the best new single releases. Check out and follow Hunnypot's favorite 2020 playlist here. Hot Tub Johnnie Approved!
If you would like to hear Hunnypot's Spotify playlist from previous years, look no further:
The Supergroup. It's a name used by many to describe a group of individually successful musicians that get together with other well-known players to form unique new bands. There are supergroups in all facets of music, of course, but for me, when the word comes out that a supergroup of "metal giants" is on the horizon, I still get a tad bit shaky. Many in the past held promise, but most of them came and went, imploded, drifted into obscurity, or simply faded away. Most of these anticipated bands hit with a splash and ended up leaving us fans feeling empty. Nevertheless, I still have lofty expectations with these albums, sometimes more so than individual band releases!
This week we were treated to the debut release of BPMD (an acronym of the members' names), entitled American Made. Lead Singer Bobby Blitz (Overkill), drummer Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Sons of Apollo), bassist Mark Menghi (Metal Allegiance), and guitarist Phil Demmel (Vio-lence, Machine Head) got together to put their stamp on some great American 70's rock tunes. For three of the most straight-up metal musicians you'll find today coupled with a self-proclaimed progressive drummer, they merge together so soundly and recreate these classics in an unbelievable way. You can tell these dudes had a boatload of fun doing this while creating unique renditions of all these songs. They didn't try to do too much as the whole point of this album was to have each player perform the song as they would naturally. The result is one of the most refreshing and kick-ass albums to come out in recent memory.
The album starts with an attention-getting intro from Blitz that scared the crap out of me at first. Immediately following this outburst was Ted Nugent's "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang". It came to life with a fierceness that sets the tone for the whole record. Aerosmith's "Toys in the Attic" follows with a power you'll never extract from the original. This trend continues throughout the entire 10-tracks. What follows are some very cool covers including ZZ Top's "Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers" which is turned upside down and inside out into one helluva rocking tune while all the while keeping the flavor of the original close at hand. Willie Dixon's "Evil" is given the treatment also as well as Lynard Skynard's "Saturday Night Special," all leading into Blue Oyster Cult's "Tattoo Vampire." A bit obscure to be sure, but this song, in my opinion, could be the highlight of the entire album. The boys manage to transform this one into an upbeat barn-burner, which seems to suit Blitz's style nicely. A borderline thrash tune with tinges of punk, this one shines!
If you're looking to a spin a few hard rock classics while you're out and about, take BPMD's American Made for a ride. This one covers all the bases and will surely please even the most finicky rock and metal fans. With powerful riffs and a truly unique take on some of the pasts most beloved songs, this one will be on your playlist for weeks and weeks to come. Grab this however you can and play it now. And do it loud, you'll be thanking me later!
As always, rock on my friends! Hunnypot Approved! Overall Rating: 9.1 out of 10
Artist: BPMD LP: American Made, Release Date: June 12th, 2020, Label: Napalm Records
Whether its Billie Holiday, N.W.A., or Rage Against The Machine, each social movement throughout our history has had its share of complimentary protest music. Often inspired by pain, but somehow conveying hope, this music transcends genre and generations alike. In 2020, Run The Jewels’ cements their name in the history books as they continue work to inspire meaningful change through their activism and music.
Following the senseless killing of George Floyd, an emotional Killer Mike appeared before the nation alongside Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to plead with his city, “that it is [their] duty not to burn [their] house down for anger with an enemy”. Three days later, he and El-P dropped their long-anticipated project, RTJ4. While it was recorded over the span of a few months prior to the Coronavirus pandemic, it is filled with fight music that couldn’t be more suitable to the current level of civil unrest in our cities today. I figured it was a fitting soundtrack and gave it an initial spin on my drive to downtown Los Angeles to document a Black Lives Matter protest. Let’s jump into a few moments of this album.
The first stand out moment to me was the lead single, “Ooh La La”. This track sets the tone for the album as El-P and Killer Mike trade braggadocio bars while sprinkling in elements of militant activism over El-P’s bouncy eccentric jazz rap instrumental. The video (included below) depicts a world the “Day the long-fought battle between humanity and the forces of greed and division [ended].” In this presentation, the rappers take to the streets to celebrate the end of the monetary system and the classism it fosters. The imagery of hundred-dollar bills torched, police helicopters overhead, and a party ensuring in the street wasn’t far off from the realities in our cities the week before.
A cornerstone of Run The Jewel’s sound is the emcees’ seamless ability to effortlessly trade bars back and forth. The two trade tongue twisting bars on what is sonically my favorite “rap” song on the project. 2 Chainz is a surprising guest as this wasn’t the song for his signature silly jokes and adlibs, but being the hip-hop veteran that he is, 2 Chainz gives us his best shot at a high paced, high energy, multi-syllabic verse. While I was entertained and appreciate his efforts, compared to El-P and Killer Mike, 2 Chainz may have found himself in the wrong lane.
The most powerful moment to me was on the song, “Walking In The Snow”. Killer Mike raps, “You so numb you watch the cops choke out a man like me/And ‘til my voice goes from a shriek to whisper, ‘I can’t breathe’/And you sit there in the house on couch and watch it on TV”. I automatically related this bar to the death of George Floyd. But it dawned on me that this song was written before his death and was actually a reference to the death of Eric Garner. It’s hauntingly chilling that this is more than a coincidence. This is a pattern in America, and it needs to stop.
There are many more moments like this on the album. Moments that make you feel scared, sad, and angry. But there are other moments which inspire you to stand up, make your voice heard, and fight back. All around, RTJ4 is a fine tuned, action packed project, with banger after banger of relevant protest music. Its timeless message and modern approach to old school hip hop make this a necessary addition to your collection.
RTJ4 is available for free download over at www.runthejewels.com. All they ask is that you donate what you can (no donation necessary) to the Mass Defense Program which a network of lawyers, legal workers, and law students who provide legal support to political activists, protesters, and movements for social change. Head over there, donate, download, and join the movement.
PS – Check out a few photos I captured while I was at the peaceful protest in Los Angeles, California.
As always, rock on my friends! Hunnypot Approved! Overall Rating: 9.7 out of 10
Artist: Run the Jewels, LP: RTJ4 , Release Date: June 5th, 2020, Label: Jewel Runners / BMG
The most recent outing by Magnus Karlsson’s Free Fall, We Are the Night, is as sophisticated as it is dark and riotous. Like Karlsson’s other albums from this project, We Are the Night, features a variety of vocalists with Karlsson covering an assortment of instrumental and vocal roles. This album elaborates various moods and themes through complex musical choices, and presents metal that is not only grand and heavy, but also thoughtful and compositional.
Metal comes in many forms, and this album takes elements from several, combining them with classical methods to give the album movement, not only in its style, but in its feeling. Karlsson makes deliberate musical choices to provide a flow for the moods throughout; some songs feel darker than others, some transition from cynical to triumphant. The symphonic and choral arrangements give a majestic impression from the first note of the album, and blend flawlessly with the striking overdriven guitars, rumbling bass, and fast drums. “Kingdom Falls,” featuring Renan Zonta, particularly invokes that triumphant feeling with an extra brightness in the chorus, and a melody that feels anthemic. The lyrics provide an image of a toxic authority losing their power, adding to that same anthemic feeling.
The melodic and harmonic choices are not only catchy, but provide melodic dances between Karlsson’s instrumentations and the various vocalists. While the shredding can clash with some of the more charming rhythmic choices at times, there is a quality in the movement of the songs individually and as they flow together. Songs move from fast and heavy, to moderate and pulled back, to dark and distorted, allowing the album to breathe as it progresses. “Queen Of Fire,” featuring Noora Louhimo, feels more like a ballad than a traditional metal song, yet fits right in with the heavier music around it. These dynamic shifts add to the emotional weight already provided by Karlsson’s compositional choices, giving the entire project a thoughtful flow of movement from start to finish.
We Are the Night starts out with a large and imposing symphonic arrangement, leading to fierce vocals from Dino Jelusick in “Hold Your Fire.” “Kingdom Falls” leads to the powerful title song, “We Are The Night,” with Karlsson taking the mic. Mike Andersson takes on a choral hook in “All The Way To The Stars,” while Ronnie Romero leads us through a march in “One By One.” Some of the freshness is admittedly lost during some of the middle songs, but the album absolutely finishes strong. Karlsson’s musical prowess is especially apparent in the penultimate “On My Way Back To Earth,” which is a beautiful display of his ability to express various styles and moods with instrumental decisions. “Far From Over,” featuring Tony Martin is a dark and climactic finale to this album, leaving the listener with the best kind of mixed emotions. All 12 songs on this album work cohesively to create movement in the overall experience.
We Are The Night is a pleasant reminder of the classical influence on metal, as well as a refreshing blend of the various forms of the genre itself. The musical choices Karlsson makes, both within individual songs and the album as a whole, combined with a diversity of vocalists to compliment those choices, gives the album breath that keeps it fresh in a musical and emotional sense. This is not just an album for the average rock or metal fan, but also for lovers of creative and compositional music. Be sure to check We Are The Night when it drops on June 12th, its definitely one for the ages!
As always, rock on my friends! Hunnypot Approved! Overall Rating: 8.4 out of 10
Artist: Magnus Karlsson’s Free Fall, LP: We Are the Night, Release Date: June 12th, 2020, Label: Frontiers Music Srl
Not too long ago, Matthew Belter asked me to check out one of Ashton Fenly's songs and at the time I was really getting into the emo rap genre of music. I'm really impressed with this song and video. I was excited to review the new video for pop and a reload because I knew it was going to be good. As a film grad, I am impressed with the way they include very avent-garde type film elements. It really does the song well. Not to mention the words he is singing mesh so well with what you see. Additionally, the Paris Shadows feature was sick.
- James Coffman
The future of going to a concert and rocking out to your favorite band with all your buddies is uncertain. With most of the world in some sort of lock-down for the foreseeable future, bands, artists, crew, and the industry as a whole are trying to figure out how to not only play live music but make some money to keep the bills paid. So what do we do?
Catherine Sisco, the wife of Alzie Sisco, a drummer for a local New Jersey jam band called Newton Crosby, came up with a solution, Busking Down the House. For those not in the know, busking is a term used for subway and street musicians playing for tips. Cat's idea was for the members of Newton Crosby and other local NJ artists to start a Facebook group where they could play live for their fans. In addition, there would be links to their PayPal and Venmo accounts for people to donate directly to the artists playing (if they so desired). After just a few days on line, this concept became an instant success and is spreading like wildfire all across the country with new musicians and followers added daily. It's immediate success intrigued a local NJ News station which in turn did a little news story about Catherine and the start of Busking Down the House. Click HERE to check in out.
As you would imagine, once the word got out about the group, many other artists wanted to join the party. Tim Palmieri, the guitar player from Kung Fu (a jam band from Connecticut), and Brock Butler, the guitar player from Perpetual Groove (a jam band from Georgia), were the first major artists to sign up and be apart of this blossoming group. Each day the list of artists wanting to play grows, and this Facebook group has gone from meager beginnings to a full-on pandemic success story.
The Busking Down the House Facebook Group was created in mid-March, and now present-day has 32,000 members and many artists playing in their selected time slot 7 days a week. This started off small and has blown up big-time, going global with artists entertaining from all over the world. As Busking has progressed, one of our good friends Paul Giza has stepped up big time reaching out to artists from many different genres of music, asking if they would like to join the group and play. As you would imagine most are very polite in their response and are super stoked to be apart of what's happening.
Moving forward, the live music industry will have to wait and see when we are all allowed to attend a concert again. As we wait, Busking Down the House allows us to not only see our favorite artists live, we also can see when your friends join the party, connect with them in the comments section, have some fun, and donate to support our favorite bands during this tough time throughout the industry.
If you are an artist or a band that would like to join the group and play, I have included here the official Busking Down the House announcement on their Facebook group page below. Remember this a FREE group - its free to join, free to play, and free to watch. Any artist can add a link to their stream for donations to their PayPal or Venmo accounts. Please contact the admins of the page, Catherine Sicso and Paul Giza, to setup up your time slot. Thanks to everyone involved with Busking, helping to keep live music alive and well during this rough time. Let's keep the party going until we are allowed to go back to see live music with our best friends!
Links:
Self described Japanese "NEO-New Excite Onna Band", CHAI, released a brand new video for the song "Ready Cheeky Pretty". A "Lockdown" produced video with animation sequences over locations and live shots. What a big beat fun song. I'm a fan of out of English phrases used out of context and within foreign language entertainment and "Ready Cheeky Pretty" is filled with them. Take a listen and look and try to avoid moving and singing along.