Thursday, October 27, 2011
10 Scariest Musicians Ever: Poll Results
www.billboard.com
Just as the calendar rolled into October, we got into the spooky spirit of Halloween by asking Billboard.com readers which musician scares the living daylights out of them. You weren't afraid to vote in huge numbers, and now, just in time for the scariest time of year, we reveal the 10 artists you chose as the most frightening of all time. Boo!
10. Gene Simmons of Kiss
KISS touched down in the '70s in platform boots, codpieces and creepy make-up tailor-made for Halloween, but Gene Simmons has always been the Halloweeniest of them all. Long before he came into the living rooms of the masses as the reality TV star showing off his "Family Jewels," the KISS bassist elicited delighted screams around the world as the band's resident tongue-waggling, blood-spitting, fire-breathing "demon."
9. Insane Clown Posse
With their garish, painted-on grimaces, in the right light clowns are the scariest kiddie entertainment in the world. Insane Clown Posse ups the ante on the "evil clown" trope by adding in menacing raps, videos full of trashed stores and unsuspecting carnivalgoers on rides from hell, and an army of done-up fans ready to back them up. Think ICP doesn't know scary? They're from Detroit, where Halloween time is an arson-inflamed crime spree. What's scarier than that?
8. GWAR
Sure, they're a little bit funny (the guitarist is named Flattus Maximus), but GWAR is every bit as horrifying as humorous. For over a quarter century, the Virginia thrashers have been pounding on stage in spiky reptilian costumes, dousing the crowd in unidentified wet stuff that resembles assorted bodily fluids, and bellowing lewd tunes from albums titled things like "Violence Has Arrived" and "This Toilet Earth." Yikes. Eww. And haha.
7. Tyler, The Creator
On the surface he may look like a nice, normal, young guy, but the de facto leader of Odd Future can be as chilling as a Radiohead song. Anyone cold and creepy enough to devour a giant, live cockroach (nevermind the "kill" scrawled in marker on his hand, the noose he hangs himself with, or the black contact lenses) in his "Yonkers" video gets our vote, and clearly, yours too.
6. Rob Zombie
Who doesn't like a little undead action come October? Rob Zombie came to the forefront back in the '90s leading the fierce White Zombie, whose hits ("More Human Than Human") and his own ("Dragula") boasted industrial riffs from guitars drop-tuned down to the pits of hell. Since then he's added "horror movie auteur" to his resume, directing truly scary flicks like "House of 1000 Corpses" and "Halloween" remakes.
5. Alice Cooper
Long before there was a Rob Zombie or a Marilyn Manson, Alice Cooper unleashed "School's Out" onto the sunshine-filled early '70s. And between his "school's out forEVER" snarl, his sinister dripping eyeliner, and his snakes-as-apparel, the term "shock rocker" was practically coined just for him.
4. Ozzy Osbourne
What would this list be without music's Prince of Darkness himself? Your many votes cast the infamous Black Sabbath singer and sinister solo artist fourth on the list as much for classic metal creepouts like "Iron Man" and "Bark At The Moon" as the crazy stories that have become Ozzy lore. The most famous tale, of course, being the time he supposedly bit off a bat's head at a 1982 gig. In later days, Ozzy's rendition of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" proved similarly terrifying.
3. Slipknot
Never seen without mortifying masks and orange jumpsuits that would scare the wits out of Hannibal Lecter, the members of Slipknot -- itself named for the rope-tie used in wild west hangman's nooses -- long went only by numbers. With the look down pat, the Iowa band's pitch-black metal scared up fans (who are lovingly called "maggots") all through the early '00s -- and remained enough of a memorable nightmare to this day to beat scary elders Alice Cooper and Ozzy Osbourne in this poll.
2. Lady Gaga
The queen of bizarre-pop's Little Monsters landed their Mother Monster at No. 2 on the list, with a whopping 35% of the vote. Think Lady Gaga isn't scary? Think again. She opened a wound onstage at the 2009 MTV VMAs and "bled" on her piano, and just this year she was literally hatched ( from an egg at the Grammys) as an alien, complete with spiny facial and body prosthetics. Why? She was "Born This Way," of course.
1. Marilyn Manson
Who is the only person frightening enough to top the alien Lady Gaga in our Scariest Musicians Poll? Marilyn Manson squeaked into the number one spot by a margin of less than one percent. Named after a combination of Marilyn Monroe and serial killer Charles Manson, he clearly studied KISS, Alice Cooper and Ozzy, then out-scared them all with a combination of threatening, gravel-voiced industrial rock, distressed bondage gear, mangled dental appliances, videos full of vaguely human beasties creeping through dead warehouses, worms, straight-jackets, mad-scientist labs, and dark side Kabuki makeup. Congratulations Marilyn Manson! If there were a musical human embodiment of the word "nightmare," it would be you.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Album Review: Five Finger Death Punch, 'American Capitalist'
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH
American Capitalist
Producers: Kevin Churko, Five Finger Death Punch
Prospect Park Records
Release Date: Oct. 11
If anyone thought that a little success might soften Los Angeles rock quintet Five Finger Death Punch, or at least lead it to write some happier lyrics, then think again - the band comes out harder than ever on its third album, "American Capitalist." The set features a ferocious "license to hate," a fully articulated "100 Ways to Hate" and, on the track "Under and Over It," some particular vitriol for haters who would deny the group its mainstream spoils. The rage gives American Capitalist a fierce potency. It offers defiant mosh pit anthems like the title track, "The Pride" and "Back for More"; middle-finger-throwing kiss-offs like "Wicked Ways"; and the nihilistic call to arms "Generation Dead." Five Finger Death Punch even enters power ballad territory on the family-dissing "Remember Everything" and "Coming Down." Those give the album, and the Death Punch gang, a left-right combo that's absolutely lethal.
www.billboard.com Selengkapnya...
Album Review: Martina McBride, 'Eleven'
MARTINA MCBRIDE
Eleven
Producers: Martina McBride, Byron Gallimore, Dann Huff
Republic Nashville
Release Date: Oct. 11
You can take the girl out of Nashville, and apparently you can take some Nashville out of the girl, too - or at least out of Martina McBride on her 11th studio album. The appropriately titled Eleven (which has 11 tracks, with 15 on a Target special edition) is all about the new for McBride. This time out she has a different label, a fresh co-producer, and it's her first time recording outside of Music City (in Atlanta). Fortunately, McBride is up to the task of handling a wealth of new directions on what is, for all intents and purposes, a pop album with occasional country touches. The song "Teenage Daughters" features a sly bit of soul-rock and "Watcha Gonna Do" is just plain soulful, while "You Can Get Your Lovin' Right Here" mines a slinky but polished groove. Elsewhere, "Broken Umbrella" has more sunshine than a Katrina & the Waves video and "I'm Gonna Love You Through It" will sell plenty of tissues, while McBride and Pat Monahan re-create their "CMT Crossroads" duet on Train's "Marry Me." Clearly you can take McBride-who co-wrote six of these tracks-anywhere and she'll sound just fine.
www.billboard.com Selengkapnya...
new album Kelly Clarkson, 'Stronger': Track-By-Track Review
Even if "Stronger" lacks the killer radio cuts that have thus far defined Clarkson's legacy, her latest album is still a sumptuous, tightly paced offering from one of pop music's greatest singers. Yes, you read that right -- Clarkson's vocal power is still astoundingly effortless, and helps the average songwriting of "Stronger" sound enigmatic. Her voice has also continued to mature since "All I Ever Wanted," giving an adult voice to these tales of moving on from erratic relationships.
Producers like Greg Kurstin and Toby Gad turn songs like "Dark Side" and "The War Is Over" into beautifully arranged anthems, and while there is some mediocre fare here -- looking at you, "Einstein" -- "Stronger" develops a steady rhythm that invites multiple listens. If this proves to be a relatively minor album in Clarkson's career, then it's a minor album from an artist that has proven her durability.
Which songs on "Stronger" stand up next to Kelly Clarkson's best work? Here's our Twitter-length track-by-track review of each song.
You be the judge: What do you think of Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger" album? Tweet us your own review at @billboard (using hashtag #bbkelly). The best tweets will be posted on Billboard.com in the coming days.
1. Mr. Know It All - The sassy single is full of righteous declarations -- "You like to bring me down, don't you?/Well, I ain't going down!" -- and an upbeat, gospel-like chorus.
2. What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger) - A guitar riff reminiscent of "Since U Been Gone" segues into an anthem that encourage personal reinvention, and dancing.
3. Dark Side - On this thoughtful mid-tempo track, Clarkson dials back her vocal power on the verses and pleads with a guy to embrace her flaws.
4. Honestly - "Face me, make me, listen to the truth, even if it breaks me," Clarkson wails on another somber track. She's on point, but the instrumentation is a bit blase.
5. You Love Me - The intensity ramps up on "You Love Me," its heavy guitar crashing in on the chorus before the subtle rhythm snaps back into place. An immediate highlight.
6. Einstein - Yes, "Einstein" is fun. Yes, Clarkson sounds spectacular. But the refrain reads, "Dumb plus dumb equals you." Moving on!
7. Standing In Front of You - The first straight-ahead ballad on "Stronger," this track delivers a needed breather, and its lilting chorus is as gentle as a warm towel.
8. I Forgive You - "I forgive you, I forgive me/Now when do I start to feel again?" is the album's most arresting opening line. If only the rest of the song didn't go through the pop-rock motions.
9. Hello - A slightly more rugged track that finds its groove in the chorus. The handclaps on the bridge are a nice touch -- "Hello" is gonna be killer in concert.
10. The War Is Over - Another defiant track marked by its pummeling drums. The lyrics are frustratingly vague -- who are you fighting, Kelly, and why?
11. Let Me Down - Clarkson is once again "dumb enough to linger" with a bad boy. Here, the massive chorus swallows the verses whole and invites radio spins.
12. You Can't Win - Spiky guitar riffs are paired with sone of the album's most clever lyrics. Why is this buried at Track 12?
13. Breaking Your Own Heart - The album-closing ballad harkens back to the country music components Clarkson explored on "Don't You Wanna Stay" with Jason Aldean.
www.billboard.com Selengkapnya...
Metallica Reportedly Making 3D Film
While in general I'm opposed to 3D films -- especially when they're shot in 2D and then converted into 3D afterward -- some 3D concert movies have been incredibly impressive, particularly U2 3D. But now comes word that Metallica are looking into making a 3D movie, although what it's going to be about isn't clear. Apparently it's not going to be a documentary or a concert film, though.
Deadline reports that the metal veterans have hired Charlotte Huggins, the producer of the 3D Brendan Fraser action movie Journey to the Center of the Earth, to make this untitled film. Will it be a biopic of the group's early days? Will it be an action-adventure movie starring the quartet? No one knows at this point.
The band members have, of course, graced the silver screen before with Some Kind of Monster, the 2004 documentary that captured Metallica during a time of great self-doubt as they were preparing to make St. Anger. Drummer Lars Ulrich recently admitted that he regretted putting out the film, so perhaps this new project will be a way to set things right.
Regardless, this isn't the only project Metallica have going on at the moment. On November 1, they'll be releasing Lulu, their nervy collaboration with Lou Reed. If you haven't had a chance already, you can hear a stream of the album here. Selengkapnya...
The Black Keys - "Lonely Boy"
The first single from the Black Keys' El Camino (due out December 6th) moves like the album's vintage Chevy namesake – a swift, sturdy hunk of all-American cool. On last year's Brothers, the duo tightened up their stadium-blues attack and took home a few Grammys. Now they're pushing that badass sound to even faster speeds. Drummer Patrick Carney pounds out a hammer-of-the-gods backbeat while singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach peels off lean riffs and wails about a twisted affair ("You pull my heart out, and I don't mind bleeding"), sounding like he's practically frothing at the mouth. Frustrated desire is the song's ostensible theme – "I got a love that keeps me waiting," Auerbach gripes – but for Keys fans, this is a clean hit of instant gratification.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Anthrax, Testament, and Death Angel Obliterate the Warfield with Help From Metallica's Kirk Hammett
Anthrax
Testament
Death Angel
Chimaira
Oct. 23, 2011
The Warfield
Testament
Death Angel
Chimaira
Oct. 23, 2011
The Warfield
Bay Area thrash-metal fans still waiting for Metallica to bring the Big 4 Tour to their hometown got to enjoy a neck-snapping substitute on Sunday, when Anthrax brought its Earth on Hell Tour to the Warfield with local legends Testament and Death Angel. The confluence of '80s metal stalwarts still going strong three decades after the rise of thrash pulled a crowd that packed the floor of the venue with a mix of greybeard heshers and youthful headbangers moshing, sweating, and crowd-surfing throughout the marathon concert.
Cleveland, Ohio-based band Chimaira had the unenviable task of being the new-school act opening the show at 6 p.m., but its members managed to acquit themselves well with their grinding, hectic grooves. The presence of a keyboard player might have thrown off some more traditionally minded metal fans, but the high-energy and technical precision of vitriolic songs like "Pure Hatred" won over audience members up into the balcony.
Death Angel took the stage to a throaty roar of approval from loyal local fans as the group plowed through a set that leaned heavily on its year-old effort Relentless Retribution. Lead singer Mark Osegueda whipped his floor-length dreads and the crowd into a frenzy, working the full length of the stage and clambering onto speaker stacks at both ends on the classic "Evil Priest" as shredders Rob Cavestany and Ted Aguilar traded riffs and guitar faces. Osegueda told the audience the band hadn't played the Warfield since 1990, joking that they had a little more room on the stage back then between swigs from a massive bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin.
After the Death Angel's all-too-short set wrapped with a frenetic version of the thrash anthem "Kill As One," a quick set change revealed why the band was working with such limited real estate. Using the same sizable gothic castle set from last summer's American Carnage Tour with Slayer and Megadeth, Testament filled the stage with a career-spanning fusillade of thrash gems that drew evenly from earlier albums and 2008's stellar The Formation of Damnation. Wielding his illuminated mic stand like a guitar/mini light saber, charismatic frontman Chuck Billy incited the crowd to its most furious moshing yet. While it would have been nice to get a preview of material from the band's in-production album Dark Roots of the Earth (slated for release in the spring of 2012), it was hard to argue with the unbridled guitar fury dealt out by Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson on "Over the Wall" and "Into the Pit."
After all the mayhem stirred up by Testament, there was some question of whether the audience would be too winded to maintain for the headliner. However, as soon as Anthrax took the stage, the number of crowd-surfing and airborne bodies made it clear the thrashing was far from over.
Deftly bashing out songs old and new amid a flurry of headbanging perpetual motion (particularly from guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Frank Bello), the band brought a less dark but equally kinetic energy to the stage. Returned lead singer Joey Belladonna proved his air-raid siren voice has lost none of its power, wailing the same notes on "Caught in a Mosh" and "Indians" he first hit almost a quarter of a century ago. While the '80s-era songs were met with the enthusiasm you'd expect, the crowd was equally responsive to songs from Anthrax's stunning new album Worship Music. Whether on the opening tunes "Earth on Hell" and "Fight 'Em Til You Can't," which brought the moshing to a new intensity, or the soaring ode "In the End" (a heartfelt tribute to the late metal legends Dimebag Darrel and Ronnie James Dio), audience members sang along, slammed into each other and generally lost their shit.
The thrash loyalists got a bonus during the encore as Osegueda and Metallica's Kirk Hammett joined in on background vocals for "I Am the Law." Afterwards, drummer Charlie Benante pounded out a familiar breakneck rhythm as Ian foisted his guitar on Hammett for an abbreviated take on Metallica's "Whiplash" that sent the sweat-drenched masses home with smiles all around.
Personal bias: Having grown up as a suburban hesher teen in the Bay Area during the '80s, how could I not be biased?
A younger generation: As many grey-haired metal fans were in attendance, it was heartening to see a solid contingent of teen and pre-teen enthusiasts (my 9-year-old son included) scattered throughout the Warfield.
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