Here Is The News: October 2018 Edition

Some more news for ya, fresh out of the journalistic oven that is my brain!

FLEETWOOD MAC BREWERY PARTY ENDS IN DISASTER

A party organised at a brewery in Germany by 70s Classic Rock band Fleetwood Mac ended on a sour note after the building nearly burnt down with all inebriated attendees trapped inside. Fleetwood Mac organised the party as a celebration of both their new tour and the settling of petty issues that arose during the new tour. The brewery party was supposed to be light-hearted and fun with plenty of drinks to go around but arguments between band members created a chain reaction of events that nearly burnt everyone alive.

The evening started off with everyone in high spirits, sharing drinks and happy memories of previous Fleetwood Mac concerts. Members of the band joined in on the fun but after a few drinks, Lindsay Buckingham caused a stir by insisting that he could balance an egg on his forehead without it dropping off. According to eye witnesses, John McVie warned him against it and some members of the band's management tried to talk him out of it but Lindsay was quick to angrily shoot them down, adamant that he could demonstrate his incredible balancing skills with a raw egg he happened to have with him in his jacket pocket.

After approximately two seconds of balancing the egg, Lindsay dropped it on the ground next to him. The splattered egg would've been bad enough but matters soon became worse when a member of staff at the brewery slipped up on the splattered yolk, sending him skidding into a gigantic barrel of beer propped up by the north wall. After colliding with the barrel at high speed, the barrel dislodged and dropped down onto the floor, creating several cracks in the body as it rolled through the brewery, panicking everybody who wasn't inebriated enough to notice what was happening.

If things weren't already going poorly, the barrel very nearly crushed Stevie Nicks (pictured right with the band) although thankfully, one of her managers pushed her out of the way before it could do any serious harm. Unfortunately, before this could happen, the sight of a colossal cask heading towards her made her drop the El 'Bacco Grande cigar she was smoking in shock and the trail of beer leaking out of the cracks in the barrel soon came in contact with the lit end of her Cuban stogy. The ignition spread rapidly along the trail of alcohol and into the barrel of high percentage beer, causing it to explode before it came in contact with the wall of the brewery.

Fortunately, nobody at the party was killed although many attendees suffered serious burns, stress-induced trauma and splitting hangovers the next day. Members of Fleetwood Mac have since apologised for the incidents that took place, although Lindsay Buckingham refuses to back down after defending his actions that night. When asked for comment on his behaviour and part in the downfall of the casual piss-up, he replied "I don't care what anyone from that band of wankers says, I KNOW I've lasted longer than twelve seconds before dropping the egg!".

DAVID BOWIE WON'T STOP RELEASING ALBUMS

Despite being dead for over two years now, David Bowie is still releasing a series of albums seemingly from beyond the grave. This mystery has boggled experts in the fields of science and the supernatural as both have verified that David Bowie is very much dead and yet continues to release live albums, compilations and box sets. This was first discovered in 2016 when a compilation of early Bowie material appeared next to a statue of him in Aylesbury, although it wasn't until these compilations and live albums kept appearing that people believed something strange was going on.

The statue (pictured left) has become a sight where people gather to witness miracles instead of just another receptacle for graffiti and tramp piss. Fans have travelled from across the globe to await the new music from deceased cultural icon, although the music only appears when people aren't looking. According to a record producer at Columbia, the new albums are "clearly a sign that (David) wants us to not only keep listening to his music for many years to come but to also keep buying his music too. The man must be working extraordinarily hard to produce such fine work from a different mortal plain and frankly, the least we could do is shell out for the deluxe edition of his new Lazarus re-reissue that may or may not appear at the statue next month".

The new albums are expected to keep mysteriously arriving well into 2020, according to Sony Music executive and part-time travelling psychic "Mystic" Murv Washington: "Whilst I cannot communicate directly with Mr. Bowie, I can sense his aura is telling us to keep copying and releasing everything he ever recorded for another two years or so. David was very much a fan of selling himself out to the record industry too so it feels good to know that when we distribute EPs of lesser material he never intended for any of you to hear, we're doing what he would've wanted...at least that's what I tell myself before bed every night to make it easier to sleep".

Bowie's new music has inspired millions of people all over the world already but his deceased actions continue to inspire one famous musician. Queens Of The Stone Age frontman Josh Homme (pronounced Hommey, apparently) has currently put himself into a medically induced coma in an attempt to release music from a state of near physical and mental death, once again proving to the world that he's a serious artist who is also so ahead of his time. Friends of Josh tried to talk him out of it but according to Dave Grohl, he was certain that he had to do it if he ever wanted to "escape this pitiful genre that is Rock into something only the sophisticated can truly relish". Unfortunately for the newly brain-dead musician, none of his efforts have been fruitful as the only releases the vegetated rocker has produced are runny bowel movements and a reissue of Era Vulgaris which was promptly flushed away with the rest of his shit.

Whilst the Them Crooked Vultures vocalist may not return from the self-inflicted state between life and death, one thing's for certain: David Bowie is gone...although his music remains. Naturally, some fans have voiced scepticism over the nature of the new album releases or whether he actually passed away at all (he did, there's no doubt about it) but at the end of the day, Bowie's music will always be remembered so long as it was recorded between 1969 and 1977.

PORTAL OF CORRUPTION GETS BIGGER EVERY DAY

A gigantic, pulsating wormhole that appeared during a Wolfmother concert in California and corrupts the minds of anyone who comes within several feet of it continues to expand and devour parts of the stage it appeared on. The tear in the fabric of reality, dubbed the Portal Of Corruption by a local newspaper after an online competition to name it resulted in "Porty McPortface" coming first, appears to have an effect on all lifeforms as those who too close soon commit unspeakable acts of horror that go against everything they previously stood for.

Wolfmother are currently touring America with new and old material and a setlist that features such hits as "Victorious", "Woman", "New Day Rising" and "Joker And The Thief". However, during their (currently) last show, the band were halfway through "Dimension" when the Portal Of Corruption opened up on stage, engulfing the bassist and a couple of amps. According to multiple sources, it took fans almost three entire minutes to realise that it wasn't actually part of the show.

When asked for comment on the appearance of the rift that may or may not lead to what we as a species perceive as Hell, frontman Andrew Stockdale (who was the closest to the portal when it opened on stage) was unavailable for comment as he was too busy viciously assaulting and forcibly fornicating with fans unfortunate enough to be in the front row. Wolfmother's manager has issued a statement on the band's website claiming "This behaviour is unacceptable, whether your mind has been contaminated by a Lovecraftian void or not, and Andrew is very sorry for disappointing his fans".

The Portal Of Corruption hasn't only tainted Andrew Stockdale (pictured right) and the rest of the band, who have sadly been shot dead after they attempted to skin and eat various roadies. Multiple fans who were too close to the portal and scientists wishing to examine the gateway have also fallen under its spell, becoming driven to enact atrocities that would make even the most desensitised soul shiver. One fan stated that they would "probably go see Wolfmother play live again" before they too were promptly put down by government agents fearing for the safety of the general populace.

Some fans and musicians have even started travelling to the portal, praying to it in the belief that offering undying allegiance will spare their lives when this inevitably kickstarts the apocalypse. One such musician was guitarist Ted Nugent. He approached the gateway in an attempt to bargain with it but to no avail, although since then he has gone on to start four different charities for impoverished children and donate all of his wealth to the needy. It's unclear why the portal keeps slowly increasing in size but when asked about how the country intends to deal with this ever-growing mass of corruption and pure evil that will soon become the entire planet's concern, most Americans responded with "it'll probably just go away if we don't talk about it".

Happy Halloween, folks!

Taster Session #9

Unlike last year, I don't believe I'll be doing a Taster Session post looking at 12 singles from albums I didn't get around to listening to from each month (although I may change my mind). Instead, here's another standard edition one looking at five new singles from upcoming Rock/Metal studio albums.

"Thunderbolt" - Saxon         (listen here)
From the album Thunderbolt (02/02/18)

The title track off a new Saxon album and it's about as Saxon-y as it comes. This is both good and bad, as it means Saxon are still kicking ass in their old age although compared to standout modern tracks like "Hammer Of The Gods", this sounds a little too similar to some of their recent stuff to impress me. Sure, it's got heavy riffs, fast solos and a powerful chorus, ticking all the Heavy Metal boxes without fail, but if you've heard material off Sacrifice and Battering Ram, you've heard it already. I might check the new album out as I still love Saxon but I may also need to hear something a bit more unique than this to convince me that they're more than the next Motorhead.


"Caught In The Middle" - The Temperance Movement         (listen here)
From the album A Deeper Cut (16/02/18)

I can't remember too much about the last album by The Temperance Movement other than it had some solid tracks and a rip off of "The Last In Line" - Dio but this sounds like the band have adapted their sound slightly to sound more like Queens Of The Stone Age or some other Josh Homme side project, at least in the guitar department. It's a punchy little Rock track that doesn't go on too long and has a catchy if not slightly uninspired chorus. I doubt I'll listen to their new album unless I'm struggling for a blog post next February and want something to review but that's based more on their last album than this track. It's OK; nothing more, nothing less.


"Freedom Is Mine" - Wolfmother         (listen here)
From the album ???? (??/??/??)

Once again, Wolfm...well, Andrew Stockdale has decided to be a bit different by spontaneously releasing a single that sounds exactly like Wolfmother. So innovative of him. Credit where due, this doesn't sound identical to Victorious or even material off their debut. It sounds muckier, less pristine and overproduced than their previous work which is a polite way of saying it sounds a bit shit. The main reason for this is that Andrew Stockdale recorded and produced it himself away from record labels and professionals, the sort of people who might push the band to do something other than the same song with different lyrics. Same as Saxon, if you like the band's sound, you'll like the song. However, hopefully future singles (as Andrew has hinted that he'll be releasing periodic singles rather than a complete album) will sound less like they were recorded through the wall of the studio.


"All That Once Shined" - Black Label Society         (listen here)
From the album Grimmest Hits (19/01/18)

What a shit album cover. Anyway, this track sounds like Zakk Wylde wants to go one step further into his campaign to become Ozzy Osbourne by writing the best original lineup Black Sabbath track since "Never Say Die". Unlike the majority of tracks on the terrible 13 album from a few years ago, the faster section of this song actually has some life to it and adds energy to the track before bringing it back to the sludgey riff and droning vocals. With it being a Zakk Sabbath track, there's a furious shredfest of a solo that sounds as hollow and forgettable as all his others, but other than that it's not bad. However, speaking as someone who isn't the biggest Doom Metal fan, this track isn't exactly to my tastes although I can appreciate that this is probably awesome to fans of the genre and band.


"Alone" - Toto         (listen here)
From the album 40 Trips Around The Sun (09/02/18)

Unlike previous singles in this post, "Alone" is one of the new songs written specifically for a greatest hits compilation being released next year. Having listened to some Toto recently, they're definitely one of those bands with a strong start, weak middle and great end as their modern material pisses all over most of their 80s ballads (unpopular opinion time: I genuinely prefer "Orphan" to "Africa", although I like both tracks a lot). Whilst this song still sounds like something that could've been rerecorded after an initial release in the 80s, as the band weren't strangers to semi-progressive song structures in their Classic Rock tracks, it's good to hear that the band still have life in them despite being around for four decades. I mean, that's more than you could say for The Rolling Stones when they'd been around for three decades!


COMING SOON! A post looking at great vocalists in Rock/Metal and maybe a Rapid Fire post...with a twist!

Tenology: My Ten Favourite Rock/Metal Songs Of 2016

Finally, we're here. The end of 2016 and about fucking time too. From celebrity deaths to celebrity presidents, it's been an absolute shitshow that all seemed to start with Lemmy's death at the end of last year.
However, despite the overwhelming negatives about 2016, there have been some positives to take away such as a collection of decent Rock/Metal songs that I intend to list here. On previous Tenology posts celebrating the year's music, I don't categorise songs in order of greatness; instead, I just list ten of my personal favourite songs from the year in random order. Since there's no reason to change the formula, that's exactly what I'll be doing this year too!
It's also worth noting that these songs have been chosen based entirely on my opinion, not how well they charted or fared among Rock/Metal fans. If I wanted to write about the "best" songs of the year, I'd spend the whole post wanking off about how amazing Beyonce and Radiohead are. But fuck that, right? Here are 10 songs I liked!


1. "The Getaway" - Red Hot Chili Peppers

If you cast your mind back to July (or click this link and spend a couple of minutes reading the post), you may recall me reviewing The Getaway - Red Hot Chili Peppers and talking about how much I loved this album. It's probably joint-first for my album of the year along with Dystopia - Megadeth and this album opener/title track is a solid reason why. It sounds like classic RHCP but at the same time doesn't feel like the band going through the motions, partly due to Josh Klinghoffer picking up the strings from John Frusciante. Great tune!


2. "Breathing Lightning" - Anthrax

If your mind hasn't returned from July yet (or you got curious and followed this link), you may ALSO recall me briefly writing about the new Anthrax album, For All Kings. Despite not really enjoying it, I did love this song and would recommend it if you like Heavy Metal over the usual Thrash stuff Anthrax is known for. Thankfully, there are some single edits of the song that don't have the shitty instrumental reprise at the end so if you want to buy the track, search for that version instead of the six minute one.


3. "Let It Begin" - The Treatment

Aha, a new track! I've mentioned The Treatment before on a previous Tenology post celebrating 2014's music but this song is stronger than "The Outlaw". It's still another uncompromising Hard Rock track with epic riffs and a catchy chorus by a band who seem to be happy in the ass-kicking-Rock sector of the industry so what's not to like? In a year literally plagued with death and despair, sometimes you need a good Hard Rock track to blast out loud and this song fits the bill nicely.


4. "Moth Into Flame" - Metallica

Back to old tracks again. I liked Metallica's new album and there were definitely some solid contenders on there for this post. However, there was only one track that I knew deserved to be on the main list without a doubt; "Moth Into Flame". Unlike "Hardwired" and "Atlas, Rise!", it contains all the hallmarks of a top quality Metallica song without sounding repetitive or losing too much energy throughout the track. It should've been the lead single from the album as it triumphantly declares "We're fucken back!" much more heroically than the album's title track.


5. "At War With The World" - Primal Fear

I haven't actually discussed Rulebreaker - Primal Fear on the blog yet but if you haven't listened to it, it's a pretty awesome Metal album. Granted there's not much variety on it but if you want pure Heavy Metal, you get exactly that. There were several songs I could've picked for this list but my personal favourite is probably this one due to the steady rhythm and epic chorus. Seriously though, if you like Heavy Metal, seek out Rulebreaker - Primal Fear.


6. "Breakin' Outta Hell" - Airbourne

A track so good, I've discussed it twice; once in an album review, once in a taster session. Basically, similar to "Let It Begin", it's a heavy Hard Rock song by a band that are masters of awesome singles but getting progressively weaker at awesome albums. Despite this, I still love listening to this song and hope that Airbourne will keep churning 'em out every couple of years or so.


7. "The Emperor" - Megadeth

Come on, I couldn't leave out a track from Dystopia from this post. I'll admit that if "The Threat Is Real" wasn't released as a single at the end of 2015, I would've chosen that instead but "The Emperor" is probably my second favourite track off the album. Lyrically and musically, it's fucking great; a song flipping the middle finger off at incompetent leaders with brilliant riffs throughout and a hell of a sweet solo with echoes of "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due".


8. "When The Night Comes In" - Black Star Riders

If you're unfamiliar with Black Star Riders, they're basically a heavier version of Thin Lizzy made up of Thin Lizzy band members who didn't want to record new material for that band without Phil Lynott. I've heard quite a few of their songs and definitely like some more than others ("Valley Of The Stones" over "Bound For Glory", any day) but this is my favourite so far and it just so happens to be a single released this year. If you like Thin Lizzy and heavier music, I'd recommend them unless you're a die-hard Phil Lynott fan, as the vocalist sounds like a poorer version of him and it'd probably just piss you off.


9. "Eye Of The Beholder" - Wolfmother

Another song from an album I've already reviewed. Similar to Dystopia, this might not be my favourite song off the album but it IS my favourite off the songs released this year. It's got your standard trippy apocalypse sound that Wolfmother have cultivated through the use of organ and fuzzy guitars but when you get to the halfway point, the track picks up a bit and shifts gear into full-on Rock. It's a shame they couldn't add a guitar solo to that section but it's still great.


10. "Goodbye Angels" - Red Hot Chili Peppers

What's this? ANOTHER Red Hot Chili Peppers song? Technically, I never said I couldn't include multiple songs by the same band on this post and if I'm being totally honest, I would rate this higher than most of the songs in this list and upcoming honourable mentions. It's not a balls-out riff-heavy Rock anthem but it is pure RHCP at their finest, which is saying something without Frusciante involved. I may have been hasty in the past when I claimed the song would be better without Flea's little bass solo before the outro but having given it some thought, I think it works better that way after all. My personal favourite song off The Getaway and maybe, JUST MAYBE, my favourite song of 2016.

Those were my ten favourite songs from 2016 (that I heard and will probably change over time) but that's not to say everything else was rubbish. Here are five tracks that could've made the list if not for the strength of the ten above:


"Bullets & Tears" - Primal Fear

As I said when writing about "At War With The World", I could've chosen from a few songs for the list and if not for that track, this would've made it instead. I can imagine this track being fucking amazing live when that chorus comes around and for that reason, I love listening to it. However, even though I included two RHCP tracks on the list, I couldn't remove one of my top ten for another Primal Fear song.


"Medication For The Melancholy" - Rob Zombie

Yeah, Rob Zombie released an album this year. I should probably listen to it if only to seek out tracks like this. He doesn't do them often but when Rob speeds up the tempo, he fucking rocks. I didn't include this track because it sounds like just another Rob Zombie track off one of his previous albums and I've already got enough of them in my list. I went with Airbourne instead because I can honestly say I prefer "Breakin' Outta Hell" to this, although it's still a great Heavy Metal tune.


"See You Rise" - Diamond Head

Considering how much I said I enjoyed Diamond Head - Diamond Head in my review this year, some of you might be confused as to why I didn't include any tracks in the main list. I do still love the album and "See You Rise" is still my favourite track off it but it just couldn't beat the others on the list. If it didn't have the slower section in the middle, it may have done.


"This Train" - Joe Bonamassa

I don't think I'll ever quite understand why everyone seems to rave about Joe Bonamassa so much when most of the songs I've heard him involved in are just alright but I have to say, this track is pretty solid. It's a fun Blues number, which makes a change from just about every other popular modern Blues track in existence. It's not strong enough to take on any of the main ten but it deserves a mention here.


"Thundering Voices" - Rival Sons

A late entry, as I only heard this track a couple of days ago. I'm sure I've talked about Rival Sons before and how they're a decent Rock band who probably deserve more attention than I'm currently giving them but the reason I didn't include this on the main list is simple; the other tracks have had some time to get old (except the Black Star Riders one, but I know I'll still like that months from now) and I still enjoy listening to them. I can't say the same about this song yet but who knows, maybe I'll still like it in February next year when we're all absolutely shitting ourselves over what the world has become.

That's all from me this year. I hope you enjoyed my 52 posts and your 2017 is better than 2016...unless you're partly to majorly responsible for how shit 2016 turned out, in which case I sincerely hope your next 365 days are utter wank.

Victorious - Wolfmother

Two new albums of interest have been released in the last week via streaming services: Hidden City - The Cult and Victorious - Wolfmother. Rather than try to compare two clearly different albums without technically reviewing either of them, I've decided to focus this week's time and attention on the album that I actually preferred listening to. I may or may not review Hidden City but if you want me to, let me know.

It's fair to say I was already excited for this album after listening to the first two tracks released from it but now I've given the whole thing a listen, I'm glad to say my excitement was well founded. Victorious is exactly what you should expect from a Wolfmother record and fits right in with the band's short but strong back catalogue. Distorted guitar? Fuzzy bass? Heavy drumming? Apocalyptic organ riffing? Falsetto vocals? That's five checks!
Unfortunately, despite bigging it up in that opening paragraph, the album starts off on a fairly weak note in the form of "The Love That You Give". Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad track. It's solid, yes, but not spectacular or powerful enough to warrant the first place on the tracklist. To me, this 4th record is the band's triumphant return to making Wolfmother albums (even if it is mostly Andrew Stockdale, but then wasn't that always the case with Wolfmother?) and after hearing "Victorious" again, that would've been a far more suitable album opener.
It's punchy both musically and lyrically, it's got the classic galloping rhythm and it has enough epic riffs to challenge the average Black Sabbath song. It's the perfect way to announce to the world that these Aussie bastards are back, not a two and a half minute filler track that could've been omitted from the album without any real decline in overall quality. Luckily, that's the only major problem in my eyes although I should probably address something that most music snobs will consider a flaw when applied to this band.
Their "sound".

For some reason, Wolfmother get an unjustified amount of shit for sounding like a 70's retro act. Personally, I feel like that's an easy label to pin on the band and scathing comparisons between some of Wolfmother's better known songs and Hard Rock tracks from 40 years ago tend to be tenuous at best. Their music may be based around heavy riffs and falsetto vocals but those are just two staples of Rock music that the band happen to use; that argument could be applied to practically any modern Rock band with the right tropes at your disposal.
Also, why is it bad to sound good? It's like teenagers calling those older groups "Dinosaur Bands". Guess what? Dinosaurs are fucking awesome.
The reason I bring this up before I get too off-topic is because this album isn't just cheap nostalgia for fans cursing the fact that they were born too late to see Led Zeppelin in their prime. In fact, some of the songs are downright modern, reminding me of what I'd imagine The White Stripes would sound like if they were actually awesome ("Baroness") or the kind of contemporary-Alternative tune you'd hear during the credits of an award winning bittersweet Indie flick ("Pretty Peggy"); the latter of those two examples being a welcome break from the clashing drums and dynamic guitars but hardly experimental by the band's standards when you remember songs like "Vagabond".
I've always felt like Wolfmother were influenced by 70's styles but the actual sound of their music is a great blend of old and new. There are tracks on this album that may borrow inspiration from RBR (Riff-Based-Rock) or Classic Rock artists such as Budgie or Rod Stewart ("The Simple Life" and "Best Of A Bad Situation" respectively) but if you travelled back in time with these tracks on vinyl and played it for someone in 1976, it'd be like showing a Victorian shopkeeper a copy of Alan Moore's Watchmen.

Aside from one relatively forgettable psychedelic Hard Rocker ("Happy Face"), the rest of the album consists of songs that could've easily been written and recorded during any of the previous studio sessions, which is great news for fans. Overall, the album also feels more focused due to the slightly reduced number of tracks. The hit-to-meh ratio is stronger and if Stockdale decides to take another lengthy break and gradually release practically every song as a single like he did with the band's debut, I reckon he could get away with it based on the radio-friendly nature of each track.
At this point in the band's career, I think it's fair to say you know if you like Wolfmother or not. Victorious isn't a turning point in the band's sound or quality of written material but if you've bought the album because you know you like Wolfmother's music, you won't be disappointed with what you get. If I had to rate this for Wolfmother and Hard Rock fans, it's an easy 9/10. If you listened to "Victorious" and "City Lights" and liked what you heard, the rest of the album will almost certainly be right up your street as well.
However, on a non-personal and purely neutral level, the quality of this music doesn't push any boundaries or have the same wow factor that earlier tracks like "Woman" or "Dimension" did when they first dropped so I feel like rating it that high (or higher than critically acclaimed albums I've talked about on here in the past) pisses all over any kind of scale I use to score albums, hence my rating of 7/10. It's an album that rocks, plain and simple. It might not be perfect but it'll give me joy when listening to it, just like the first two albums and hopefully many more to come!

Taster Session #3

Happy New Year!
2015 has given us some great material (which I'll be discussing next week) but to finish what's been a pretty decent year in music, it's time to dust off the Taster Session posts and take a look at five singles from albums that'll (hopefully) be released in 2016. If the year can be judged based on this snippet of music, we'll hopefully be in for another treat!

"Dark Energy" - The Cult           (listen here)
From the album Hidden City (5/2/16)

Our first taste of the new year comes from The Cult bringing us a song that definitely doesn't sound like The Cult I know! Don't get me wrong, it's still Hard Rock but their typical clean-toned Guitar and 4/4 rhythms have been replaced with crunching riffs and tribal drums. Luckily, Ian Astbury is still with the band and he's certainly still capable of carrying a top notch vocal line so it doesn't sound like a tribute act yet. Based on this song, I'm definitely looking forward to their new album, even if the album cover is a bit Prog Metal-ish for The Cult.


"Victorious" - Wolfmother           (listen here)
From the album Victorious (19/2/15)

If the previous song was a good example of a band straying away from their typical sound and producing something awesome, this is a great example of a band sticking with their guns and also producing something awesome. I've yet to listen to Wolfmother's third album that I'm guessing the band weren't exactly proud of when they essentially leaked it online with no announcement or anything BUT this title track is exactly what I expect when I listen to the band. A bouncing rhythm, heavy Guitar riffs, Andrew Stockdale wailing away and a catchy chorus, all wrapped up in a neat package.
I'm not sure if the band intentionally broke into a cover of "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath mid-song or if it just sort of happened during a particularly good recording take but I'm glad they left it in! Unlike several previous entries on Taster Session posts, I've actually listened to another tune teased from the upcoming album entitled "City Life". Let's just say that those two tracks combined have made me VERY excited for February 19th. VERY excited!


"Fatal Illusion" - Megadeth           (listen here)
From the album Dystopia (22/1/16)

When Super Collider was released, Metalheads all over the world felt like Megadeth had gone too commercial and accidentally recorded a Hard Rock album instead of a Metal one. Can't say I blame them, as it only really had one song worthy of Megadeth's name ("Kingmaker"), even if there were some decent tunes peppered throughout. However, this track sounds like the band have sorted themselves out and gone back to proper Thrash!
There's a strong "Peace Sells" feel about this track, whether it's in the opening bass riff or tempo change mid-song. If that was the band's intention, good on them! Hopefully the rest of the album will have the same energy and aggression, even if the band have pretty much said that they don't just want to write Rust In Peace over and over again. Yeah, consider me pumped for this as well!


"This City Made Us" - The Protomen           (listen here)
From the album Act III (??/??/??)

I'm not sure when their third album will come out but since a single's been released, I'm guessing it'll be 2016. Anyway, as I've said before, I'm not a huge fan of these guys but every now and then, they nail it. This is one of those songs that they've nailed! If you like late 80's Queensryche, do give this one a listen. It may not have a memorable solo or any of the frills of 80's Metal but it does have each band member giving it their all and coming up with something that actually makes me want to listen to more of their material, even if I thought their earlier work was a little pompous for video game inspired Rock opera.


"Lords Of Summer" - Metallica           (listen here)
From the album ???? (??/??/??)

Remember how Metallica were going to release a new studio album this year? Even Iron Maiden got The Book Of Souls out this year and their lead vocalist was busy kicking cancer's arse so I'd love to hear their excuse! So far, the closest thing to a new album tease is a demo version of a song which may or may not appear on the (as of yet) untitled 2016/17 album. Much like Megadeth's "Peace Sells" tribute, this sounds like Metallica's way of saying "So you want more ...And Justice For All, huh?" and even though this is just a demo track, I'm liking what I'm hearing.
It's full to the brim with heavy riffing and even if the mix isn't perfect or even acceptable for a studio album release, it's given me faith in the band's ability to deliver a suitable follow up to Death Magnetic that'll hopefully make up for Lulu. Hopefully the band will turn this track into a fleshed out studio version and not just keep it as a B-side that they'll occasionally play live. Also, I know this song was first heard in 2014 but the way I see it, it's to promote something that'll likely come out in 2016. Therefore, it counts!

So yeah, looks like the "Next Time..." trailer for 2016's album releases is full of action, at least on the Rock/Metal side. There are also a few albums from 2015 I've yet to listen to like the last ever Motorhead album (RIP Lemmy) and a new one from ELO...or should that be Jeff Lynne's ELO?
Once again, have a Happy New Year and I'll see you all in 2016!