Posts Tagged ‘ grunge ’

Album of the Week 03-2024: Mauser – Más Fuerte que la Muerte


Mainstream metal doesn’t really seem to be a thing anymore. Even as late as the early 2000’s, there was always a band with somewhat heavy guitars on fairly frequent rotation even on the most metal-averse radio and music tv stations. A band like Mauser, however, proves that an accessible hard rock and metal sound is still well worth exploring. Their combination of equal parts Alice In Chains, Soundgarden and classic heavy metal, with maybe a hint of nineties Metallica thrown in, is powerful, catchy and simply highly engaging. In a just world, Mauser would be selling out arenas all over Latin America. Possibly even worldwide.

Songwriting-wise, Mauser succeeds where many mainstream metal bands fail. While all the songs on their excellent second full-length ‘Más Fuerte que la Muerte’ has a fantastic chorus, the band realizes that a good song has the potential to have multiple good hooks. As a result, many of the riffs are extremely memorable. Moreover, Mauser shows that catchy songwriting doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to simplify your songs to the lowest common denominator. There genuinely is a lot going on throughout ‘Más Fuerte que la Muerte’, both in dynamics and clever songwriting twists, but it’s all surprisingly easy to digest.

First things first: ‘Más Fuerte que la Muerte’ itself is one of the greatest rock songs of this century. After the fairly dramatic riff that dominates the intro track ‘Cruces’, the title track starts with probably the most thrash metal riff on the album, only to develop into a powerfully stomping hardrocker with an amazingly cathartic chorus, in which the vocal harmonies of singer Alex Rojas and guitarist César Gonzáles Salaverry create something that is simply magic. Rojas’ passionate, powerful delivery is something that sets Mauser apart from other bands attempting a similar thing anyway. The vocals are incredible.

In the following 35 or so minutes, Mauser explores everything that is possible within their sound without ever sounding disjointed of unsure what they want to be. The hearfelt semi-ballad ‘Hey!’ is just as impactful as the arena rocker ‘El Hombre que Ves’ or the intense ‘Voces’, which feels closest to actual heavy metal due to its almost NWOBHM-ish main riff. Songs like ‘Llevas Dentro’ and ‘Explotaré’ bring together the tougher metal riffs and the memorable rock hooks very effectively and are sure to please audiences of both genres. There are even some nice Sabbath-ish grooves around.

There is something delightfully loose and spontaneous about how ‘Más Fuerte que la Muerte’ sounds. But at the same time, the songwriting and arrangements on the album are so well-thought-out that there is clearly more going on than just a band playing a bunch of riffs. Combined with some of the best vocals I have heard in the genre in a while – both Rojas’ lead vocals and the harmonies – this creates a template for rock music that I wish was more common than it actually is. Mauser honestly has the chance to appeal to many people across the rock and metal spectrum. Give them a chance and be as enchanted as I was when I first heard them.

Recommended tracks: ‘Más Fuerte que la Muerte’, ‘Voces’, ‘Llevas Dentro’

2024
01/21
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Album of the Week 02-2021: Alice In Chains – Dirt


You probably don’t need me to tell you that ‘Dirt’ is a masterpiece. And yet, that is what I will be doing in the next five hundred words or so. It will be an impossible task to find the words for how much I love this album, but if one album deserves the effort, it would be Alice In Chains’ sophomore album. While Alice In Chains has yet to release an album not worth hearing, there is a sense of urgency and a dark, twisted atmosphere to ‘Dirt’ that none of their other albums consistently feature, making it one of my favorite albums of all time.

In a sense, ‘Dirt’ is the album where Alice In Chains found its signature sound: generally slow, creepy riffs that combine a seventies hard rock swagger with a doom metal feel and of course the trademark dual vocal harmonies by Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell. The debut occasionally touched upon that, but there were also distinct traces of the band’s glam metal past. Those have largely been exorcized here. What remains is certainly dark and depressive, but with enough memorable melodies and excellent songwriting to not become totally unlistenable. Alice In Chains are masters of this balance.

Opening track ‘Them Bones’ was the first Alice In Chains song I have ever heard and excellent proof of how the band keeps their music listenable. The lyrics are firmly tongue-in-cheek, while the tempo is above average for the band. This philosophy extends to the next two songs, but in a way that it eases you into the less easily digestible material on the album, especially by how it subtly slows down. ‘Dam That River’ is still a driven rocker, but ‘Rain When I Die’ already kicks down the tempo a few notches, which allows the Staley-Cantrell vocal duo to shine even more.

What is most impressive about the rest of the album is that all of it is instantly recognizable as Alice In Chains, but there is still a great degree of variation. The title track is a twisted psychedelic rocker dominated by Jerry Cantrell’s wah-drenched riffs, ‘Down In A Hole’ a full-on elegiac ballad, ‘Rooster’ a remarkably refreshing subversion of the power ballad and the catchy ‘Godsmack’ still has a few traces of funk metal riffs, which are all the more powerful due to their relatively limited number. ‘Would?’ eventually became the number one fan favorite of the band. It is an atypical closer in how it suddenly ends, but such a wonderfully dynamic track that it hardly matters.

As someone who liked the state of heavy metal in the eighties, it would be tempting to dismiss anything that came from Seattle in the nineties. Much like Soundgarden, however, Alice In Chains sort of bridged a gap between scenes. There are too many huge, monolithic metal riffs on ‘Dirt’ to limit them to the meaningless grunge tag. For what it’s worth, I have always considered them a metal band for the alternative rock era. Whatever you choose to call ‘Dirt’, it is a masterpiece of dark, powerful music that belongs in any rock collection.

Recommended tracks: ‘Them Bones’, ‘Would?’, ‘Rain When I Die’

2021
01/17
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Album of the Week 07-2020: Bruce Dickinson – Skunkworks


‘Skunkworks’ may just be Bruce Dickinson’s most controversial solo album, as it is quite likely the least metallic album the legendary Iron Maiden frontman ever released. But while the alternative rock on the album is quite a bit different from what Dickinson was known for, it is a much more natural follow-up its predecessor ‘Balls To Picasso’ than it often gets credited for. Sure, there is less distortion and the compositions are a lot less dense, but ultimately, ‘Skunkworks’ is full of fresh, classy songwriting executed with a degree of spontaneity and freedom that is quite hard to find on metal records.

Often defined as Dickinson’s grunge record, ‘Skunkworks’ suffers from unfair labeling due to the time it was released. Sure, Jack Endino produced the album and there are some audible Soundgarden-isms here and there, but ultimately, ‘Skunkworks’ sounds much closer to ‘Counterparts’ era Rush to me than it does to Pearl Jam or Nirvana. Obviously, the album was doomed to be a commercial failure, as metal elitists would see the album as a betrayal, while Dickinson is too closely tied to the type of music that the grunge audience – not the Seattle bands, mind you – were rebelling against.

Castle Records might be partially to blame there, as they refused to release the album under the intended band name Skunkworks. That would have been more than just a moniker; by wanting to release the album under a band name, Dickinson basically told the world that the music on this album was not his, but a band product. Guitarist Alex Dickson co-wrote each of the thirteen tracks and the musical interaction between him, bassist Chris Dale and drummer Alessandro Elena is noticeable. Despite having some tight hooks and structures, it would not surprise me if the arrangements were a result of lengthy jamming.

Despite various approaches, ‘Skunkworks’ is very stylistically consistent. Most of the songs are built upon swift, simple rhythms upon which Dickson lays down clean riffs with a small, but noticeable raw edge. There are exceptions, slower tracks like the mysterious ‘I Will Not Accept The Truth’, the intense and brooding ‘Dreamstate’ and the almost doomy closer ‘Strange Death In Paradise’. But generally, if you like the uptempo, surprisingly upbeat rockers ‘Innerspace’, ‘Back From The Edge’ and the particularly enjoyable ‘Solar Confinement’, you will enjoy the rest of the album. Dickinson soaring on top of it may sound unconventional, but that is exactly what makes ‘Skunkworks’ a fresh take on alternative rock.

Ultimately, the lack of commercial success for ‘Skunkworks’ is somehow easy to explain, but much harder to understand. Once you turn off the part of your brain that keeps reminding you that you’re listening to the guy that used to be in Iron Maiden, what you are left with is simply a strong rock album that deserves to be seen in a more positive light. It is remarkable how well Dickinson’s massive voice fits the material and the musicians obviously work well with each other. Of course, it is not as overwhelming as ‘The Chemical Wedding’, but it may be Dickinson’s most interesting solo release from an objective musical perspective.

Recommended tracks: ‘Solar Confinement’, ‘Inertia’, ‘Dreamstate’, ‘Innerspace’, ‘Strange Death in Paradise’

2020
02/16
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Album of the Week 47-2018: Navarone – Salvo


Despite working with pretty much the same team as on its predecessor ‘Oscillation’, Navarone’s fourth album ‘Salvo’ is a completely different beast. Instead of releasing another carefully arranged production full of subtle intricacies that slowly reveal themselves over repeated spins, the quintet opts to focus on their live energy. Understandable, because that has certainly been one of the band’s biggest strengths throughout the last decade. The result is a record that may not have as many surprises as ‘Oscillation’ did, but with the set of powerful rock songs the band came up with this time, that should hardly be a problem.

With ‘Salvo’ being the kind of “live in the studio” record that many seventies hardrock bands excelled at, Navarone is more focused stylistically as well. That does not mean that all the songs sound similar – giving every song its own character is a specialty of the band – but it does mean the majority of what you will hear consists of uncomplicated, riff-driven hardrock with strong choruses that are memorable without exception. There aren’t even any ballads. The dark, minimalistic southern blues of ‘Fire’ – one of the album’s most experimental tracks – is probably the thing that comes closest to one.

Occasionally, ‘Salvo’ is reminiscent of the better work that Slash did with Myles Kennedy in recent years. Not just because Merijn van Haren en Kennedy are among the very few excellent rock singers of this era or because of the massive Gibson sound of Kees Lewiszong and Roman Huijbreghs, but also because of the fact that the songwriting has similar sensibilities. ‘The Strong Survive’ has that typical energetic feelgood vibe that the opener on a powerful rock record should have, while the grinding, moore moody ‘Waste’ is one of those deep cuts that could just develop into a classic over time.

Navarone was never about blindly copying their influences though. ‘Another Way’ has a fairly unique approach in its combination of classic and contemporary rock styles, not to mention an awesome build towards its chorus. It’s the one song that would have made sense on ‘Oscillation’ as well. The fairly accessible ‘SøReal’ sounds like a nineties rock radio hit without directly sounding like any of the songs that actually were, while the crushing riff work of ‘Mind’s Eye’ is borderline metallic in nature. Sure, the Black Sabbath kind of metal and the overtones are more contemporary rock than anything esle, but that only contributes to the unique nature of that excellent track.

Most amazing is the fact that Navarone brings all these elements together in a manner that does not sacrifice any of their catchy, recognizable songwriting. ‘Salvo’ has a very pleasant flow, likely more so than any of their other records. Many of the younger rock bands notably try to appeal either to old schoolers or the modern rock crowd. What Navarone proves once again on ‘Salvo’ is that it’s perfectly possible to have a multi-generational appeal if you just write and play the right songs. Highly recommended to anyone who mopes that all contemporary rock is inferior to the classic stuff.

Recommended tracks: ‘Mind’s Eye’, ‘SøReal’, ‘The Strong Survive’, ‘Another Way’

2018
11/25
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Album of the Week 36-2018: Alice In Chains – Rainier Fog


A twisted riff, an overall gloomy vibe, haunting vocal harmonies… Opening track ‘The One You Know’ leaves very little doubt that we are listening to Alice In Chains. This could be interpreted as a lack of originality, but since Jerry Cantrell and his cohorts single-handedly developed and perfected this style, why bother doing anything else? Especially since ‘Rainier Fog’ finds the Seattle-based band doing their own thing so well. Though it lacks the urgency that their comeback album ‘Black Gives Way To Blue’ and their masterpiece ‘Dirt’ had, it is more memorable than its predecessor ‘The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here’.

When original lead singer Layne Staley died, it took Alice In Chains surprisingly little time to find their footing with William DuVall. As a result, the band sound really comfortable with their own style this time around, especially in jam-oriented tracks like the Zeppelin-esque ‘Drone’. That also means the miserable darkness of songs like ‘Frogs’ and ‘Down In A Hole’ is not quite reached here, though the absolutely gorgeous closer ‘All I Am’ does come close with its somber acoustic basis and eerie electric touches. Due to its powerful dreary harmonies in both the vocal and the guitar department, ‘Deaf Ears Blind Eyes’ is another song that would not have sounded out of place on an early Alice In Chains record.

Though good enough, ‘The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here’ was short on true highlights. By contrast, ‘Rainier Fog’ has a few songs that immediately stick, the title track being one of them. It moves from a typical Alice In Chains mid-tempo rocker with a great chorus to a cathartic tranquil middle section that truly highlights the dual lead vocals of DuVall and Cantrell. Furthermore, ‘The One You Know’, the particularly powerful ‘Red Giant’ and – surprisingly – especially DuVall’s composition ‘So Far Under’ have all the trademark Alice In Chains elements in place without having the band sounding like they are on auto-pilot.

One area where ‘Rainier Fog’ truly outshines its predecessor is the ballads. Initially, all but ‘All I Am’ seemed to suffer from the same flaw as the ones on ‘The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here’ – being good, but unremarkable – but repeated spins bring out their qualities. ‘Maybe’ fluently goes through several moodswings and ends up being one of Cantrell’s best ballads by sheer unpredictability, while ‘Fly’ is a rather typical Cantrell ballad, though its chorus and guitar solo are delightfully climactic. Even the relatively upbeat ‘Never Fade’ manages to be highly convincing, with great performances by both DuVall and Cantrell, culminating in what is easily the most unforgettable chorus on the record.

Like most of Alice In Chains’ albums, ‘Rainier Fog’ is a bit of a grower. It appears to be immediate at first spin, but there are too many subtleties here to play it once and then toss it aside. Fortunately, the album has plenty of replay value. Aside from the incredible songwriting – this is Jerry Cantrell, after all – the great production does wonders as well. Sean Kinney’s drums sound very natural and even Mike Inez’ bass isn’t buried beneath everything else. With Alice In Chains’ style being as distinctive as it is, ‘Rainier Fog’ is unlikely to draw new listeners in, but it is indispensible for people who loved them before. It might even surpass their expectations.

Recommended tracks: ‘All I Am’, ‘Rainier Fog’, ‘Deaf Ears Blind Eyes’, ‘Red Giant’

2018
09/09
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In Memoriam Chris Cornell 1964-2017


Now this one came as a shock. Last week, I even reviewed the best album Chris Cornell was ever a part of and now, he is dead. Despite making a few dubious artistic choices throughout his career, Cornell had one colossal voice and has written a bunch of downright fantastic songs. His death is still shrouded in mystery at the moment, but it occurred only hours after a sold out Soundgarden show in Detroit. It’s hard to say anything useful at the moment, but let me at least pay a little tribute to – by far – the best male singer from the Seattle rock scene.

Despite ultimately being one of the biggest bands of the Seattle scene of the early nineties, Soundgarden started as early as 1984. Kim Thayil is often credited for the unique guitar tapestries of the band, but Cornell was quite the guitar player himself and their interaction was an essential part of the heavy, yet melodic and deliberately awkward sound of the band. Cornell either wrote or co-wrote a significant portion of the band’s output. Soundgarden had some of the most natural sounding odd time measures in the music business and a bunch of riffs that within Seattle were only rivaled by Alice In Chains in terms of heaviness.

Soundgarden was one of the more interesting rock bands that Seattle had in the eighties, but it wasn’t until 1991 that Cornell found his voice. Both litterally and in terms of songwriting. That’s the year when Temple Of The Dog released its sole album in April and Soundgarden released their massive ‘Badmotorfinger’ in October. Two monumental records with Cornell’s voice on them. ‘Temple Of The Dog’ was a strong tribute to the late Mother Love Bone singer Andrew Wood which also featured the recording debut of one Eddie Vedder and ‘Badmotorfinger’ showed Cornell almost litterally outdoing himself with songs like ‘Slaves & Bulldozers’, ‘Jesus Christ Pose’, ‘Rusty Cage’ and ‘Outshined’.

While it meant Soundgarden’s breakthrough and artistic highlight, the band didn’t reach its peak in popularity with 1994’s ‘Superunknown’. Five successful singles were released from that album, the most popular of which – the monster hit ‘Black Hole Sun’ – won two Grammy Awards. Personally, I always preferred the gloomy ‘Fell On Black Days’. After one more album in 1996 – ‘Down On The Upside’ – Soundgarden split up and Cornell focused on his own projects. Always an experimental guy, he tried out several genres and while I don’t agree with every decision he made – the R&B record ‘Scream’ that he made with producer Timbaland is borderline embarrassing – he deserves a lot of respect for trying.

In the meantime, Cornell also formed Audioslave with all members of Rage Against The Machine except for singer Zack de la Rocha. They had a couple of hits, but eventually the former bands of all members involved would reunite. That included Soundgarden, whose 2012 release ‘King Animal’ battle’s Alice In Chains’ ‘Black Gives Way To Blue’ for the title of best comeback album ever made by a rock band. Thayil, Cornell, bassist Ben Shepherd and drummer Matt Cameron seemed to be very serious about reuniting for good, but while on tour, Cornell passed away.

Besides the songs, we would have to remember Cornell for having a sense of humor that didn’t ruin his music. How else would you explain the hilarious glam rock and hair metal parody that is ‘Big Dumb Sex’? Sadly, there is very little that fans of his voice can laugh about today, but we are luckily still left with recordings of his amazing voice and I suggest we play it as loud as we can. I’ll start.

2017
05/18
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Album of the Week 18-2017: Soundgarden – Badmotorfinger


Along with Alice In Chains, Soundgarden is one of the very few bands from the early nineties Seattle scene that is actually appreciated among heavy metal audiences. The band’s third album ‘Badmotorfinger’ clearly shows why. The noisy punk leanings or mainstream ambitions that many of the band’s peers did have are absent here. Instead, ‘Badmotorfinger’ is full of heavy riff work reminiscent of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath and odd time signatures with ditto rhythms. And while the songs did streamline the band’s sound, it does so without sacrificing even the slightest bit of the Seattlites’ unique character and approach.

Compared to the album’s direct predecessor ‘Louder Than Love’, ‘Badmotorfinger’ sounds significantly more focused. The songs are harder-edged and while there is still a great deal of variation to be found on the record, the quartet doesn’t need quite as much time to get to the point here. However, the biggest improvement to be heard on ‘Badmotorfinger’ is in Chris Cornell’s voice. With this album and Temple Of The Dog’s sole release, 1991 prove to be the year that he transformed from a promising rock singer to a powerhouse vocalist with a massive range. Hardly anyone has come close since.

Ultimately, any of these improvements would be meaningless if the songs weren’t any good. Luckily, ‘Badmotorfinger’ is the most consistent set of songs Soundgarden has yet released. The band found a way to combine their love for odd measures with memorable melodies without having to alternate between those extremes. ‘Outshined’, for instance, feels like a catchy rock song despite its 7/4 meter and heavy riff and ‘Room A Thousand Years Wide’ is such a pleasant listen, that you hardly realize that the 6/4 rhythm that it’s built upon is quite unconventional. ‘Badmotorfinger’ is filled with such moments. It’s always a good thing when a band isn’t trying to be too clever with these things.

‘Slaves & Bulldozers’ is the ultimate proof of just how heavy Soundgarden could get: Kim Thayil and Chris Cornell pump out some crushing riffs, while the latter belts his heart out in the chorus. ‘Jesus Christ Pose’ has Matt Cameron’s incredible rhythms and the propulsive riff work pounding relentlessly underneath yet another amazing Cornell performance and opening track ‘Rusty Cage’ manages to be heavy and hypnotizing at the same time. ‘Holy Water’ is somewhat reminiscent of Alice In Chains and some songs are weirdly, but successfully decorated with horns. New bassist Ben Shepherd’s love for punk shines through the wonderfully aggressive ‘Face Pollution’.

Before ‘Badmotorfinger’, Soundgarden was a decent band that occasionally lost their way halfway through meandering songs. The increased focus did help the band a great deal, because ‘Badmotorfinger’ is easily one of the best records of its era. Terry Date’s production, which gave the band’s bottom end a not so subtle punch without damaging the clear highs, is another important factor in why the album sounds so good. And while its follow-up ‘Superunknown’ would definitively propel the band into stardom, ‘Badmotorfinger’ still stands as the bands ultimate artistic statement. One on which rock, metal, punk and pop melt into one irresistible whole.

Recommended tracks: ‘Slaves & Bulldozers’, ‘Rusty Cage’, ‘Jesus Christ Pose’

2017
05/07
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