Rock Music

Looking for some current hardcore kicks? If so, then Muuy Biien’s This is What Your Mind Imagines might be right up your alley. In a nice twist, this five-piece sidesteps the creative blunders that once made hardcore such a dirty word. They smartly aim for reckless abandon rather than an atmosphere of the generic, and they’ve also got some other non-HC tricks up their sleeves. Anyone looking back a quarter-century or so with the intention of gathering a measurement of opinion from that period regarding the state of the then-current hardcore punk scene will surely find the style evaluated, at least by anyone with their head screwed on half right, as being a near-complete wasteland of regurgitated formula. While it’s unadvisable to ever step onto the proverbial soapbox to pronounce the death of a floundering musical genre, in the late-‘80s the situation with hardcore punk had gotten so freaking lousy that any foreseeable improvement in fortunes seemed to be, at best, a fanciful thing to consider. If not dead, it was certainly in a deep coma, and very few naysayers seemed all that interested in waking it from its critical condition. For starters, nearly all of the trailblazing bands in the movement had ceased to exist, and those that actually were still active, either through recordings or by simply electing to endlessly parade their wares via the punk rock touring circuit, had become unfortunate shadows of their former incarnations. And frankly, some of those groups weren’t all that interesting in the first place In addition, the overall standards of quality for the younger bands, outfits that were sprouting up like hairs in a sweaty pubescent armpit, frankly weren’t much better, and many of those groups channeled their energies into the era’s high profile Straight Edge scene. For those unfamiliar, Straight Edge was (is?) a strain of hardcore that essentially borrowed (some would say hijacked) the sentiments expressed in the Minor Threat songs “Straight Edge” and “Out of Step” and turned them into a lifestyle, one that was testosterone-drenched and loaded with shaven heads and dog-piles of mosh-mayhem. Now it’s true that many distanced observers occasionally found themselves in harmony with one or two of these proudly clean-living groups (many chose Gorilla Biscuits, but at the time I kinda dug Chain of Strength, though I haven’t heard them in years.) For the most part however, folks (mostly young’uns, natch) either stage-dived gleefully into the mass of blossoming masculinity that was Straight Edge or they rejected it entirely, frequently dismissing it as a troublingly conformist manifestation of a milieu that was supposed to be about individualism in the face of societal pressures, especially of the reactionary sort. Plus, in the second half of the ‘80s many innovators (and more than a few also-rans) of the HC gestalt became tired of the same ol’ martial beat and chose to branch out into other genres. Yes, a bunch leapt headfirst into speed-metal or hard-rock irrelevancy, but others choose to extend or hybridize the mojo of hardcore punk into fresh (and often hyphenated) styles, and for legions of ex-punkers, this is where the biggest hunk of late-‘80s action was located. And it had such a heavy impact on some listeners that they ended up issuing extravagant dismissals of the very impulse that helped spawn these fresh developments. This was simply overreaction; even if a large chunk of late-‘80s noise wasn’t necessarily stylistically indebted to hardcore, the style was very often crucial in an evolutionary sense. Besides, the truly outstanding examples of HC ferocity, mostly issued from ’80-’83, had lost none of their luster by the decade’s penultimate year. But for a large segment of the u-ground rock community, hardcore punk was just totally played-out, the whole genre beneath contempt. That Maximum RocknRoll continued to churn out monthly issues that served as many kids gateway into the era’s punk culture drove whole packs

Black Sabbath: 13 – lucky for some The facts: 13 is the biggest comeback of the year, give or take a David Bowie album, and as such it’s been engineered with the sort of scientific precision that would do the eggheads in charge of the Large Hadron Collider proud. There’s too much riding on it to allow room for confusion, misdirection or anything that might scare the horses. That the result is unmistakably an album that sounds like vintage Black Sabbath right down to inclement weather conditions will come as no surprise to anyone. But the fact that it’s such a good one just might… What the PR says: 13 was recorded primarily in Los Angeles and features original Black Sabbath members Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar) and Geezer Butler (bass), joined at the sessions by drummer Brad Wilk (Rage Against The Machine). Produced by Rick Rubin (seven-time Grammy winner, two of those as producer of the year), Who’s on it: Um, see above. What’s it like: After all the success, bust-ups, recriminations, reunions, drug madness, bitter lawsuits, reality show meltdowns, serious health problems, repeated rehab stints and general batshit crazy behaviour, we’ve ended up right back where we started. It starts, as it should, with an almighty riff. End Of The Beginning is Black Sabbath (the song) redux: an eight-minute wallop to the gut that ladles foreboding atmospherics on to tectonic grind, before stepping up its pace around a third of the way through. “Reanimation of the sequence rewinds the future to the past,” howls Ozzy, and while the sentiment may be pure Doctor Who-circa-1976 hokum, the delivery is gloriously clear-headed: the dead-eyed zombie who multi-tracked his way through his last few solo albums is nowhere to be heard. They’ve played it cunningly. Amid all the blind idolatry that has grown around the band, it’s easy to forget that every album recorded by the original quartet had its own personality: Black Sabbath was wide-eyed and bluesy; Paranoid swung from pole to emotional pole; Master Of Reality was a rush of blood to the head and Vol. 4 was the dense, druggy comedown; Sabbath Bloody Sabbath was wired and experimental; Sabotage was just mental. Even Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die! were different. Not good. Just different. Here’s the thing: 13 doesn’t sound like any one of those albums. It sounds, at various points during its 70-minute length, like all of them: a riff here, a melody line there, the odd “Alright now!” thrown in for good measure. With its unlikely guitar/tambourine combo and bank of keyboards, the otherwise monolithic Age Of Reason wouldn’t be out of place towards the end of Sabotage; the punching, jabbing riff and fast-footed percussive tattoo of Live Forever can trace its lineage directly back to Children Of The Grave; the hazy, dislocated Zeitgeist effectively is Planet Caravan Pt II, with a Django Reinhardt-inspired guitar solo and an astronaut-drifting-in-space narrative nicked from Bowie’s Space Oddity; Damaged Soul is most startling of all, a heavy blues jam replete with wandering harmonica that rewinds all the way back to their debut. In another band’s hands, all this might sound crass and lazy. Here, it’s both hearteningly familiar and mightily impressive. No, 13 isn’t as good as their first six albums – what is? – but it’s a million times better than most of what followed, and way more than you could ever expect from a three men of pensionable age who proved all they had to prove 40 years ago. If it does turn out to be their last album – and time, age, health and a few sizable hints in the press and on the record suggest that’s not impossible – then this is the perfect way to close the circle. (Dave Everley)

Review by kev rowland — In 1973 Todd released his fourth album where he made quite a statement, as he called it 'A Wizard, A True Star'. To me and many other fans he hit the nail firmly on the head, as here is a master songwriter, performer, producer, and someone who is able to do whatever he wants and be the master of that. Some of my favourite live albums are by Todd, and he has dared to do things such as perform without music, or allow fans to get on stage and pick up and play instruments and join in the fun. He has been a great band member (first in The Nazz and then the brilliant Utopia), and of course played guitar on and produced a certain album called 'Bat Out of Hell'. I was overjoyed a couple of years ago when I was able to tick another act off my 'must see' list when he appeared in NZ for the first time in his career to support an album of his interpretation of Robert Johnson material, and I stood in front of him as he blew me and the rest of the audience away with some brilliant guitarwork.So, when I heard that he had a new album out and that it was in fact a double CD with a live concert on the second disc that I knew that it was essential and I eagerly put it into the player. It was then that I remembered something. Todd doesn't need anyone else around him to make a record as he can do it himself, and he is a musical magpie who isn't happy unless he is experimenting. Now, that's all well and good when he is in the area of hard rock or progressive rock, but when he goes off and does something within the dance area then that is something I can do without. I know that there must be those who think this is a wonderful piece of work, but I'm not one of them. The only thing that comes close to saving this is the second disc which is a recording from last November where he performed with the Metropole Orchestra in Amsterdam but this lounge take on songs such as 'Hello It's Me' and 'Can We Still Be Friends' shows that he can sing, but isn't something that compares with 'A Cappela' or any of his other live albums. Overall this is a real disappointment and I call myself a fan, let's hope the next one is better. It can't be much worse

King Khan: a right royal racket King Khan & The Shrines have unveiled the first track, Born To Die, from their upcoming album Idle No More set for release on September 3 via Merge Records. Six years since the release of KK&TS’ last album What Is!?, Idle No More is full of sweat-drenched, ass-shaking, psyched-out numbers, complete with rip-roaring horn lines, southern-fried guitar riffs and lysergic melodies. Or, as Classic Rock Ed in Chief Scott Rowley comments: “Pretty good, totally mad garage rock. They played the Austin Psych Fest dressed as Egyptian kings from what I could tell.” Check them out below.

Review by stefro — Arguably the purest of all progressive rock groups, Gentle Giant may not have reaped the same commercial rewards as their brethren Yes, ELP and Pink Floyd, but god-damn, they sure made some fine prog music. Essentially, Gentle Giant's album career, which spanned just over a decade, can be split into three distinct phases. Their first four albums - which featured all three Shulman brothers - exhibited a complex sound embellished with an acoustic timbre and medieval hues. Then older brother Ray left the fold, his place going unfilled, and Gentle Giant toughened up, producing three outstanding rock-orientated albums between 1973 and 1975 in the shape of 'In A Glass House', 'The Power & The Glory' and 'Free Hand', undoubtedly their peak phase of productivity. Finally, however, as punk broke and the post-1976 musical landscape began to radically shift, the group adopted a slightly more commercial sound, producing this underrated little jewel and it's equally undervalued follow-ups 'The Missing Piece', 'Giant For A Day' and 'Civillian'.Often cast as the weak links in Gentle Giant's discography, the final four albums plus the excellent live album 'Playing The Fool' can now be acquired together as one package. Titled 'I Lost My Head', this retrospective of the group's latter years proves a truly ear-opening experience, showing that despite the external pressures and lessening progressive overtones, Gentle Giant could still create awe-inspiring music, both as quirk-pop merchants and as serious prog-rock titans. The pick of the Punch - and the album which features the track 'I Lost My Head' - 'Interview' is in fact a concept piece reflecting the individual members utter boredom with the whole media circus surrounding rock groups, the tracks separated by several 'real-life' interview segments.It may lack the youthful fire and vigour of their more expansive works, yet, conversely, there is something immensely satisfying about hearing a super-talented group such as Gentle Giant turning their attention to less esoteric material. Highlights include the aforementioned 'I Lost My Head', which grows carefully from dinky little piano jingles into a full-powered rock thumper, and the equally catchy 'Give It Back', which fires off a series ofmulti-layered melodies in the group's usual impressive style.STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2013

Photo by Keith Leroux for KISSONLINE Here's a close-up view of Eric Singer pounding the skins in Milan, Italy last night.

Photo by Keith Leroux for KISSONLINE Here's Gene Simmons in full Demon-mode in Milan, Italy last night.

Long time coming: Rockenfield Queensryche drummer Scott Rockenfield says the rift between the band and fired frontman Geoff Tate go back ten years. They’re poised to release their self-titled album with new singer Todd La Torre, and streamed the full record online yesterday. Tate was sacked in 2012 following a series of disagreements – but Rockenfield says the process leading up to the band’s decision started a decade ago. He tells Ghost Cult: “It’s been, like, ten years – things were starting to come uncomfortable. “It was a slow process, but over time if became apparent that Michael Wilton, Eddie Jackson and I were drifting apart from Geoff, especially when it came down to the music and the general direction of Queensryche.” Rockenfield says there’s a good reason they didn’t take action sooner: “You know that things aren’t going right, but you hang in there, hoping things would turn around. “You keep doing your best at it. But things kept getting worse and worse. It got to the point that we had to move on without Geoff.” Meanwhile, the band’s new singer Todd La Torre has refused to slate the man he replaced for a recent incident on stage in which Tate took a phone from a fan who was recording the show and threw it into the crowd. Tate has dismissed the move, saying it was “just rock’n'roll” and part of his performance. Now La Torre tells Music Enthusiast: “I guess it would be hard to justify that, but I wasn’t there. Maybe the guy was provoking him – I have no idea why he did that. It’s not something that I would do, but I’m not in his shoes.” He’s been seen taking phones from fans, recording a few moments from the stage then returning them to their owners. “I’ve been doing it for years,” he says. “I don’t have anything negative to comment regarding that situation with him. It’s just not something that I do.”

Review by stefro — A former alumni of both Herbie Hancock and Pharoah Sanders, trumpeter Eddie Henderson belongs to that small group of first-rate performers who lit up the early part of the 1970's with their quicksilver fusion of jazz and rock. Essentially in the same stylistic mould as Billy Cobham, Lenny White, Miles Davis and Hancock, Henderson issued his first solo album, 'Realization', in 1973 before subsequently enjoying a steady stream of work over the next three decades as both main-man and side player. However, for the best of Henderson as a solo performer look no further than his stellar 1975 album, which blends funky rhythms, spacey fusion soundscapes and classic jazz-rock ingredients into a refreshingly upbeat whole. Featuring a slightly more commercial sound than Billy Cobham's first two LP's but still firmly rooted in the classic 1970's fusion style, 'Sunburst' treads a slick line between attention-grabbing funk strut and progressive-tinged space-bop, the album gradually moving through from the playful opener 'Explodition', to the beautiful galactic swirls of 'Involuntary Bliss', the dense, star-kissed synth-jazz of the title-track, and eventually, to the blissed-out psych-fusion of album highlight 'Galaxy'. The longer 'Sunburst' plays, the deeper into progressive territory you get. As a result, 'Sunburst' proves a dazzling slices of early-seventies fusion, both for the jazz-funk crowd and all you lovers of Miles Davis and McLaughlin's Mahavishnu crew. Certainly up there with the likes of 'Spectrum', 'Big Fun' and 'Crossings', 'Sunburst' may well be the peak of Henderson's impressive career. The only problem? At the time of writing, 'Sunburst' isn't available on CD. Pity.STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2013

Ministry’s new album From Beer To Eternity will be released on September 5 via 13th Planet Records. The record was never meant to exist – but mainman Al Jourgensen says he “didn’t have a choice” about making it. The record came out of a mammoth session of laying down rough tracks, followed by the tragic death of guitarist Mike Scaccia three days later. Jourgen says: “We have never, in the history of Ministry, ever had a tracking session like that before. Everything went so smoothly. Mikey was on fire and inspired, and really a driving force.” He says From Beer To Eternity is his own tribute to Scaccia. “During the tracking sessions Mikey was smiling and going, ‘You know what, Al? This is the best album we’ve ever done together.’” The first single, Permawar, will appear in July. Jourgensen’s biography, The Lost Gospels According To Al Jourgensen, will be published the same month.