Tetrarch first came on my radar in 2011. I was on the lookout for independent bands to feature in my annual reader's poll contest for Independent Band of the Year, and somewhere, somehow I had heard their track 'We are the Hunters', and it blew me away. This was around the time I was diving deep into melodic metalcore bands like Trivium, All That Remains, Atreyu, and Killswitch Engage. Tetrarch reminded me of all of those bands, but also with more thrash metal influences. Riffs that will pummel your ears, and tempo that is... well... relentless, and powerful vocals that blend screams with melodies. And a singer who has drawn comparisons to both Corey Taylor and the late Chester Bennington. Needless to say, this review is long overdue, and more reviews of their recent work will be coming soon!
This song turned out to be from their debut EP, The Will to Fight. I loved every track on this EP, and I became an instant fan. These guys fit right in with all the newer bands of metalcore I had just been discovering. While these recording may no longer be available for direct download, I believe you can still find them on youtube, so I'll embed the links to those songs for your enjoyment here. Happy Headbanging!
Though it may no longer be available through iTunes, you can find the complete album on youtube to stream. Every track is worth recommending.
The song titles are: We are the Hunters
The Will to Fight
Set to Flames
Sons of the Sea
Two years later they released a 2nd EP entitled Relentless, and it was every bit as awesome as the first.
This EP may also be unavailable on iTunes. Still, you can try youtube for tracking these gems down...
The song titles are: Final Words
Leave Me Alone
Relentless
Take Your Best Shot
Watch for reviews of their newer albums Freak and Unstable, coming soon!
The Rumpus Room are a 3 piece rock band from the University of North Michigan. They have a garage-band vibe, but also reveal a hint of influence from late-60's acid-rock, like The Jimi Hendrix Experience. The White Stripes are another possible comparison, in regards to the raw sound that comes across in this recording. While the production may be rough around the edges, the band had a groove that is undeniable.
What Now is their debut EP. It consists of 4 tracks, the first of which, "Cops Called", is an instrumental. It's a new-age, alternative-rock jam session, almost falling into the 'experimental rock' genre. Reverberating effects on guitar are prominent, while the song eases in and builds throughout.
The second track, "Pipes/ Double Barreled", has a slow-tempo, minor-key tone that sets a somber mood. The riff here really gives me more of those Hendrix vibes, and some of the guitar leads sound similar the "Peace in Mississippi" by Hendrix. Maybe it's this connection that makes this stand out as my favorite song on the EP. In any case, I love the groove and the mood in this song.
The closing number, "Fuck", is the most intense song. It jams along with a groovy, hard rocking riff, and throws some guitar solos in the mix. It again is largely instrumental, with the exception of the occasional shouts of 'Oh, Fuck!' In this respect it could be compared to "Tequila" by The Champs.
What Now is The Rumpus Room's first recording. You can find it on iTunes.
A Sound of Thunder are an independent band from the Washington, D.C. area that have been creating their own brand of powerful heavy metal since 2010. I was lucky enough to discover them in July of 2011 at Dame Nation 3 in Chicago, IL. I chatted with the band briefly after their set and at the merch booth. We connected on social media and I've followed them closely ever since.
Fast forward 8 years, 5 albums, 4 EPs, and numerous Kickstarter campaigns, and we arrive at 2020, a year that marks the 10th anniversary for this band. With most of the world's activities put on hold or derailed due to the COVID 19 pandemic, A Sound of Thunder found themselves in a relatively lucky place as they had just completed the recording of their 10th anniversary album- Parallel Eternity. This was an ambitious project from the start that kept getting boosted to higher tiers as their Kickstarter goals kept getting exceeded. So the final product is a deservedly grand and over-the-top celebration of the band's whole career and then some!
In a nutshell- this is a 'Best Of' collection with new orchestral arrangements of each track, a bonus disc of covers and alternate mixes, plus a new recording, "Explorer", which has been in the works since the band's conception. This track was meant for this album- it is a 13 minute+ epic, prog-metal masterpiece that just wouldn't be the same without the orchestral elements. It reminds me very much of Iron Maiden's recent prog sound, or perhaps Dream Theater. And with the melodic vocals by Nina Osegueda, a comparison to Nightwish isn't out of the question either! But again, the orchestration brings it to another level. This track alone is worth the $13 for a digital download of the album, but if you're a true music collector, they have different bundles in CD or Vinyl formats that include the deluxe, 72-page booklet and a few bonus items.
As a compilation, this album totally delivers for the long-time fans as well as newcomers, as each of their releases has at least one track represented. Let me reiterate: each and every track gets the upgrade of new, orchestral arrangements! So, even if you've been following this band for years, as I have, you still get something totally new!
Disc 2 starts off where disc 1 left off, with an orchestral arrangement of "Elijah", a 9+ minute epic track from their Lesser Key of Solomon album. Then it starts to mix things up (pun intended!) There is an acoustic cover of Black Sabbath's "Too Late" (From the Dio-era Dehumanizer album). After a live version of "La Preso Del Rei De Franca" they have 3 tracks with a classical mix (orchestral instruments without the guitars and drums), 3 tracks with dubstep remix, and 3 tracks with different world-music remixes. It is quite a listening experience!
Overall Parallel Eternity is a compilation I can't get enough of. I love the symphonic-metal arrangements of this band's greatest hits. For the absolute best of this Best-Of, I would recommend you at least hear the following tracks:
That name has meant so much for generations of music fans and musicians for such a long time. Eddie's name-sake band Van Halen, have been in the fabric of pop-culture practically since they first hit the scene in the late 1970's. Eddie's innovative and flashy playing style caught on almost faster than his fingers on the fretboard! With their debut album releasing in 1978 the timing was perfect for inspiring the next decade of rock guitarists, and Eddie was certainly a key influence on the 1980's 'Hair Metal' era. I wrote another post, years ago, 'The Lost Disciples of Eddie Van Halen', about some of the lesser-known guitarists from this era.
Growing up in the 1980's, it sometimes seemed that Eddie Van Halen was everywhere. There were several popular movies that made reference to Van Halen, and some to Eddie specifically. I'll never forget in Back to the Future, where Marty McFly uses a cassette tape labeled 'Edward Van Halen' to convince his teen-aged future-father George to take Loraine to the dance, or else he would 'melt his brain'.
Then, in the 90's, the movie The Wedding Singer, set as an 80's throw-back romantic comedy, incorporated the mid-80's break-up of Van Halen into the film's plot.
But my favorite pop-culture reference to Eddie Van Halen has to be in the opening scene of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure where Bill and Ted have an extended, circular debate about how to get Eddie to join their band, Wyld Stallyns. There are certainly many, many more of these references in our TV, Film and other media- Eddie was truly a cultural icon!
When I heard the news that Eddie Van Halen had passed away on October 6th of 2020, I felt the loss of this phenomenal artist, who had graced rock and roll's legacy with his unique and inspiring sounds for decades.
So at a time when all the radio stations, or streaming services, will continue to play the best-known songs by Van Halen, I will take a moment and give you a deeper sampling of the artistry of Van Halen- my personal favorites. These tracks dig a few layers deeper than those you may be familiar with. Of course I'll probably have some picks here that overlap with the staple-hits, but hopefully I can also guide you to some songs you may have forgotten, or overlooked, or truly never heard before. And if you should make new favorites of some of these, then I have helped you better appreciate one artist's talent, and the mark they leave on this world will have grown by another degree.
Enjoy these recommended Van Halen tracks:
-Out the Window (Edward Van Halen- from his score for the film The Wild Life)
Last but not least, I saw this video soon after Eddie's passing. It became an instant tribute to the legend, and features several rock celebrities. The guitarist of Satchel of Steel Panther. Here's the cover of "Unchained".
