Black Tide: Light From Above

Post #23
Well, I promised I'd follow up with this band once I heard their debut album, and I'm pleased to say I've added it to my collection and I'm far from disappointed. I bought this CD the day it was released, so I've had several weeks to properly digest their debut material for this review. Black Tide more than live up to the expectations I had from seeing them at Ozzfest a year ago, and hearing their 2-song sampler distributed at Hot Topic. These guys really could be the future of metal (as "Ultimate Revenge Magazine" said in a quote on the promotional sticker on the CD). "Light From Above" is filled with classic metal riffs, melodic grooves, and ripping guitar solos that respectfully honor the band's many influences. The album is oozing with raw potential from start to finish.

The band's frontman, Gabriel Garcia, has proven he has some great song-writing potential, and he's so young (age 14 when they played Ozzfest!) there's no way he can do anything but improve. His voice is a bit reminiscent of the early days of Silverchair's Daniel Johns (I know it's weird I should make that comparison since Johns was also under 18 when he recorded the 1st Silverchair album, Frogstomp). But the rest of the band's sound seems to draw from many sources of inspiration. In addition to Megadeth, Metallica, & Guns N' Roses (all referenced in Spin's quote on the Promo sticker), there are distinct elements of Iron Maiden apparent in songs like "Warriors of Time", & "Enterprise". Black Tide also have a few songs that sound like they fit right in with some of their Ozzfest '06 tour-mates. The closing title track, "Light From Above" could sound like an Avenged Sevenfold song, and "Let Me" has an intro riff that betrays an influence from Black Label Society's (& Ozzy Osbourne guitarist) Zakk Wylde. "Show Me the Way" re-works a Megadeth riff from "The Conjuring", but it develops into a very enjoyable metal song. "Give Me a Chance" and "Live Fast, Die Young" are much more 'rock' oriented songs and less 'metal'.

And last but not least, I have to mention their cover of Metallica's "Hit the Lights". This was the 1st song I heard them perform live at Ozzfest, and was hesitant to recommend it on my first post because I wasn't sure they would record it for their debut album. However they did record it, and it is a near flawless rendition. I even went so far as to listen to both versions simultaneously. I was amazed to hear that the tempo and intensity of this cover was practically a perfect match. The only differences are 1: the guitar solos (obviously, soloing is the most artistic aspect of heavy metal guitar playing, and I'd have been a bit let down if Garcia just copied Kirk's solos note for note), and 2: the tempo of the "breakdown" segment. You'll find Metallica whip through that part a little faster than Black Tide, and you'll have to pause one CD player & let the other catch up. All things considered, they couldn't have performed it better. It's perhaps a bit symbolic that they choose this Metallica tune to cover. It was Metallica's first song on their first album, back when they hadn't truly established a direction for their own music (as they later did on their next 2 albums). It's a mission-statement song for metal if ever there was one!


All-in-all Light From Above is packed with a vast variety of rock & metal song-styles. It might be the only down-side of this CD, that there's too much variety. However if you're looking for a versatile new heavy metal band, then here's the band you've been waiting for. As young as they are, Black Tide have the potential to pull the heavy metal genre in their direction. I foresee that they will refine their sound & direction over 2-3 more albums as they continue to write music, possibly incorporating many of their apparent influences more cohesively into future songs. To paraphrase the lyrics of "Give Me a Chance"; we should give Black Tide a chance to figure out who they are. I'm sure we'll not be disappointed.

In addition to my previous recommendations (Shockwave & Warriors of Time) from my previous post on Black Tide, I recommend...
-Enterprise
-Give Me a Chance
-Hit The Lights
-Light From Above

Avenged Sevenfold

Post #18
What better way to kick off the 7th month of my blog than by reviewing Avenged Sevenfold?

I first discovered Avenged Sevenfold when their single for "Bat Country" hit the radio like a hurricane. All I needed to hear was Synyster Gates' guitar solo and I was instantly hooked. I craved hearing this song on the radio on a daily basis, often sitting in my parked car for a few extra minutes to see if it would be the next song they played. I thought to myself, "I finally found a new band with a phenomenal lead guitarist!" I instantly regarded Gates as the best lead guitarist of the current generation of Metal. (I should note that this was mere months before I would discover another band called Dragonforce, who would quickly overtake this title. More on them later...)

When Spring came around I received Ozzfest tickets for my birthday, and A7X were on the bill. I had already found their City of Evil CD, and now made a point to go collect Waking the Fallen as well. I gave both these CDs plenty of listens before attending Ozzfest, and must admit I like City of Evil much better. At Ozzfest, this was the album they played the most songs from, and their stage show was very cool also. Their logo (a skull with bat-wings) was set as the backdrop with red glowing eyes. During their final number, the wings began to flap and the skull rose high in the air, spewing smoke from the mouth.

Recently, A7X have released their 4th full-length album, simply titled "Avenged Sevenfold". I've been able to check this out from my library (twice now), and it lives up to the standard of their previous work, and then some. It is by far the most versatile sounding album by this band, as they incorporate more keyboards, and music styles. I have only high hopes for Avenged Sevenfold as their career develops. I have some good recommendations from the 3 albums I've mentioned in this post...

From Waking the Fallen:
-Chapter Four (my personal favorite from this album)
-I Won't See You Tonight (Parts I & II) (A versatile piece of work that somewhat foreshadows the direction the band's music would take)
-Clairvoyant Disease
-And All Things Will End

From City of Evil:
-Beast & The Harlot
-Bat Country
-Burn It Down
-Betrayed

From Avenged Sevenfold:
-Critical Acclaim (A7X tackle some political commentary in the lyrics of this song)
-Almost Easy
-A Little Piece of Heaven (This is a very head-trippy song. It sounds like a song that could have been co-written by Dream Theater & Edgar Allen Poe)
-Unbound (The Wild Ride)
-Dear God (A7X bring elements of country into this song, and the result is a whole new beast of a song!)

Black Tide Rising...

Post #10
It's not every day where I have a chance to review a band prior to the release of their debut album. With Black Tide I have that chance & I'm taking it! Slated for release next month on February 5th, their debut album, "Light From Above", is already on my radar of CDs to collect soon. In addition to picking up their promo/single at Hot Topic, I've also had the opportunity to see these guys live at Ozzfest this past summer. They really rock (especially their singer/guitarist/songwriter who's only 17)!
They instantly caught my ear at Ozzfest because I arrived while they were covering Metallica's "Hit the Lights". They sounded great live, and their 2-song single is equally impressive. They have a classic-metal feel: Great guitar solos, catchy riffs, good mid-range vocals. Overall Black Tide remind me of bands like Avenged Sevenfold & Trivium (both of which I plan to blog about in the future!) So if you want to jump on the bandwagon of a young & promising new heavy metal band, give Black Tide a listen.
I can easily recommend the 2 songs on their single:
-Shockwave
-Warriors of Time

Check out their website: http://www.blacktidemusic.com/

Lordi

Post #2
Lordi, the Monsters of Rock (literally!) from Finland. I wanted to get this post up in time for Halloween. These guys are for the current generation what Kiss were for the teens of the late 70's, or at least they should be. I've checked out their newest CD, "The Arockalypse", from my local library twice already. They're a great breath of fresh Rock N' Roll-infused Metal, something there's not enough of in today's music. When I saw these guys at Ozzfest this summer it felt like I was discovering KISS all over again. I'm looking forward to adding their albums to my CD collection very soon. Want a monster themed Halloween party this year? Then go get "The Arockalypse" by Lordi!
My recommendations from The Arockalypse:
-Bringing Back the Balls to Rock
-Hard Rock Hallelujah
-The Kids Who Want to Play With the Dead
-It Snows in Hell
-They Only Come Out at Night

(image from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lordi)
Check out: http://www.lordi.com/