Metal Mood Stabilizer for Halloween: “Black No. 1″

It’s Halloween Eve … which means it’s time for more Type O Negative.

Next week, a review of Pelican’s “What We All Come To Need” and an interview with Dallas Toler-Wade of Nile. And probably some random musings as well. So there.
Happy Halloween.

Essential Albums #7: Type O Negative “Dead Again”

Well, one of my favorite bands, Type O Negative, is performing tonight in Cincinnati. But, instead of driving to the show, I’m sitting here at work. How is that fair?
But, I’m determined to make the best of my misfortune. Thinking about tonight’s show made me dig into my Type O collection - which led me to spin the band’s best [...]

Interview: Factory Damage to play Louisville with Powerman 5000

 
Last year, Owensboro metal band Factory Damage shared their first stage with a national act when they opened a Louisville concert for the up-and-coming thrash metal band Warbringer.
The band must have made a good impression, because the Owensboro musicians were invited to perform in Louisville again — this time with Powerman 5000, a nationally selling [...]

Interview: Udo Dirkschneider of Accept and U.D.O.

Udo Dirkschneider is an icon in metal. As the frontman for Accept, Dirkschneider created a string of metal anthems, including the grinding “Balls To The Wall,” the mammoth “Metal Heart,” the mercilessly awesome “Fast As A Shark” and the pounding “Living For Tonight.” But let me be honest: After 1990, I had no idea Dirkschneider [...]

Metal Mood Stabilizer Song of the Day: Ahab, “The Hunt”

“To the last, I grapple with thee; from Hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake, I spit my last breath at thee.” – from “Moby Dick”
Today, I give you Ahab. Nautical doom metal from Germany. “The Hunt” is from “The Call of the Wretched Sea,” the band’s horrifyingly beautiful concept album based on [...]

Review: Alice In Chains, “Black Gives Way To Blue”

Alice In Chains frontman Layne Staley was a one-of-a-kind vocalist and his death in 2003 was a tragedy to the legions of fans who adored Staley’s dark, caustic and often heart-wrenching work. The man was a master at wringing rage and pain out of the words he sang, but there was a skewed beauty under [...]

This week gets stupider … but Ryan Adams makes it better (??)

This has been the stupidest week since, well, last week.
First, Helmuth from Belphegor missed my phone interview time. Twice. I know he’s all nihilistic, hates humanity and whatnot, but come on, Helmuth – do you want to promote your new album or not? 
Then, to make matters even dumber, I missed my opportunity to interview Udo Dirkschnieder, the ex-Accept [...]

Cliff Burton (how quickly time flies)

I realized this morning that I’d completely forgotten to mark the anniversary of Cliff Burton’s death. Has it really been 23 years? God, where does time go?
The cliche is that baby boomers will always remember where they were when they heard about the assassinations of, say, John F. Kennedy or John Lennon. I don’t know [...]