There is a certain difficulty in reviewing this because part of the allure of this 40th anniversary is the package that comes with the physical releases on vinyl and CD. The accompanying books, containing rare photos, the liner notes and interviews is, for me the interesting part of this.
Throw in a live performance from 1985 (Bochum, Germany) which captures them in a raw, unpolished state where they were just starting to get their identity pulled together. Kerry King has said that this is where Slayer became Slayer and I’m not sure that I agree with that statement. It’s a favourite of Trey Azagthoth, but I also think that’s because saying Reign In Blood is your favourite is kind of a popular statement.
Personally, had they stayed on this course then we wouldn’t be treating them with the same reverence, but let’s put that to one side. The album itself still sounds like it was recorded in a cave but at least sounds clearer than its original state. I think that there is zero point talking about them, apart from they represent where King and Hanneman were inspired by at that time.
Personally, had they stayed on this course then we wouldn’t be treating them with the same reverence, but let’s put that to one side. The album itself still sounds like it was recorded in a cave but at least sounds clearer than its original state. I think that there is zero point talking about them, apart from they represent where King and Hanneman were inspired by at that time.
Longer songs, repeated lead breaks and a approach that felt that they tried to shoehorn as much as possible in each song. They haven’t tried to update it, overdub or add any frippery which is definitely in keeping with Slayer. For the album, if you liked it then, they you will like it now. What I do find is that these generally feel overlong, but at that time, and certainly when I first heard it around 87 or 88 (along with RIB) it was cool, but Reign was better.
The live album is warts and all, quality is so-so but that only adds to it. The primal energy is there, the intensity in performance that would only grow with subsequent tours. Some of the higgggghhhhhhhhhh notes that Tom hits, you forget that at the time Priest, Mercyful Fate screams were a massive part of what aspiring singers should be doing.
The live album is warts and all, quality is so-so but that only adds to it. The primal energy is there, the intensity in performance that would only grow with subsequent tours. Some of the higgggghhhhhhhhhh notes that Tom hits, you forget that at the time Priest, Mercyful Fate screams were a massive part of what aspiring singers should be doing.
Using Black Magic as an example of this, the speed is increased with no loss in execution and the segue into Die By The Sword, the breaks in Tom’s voice as he keeps up with this pace is great to hear. Live, this is where the songs from Show No Mercy and Hell Awaits take on a better form, although I’m not sure where the extended lead break in Die came from, but I’ll take it anyway. As a live document of that time, its fantastic. Its one that showcases that as a live band they would tear the place apart.
Revisiting the songs, especially those that have remained relatively deep cuts has been great. The live album, yes its rough but that is the charm behind it. This is the real attraction in this release as something I’ve never heard before. Adding these to the booklets, ticket stubs that come with it, it is a fantastic release for fans of this band.
Revisiting the songs, especially those that have remained relatively deep cuts has been great. The live album, yes its rough but that is the charm behind it. This is the real attraction in this release as something I’ve never heard before. Adding these to the booklets, ticket stubs that come with it, it is a fantastic release for fans of this band.
For giving it a score, the music alone deserves a 7. Reasoning behind it is simply that the songs, different from Show, and as good as they are, are just ok. Of course I’m saying this with the hindsight of what came next and how their sound developed. Put it together with the package, it’s a 9/10
Shinedown - EI8HT (Atlantic Records) [Matt Bladen]
What's the best album Nikki Sixx has ever been a part of? No matter what you say the correct answer is The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack from his band Sixx A.M. Now ask the same question about Shinedown and you may get a few people with different opinions, however on their eighth album record, they're definitely looking to write their definitive statement as a band.
Like that soundtrack record, EI8HT features a cinematic feel to it, musical ideas come from across the genre spectrum, with the heavy rocking of Dance. Kid. Dance, the hip shaking arena bait of Burning Down The Disco to Searchlight which made it's debut at Grand Ole Opry, it's a record where no ideas are overlooked or dismissed.
18 glossy, stadium size tracks, with risks that a band shouldn't be taking eight albums into their career and with such a defined style behind them, but that's never been enough for Shinedown, they've always courted the crossover crowd, pop lovers, country fans, classic rockers and their radio rock fandom all combined together here.
Now unlike a recent record I listened to that was over an hour, EI8HT flies by from the Def Leppard-like Three Six Five, to the blue collar nostalgia of Young Again and the modern edge of Bear With Me. There's a myriad of influences on this record which will give it broad appeal but never makes it feel disjoined.
Even with the furious Machine Gun shifting to the the orchestral balladry of Back To The Living, through the electro thump of Deep End and the closing acoustics of The Pilot, EI8HT is a captivating album from Shinedown, touching on every part of their career.
I'll be honest I didn't want to like this, I wrote the band off after Sound Of Madness, but EI8HT could be their best album. 9/10
Shinedown - EI8HT (Atlantic Records) [Matt Bladen]
What's the best album Nikki Sixx has ever been a part of? No matter what you say the correct answer is The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack from his band Sixx A.M. Now ask the same question about Shinedown and you may get a few people with different opinions, however on their eighth album record, they're definitely looking to write their definitive statement as a band.
Like that soundtrack record, EI8HT features a cinematic feel to it, musical ideas come from across the genre spectrum, with the heavy rocking of Dance. Kid. Dance, the hip shaking arena bait of Burning Down The Disco to Searchlight which made it's debut at Grand Ole Opry, it's a record where no ideas are overlooked or dismissed.
18 glossy, stadium size tracks, with risks that a band shouldn't be taking eight albums into their career and with such a defined style behind them, but that's never been enough for Shinedown, they've always courted the crossover crowd, pop lovers, country fans, classic rockers and their radio rock fandom all combined together here.
Now unlike a recent record I listened to that was over an hour, EI8HT flies by from the Def Leppard-like Three Six Five, to the blue collar nostalgia of Young Again and the modern edge of Bear With Me. There's a myriad of influences on this record which will give it broad appeal but never makes it feel disjoined.
Even with the furious Machine Gun shifting to the the orchestral balladry of Back To The Living, through the electro thump of Deep End and the closing acoustics of The Pilot, EI8HT is a captivating album from Shinedown, touching on every part of their career.
I'll be honest I didn't want to like this, I wrote the band off after Sound Of Madness, but EI8HT could be their best album. 9/10
The Freqs – No God On The Gold Coast (Gum Cuzzler Records) [Spike]
If you're going to claim you're intent on "delivering high decibel raw energy through a couple of guitars and a drum set," you’d better not show up with a polite, over-engineered record. Salem’s The Freqs have clearly taken that threat seriously.
If you're going to claim you're intent on "delivering high decibel raw energy through a couple of guitars and a drum set," you’d better not show up with a polite, over-engineered record. Salem’s The Freqs have clearly taken that threat seriously.
No God On The Gold Coast is a short, sharp, and brilliantly chaotic debut that clocks in at just under twenty-six minutes, sounding less like a studio album and more like a live set recorded in a cellar while the police are banging on the door. It’s got that grimy, unstable friction of The Jesus Lizard or early Queens Of The Stone Age (back when QOTSA actually had some dirt under their fingernails) making it one of the most immediate, unpretentious rackets to land in the review box this year.
The album hits the ground at a full sprint with John Travolta, and immediately, the production choices stand out. It’s raw, it’s noisy, and it possesses a massive, analogue-heavy thud that feels like it’s vibrating in your very marrow. Guitarist Seth Crowell’s faulty pickups apparently spent the recording sessions catching accidental local radio interference between takes, and instead of cleaning up the signal, the band kept those weird, bleeding voices in the final mix. It’s a brilliant, "no safety net" choice that makes you feel like you’re sitting right in front of the monitors while the room is actively melting.
The momentum shifts into the frantic, heavy-set grooves of Chainsawman and Lo IQ. On Lo IQ, they make great use of a Robert Downey Jr. Wall Street sample to open the track, featuring a caustic vocal contribution from Nicholas Pentabona (Bedtime Magic) that sounds like a throat full of sand. The sheer velocity continues through CLEARANCE WRECK and It Might Be Rabies, where the band refuses to offer a single moment of "experimental" reprieve or radio-ready polish. It’s simple, direct, and incredibly loud.
One of the standout moments on the album is Secondhand Jesus, featuring Andrew Wong (Miracle Blood) on guest vocals, which leads into the pure, high-velocity blast beats of Short King. At just under a minute and a half, Short King is a total, teeth-grinding sprint that acts as a perfect, visceral pivot before they drag you into the final, sludge-drenched crawl of Nite Hag. It’s a sophisticated bit of pacing that keeps the album’s short runtime from feeling like a repetitive blur.
By the time the final, discordant feedback of Nite Hag eventually cuts out, you're left with a silence that actually feels a bit uncomfortable. The Freqs have documented a state of total, frantic urgency. It’s the kind of record that acts as an unvarnished reminder that you don't need a massive budget to make a massive impact. It’s a properly noisy debut which has got me checking the gig listings and hoping that they will be over to our side of the water sometime soon. 8/10
JPT Scare Band - Live At Crosstown Station (Ripple Music) [Rich Piva]
JPT Scare Band is an important part of Ripple Music history (look it up) and this lost recording, Live At Crosstown Station, captures a band that started bringing out their proto-heavy and psych in the 70s live in Kansas City in 2011 in all of their glory and where they belong, on the stage ripping it up.
Live At Crosstown Station is five tracks of the band ripping up their bluesy proto goodness, with the opener, Hungry For Your Love, bringing it all and setting the stage for this killer set. The recording sounds amazing, especially how the rhythm section was captured.
The album hits the ground at a full sprint with John Travolta, and immediately, the production choices stand out. It’s raw, it’s noisy, and it possesses a massive, analogue-heavy thud that feels like it’s vibrating in your very marrow. Guitarist Seth Crowell’s faulty pickups apparently spent the recording sessions catching accidental local radio interference between takes, and instead of cleaning up the signal, the band kept those weird, bleeding voices in the final mix. It’s a brilliant, "no safety net" choice that makes you feel like you’re sitting right in front of the monitors while the room is actively melting.
The momentum shifts into the frantic, heavy-set grooves of Chainsawman and Lo IQ. On Lo IQ, they make great use of a Robert Downey Jr. Wall Street sample to open the track, featuring a caustic vocal contribution from Nicholas Pentabona (Bedtime Magic) that sounds like a throat full of sand. The sheer velocity continues through CLEARANCE WRECK and It Might Be Rabies, where the band refuses to offer a single moment of "experimental" reprieve or radio-ready polish. It’s simple, direct, and incredibly loud.
One of the standout moments on the album is Secondhand Jesus, featuring Andrew Wong (Miracle Blood) on guest vocals, which leads into the pure, high-velocity blast beats of Short King. At just under a minute and a half, Short King is a total, teeth-grinding sprint that acts as a perfect, visceral pivot before they drag you into the final, sludge-drenched crawl of Nite Hag. It’s a sophisticated bit of pacing that keeps the album’s short runtime from feeling like a repetitive blur.
By the time the final, discordant feedback of Nite Hag eventually cuts out, you're left with a silence that actually feels a bit uncomfortable. The Freqs have documented a state of total, frantic urgency. It’s the kind of record that acts as an unvarnished reminder that you don't need a massive budget to make a massive impact. It’s a properly noisy debut which has got me checking the gig listings and hoping that they will be over to our side of the water sometime soon. 8/10
JPT Scare Band - Live At Crosstown Station (Ripple Music) [Rich Piva]
JPT Scare Band is an important part of Ripple Music history (look it up) and this lost recording, Live At Crosstown Station, captures a band that started bringing out their proto-heavy and psych in the 70s live in Kansas City in 2011 in all of their glory and where they belong, on the stage ripping it up.
Live At Crosstown Station is five tracks of the band ripping up their bluesy proto goodness, with the opener, Hungry For Your Love, bringing it all and setting the stage for this killer set. The recording sounds amazing, especially how the rhythm section was captured.
Terry Swope is a psych guitar god who should be way more known then he is, and he certainly proves that on this recording, especially on the opener and on Hungry Amazons. The closing two tracks, Acid Blues and I've Been Waiting, is 17 minutes of heavy proto psych that fans of bands from Leaf Hound, to Golden Earring, to Blue Cheer will love. Great stuff.
I ask a lot of Todd and Ripple Music, but I will keep doing it as long as he keeps releasing such killer stuff. Bring us some more JPT Scare Band! If there is more in the vaults that is remotely close to Live At Crosstown Station it needs to be consumed. Killer. 8/10
I ask a lot of Todd and Ripple Music, but I will keep doing it as long as he keeps releasing such killer stuff. Bring us some more JPT Scare Band! If there is more in the vaults that is remotely close to Live At Crosstown Station it needs to be consumed. Killer. 8/10
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