The run down: “More than 20 artists including Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, Mary J Blige, Jackson Browne, Sheryl Crow, and the Black Eyed Peas’ Will.i.am and Fergie are calling on Congress to pass legislation that would require broadcasters to pay performers a fee for playing their music on AM and FM radio stations” (source: NationalJournal.com).

My opinion: It is obvious that artists and record companies are grasping at straws to financially make up for their inability to adapt to the changing market. Ten or fifteen years ago these artists were spamming radio stations and media outlets with promos begging for airplay (hell, even owning this simple blog gets me promotional material from upcoming artists), and today, having gained popularity they now have their hands out to those same sources that made them famous, asking for money to play their songs. I feel this act is ridiculous and its passing threatens to change the face of radio.

I could probably name 20 local Seattle bands off the top of my head that would LOVE more airplay and would not ask for a dime in return. The passing of this bill would only hurt these upcoming bands; if the demand for their music is low, why would stations pay to play them?

I personally have lost respect for those who support this act (found here), and hope to see the movement squelched by an overwhelming amount of both opposition and reason.

Five things Wild Turkey has taught me:

5) Despite what your instincts may be telling you, its not possible to fall upwards into the sky.

4) Contrary to popular lore, sometimes getting up after falling down is not the best idea.

3) After you’ve thrown everything up, your stomach makes this yellow stuff. Thats when the real fun begins.

2) Sometimes the most comfortable sleeping arrangement is a bath towel spread out on the bathroom floor.

1) That 10.5% difference between 80 proof and 101 proof is where the devil lives.

On November 23rd five of metal’s heaviest hitters descended upon Seattle’s well known venue, El Corazon. An assembly of performers from every corner of the globe, coming together to show everyone that here in Seattle the death metal scene is alive and well. While I can’t say that blood rained from the Heavens and the dead rose to devour human flesh, I can certainly say each band melted their own fair share of faces.

I arrived at El Corazon just a few minutes after the door opened (7 pm). For those who’ve never visited the place, the outside looks like a black, nondescript building, except for the overhanging black and white sign signifying the name. To my surprise there was absolutely no line to get into the venue. I was greeted by courteous security, and after a quick frisking I entered the building.

Once inside I quickly realized why there was no line to get in. Standing before me was only about 15 people; A handful clusted at the front of the venue, huddled around center stage, and the rest standing disinteresting at the back near the merchandise, behind the floor partition. Sleeveless jean jackets, pinned on patches, and long wavy hair seemed to be the standard of dress. Feeling slightly out of place with my cropped hair, Nike cap, and Slipknot jacket, I made my way across the floor to the beer garden. After flashing my ID, I was quickly in and ordering a reasonably priced Jack & Coke, watching the first band setup on stage; and hey, the bar even took plastic!

 Read the rest of my review over at: http://metalasfuck.net/zine/event-reviews/2009/vader-decrepit-birth-warbringer-amenta-augury-el-corazon-seattle-23-nov-2009

     This week we’re turning the Seattle Spotlight south to our neighboring Portland scene. While typically an honor reserved for local Washington artists, Across The Sun shatters my stupid little bureaucratic rules and stomps on the pieces.

     Purely in my own opinion, ATS sounds like a warm Killswitch Engage glazed with some August Burns Red, sprinkled with a little keyboard. Clean, crisp vocals seamlessly switch to deep, beastial growls, satisfying even the fussiest heavy metal palette. Oh and please, don’t believe the music itself deserves second mention. Just listen to one song (personally I recommend “May Silence Keep You”) and the technical aspect of ATS will become apparent; if I was any less of a man I would weep from the epic-ness.

     Big ups to Brandon Davis (vocals) who was kind enough to waste some time with me answering a few prying questions:

1 ) Who is Across the Sun and what do you do?

BRANDON: We are a 5 piece melodic metal band from Portland, Or. Our continuing mission, to explore strange new cities, to seek out new fans and new venues, to boldly go where no band has gone before! Haha seriously though, what we do is work hard, love our fans, play as many show as possible, write the best music we can fathom, hope to make something of ourselves, and most importantly, we have so much fun doing it!

2 ) Where did the band name come from?

BRANDON: The name was created by the original line-up who started the band 5 years ago. Across The Sun is how far we are willing to go to make our dreams come true. That is what the name means and that statement rings true to this day.

3 )  If you had to name only 2 of your top musical influences, who would they be?

BRANDON: Haha that is a very tough question to answer. Individually I think it would be easier, but to speak for the entire band as a whole is near impossible. Let me say this, we are not influenced by only one or two musicians or even types of music. We are a band that is beyond passionate about the music we create and what we are doing with it. Each and every member pours their everything into this band, and that shines through in all that we do. There are bands and musicians we listen to that we can feel the love, time, and immense energy it took to create each song. That is what we strive for every day, and those are the musicians we take influence and inspiration from.

4 ) “Pestilence & Rapture” is an awesome title for an album, what was the inspiration for it?

BRANDON: Thank you! The central theme or feel for the album lies within the timeless battle between good and evil, in every sense of the phrase. Lyrically, it is inspired by my life, the people in it, and the situations we find ourselves in. Things like dealing with moral and ethical values within one’s self, physical struggles with the loss of loved ones and addictions, as well as emotional hardships with people that you love. Then overcoming those battles to rise above and be better for it in the end, rather than let them consume you.

5 ) Obviously none of you were born into heavy metal stardom, what previous occupations have the band members held?

BRANDON: Haha let’s see…..I (Brandon) started out working at Burgerville right out of high school, put myself through college pumping gas, and have been working in high end restaurants for the last 5 years or so. Alan was a dishwasher and is now a graphic designer for clothing companies/bands, and a security guard. Sam worked at Taco Bell, was a construction worker, and is now a security guard. Colin worked the front desk at a new age/self help store and is now a notary signing agent and a respite care provider for the mentally challenged. And Shane has worked in restaurants, a dog food factory, and now works in an environmental testing lab. We call him “the chemist” haha!

6 ) Top movie of all time?

BRANDON: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade!

7 ) Whats the craziest thing to ever happen while you were on stage?

BRANDON: It saddens me to say that nothing crazy has really happened on stage at one of our shows haha. I would say the craziest thing was when we played a double header in Eugene, Or. None of us really drink, especially before a show, but we played a bar that kept giving us stiff Jack and Cokes free all night. By the time we went on stage, all but one of us was drunk. During one of the songs, Shane was headbanging and throwing down so hard that he smacked his face on his keyboard! We didn’t know til the next morning when he had a huge welt on his face, it was the funniest thing haha.

8 ) The band goes into a bar. What does everyone order?

BRANDON: I (Brandon) would order the best microbrew on tap, probably a Blue Moon or Black Butte Porter. Alan would hit up the old Vodka and Sprite or a cheap tallboy, Sam would probably get what I’m getting or something with Jager, Shane, if he were to order anything, would probably get a Jack and Coke or a good beer on tap as well, and Colin has been sober for 6 years so he would order a Shirley Temple haha.

9 ) Any upcoming shows or appearances? Plans to come north to Seattle?

BRANDON: Right now were focusing on our first full US tour in Feb. Other than that, I will be booking a tour kickoff show in Portland and a few out of town weekend stints in northern WA and southern OR. We should be swinging through Seattle either right before tour or on tour!

10 ) Is there anything I forgot to ask or that you’d like to add?

BRANDON: In fact there is my good man! We want everyone to know that they can purchase a copy of the new album on iTunes. It’s very cheap, very worth it, and it would mean the world to us if you picked it up! You won’t regret it and we love you all, thank you. And thank you for your time:)

-END

Seriously, check out Across The Sun. If you like what you hear, grab a copy of their EP and watch out for them playing at a venue near you!

I’ll cut straight to the chase here, screamo gets a bad rap, I personally love it. Plus no one ever reads the opening or conclusion to this stuff anyways. Here are my top five Screamo/Hardcore covers of all time:

5) Ten Masked Men – White Wedding

4) The Devil Wears Prada – Still Fly

3) Subscene – Lollipop

2) Miss May I – Swing

1) Evergreen Terrace – Enjoy The Silence

Thats it. Agree? Disagree? Someone I forgot? Think I’m an idiot? Let me know!
-END

     You may be surprised, but finding local talent worth mentioning is sometimes a rather difficult task. You can crawl YouTube, MySpace, and all sorts of different social outlets and still come up dry. However, when I came upon Midnight Society I was pleasantly surprised. They have everything going for them; brutal vocals, thundering drums, and scorching riffs. No propaganda, no BS, and no ones rocking a nickname based off their old Dungeons & Dragons character (Yeah, I’m talking to you, “Raven”). You better have a towel ready when you give them a listen, cause you’re going to be cleaning your melted face off the floor.

     I was lucky enough to get the guys to give us a minute of their time to answer some Q&A, so now I’ll shut the fuck up and get to what you came for:

1) Who is Midnight Society and what is it that you do?

We are a band from Spokane WA, and we do our best to melt faces with the power of metal.

2) The name ‘Midnight Society’, where does that come from? Any similarities to ‘Dead Poets Society’?

The name is actually from a show called “Are You Afraid of the Dark”. An old show on nickelodeon, it was the name of the group of kids that met up to tell stories, and then got drunk and fought each other with glue and glass cover fists like in kick boxer ….. That last part is not true, but it would have been cool.

3) Tell our readers what you think it is that makes Midnight Society stand out from other bands in the genre.

Justin:  The fact that we have been a band for the past five years, trends come and go but we have stayed true to our genre despite the MySpace trend train.
Seth: I think we stand apart from everyone because we have fun,  not just at shows but at practice and another time that we hang out,  being too serious or getting egos just kill the fun, and when there is no fun the band suffers.
Daniel:  I would have to say that we do this to have a good time, and meet new people, not for money or in hopes to get signed

4) Tell us of any upcoming shows or appearances. Any plans of coming west to Seattle?

We only have one show set up, Dec 18 at the knitting factory, but we have been witting some new stuff and there has been a marriage in the band so we have not been booking show, but we will be making it over to the coast as soon as things settle down. 

5) What would you say the best and worste parts of living in Washington are?

Greg: Winter… that’s probably it
Eric: I hate the extreme weather…….. But I love the terrain
Justin: The best part would be that we get all 4 seasons, and the worst would be the distances between playable venues.
Daniel: The best is no natural disasters; the worst would be…… the cold winters… I guess
Seth: The best I would say would be the weather, not to hot not to cold, the worst would have to be the gun laws, what is the fun of an AK47 if it is not full auto.

6) The band goes into a bar. Whats does everyone order?
 
Greg: A bottle of Jameson on the rock
Eric: Mojito
Justin: Gin and juice
Daniel: Blue moon with a orange slice and a shot of SoCo
Seth: Washington red apple shots or Whisky coke

7) Is there anything I forgot to ask or that you’d like to add?

Just that we want to thank anyone that has ever came to any of our shows; you make this fun for us, “Now get on our horse, because our horse is amazing”!

-END

     PLEASE! If you love the heavy stuff, but are tired of all the regular pussy-whipped bands and songs floating around out there, go check out Midnight Society! You wont be disappointed.

Please remember to leave your thoughts!>>

     If you’ve owned an iPod for a while now and you’re anything like me, you’re already on your 2nd or 3rd pair of earbuds. Something always seems to go wrong, one side shorts out, the little rubber ring comes off one of them, or in my opinion the worst issue is when they work just fine as long as you hold the iPod in a certain way. I’ve been through my share of $40.00 Apple earbuds and after repeated issues, I started shopping around.

    One of the first things I found when exploring other brands was that the clarity of the music was sub-par compared to the Apple versions. Some brands would only work correctly is you continuously held them down in the jack. Others would sound monotonous or “under water”.

     Eventually I was convinced that Apple had done this on perpose just so they could sell me exuberantly priced earbuds. This was until one day I grabbed a pair of Skullcandys while standing in the checkout line at Target. I really missed listening to my music and I had given up all hope of finding anything else that worked, yet these seemed to jump out at me. I knew Skullcandy made larger headsets, so I some what trusted the brand; and hey, for $15.00 I could always return them. But I didn’t.

    These are by far the best earbuds I have ever owned. They have lasted well over 8 or 9 months now (surviving several occasions where a 3 year old and 9 month old got their sticky fingers on them) and seem to operate exactly how they did on day 1. They can stand up to the hardest head banging and rarely slip out, even after continuous running! Aesthetically speaking, they are hands down the best looking set, too. The Ink’d style comes in 15 different color combinations that will suit your style.

     There should be no doubt that I am sold on this brand to meet my musical-listening needs. The awesome color combinations and unparalleled performance earn the Skullcandy Ink’d a 5/5 skulls!

     In the spirit of Halloween I’ve decided to come up with a list of my five favorite bands or artists that utilize masks, makeup, or both. There is something I find intriguing about groups who accessorizes their music with masks and themed costumes. Some may call this a gimmick but hey, if its more entertaining for me, I’m not going to complain. 

     Also, out of respect to the reader, I perposely left off Slipknot. They are awesome (just check my concert review), but a more intellegent appraoch was attempted in lue of simply throwing out the first band I could think of. Without further introduction, here they are in no perticular order:

Mushroomhead
     Hailing from my own home state of Ohio, it would be a crime for me not to mention Mushroomhead. Like a clumsy and less melodic Slipknot, they are arguably one of the leading names in the alternative metal genre. With their costumes ranging from bloody face paint to a pig head, Mushroomhead easily falls into my top 5 best dressed at the Halloween ball.

Hollywood Undead
     While hard to catagorize as metal, or even rock, Hollywood Undead still gets play on my iPod. Reminicent of the Beastie Boys mixed with Eminem and seasoned with some Mrs Dash and a lack self respect, HU’s masks were probably more likely a safety net contrived to avoid being labeled as the next New Kids on the Block. End the end though, they do have masks and I like’em, so here they are.

Marilyn Mason
     While I liked him a lot better back in his Antichrist Superstar days, I recognize that he probably would not have seen the same success if he had continued along that path. Out of all the artists over the last 15 years Mason’s music is probably the most evolved; going from Antichrist to Mechanical Animals, then back to something inbetween the two, and THEN to a throwback gothic version of Depech Mode. Manson may not have the same kick as he did back in th 90’s, but he still rocks, is creepy, and wears makeup/costomes, so bam!

Behemoth
     I’m going to be up front about this. Personally, I am not a big fan of the Polish metal scene, nor am I into the blackened death metal sub-genre. However, this does not suggest a lack of respect for the band Behemoth. I saw them live at the Mayhem Festival in August of 2009 and the show they put on was fantastic. Oh, and they are also snazzy dressers. Where do these guys find all those spiked shin guards? 

Mudvayne (LD 50)
     When Dig first debuted on MTV back in 2000 (remember when they played music?) I was like “Who are these guys and where can I buy their album?” Their artistic take on face paint and hair styles was one of their main characteristics that caught my eye. Their music, while awesome, is strait to the point and easy to listen to. Over the course of their career I can easily name 10 or more hits that still get play in my house, I’m excited for the next album. Oh yeah! The overalls and beard extentions easily land Mudvayne a spot on the list.

 Thanks for reading!
-END

Please be sure to leave your thoughts!>>

     When you hear the words ‘Zero Down’, whats the first thing that comes to mind? Used car financing? Well fuck that! Zero Down is a great band based here in Seattle that stands shoulders above the typical noise you find on the local scene. Lenny Burnett (lead guitar) was kind enough to give us all a minute of his time to answer a few gnawing questions:

ERock: Who is Zero Down and what is it that you do?

Lenny: Zero Down is meat and potatoes, blue collar, NWOBHM inspired hard rock & metal conjured up to light up the night and roll out a brand of rock and roll entertainment that we used to love that we weren’t seeing in a lot of the new bands. Collectively we are Hawk on vocals, Ron E. Banner on bass, Tyler Lindsley on drums, Matt Fox on rhythm/lead guitar and myself, Lenny Burnett on rhythm/lead guitar. 

ERock: Like a cozy Iron Maiden shirt, you guys manage to sound familiar yet distinct. Whats your secret to this?

Lenny: Thanks for the compliment Eric because that’s the goal. It’s a tough balance to maintain. I think because we have so many influences it helps us not lock in on one genre or era as our main influence. Everything gets thrown into the pot so we don’t just sound like Iron Maiden even though we love that band. I think it really helps that we don’t have a traditional metal singer as well. Thinking of Maiden, Hawk brings that Paul Dianno element. Someone that can pull off metal but has more of a punk & rock vibe to it. In an odd way, that makes us more current sounding because of how that style of punk rock element has become so big with the younger crowd. Less dungeon and dragons and more street wise intensity. 

ERock: The album cover for “Good Times at the Gates of Hell” is awesome! What, if anything, influenced it’s design?

Lenny:Well it was kinda of my baby from the beginning and luckily everyone in the band trusted me enough to just let me go for it. I’m a big fan of Spaghetti Westerns from the 60’s and early 70’s and the Wild Bunch is at the top of that list. Once we had the title, I envisioned taking our mascot, the snake charmer, off our first full length disc, “Old Time Revival” and bringing him into the old west with total anarchy going down in a small Mexican border town. The Gatling gun was inspired specifically from the last scene in The Wild Bunch when the American outlaws are shooting up the town in one of the most violent scenes ever shot in westerns. At that point, I thought I would just swing for the fences and make a list of my all time fav album art artists to see if (one) I could even get in contact with them, (two) they would be into doing it and (three) if we could afford them.

After plenty of research and emails, I can’t even begin to tell you what a thrill it was when Ed Repka (Megadeth, Death, 3 Inches of Blood, etc.) finally told me he would do it and his cost would fit into our budget. Not only was his style perfect for my idea but Ed turned out to be the coolest and most professional guy you could ever want to meet and work with!! When he sent me his final version, I was just blown away! One of those amazing moments in life when a dream becomes reality. 

ERock: Tell us of any coming shows or appearances.

Lenny: We just played with Faster Pussycat last Friday and are now going to take a little time off to do some pre-production on five new songs we hope to have recorded by the end of the year or beginning of 2010. We thought about waiting until we had enough for a full length but not so sure that makes sense any more if you aren’t signed. The record industry has changed so much towards downloading songs that I think it’s more important to just keep putting stuff out so you always have something to promote.  

ERock: Who would you share a stage with on your dream tour?

Lenny: Ha…ha….boy that is a loaded question if the rest of the band was included on this one. God…that is really hard. All things considered at this point Iron Maiden would have to be up there just because they are still a vital great band who play to huge audiences. We got to play a few shows with UFO last year and that was amazing thrill. I can’t tell you how many times I listened to Strangers in the Night as a kid and to share the stage and hang out with those guys was just surreal.

ERock: The band goes into a bar. Whats does everyone order?

Lenny: I’m a Jack Daniels on the rocks and Budweiser guy. Matt and Tyler go for the micro-brews and Hawk likes his Jagermeister and Red Bull. Ron E. is crazy enough on his own so he doesn’t need alcohol to get evil!…ha…ha… 

ERock: Is there anything I forgot to ask or that you’d like to add?

Lenny: Yeah….what time we meeting at the bar Eric? I think I’m ready for one of those Jack and Buds. Throwin the Goat!!! Zero Down thanks you and your readers!

- END

     I’d like to again thank Lenny for his time, it was a pleasure. Oh, and I may just take him up on that drink he offered.

     Anyone whose ever been to a show with a mosh pit can tell you that they are typically one big sausage fest. I suppose that’s why when we see bands fronted by female singers, we, or at least I, can’t help but feel refreshed. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt if they’re hot (you hear that Skylit Drive?). Additionally, we expect less from female singers. We know they’re not going to be growling like George Fisher, but its cute when they try.

Without further ado, here are six (in no particular order) of some of my favorite heavy metal honeys:

1) Tara McLeod - Kittie.
     While Morgan Lander does vocals and guitar, Tara can still shred with the best of them, and is hot so therefore I decided to include her. What else do I need to say? 8.

2) Free Dominquez – Kidney Theives
     Yeah, I know they’re not really around anymore, but Zerospace still gets play around my house. Remember that music video? No? YouTube it. There’s also something about female vocalists using profanity that takes it up a notch for me; or maybe I’m just weird? 7.

 
3) Angela Gossow – Arch Enemy
     Remember what I said about the girls trying to growl like George Fisher? If I had to rank them, Angela would definately be at the top. Oh, and for being 34 shes not half bad, at least a 9. 

4) Candace Kucsulain – Walls of Jericho
     Candace is another growler who deserves some recognition. While I’m not a big fan of large tattoos, I can definately look past them. Her enegry on stage and distinct sound is definately what defines Walls of Jericho. 7. (Side note: I can’t say the band name without thinking of WWE. Don’t hate.)

5) Simone Simons – Epica
     While I can’t say this band is exactly heavy metal, whose going to argue? Just enjoy the view. 8.

6) Maria Brink – In This Moment
     Maria is awesome! Not only is she hot, but shes a great vocalist. Looks like hers are typically reserved for pop stars, but she can definately pull off the heavy stuff. In This Moment has come a long ways. The band is great and all, but in my opinion its Maria’s voice and looks that carry them. 9.

     Thanks for reading. Oh, and if you noticed there were no 10’s on here, it’s because my wife is the only 10 I know.

I forget someone? Agree/Disagree? Leave a comment!>>