- Intro: Candy Girls Worldwide
- Dynamite Playboys
- Take It Off
- Tonight Belongs To Us
- Out Of Love
- You Better Believe It
- All For The Candy
- Caligulizer
- Videodrome 2049
- Last Call
- Where Time Always Goes
- Outro: Fin De Cette Motherf**king Transmission
From the "Glitter" of arena rock and hair metal to the "Gutter" of thrash, sleaze, and grunge...and pretty much anything that ROCKS...we review it all! This is NOT a download site!
I make no bones about the fact that I am a fan of the underdog in the music world. Some of my favorite bands, especially of the past twenty years or so, are bands that somehow fly under the radar most of the time, popping up occasionally to grab some much-deserved attention, only to slip beneath the surface again, ready to strike when given the opportunity. When I was booking bands, I went out of my way to try to bring these bands in, as they were generally some of the hardest workers around, great to the people who pay to see them, and appreciative of the chance to show what they could do. Otherwise was one of those bands, and I have followed them ever since their first brush with national recognition more than a decade ago with their SiriusXM Octane smash hit, "Soldiers". Not a lot of people probably realize that Otherwise was the first band EVER to go number one on Octane without a record deal. After that, they basically disappeared for a year or two, until showing back up on the scene with "Darker Side Of The Moon", which is one of my favorite tracks of the past couple of decades. Love that song! Anyway, I've been onto this band since the beginning, and every time they release a new album, I go out of my way to snag it, wondering what little tweak the Patrick brothers will throw into the mix to keep the fans clamoring for more.
With their latest release, the humorously-titled Gawdzillionaire, the boys have unleashed a beast of an album, probably my favorite since Peace At All Costs, the album that "Darker Side Of The Moon" comes from, and definitely their best since 2017's Sleeping Lions, which I thought was pretty dang good! On this new release, the band keeps their modern heavy rock sound, throws in the best parts of nu metal, a la old-school Papa Roach, and then brings in a couple of pals to help solidify the mix.
Electronic elements open up "New Way To Hate", an aggressive industrial-edged rocker that Nine Inch Nails might drop on fans in 2023.
The album closes with a shocker of a track, as the boys give a completely different spin to the Blind Melon alt-rock classic "No Rain". There's no girl in a dancing bee suit here...and if there was, it was swatted and squashed, as Otherwise crushes this track. Heavy electronic effects intro the song, before Adrian's vocals just barely contain their anger as they intone the first part of the first verse over the heavy droning that opens things up. That vocal restraint is removed once the band punches its way into the track mid-way through verse one, and the furious metallic romp charges through the first chorus section, only to back off briefly during a bit of a breakdown section that leads back into the closing pre-chorus and chorus run. The closest the track gets to its original form is as it closes, with the band dropping away, leaving the vocals and a simple drum line fading things out.
Overall, this is a really strong return for the band and one that I have enjoyed spinning numerous times. Likely the heaviest and angriest the band has ever sounded, Gawdzillionaire is still catchy and showcases various influences of the band. No, everyone isn't going to love the rap vocals they drop in the title track, and some will complain of too many electronic effects in certain places, but those are exceptions and not the rule for this hard-hitting album. If you liked them before, there is no reason to expect not liking...or even loving...this album. If you were skeptical before, give this recording a chance before you flat out dismiss it.
Rating: Angry and cranky...err...crankable! Give it an 8!
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Do you know what a drag magnet is? If not, a drag magnet is a device...specifically, a magnet...that you attach to a long rope or cable, and then drag along the bottom of a lake, river, or even the sea, retrieving whatever sticks. My family was given the chance to do some "drag magnet fishing" in the summer of 2022 down in the swamps outside New Orleans. It was a blast, as we never knew what we would find, and the results always tended to be interesting!
In this case, Drag Magnet is the debut EP from Kick The Wicked is the side project of Fiction Syxx lead vocalist, Mark Lanoue, and drummer Rory Faciane, that was started during the pandemic summer as a covers project. Originally designed as an outlet for the guys to play music from artists that have influenced them through the years, Kick The Wicked eventually developed into a creative project with new songs that took on a style and sound of their own, separating themselves from what Lanoue and Faciane do with Fiction Syxx. And trust me when I say there is a drag magnet's collection of styles and sounds to be found in just these five songs!
For those who may somehow have missed them, Fiction Syxx is a phenomenally talented melodic, progressive metal band that truly deserves far more recognition from the metal world than they have seemingly received. Having been a fan of that band since their first album, I was extremely excited when Lanoue, whom I have known on-line for quite some time, told me about this new project.
Let me start by saying that Kick The Wicked is NOT a retread of Fiction Syxx. The song structures...heck, the song styles in general, are not the sweeping, epic progressive metal work that Fiction Syxx has perfected. All five tracks here are shorter and more straight-forward, in your face rock/metal than what you get with Fiction Syxx. And that's a good thing; there's no need for two bands doing the same thing with some of the same members.
The EP kicks off with the chunky, aggressive "Spit It Out", a metallic, rhythm guitar-driven rocker that immediately draws a line of definition between Lanoue's and Faciane's two bands. Don't look for any big, sweeping guitar flourishes or massive keyboard runs here, as that is not the style here. Still, the vocals of Lanoue, particularly on the chorus section where they are expertly layered, do add a melodic element to this opening track, which also features a scorching lead solo from Lanoue that truly needs to be heard to be believed. The man flat out rips here! The interplay between Lanoue's leads and Campbell's rhythm playing is superb, and Drag Magnet is off and running!
"Mr. Know It All" starts with a fat bass line rumbling over some intense work from Faciane, settling into a heavy, grinding modern rock groove, with Campbell's rhythm guitars just chewing through the verse sections, guiding Lanoue's lower-registered sneering vocals, which elevate in tone a bit on the chorus sections, which find Lanoue doing more singing than snarling. There's a swirling lead guitar section in both the solo section and the outro portion of the song, and I really, really like the interplay of vocal styles, which remind me of some of the things I liked best about the heavy alternative/grunge era, but with more modern rock production on the guitars.
"Blinded By The Lie" is up next, and that hard 90s alternative feel is definitely a big part of the song's personality on the intro, as it sounds like a darker, edgier...and somehow still more melodic...version of the groove that 90s rockers, Local H, achieved with "Bound For The Floor". The similarities stop there, however, as Lanoue's vocals are given a chance to soar on this track that drags a bit of the darker New Wave sound of the 80s into the track, while also still pushing a strong rhythm guitar line and some really top-notch kit work from Faciane. As odd as that mixture may sound when I write it out, trust me, it works perfectly here, and "Blinded..." would be my favorite track on this project were it not for the album's closer (more in just a minute).
So, what's left for these guys to toy around with? Oh, you want some funk, you say? Well, "Free Me" is definitely what you have been looking for, as the band continues with that 90s hard alternative sound, but mix in a funky bass line and drum pattern, along with an unmistakably 70s synth line, and some cool guitar riffing that gives this track a vibe unlike anything else on the EP. Lanoue's vocals actually take on a Geoff Tate vibe in places here, particularly on the chorus sections, and the guitar solo, this time courtesy of Campbell, is a trippy take on the type of high speed stuff Paul Gilbert uses from time to time with Mr. Big.
"The Journey" slows things down to close the EP out, and it is here that Kick The Wicked comes closest to showing their Fiction Syxx connection, as far as the more progressive style of the track. For me, however, the track sounds more like some of the moodier Queensryche material from the album Promised Land. Lanoue is an absolute BEAST of a vocalist, and "The Journey" showcases some of the strongest work he has put forth, regardless of the project, and his Tate influences are heavily felt here. The layered backing vocals are done superbly well here, and the guitar work is exquisite. This is the kind of material that really sets Fiction Syxx, and here, Kick The Wicked, apart from so many of their peers. The songwriting is truly remarkable, as there are so many moving parts that these three guys...just THREE guys...manage to fine tune into a well-oiled machine. It is a guarantee that part of the reason it took me so long to write this review was because I kept putting "The Journey" on repeat. Do yourself a favor, get the best set of speakers you can find, or a really top-of-the-line set of noise cancelling headphones, and put "The Journey" on; you will hear so many more elements mixed into this tremendous track than you likely thought possible, and Lanoue's vocals, in particular, take on a depth and power beyond what you might glean from just a casual listen. To say I love this song would be a MASSIVE understatement!
The production is great, the musicians here are all at the top of their game, the songwriting is all over the place, stylistically, but always top-shelf as far as song structure and construction, and the vocals outshine those of so many other bands that cross my desk or enter my mailbox. Other than the fact that it is only 5 tracks long, I really have nothing negative to say about Drag Magnet. Available on Spotify and anywhere you stream or buy digital music, there is no excuse for you to miss out on this killer EP.
Oh...and while not part of Drag Magnet, do yourself a favor and snag the band's brand new single, "Firefly", while you are seeking out the EP. Haunting and Floyd-ish in it's stylings, especially at the outset of the track, "Firefly" is the next step in what I hope is the continuing journey of Kick The Wicked. Lanoue stretches his lower-range Tate vocals on this hard, progressive rocker which features another smoldering solo from Campbell. Oh...and don't let the false finish fool you; stick around for the ending! Check it out...
Rating: An excellent little slab of melodic hard rock, with some metallic and alternative undertones! Crank this to 8.5, with it's brevity one of the few marks against it!
Well, wonder no more, gang, because the Canadian rockers have returned pretty much full-throttle to their old way. Sure, there are a few quirks thrown in for good measure, but this is Theory Of A Deadman; they never do things the easy or straight way, right?
The album's title track kicks things off with a lot of what T.O.A.D. does best--big guitar riffs, big drums, and Connolly's tongue planted firmly in cheek--with this rollicking rocker. I had the chance to see the band on the Rock Resurrection Tour a couple of weeks ago in Omaha (along with St. Asonia and headliners, Skillet), and the band opened the show with this track, with the audience slamming around and throwing their fists in the air as they chanted along to the song's "Hey! Kids! Boys and Girls!" line. Naturally, in typical Connolly fashion, a couple of F*bombs have to be cleaned up for terrestrial radio play, but it is instantly apparent this is the Theory Of A Deadman that fans, such as myself, have been waiting for for a couple of albums now. They even found time to make a humorous video for the track.
"Medusa (Stone)" keeps the snarky rock rolling, reminding me quite a bit stylistically of one of the few great T.O.A.D. songs of the past few years, "Strait Jacket". Lyrically, this is what Theory Of A Deadman has always done--taken one of life's low points and turned it into an instantly relatable rocker. In this case, the low point is the song's protagonist falling in love with the wrong girl (Medusa), who gets him addicted to pills, turns our nice guy hero into a bad boy, then breaks his heart. More of a mid-temp rocker than, say, "Bad Girlfriend" or "Hate My Life", but the chunky rock is all there!
"Sick" is another throwback to old-school Theory Of A Deadman, at least in its lyrical approach and attitude. Similar to "Hate My Life" where Connolly starts things off by being being "so sick of the hobos always begging for change", this new song finds even more things for the singer to be sick of, declaring of his girl's social media addiction, "I'm so sick of the way what you say is so insane" and "sick of the face that you put on every day", finally declaring "I'm so sick of you, you must be sick of you, too." Musically, it's an interesting mix of alternative, Weezer-ish sounding chords, especially on the verse sections, with a bit more aggressive chorus sections. If it sounds out of the norm for Theory, well, it is, but unlike the weak pop-leanings of a lot of the last couple of albums, "Sick" still works in a fun way, largely because the band isn't taking themselves too seriously while experimenting with something new.
"Two Of Us (Stuck)" largely misses for me (my wife loves it), as it slows things way down and takes the original 1980 hit "Just The Two Of Us", and gives it a Theory Of A Deadman twist, turning it into a song about a dark relationship that won't work. It's not that I don't appreciate the humor in what Connolly does here, it's just that it's kind of disruptive to the flow of the album and is unnecessary with so many other really good tracks. It's possible my opinion means little to nothing, however, as the crowd seemed to appreciate it in the live setting. Oh well...it's why the skip button was invented, correct?
Speaking of correcting things, that is exactly what "Ambulance" does next. A repetitive guitar riff opens the track, with the expected ambulance siren screaming in over the top of it before the whole band kicks their way into the mix with a bottom-heavy roar that threatens to blow the speakers out of the doors. Connolly adopts a rap-rock-lite approach on the verse sections that, again, are pure Theory in approach: "Rolling to the club, got my boomstick. Exes heading out the back with their broomsticks." That big, churning rhythm riff returns on the chorus section to drive this uber-fun party rock track before giving way to the simplified verse section in a heavy-relaxed-heavy-relaxed trade-off that gets a bit funky in spots. Definitely one of the high points of a really strong record.
"Sideways" is a mid-tempo number that Connolly drops some nice piano work into. The typical Theory subject of a broken relationship is actually given a serious treatment here, as the song is about a breakup that the singer is actually not okay with...and it works. Connolly has always been able to add a good dollop of emotion to his lyrics when he chooses to, and "Sideways" is a perfect example of one of those times.
"Get In Line" returns things to hard-rocking mode for the band with a vicious hook and so-simple-it's catchy chorus, and does exactly what it is supposed to do...gets you up and slamming around! "Head In The Clouds" is a charming, mid-tempo, feel-good rocker that has a bit of a modern country bent to it without going full-Nashville. "Hearts Too Wild" also has something of a country tinge to its musical coloring, but it's catchy enough that it works pretty darn well and has that top-down, Summer cruising kind of feel to it.
Fear not, folks, as Theory Of A Deadman knows exactly why you are here, and they deliver with the rollicking album-closer, "Summer Song". Nope...not a song about Summer, the season, but a song about Summer, the wild party girl who is the obsession of the lead singer. Things start out great for the couple, but by the end of the track, the protagonist realizes he has forsaken his friends and everything he loved to do all for the sake of Summer, adding in that elemental twist that you've come to expect from Theory Of A Deadman.
Look, the guys don't reinvent rock here, nor do they try to. They just do what they've (mostly) always done, which is examine life through the eyes of a blue-collared, Average Joe, who loves to party, hates his job, loves his woman...until she wants to kill him (or he wants to kill her)...and just wants to throw down at a good old rock n roll show every now and then. Dinosaur is a strong, expletive-filled return to what the boys have been doing pretty much non-stop since they hit the scene in 2002, and certainly since their breakthrough albums Gasoline and Scars & Souvenirs. It's not high-brow, better-than-you rock; this is music that is open to anyone and everyone that wants to party along with the band!
Rating: Dinosaur returns the Canadians to crankable territory, with their best album since Savages! Crank this to 8.