New Animal Live at The Basement - June 4, 2010

It has been a very long time since I have been to The Basement in Cortland. Descending down the dank steps into the small, humid area with it's low ceiling, it was all coming back to me. It may very well be that the last time I saw a show there was Punch Drunk Monkeys, and perhaps Bent Peg, so sometime in the 90's. It really isn't a bad place to see a show, as long as it's not a big show.

It has also been a long time since I have gone to a show just to watch and enjoy the show. Usually, even if I am not running the show, I am recording it, and / or taking pictures, and although I enjoy it, there are certain nuances that are lost when looking at things from a purely technical standpoint. So, on June 4th, we went to see New Animal play in their hometown, just to watch and enjoy.

We missed Check Engine and Westgate, but we caught most of Torment the Vein. They don't really do anything for me, but from an unbiased view, they are solid and good at what they are doing, which is pretty much middle of the road modern rock. Good stage presence, and well played.

As for New Animal, I love these guys. Back to being a four piece after being a 3 piece while their second guitarist was away at school, they really do define Rock. Even in a super humid basement, with a very low ceiling, especially on the stage, they managed to bounce around, and just release an amazing amount of energy throughout the performance. Loren, the bassist, being slightly shorter than you average giant, likes to bounce up and down in stage while he plays, and how he didn't knock himself out on the low pipes in the ceiling is beyond me. Jonah, the slightly shorter vocalist / guitarist, had his own issues with a strangely placed mirror that hung down right behind him at a seemingly useless angle. So they blasted through their set of high-energy Hard Rock, including a few covers that they have thoroughly re-interpreted, and a bunch of awesome new songs, with feeling and lots and lots of sweat. New Animal are a band where nothing is wasted, everything in their music matters. With far too many bands the bass player, for instance, is almost an afterthought, but not here, where he adds a lot to every track, now also bellowing out some of the backing vocals. It's an ever progressing thing, and if you like Rock, a little on the harder side, this is the band to see. They have dynamics to their songs, they really don't sound like anyone else (although there is a hint of a Tool influence here and there), and when they get out there and play, they mean it. I have yet to see them and feel like they were just going through the motions. Joe, their second guitarist, is oddly as short as Loren is tall, and he makes even the most amazing guitar parts look easy. Their drummer T-Bone, is exceptional, and I have no idea how he survived the night in that heat. Loren, as I already said, bounces around the stage like he's on a pogo stick, and occasionally falls over because of it (and last time without stopping playing), and Jonah, their slightly demure but charismatic frontman, create a force to be reckoned with. They are a refreshing dose of passion in a cookie cutter music world, and if you can't tell that by the CD, go see them live, because you will see a genuine and bold rock show. It's nice just to get to watch sometimes...

Cirque du So What "Procrastinators Of The Apocalypse" - 2010 Release

So I just spent an hour driving and listing to this CD. Is it stupid? Oh, god, yes, it's stupid. So very stupid. But is it funny? Yeah, most of it is damned funny. What the hell is it? Oh, well, it's a sketch comedy album from Shoebox of Worm Quartet, The Great Luke Ski, Devo Spice, and Chris Mezzolesta of Power Salad. And if you are familiar with these FUMP regulars, then this is exactly what you are expecting. Stupid. And funny. They've all had #1 songs on Dr. Demento, and now they do this. Should you listen to it straight through? Well, yes. Will it hurt? Yeah, probably.

The opening track is the only real song on the CD. It basically introduces the participants. Entitled "God Hates Comedy Musicians", it sets up what follows in a way. There are a couple of running gags, there's the "Guess the Context" tracks, some of which are funny, and there is the "TILE" gag, which is very, very dumb. Very dumb. But dumb funny. There is also a few Gilbert commercials done by Luke Ski which are pretty amusing.

So overall, the ones that made me laugh, enough to mildly swerve while driving, would be, "The Bible, an Audio Book", "Name Pitch Meeting", "The Track You Will Listen to Most on this Disc", Luke Ski Cereal", "Meanwhile...", and Bonus Track #2. Now, that is not to say the rest of the tracks failed in any way, cause they do not. However, after one full listen, those are the ones that I laughed at the most.

It may cost you a few brain cells by the time you are done, but this is a very worthwhile disc. It actually clocks in at one hour, six minutes. You are also sure to hear plenty of it on The Last Exit for the Lost, although there are a few tracks that I will likely never be able to play, like the rather silly, "A F*ing Room". There are also currently two songs available on The Fump for free, so there is no reason to not go over there and check them out. As for this project, you can stop over to their website and pick up a copy.

-Seriah Azkath
April 10, 2010

Suidakra Interview - March 25, 2009

Interview by Josh and Joe of The Metallic Onslaught after their show at The Penny Arcade, Rochester, NY.

Interview with Dan Lilker and Richard Hoak of Brutal Truth - April 23, 2009

Interview with Dan Lilker and Richard Hoak of Brutal Truth on Apil 23, 2009 in Rochester, NY. Interview by Joe Wyatt and Lance Ricci of the Metallic Onslaught and Seriah Azkath of The Last Exit for the Lost. There are two parts and they cover Brutal Truth, S.O.D., Nuclear Assault, touring, downloading, and more...

Interview with The Rods by Joe Wyatt of The Metallic Onslaught on November 28, 2009 at The Haunt, Ithaca, NY

Ana Kefr "Volume 1"

Ok, so it takes a lot anymore to really get me to notice bands. It's not that there isn't tons of talent out there, and some great bands, but for something to truly stand out to me, it has to be something really special. Ana Kefr are one of those bands. This is one of a few CD's that I have been listening to over and over again lately. Brutal, yet catchy and memorable. Fantastic song structures, twisting and building into each new part, into each new song. This blows away most heavy bands today. There is so much emotion contained here. Anger moves through it, anger at our society and what it does to us. It's not just anger that emotes through this CD, though, it is far more complex than that. It is very politically incorrect, just the way it should be. Well, written, intelligent, thought provoking lyrics, backed with powerful, original music. And this is just their first CD. Here, watch their EPK below, and go check out their very cool looking MySpace page

The Uprising - AK-EPK

At War!

So, this week At War are back at Pyramid Studios in Ithaca, NY finishing up their new CD for Heavy Artillery Records. After hearing 2 of the songs, I can only say that this release will be awesome! If you liked At War before, you will LOVE this. They have managed to keep their old school style without letting it sound dated at all. This is At War 2009, and I honestly can't wait to hear this completed album. Of course it never hurts to have someone as renowned as Alex Perialis behind the board. Anyway, back in January, when they were up here recording (they are currently mixing), we did a pretty comprehensive interview with Paul after he appeared on The Metallic Onslaught. The interview is in 2 parts on YouTube below, and also appears on our Veoh site, also below...

YouTube: Part 1



YouTube: Part 2



Veoh: Full Interview


Watch At War Interview  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com