"The Gamut" - Mad At The World special!

Tonight is a special episode - I'm focusing almost the entire episode on the band Mad At The World! MATW started as a Depeche Mode-esque synth-pop duo of brothers Roger and Randy Rose, and morphed into an alternative hard rock powerhouse, releasing a string of highly praised albums. Toward the end of their career, they veered off the hard rock path and focused more on pop melodies & retro-stylings, encompassing a mild psychadelia influence, as well as a major debt to the Beatles. Through the entirety of their recording career, the band made strong albums with strong songwriting, and the combination of the 2 brothers, Roger Rose's unique vocal style, and their knack for creating memorable melodies, MATW is a band that was always critically acclaimed but never received the wide-spread attention their depth of material truly warranted.

Here's tonight's playlist!

O, Majestic Winter - The Battle For Frostvale

Mad at the World!

From the S/T debut:
I Want To See Heaven
Easy Way Out
Bad Motives
No More Innocence
Mad at the World

From "Flowers In the Rain":
Flowers In the Rain
Why
Faith Is a Perfect Road
In My Dream
Dancing On Your Grave

From "Seasons of Love":
Seasons of Love
City of Anger
When the Wind Blows
The Promised Land (The Deception of Drugs)
The Love That Never Fades

From "Boomerang":
If You Listen
Back To You
Ballad of Adam and Eve
All These Questions
Isn't Sex a Wonderful Thing?

From "Through the Forest":
That Lonesome Road
Lost in the Forest
M.A.T.W. (Reprise)
I've Got a Heaven
I'll Never Go Back There

From "The Ferris Wheel":
Eyes of Heaven
No Secrets
When Life Has a Plan
Going Nowhere Again
The Love

From "The Dreamland Cafe":
On the Stage
The Dreamland Cafe
Still a Way to Heal
Living In the Shadows
If It Were the Last Day

and a tribute to MATW, the House of Wires cover of their eponymous track.

I'm closing the show w/ 3 tracks from Drum & Bass punk band The Ortistix, one song from each of their 3 "albums", "Rock", "Paper" and "Scissors". The tracks are:
Red Bin
Nevermind the Prosperity Message
Friday 13th

Next week will be a mini-feature on Grindcore and an interview w/ Broc Toney of Eternal Mystery! In the coming weeks, I also have an interview lined up with Greg Sweet of Watchmen & Torque to talk about his 2 bands, and what he's doing now in terms of music & ministry.

Don't forget to tune in, and sign up for the BlabberBoard to use the chatbox at the top of the front page!

"The Gamut" - tonight's playlist!

Okay, here's tonight's playlist!

Wrench in the Works - One Foot Out Of Hell (Noisy Hardcore/Metalcore)
Stryper - My Love I'll Always Show (Rock Ballad, in memory of the passing of Kyle Rae Sweet)
Sweet Crystal - The Road Less Traveled (AOR/Rock)
Disciple - Fear (modern hard rock)
Mortification - Satan's Doom (death metal)
Viva Voce - Closer Than Far (female-fronted alt rock)
Alove For Enemies - The Resistance (Metalcore)
AD - The Fury (Progressive AOR)
Third Day - Give Me A Reason (modern rock)
Besieged - They Shake the Earth (metalcore)
Hanover Saints - Headshot (punk/hardcore)
Daniel Amos - Days and Nights (Rural Rock)
Venia - Blood of the Lamb (female-fronted power metal)
Zao - A Fall Farewell (metalcore)
Malachia - Sightless Eyes (80's metal)
Nobody Special - Burnt (80's punk)
Soul Embraced - Curtain of Deceit (heavy metalcore)
Heaven's Force - Aggressive Angel (early thrash)
Circle of Dust - Self-Inflict (industrial)
Glaciial - Digging My Own Grave (black metal)
POD - Breathe Babylon (rapcore)
Fold Zandura - Deep Surround (techno rock/pop)
The Deadlines - Vegicide (horror punk)
Sacrament - Destructive Heresies (progressive thrash)
Chaos is the Poetry - God's Empty Chair (jazzy alt-rock)
Majestic Vanguard - Beyond the Moon (power metal)
Dance House Children - Homespun is Happy (synthpop)
No Innocent Victim - Reunion (hardcore)
Chatterbox - Epignosis (industrial)
As I Lay Dying - The Pain of Separation (metalcore)
Elder - River (alternative/grunge)
Eternal Mystery - Deceived by the Goat
Pax 217 - Voices (rapcore)
Confide - Artax (metalcore)
Silage - Giggle (ska/punk)
Scaterd Few - Glass God (No Freedom in Basing) (80's punk)
x-Propagation - Unity (industrial)
Human Condition - We All (80's pop/rock, new wave)
Clear Convictions - Tough Guy (hardcore)
The Benjamin Gate - The Way You Are (techno pop/rock)
Menahem - Angels and Shadows (progressive power metal)
ForeverAtLast - Back to the Fire Again (female-fronted metalcore)

Don't forget to tune in via Blabber Jesus Radio, and if you're not a member of the BlabberBoard, sign up & meet us in the chatbox at the top of the main page!

Want List Updated!

I have updated my want list to show more items I've obtained, as well as adding a few new things and clarifying a couple items in the list. I want to make sure everyone who reads my want list understands one thing - I refuse to pay eBay prices for items that are out of print. I realize the rarity is a factor, but to me, and item is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. If someone is willing to pay $80 for an original copy of Recon's "Behind Enemy Lines", woopie for them - it's not worth that much to me. As a general rule, I don't like to pay any more than twice the original retail price for an item. That's my high-end, so if you start there, don't expect to go up, only down. Also, keep in mind there are a handful of exceptions to that rule, but not enough to think you can price-gouge me. I am simply not the gullible buyer who will pay whatever he can to get a copy of an original release. Point blank: I will illegally download an OOP album before spending 4-5 times it's original purchase price if I want to listen to it that badly.

Also, keep in mind that while I'm no fan of cassettes, if that's the only format a release is available on, or if CD copies are so scarce you'd have better luck getting tickets to the Superbowl on Superbowl Sunday than finding a CD copy, then a cassette will have to do! :)

Stay tuned for the playlist for Sunday night's show, and remember - the following Sunday is a "theme" show, where I'll be featuring the music of the legendary Mad At The World!

"The Gamut" 3-1-09 playlist

Okay, "The Gamut" is back on the air tonight. It's a special episode, because it will be longer than usual. I don't have to work tomorrow, so I'm letting loose w/ the playlist :D

Also, I'm adding a basic genre description to every band so for those that aren't as familiar w/ the artists I'm playing, they can get an idea of what's in store!

Living Sacrifice - Reborn Empowered (Metalcore)
Rob Cassels - Battles Won (Jesus Rock)
Watchmen - Fear No Evil (80's Metal)
Aleixa - Disfigured (Techno-Rock)
Seventh Angel - Tormented Forever (Thrash Metal)
As I Lay Dying - Nothing Left (Metalcore)
Driver Eight - Strange (Alternative Rock)
Stryper - From Wrong to Right (80's Metal)
Extol - Innbydelse (Black/Death Metal)
Mortification - The Majestic Infiltration of Order (Death Metal)
Impending Doom - Nailed. Dead. Risen. (Deathcore)
The Deal - Road Less Traveled (Punk Rock)
Morella's Forest - One Glorious Night (female-fronted Alternative)
AP2 - Goodbye (Industrial)
Cerimonial Sacred - In My Cold Cell/Tears Of a Christian Hero (Black Metal)
Clash of Symbols - Portrait of a King (Grunge/Alternative)
Threshing Sledge - Pride Kills (Thrash Metal)
Theocracy - Absolution Day (Progressive/Power Metal)
Glad - Who Do You Love? (80's Rock)
Thousand Foot Krutch - Supafly (Rapcore)
Trauma - Wake Up Before You Die (Hardcore)
Joy Electric - The Robot Beat (Synthpop)
The Gentleman Homicide - The Goodbye and the Morning After (Chaotic Hardcore)
Audiovision - Face to Face (Power/Melodic Metal)
Demon Hunter - The Wrath of God (Nu-metal/Metalcore)
White Heart - Unchain (Rock)
Larry Norman - Look Into Jesus (70's/Jesus Rock)
Dogwood - Building a Better Me (Punk Rock)
Pillar - Frontline (Rapcore/Groove Rock)
Jetenderpaul - The Piles of Paper Left By You (Indie Pop/Alternative)
Leaderdogs For the Blind - The Weather (Techno-Rock)
Damask Rose - Glory Train (Rock)
Betrayal - Assassin in the Midst (Thrash Metal)
Mad at the World - Going Nowhere Again (Alternative/Rock)
Hometime - One By One (Tough Guy Hardcore)
Crashdog - Sept. 1994 (Celtic/Punk)
Immortal Souls - Heart of Cold (Melodic Death Metal)
Petra - Midnight Oil (Rock)
Kekal - Artifcats of Modern Insanity (Black Metal/Experimental)
Tourniquet - Proprioception: The Line Knives Syndrome (Metal)
Incrave - The Forgotten (Power/Melodic Metal)
Rehumanize - Godless Culture (Grindcore)
Rehumanize - The Lakeland Dilusion (Death/Grindcore)
The Right Wing Conspiracy - separation of God and state (Grindcore)
Random Eyes - Deep Waters (Power/Melodic Metal)
Randy Stonehill - The Winner [High Card] (70's/Jesus Rock)
Outlander - Moonchildren (Progressive Rock/Metal)
ManufraQture - darQ angel (Industrial)
Recession - Get Killed (Chaotic Hardcore)
Bathtub Mary - Wanderlust (female-fronted indie pop)
Buried Yesterday - Torture Room (Deathcore)

Remember, visit http://www.blabberjesusradio.com/ to listen in, and if you're not a member of the Blabberboard, sign up so you can chat w/ us by using the chatbox near the top of the front page. Happy listening!

"The Gamut" 1-25-09 Playlist

Tonights playlist!

Thy Pain - United in Blood
Theocracy - On Eagle's Wings
Scaterd Few - Incorruptable
Morella's Forest - Lime Velvet Love Seat
The Blood Reckoning - Brought to Ruin
Mad at the World - Seasons of Love
Blood Drift - Thrusting Plagues
Death is Not Welcome Here - The Ransom
Silage - Cool Shoes
Mirador - Redeemer
AD - Games of Chance and Circumstance
Syrens - May Armageddon Reign in These Hands
Syrens - Flesh & Honey
Dryve - Whirley Wheel
The Fraidy Cats - Born Into a World of Darkness and Deceit
Skillet - Earth Invasion
Eternal Mystery - Death to Misogyny
Eternal Mystery - Army of Clones
POD - Can You Feel It?
Enlow - In the Face of Uncertainty
First Strike - Hard Times
Mortification - Welcome to the Palodrome
Means - Learning to be Brave
Stryper - To Hell With the Devil
Ruby Joe - Spiritual Heroin
Ressurection Band - Autograph
Towne Cryer - Political Man
Maylene & the Sons of Disaster - Darkest of Kin
Dig Hay Zoose - Diggin' Away
Sorrowstorm - Funeral Oath and Resurrection
Guardian - Curiosity Killed the Cat
Mortal Treason - Abbadon
Loudflower - Don't Say Goodnight
Trytan - Take Cover
Exegesis - Alcanzare
Petra - He Came, He Saw, He Conquered
Narnia - Living Water
How To Avoid Art - Monk Q
Deadlines - I Turned Into a Martian
Bloodgood - Never Be the Same
Ascension Theory - Saturn's Reign
Disaffection - Mystery of God
Not Under Sin - Catastrofe Final

Don't forget to hit me up in the chatroom! Winamp & Real Player listeners, click here to listen! Windows Media Player & iTunes users click here or copy the URL http://207.192.71.70:8000/ into the program to open it up!

My new radio show - "The Gamut"

I wanted to let all my readers know that I will am hosting a weekly radio show, starting this Sunday, December 14th from 9 to midnight Eastern Standard Time on Blabber Jesus Radio. It's called "The Gamut", because the musical styles presented will "run the gamut" from early "Jesus Rock" to the most extreme & obtuse metal I can find, nearly everything in between, and some stuff outside that box (like Joy Electric :)

It's going to be a good time, and there will be lots of great music for all. Here's the playlist for the first episode:

Tourniquet - Spectrophobic Dementia
Jerusalem - Dancing on the Head of the Serpent
Angel 7 - Power of Belief and Love
Angelica - Keep Pushin' On
Guardian - Saints Battalion
Grave Robber - Burn Witch, Burn (7" version)
Mankind - Alpha
Mortification - Grind Planetarium
Leviticus - I Shall Conquer
Six Feet Deep - Front
Spot - One of Hazy Days
Staple - Rise of the Robots
Joy Electric - Burgundy Years
Stavesacre - Threshold
subseven - Free to Conquer
Sweet Comfort Band - Runnin' to Win
One Bad Pig - I Scream Sunday
Our Fathers Were Blind - Banner Bedsheets
Plague of Ethyls - Weasel
The Prayer Chain - Sky High
Extol - Reflections of a Broken Soul
Whitecross - Down
Focal Point - Broken Bonds
For Today - Infantry
The Way - Do You Feel the Change?
Vengeance Rising - Fatal Delay
Uthanda - Shadow Play
Asher (CA) - Exhortation
DivineFire - Live or Die
Eloi - Looking Christian
Embodyment - Religious Infamy
Eternal Mystery - Eyes Torn From the Sockets
Jetenderpaul - Seapoon's Kasket
Fear Not - Mr. Compromise
xDisciplex A.D. - Christ Shaped Vacuum
X-Propagation - Cyber Nation
GeistkrieG - Spiral of War
Wrench in the Works - Dust Over Time Test
Haven - Divination
Deliverance - Bought By Blood
Demon Hunter - Turn Your Back and Run

Of course, I'll "blabber" a bit in between some songs, and I hope you'll all appreciate some of the other interesting stuff I'll throw in there. I hope everyone can come check it out, and if you have time, pop into the chatroom & say hello!

Miseration - Your Demons, Their Angels (2007)

Death metal is an interesting animal. From the very first bands that began to cross over from thrash into heavier territories to something heavier, to the melodic death metal bands littered about the metal landscape today that some deride as "weak" or "wimpy", one thing is certain: metal fans have strong feelings about death metal. I myself have strong feelings about death metal, having been introduced to the style in the early 90's via latter-day Vengeance Rising, Mortification's seminal "Scrolls of the Megilloth" album, and through the secular realm by bands like Bolt Thrower and Carcass. Feeling as though I'm well educated enough about the style to present an informed opinion of the various subsets, I can safely say that my favorite death metal is the kind where all elements are present: speed, power, crushing heaviness, melody, and vocals which sound like the vocalist's throat is about to fall out on the floor.

Being that everything I enjoy about death metal is present on Miseration's debut, "Your Demons, Their Angels", it's natural that I would enjoy it. More than that - this is arguably my favorite album of 2007. It has the crushing heaviness I have come to expect, nay demand from death metal. It has melodic elements that enhance the music without overpowering it, and it has varied vocals that aren't so throat-ripping that you can't make out what they are saying, but harsh enough to let you know you are indeed listening to death metal. The drumming is ultra-powerful, the riffing is heavy, driving, and accomplished, and the solos (where present) add to the songs just enough without becoming the focal point. The tempos also vary here, providing some slower & mid-tempo material, without forgetting to ramp up the speed for sections that sound like a freight train is heading down your street.

"Thrones" starts of the album in fine form, with pounding drums and biting rhythm. An interesting rhythmic pattern starts off the intro and has some timely double-bass drumming. Vocally, the verse opens with Christian Älvestam sounding quite menacing, bringing a vocal that is somewhere in between the Jeff Walker-esque rasp of Carcass and the guttural low-end growl of one Karl Willets (Bolt Thrower). He also incorporates a higher-pitched vocal that is harder to pin down, as well as low-end growls and a more spoken word growl that sounds really cool. There is a bit of vocal layering going on as well with a more hardcorish vocal toward the end that gives the song even more variety. The bass guitar isn't so much audible as an underlying roar, which gives the music an even more bottom-heavy sound to it. There's some atmospheric effects work going on in the background between the 2nd chorus and the bridge. Things slow down a bit for the bridge, with some nice cymbal work and the aforementioned spoken word vocals and a bit of extra guitar work. The solo here is great, utilitizing a nice guitar tone, and an awesome layered/harmonized part at the middle. The song transitions at the end with an atmospheric effect right into "Perfection Destroyed". The song has a killer intro with great guitar sound & speed, as well as a nice lick over the top. The chorus has melodic vocals with layering, showing off Christian's abilities as a vocalist, and Jani's affectation for melodic choruses. The death vocals here range from the mid-range growl to a lower-end growl, and the occasional embellishment here and there. The rhythm in the pre-chorus is excellent, and the chorus riff with it's circular guitar riff and speedy undercurrent just rips through with power. The song throws listeners for a loup at around 2:48 with a (very) short acoustic ditty, then back into the heavy guitars and double-bass pounding. The intro riff comes back in about 3:37 to signal the transition into the final chorus, which then fades out with a cool pitch-shift effect. "Seven Are the Sins" pulls no punches, immediately pummeling the listener from the start. The keyboard backing in the chorus is a nice effect, adding a bit of atmosphere to the relentless onslaught of death metal. Vocally, Christian makes more use of high, mid-range, and higher death growls, mixing things up nicely. There's a cool section half-way through that has an echoed cleaner guitar and a whispery death vocal with some effects on it, and more spare drumming. That doesn't last long, however, before a rhythm section that recalls "Perfection Destroyed" somewhat comes in before transitioning back to the chorus section. "World Lethality" starts off much different than the rest of the album - a clean guitar intro & some spare, layered lead playing that is quite reminiscent of early Testament. After about a minute of this, things pick up a bit with a hushed vocal and distorted riffing, along with a slow, persistent drum rhythm. The cool spoken word vocal reappears here, sounding very much like Lord Byron of Bal Sagoth. All at once, the fast tempo picks up and Christian's layered, clean vocals come in & are offset by his death vocals, creating a nice interplay. There's varied guitar work in this song that makes it melodic, yet it retains speed & heaviness where necessary. Drum work here is great too, providing the power when appropriate, and having more dynamics when the song calls for it.

"The End Designed" starts off heavy right away, with some traditional death metal riffing and a nice layer of keyboards underneath, but remains melodic. When the verse kicks in, so does the speed, and the occasional keyboard flourishes add to the atmosphere. Jani proves his salt as a drummer here, with nice rolls, tight rhythms, and good dynamic cymbal work. "Chain-Work Soul" is very possibly the most melodic song on the album, starting with a nice mid-paced melodic riff & layered guitar. The riff is less heavy than some of the others, but that's mostly due to the notes being higher on the scale & less overall crunch. Once again, Christian shows what a good singer he is in the chorus, with a nice harmonized vocal that shows a bit of range. He also utilizes an array of death growls as well, mixing things up a bit during the verses. There's an ultra-low growl during the bridge that sounds like a lot of early brutal death vocals, which is a nice touch. There's a bit of buried solo work that serves the song well, but sounds great underneath the mix. The clean guitar & atmospherics at the end of the song hardly prepare you for the assault of "Noctivigant", one of the heavier tracks on the CD (though with a CD as heavy as this, that's not saying too much!). There's a sort of distorted vocal that sounds like it came straight from an industrial CD thrown in there, which is a neat effect against the wall of sound, along with some other vocal variation that keeps things interesting throughout. Drum rhythms here are nice, and a couple little keyboard flourishes thrown in for good measure add a bit of atmosphere to the song. This track moves along at a pretty good clip, with very little breathing room or nary a respite moment. "Foul Invective" starts off with a complex, melodic riff and transitions into a faster, thrashier riff for the verse. After the first chorus, there's a moment where the music stops on a dime for a split second, then back into the fray, a cool device metal bands often use for effect. Ther'es also a moment during the bridge where an effect is used that would be at home on a blues record, or an early roots-rock record, but fits in here well, despite not being heavily used by metal bands. The solo here is great; a good combination of skill & talent, but also melody & serving the song. At just over 30 seconds left, you think the song has ended, but it comes roaring back to finish out with one last chorus. The final track, "Scattering the Few" blazes into action with a fast double-bass rhythm and fast riffing, and a nice groove-laden riff during the verse. Christian really shows his vocal range here, with a layered clean vocal that shows him well into tenor territory. There's a cool vocal effect in the chorus that's hard to explain, but it sounds like a fade-in, but more dramatic. The short solo is a nice addition to the song, helping to transition into the heavier bridge section with it's pummeling riff & drum rhythm. Then the song slows down a bit for a slightly melodic passage with some riffing and some picked rhythm. A bit of guitar harmonic transitions into another solo, which helps draw the song toward it's closing moments.

The production here is pristine, making this one of the most well-produced death metal albums I've heard this side of Carcass' "Heartwork". All the instruments are heard (except, in part, the bass guitar, though that's typical of extreme metal productions), and everything is balanced nicely, with dynamics throughout where applicable. There are a couple spots where the spoken word or quiter vocals are buried a tad in the mix, but I suspect that was on purpose, for effect. This CD has nearly everything I want from a death metal release, just not quite enough of it. The 2 minor knocks against this album? It's a tad too short (only 9 tracks?!), and the artwork of Par Johansson, while fitting, is just a hair on the cheesy side. His work in designing the band's logo, however, is exceptional. These are only minor complaints, however. This is a landmark release.

Lyrically, one might wonder what to think, given that Christian Älvestam is not a professed born-again Christian. However, Jani wrote the lyrics, and despite any ambiguities in the songs to accomodate Christian's beliefs, they definitely lean in the direction of a Christian world-view. This may not be a "Christian" album in the traditional sense, but "of interest to Christian metal fans" would be how I would classify it. The lyrical themes deal with personal struggles from the perspective of one's faith in God, so they are completely relevant to Christians, and in some ways are actually more bold than a lot of so-called "Christian" bands in today's music landscape. Whatever your belief system, this is a fine death metal album that no one should overlook. Now with the band signing to Life Force Records, this album will FINALLY get it's due & have North American distribution so guys like me don't have to scrape around & pay heavy import prices to find a copy. I have Jason with Nokternal Hemizphear to thank for hooking me up with my copy at a reasonable price - I don't know how he does it! In any case, this is the death metal album of 2007 in my book.

9.5/10