After many years of anticipation since their last release The Feeding, American Head Charge are back. Tango Umbrella was released on March 25 and is a nod to the AHC of past. This album is everything you would expect from the band. Heavy toned guitars, hard driving drum beats and many head nodding bass riffs, all accompany Cameron Heacock’s blend of aggressive and soft vocals. The album’s production value is definitely top notch. Every piece is clear and each track stands on its own audibly.
The album jumps right in with the single “Let All The World Believe” a fast paced track. The drums pounding along pushing the tempo as the vocals kick in. Heacock’s vocals start with an almost speech like candor before pushing the envelope. This is the perfect track to set off the album. The band gives the listener a few small glimpses of the days of past with this song.
This release has some parts that remind me of the band NothingFace, especially the guitars on the track “Drowning Under Everything.” The vocals sound like a nod to Alice In Chains‘ Layne Staley, especially how Heacock delivers the melodies on “A King Among Men.”
Overall, if you were ever a fan of AHC they have lived up to every expectation on this new release that was started from a Indiegogo campaign in 2014. This truly is an album funded by the fans for the fans.
Another solid (most likely plundered) offering from the pirate metal scalawags known in these parts as Alestorm. The five-song EP Voyage of the Dead Marauder washes up on these shore on March 22, 2024, via Napalm Records. This new effort is produced by Lasse Lammert of LSD-Studios, who has worked alongside genre mates Gloryhammer and Wind Rose.
With the new release, ALESTORM is “Scraping the (bottomless) Barrel” for the fifth time for what is their eighth album , following the international success of the previous Seventh Run of a Seventh Rum album that was released in June 2022.
If you’re an existing fan of their trademark pirate-style metal, then Voyage of the Dead Marauder is a batch of good new stuff. If you’re not a fan, well, maybe you should listen until you are. (This is how I learned to like country music, by the way.)
The first track is the title track and features German hurdy-gurdy musician Patty Gurty sharing vocal duties with vocalist and keytar player Christopher Bowes. The song is in the same vein as “Captain Morgan’s Revenge” from the previously mentioned Seventh Run of a Seventh Rum album. Patty sounds great, but I’m willing to bet she was the only sober one.
Apparently, you can be a pirate anywhere, including the desert and the Great White North. Alestorm proves this with the song “Uzbekistan” as they reminisce about the time they invaded the lands of shifting sands and ultimately turn the President of said land against them. Next up is the tale of a simple farmer who was forced to become a pirate due to governmental tyranny in “The Last Saskachewan Pirate.”
“Sea Shanty 2” is an instrumental offering and would fare well with a watering can full of tequila at one of Alestorm’s live shows (see the lengthy list below if you the need to fulfill this desire).
“Cock” is the last track, and I can hear all of you snickering jut from the title, but wait until you listen to it you immature bastards. The second time you hear it, you’ll be singing along to the tale of an enchanted dream about a Leprechaun who pulls out his schlong.
ALESTORM are: Christopher Bowes – vocals, keytar Gareth Murdock – bass Mate Bodor – guitar Peter Alcorn – drums Elliot Vernon – keyboard
ALESTORM Live 2024: UK & Ireland Tour 2024 w/ Korpiklaani & Heidevolk 21.02.24 UK – London / O2 Forum Kentish Town 22.02.24 UK – Norwich / LCR UEA 23.02.24 UK – Nottingham / Rock City 24.02.24 UK – Bournemouth / O2 Academy 25.02.24 UK – Bristol / O2 Academy 27.02.24 UK – Belfast / Limelight 28.02.24 UK – Dublin / Academy 29.02.24 UK – Cardiff / SU 01.03.24 UK – Birmingham / O2 Academy 02.03.24 UK – Oxford / O2 Academy 03.03.24 UK – Glasgow / O2 Academy 05.03.24 UK – Manchester / O2 Victoria Warehouse 06.03.24 UK – Liverpool / O2 Academy 07.03.24 UK – Leeds / O2 Academy 08.03.24 UK – Newcastle / NX 09.03.24 UK – London / O2 Forum Kentish Town
“Tour Of The Dead Marauder” w/ Elvenking & Glyph 19.03.24 US – Cincinnati, OH / Bogart’s 20.03.24 US – Grand Rapids, MI / Elevation 22.03.24 CA – Toronto, ON / The Concert Hall 23.03.24 CA – Montreal, QC / MTELUS 24.03.24 US – New Haven, CT / Toad’s Place 26.03.24 US – Pittsburgh, PA / Stage AE 27.03.24 US – Detroit, MI / The Majestic 29.03.24 US – Milwaukee, WI / The Rave 30.03.24 US – Omaha, NE / The Admiral 02.04.24 CA – Winnipeg, MB / Park Theatre 03.04.24 CA – Saskatoon, SK / Coors Event Centre 05.04.24 CA – Edmonton, AB / Midway Music Hall 06.04.24 CA – Calgary, AB / The Palace Theatre 08.04.24 CA – Vancouver, BC / Commodore 09.04.23 US – Spokane, WA / Knitting Factory 10.04.24 US – Boise, ID / Knitting Factory 12.04.24 US – Sacramento, CA / Ace of Spades 13.04.24 US – Santa Ana, CA / The Observatory 15.04.24 US – Tucson, AZ / Rialto Theatre 16.04.24 US – Albuquerque, NM / Sunshine Theater 18.04.24 US – Oklahoma City, OK / Diamond 19.04.24 US – St. Louis, MO / Red Flag 20.04.24 US – Indianapolis, IN / Old National 21.04.24 US – Nashville, TN / Marathon
Festivals 2024 28.06.24 FI – Sulvilahti / Tuska 05.07.24 DE – Rock Harz / Ballenstedt 11.07.24 HU – Dunaújváros / Rockmaraton 12.07.24 CZ – Vizovice / Masters of Rock 13.07.24 AT – Area 53 / Leoben 14.07.24 NL – Pirate Metal Party / Helmond
Scott is one of the newest additions to the Empire Extreme team of misfits. He is a printer by trade, who moves to the beat of his very own drum. He is also an avid cyclist and seeker of new music and bands,
As we near the collapse of mankind and the imminent doom of our political system, a perfect stage has been set for the outspoken rebels to flood the airwaves with dissident upheaval bathed in musical bliss. With the end looming, no greater landscape could welcome the reemergence of the enigmatic Al Jourgensen and company with their latest release, HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES, via Nuclear Blast Records. Scheduled for a March 1st 2024 release, Uncle Al, along with guitarist Cesar Soto, Paul D’Amour, formerly of TOOL, on bass, John Bechdel on keys, Roy Mayorga (ex-STONE SOUR) on drums, and newly added guitarist Monte Pittman, form the current incarnation of the long-lived Ministry.
This album is an open-book commentary on our American society at large, bathed in slow-burn angst and distortion injected with punk rock/thrash riffs and samples galore.
Within the opening seconds of track one, a female voice proclaims, “What was once forbidden becomes fringe, and what was once fringe becomes mainstream.” Soon Al’s vocals take over with a distorted and effect heavy declaration of “horny little boys filled with hormones and hate, waging war on women ‘’cause they can’t get a date,” thus laying the groundwork for the entire album. As “B.D.E.” (Big Dick Energy) continues, a heavy yet simplistic guitar riff drives the song forward while increasing the energy level and tempo. Al’s vocals continue with his immediate, recognizable attitude and tone, stating, “No one can justify the toxic behavior.”
“Goddamn White Trash” is perhaps the most accessible and rythematic song on the release. It has hints of the Psalm 69 days of the band. Chants of “USA, USA” ring out along side screeching guitar noise reminiscent of Mike Scaccia’s playing style.
Track three is titled “Just Stop Oil,” and it dives into yet another realm of political advocacy. Jourgensen delivers, “Dehumanization at a cellular level. Policy set by the corporate devils, There must be resistance, we cannot be silenced, There is the existence of possible violence” in a growled whisper.
On the track “Aryan Embarrassment,” we are treated to a none-more-fitting guest appearance from what I believe is activist and Dead Kennedys front man Jello Biafra, who delivers a rap-style series of vocal lines backed by a driving rhythm. Jello wails, “How on Earth did all this happen? Plagues of militantly stupid” Followed by “Scamming on the punk scene. Oi, oi, oi. Ain’t proud of you boys at all.”
Another standout track is “New Religion” which starts with a classic industrial riff and buries itself in the repetitive, slow-burn heaviness that has become the Ministry standard as of late. Followed by “It’s Not Pretty,” which opens as a haunting acoustic piece that I imagine being set in a post apocalyptic landscape with the reverberating lyrics “It’s not pretty. This is the end of the world to me. This is the end of society.”
“Cult of Suffering” strays from the format of the balance of the album and could be firmly placed on an Alabama 3 album, and it may feel at home on a Surgical Meth Machine release.
Rounding out the album is a little ditty called “Ricky’s Hand.” This is a synth pop throwback to the early days of Ministry and leaves us longtime fans eager to hear the longtime teased rerecording of some of the very early Ministry material. This track has a Devo, Information Society, and even Depeche Mode feel to it and is a perfect bookend to a solid release from an iconic band.
Ministry will be on tour throughout the summer with Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper and Helmet.
Josh is the Publisher and creator of Empire Extreme and it’s sister publication Kingdom Extreme Magazine. He is an accomplished writer, photographer and graphic designer. He is always conjuring up new ideas and has a amazing passion for the music industry and all the things that surround it.
Candlebox is back to say good-bye with their swan song album entitled The Long Goodbye. This release is touted as the last album from the band before they call it quits. With that said, you would have expected a phoned-in, half-assed attempt by a tired band trying to fulfill contractual obligations. However, this is the farthest thing from what is contained on this album. It is chocked full of well-produced, mature, well-crafted songs that have grimy parts coupled with melody, punk-rock, and faint hints of their grunge roots.
If I were to wrap this album up into one neat package of words, I would say that it has the musical prowess of the incredibly remarkable King’s X, married to the influential sound of Jack Black and the White Stripes, with Muse taking the lead on production and arrangements.
The 10-track, Don Miggs produced album kicks off with “Punks”, a high-energy rock track that opens with the hard strum of an acoustic guitar and then blasts off into a bass-heavy Green Day-style rhythm. This track showcases lead vocalist Kevin Martin’s abilities, especially the scream that is buried in the mix around the two-minute mark. Not to be outdone, there is some noisy grunge guitar squeal at 2:30 as the chorus kicks back in that made me rewind the track three or four times just to hear it again.
“What Do You Need” is the second track on the album; it is built on swagger and groove with a mid-song break of guitar noise and dissonance that would have made Kurt Cobain proud.
Next up is a track called “Elegante”, which has a lush and, dare I say, morose feel. It is followed by “I Should Be Happy”, a catchy track where the guitar should have been thrust forward in the mix. The fifth offering is a track called “Nails on a Chalkboard”, and it stands apart from some of the other songs as it takes you in a bit of a different, more mellow direction as it drops the tempo with a clean piano running throughout.
“Ugly” is another standout selection on this release, where we find the lyrics proclaiming , “Ugly people saying ugly things to pretty people doing the same. It’s pretty easy to go insane when you see the ugly in everything. The track “Maze” follows as an emotional acoustic ditty.
“Cellphone Jesus” is track eight of this collection, and it is a quirky adventure of a song with lyrics such as “Pick up your cell phone, Jesus. You got a world full of need ya’s.”
Rounding out the album is “Hourglass”, a fitting departure for a band whose youthful aggression and urgency saw them tackle the music industry in the early 1990s while still teenagers. Their songs “You”, “Change”, and the huge hit “Far Behind” became staples on rock radio. Those songs and more will live on in infamy long after the band plays their final note. Kevin Martin, lead vocalist and songwriter, said, “Our legacy is being a band that followed our own path and did what we chose to do the way we wanted to. We did it on our own terms.”
In addition to the release of The Long Goodbye, Rhino will spotlight Candlebox’s early years with a 7-LP vinyl boxed set, The Maverick Years, due out September 22nd, featuring newly remastered versions of all three studio albums released on Maverick (Candlebox, Lucy, and Happy Pills) as double LPs, plus a single album with more than a dozen previously unreleased recordings only available in the collection.
Josh is the Publisher and creator of Empire Extreme and it’s sister publication Kingdom Extreme Magazine. He is an accomplished writer, photographer and graphic designer. He is always conjuring up new ideas and has a amazing passion for the music industry and all the things that surround it.