By BRENDAN TENAN
Staff Writer
Welcome back to another edition of “Bang Your Head with Brendan,” the only column in The Chronicle that celebrates, critiques, and assesses everything that rocks. Last week’s column focused on a few of the bands who comprise the New Wave of American Heavy Metal, or NWOAHM. This week’s column will be a little more eclectic, as I’ll take a look at some of the latest offerings from the metal and rock world. In addition to an even broader offering of subgenres in this week’s column, we will also see a mix of albums featuring original music and a couple covers albums as well. With that introduction out of the way, let’s get to it.
Ghost B.C., If You Have Ghost – EP: A number of new bands have hit the scene in a big way recently, but one band who seems to have taken the metal world by storm is Ghost B.C., whose major label debut, Infestissumam, will likely be found on many “Best Metal Albums of 2013” lists. The Swedish outfit seems to defy categorization in many ways. Their appearance and the subject matter of their lyrics suggests some form of black or doom metal, but the composition and sound of their music is well beyond these narrow subgenres. Ghost B.C. combines vivid, satanic imagery in their lyrics with the sensibilities of classic rock and even pop music. They blend distorted, often down-tuned guitars with a keyboard and the smooth, clean vocals from lead singer Papa Emeritus II.
Their latest album is an EP of cover songs, titled If You Have Ghost. This is a solid covers album, and shows how diverse and eclectic the band’s personal tastes are. However, it does not seem to meet the lofty standard the band has set with Infestissumam. While their stripped-down version of Rory Erickson’s “If You Have Ghosts” and the fairly faithful rendition of ABBA’s “I’m a Marionette” are both strong efforts, the live version of new single “Secular Haze” and their cover of Depeche Mode’s “Waiting for the Night” miss the mark. That being said, it’s always fun to listen to albums like these. As a fan, it allows you to see who your favorite artists were influenced by, further expanding your own musical horizons. If You Have Ghost is not a must have, but it’s definitely a fun listen and gives fans some unique insight into one of the hottest, most enigmatic bands in metal today. 7.5/10
Halestorm, ReAniMate 2.0: The CoVeRs eP: Halestorm have quickly gained a large following comprised of both rock and metal fans thanks to two solid studio albums, constant touring, and the great vocal abilities of lead singer Lizzy Hale. The band released their second EP of cover songs back in October, entitled ReAniMate 2.0: The CoVeRs eP. Much like their first cover album in 2011, ReAniMate 2.0 features a mix of classic rock and metal, with at least one pop song that seems to come completely out of left field. The results are impressive. The band boldly starts with the classic Judas Priest song “Dissident Aggressor.” As respected as Judas Priest is in the rock and metal community, not too many bands cover “the metal gods.” This is largely because of the daunting challenge the lead singer faces in having to emulate the vocal range of Rob Halford. While she doesn’t try to completely mimic Halford’s voice and delivery, Hale is capable of singing in his range with authority and delivers a strong performance. Songs like AC/DC’s “Shoot to Thrill” and Pat Benatar’s “Hell is for Children” are somewhat predictable choices but are still performed well by the band. The most surprising cover, both because of its departure in style and its immense popularity this year, is the Daft Punk song “Get Lucky.” Halestorm decided to take a different approach to this song and made it sound more like a heavy rock song. This was a wise move on their part. The song has been seen and heard everywhere this year, making it more important for Halestorm to do the song in a different way that sets their version apart from the original. The end result is a cover that keeps the catchy-as-hell hooks heard in the original Daft Punk version while getting a little bit heavier for their audience, and it works well. 8.5/10
Calabrese, Born With a Scorpion’s Touch: Those of you who read my first column may recall my mentioning Calabrese. The trio of brothers from Phoenix, Arizona have given themselves the title of “World’s Greatest Horror Rock Band,” and have put out excellent music over the last decade that allows them to back up that grand claim. Their latest effort, Born With a Scorpion’s Touch, features a bit of a sonic departure for the band. While their overall song structures and horror movie-influenced lyrics have generally remained the same, the tone and pacing of their songs are markedly different on this album from the first four albums they’ve released. Fortunately for their fans, this change is not a bad thing. The band has successfully managed to expand their sound and approach to songwriting while staying true to the early rock ‘n roll/punk blend they’ve been known for their whole career. A few songs, like the title track and “I Wanna Be a Vigilante” show more pop tendencies than the band has previously shown, while “Loner at Heart,” “Mindwarp,” and “I Ride Alone” harken back to the earlier musical template that Calabrese first became known for. Some songs, like “Ride With the Living Dead” and “There Is an Evil Inside,” whether it’s because of effects used or decisions when mixing the tracks, sound like they belong in a cheesy B-grade horror movie from the 60s and 70s. That’s not exactly a bad thing, as I think it was a deliberate choice made by the band to make the songs have a bit of a sleazy sound to them. Whether it’s deliberate or not, they are still great rock songs that are great to listen to for any reason you can think of. 9/10
The Creepshow, Life After Death: Another band I mentioned in my very first column is Burlington, Ontario’s The Creepshow. The Creepshow are among the better psychobilly acts out there, combining the early rockabilly swing with a punk rock structure and lyrics playing on themes and characters seen in horror films and literature. As I said in my first column, “For those wondering what (psychobilly) is, picture an early rocker like Elvis or Jerry Lee Lewis singing songs about zombies, vampires, and serial killers instead of a nervous first crush and partying in a jailhouse.” The band has seen many changes in its lineup in recent years, most notably with the introduction of their third lead singer, Kenda “Twisted” Legaspi. Despite the re-shuffling of the lineup, the band has managed to keep their signature sound, with Legaspi and new drummer Sandro Sanchioni and guitarist Daniel Flamm settling nicely into their positions’ established roles within the band. The album’s title certainly seems to be a tongue in cheek reference to the significant changes the band’s undergone since they debuted less than ten years ago. If this album is any indication, then there truly is Life After Death for The Creepshow, which is welcome news for their fans. Legaspi in particular is a more than suitable replacement for their previous lead singers, and the band has been able to maintain their signature swing, especially on songs like “The Devil’s Son,” “Born to Lose,” and “Take It Away.” 8.5/10
That’s all for this week my fellow punks, metalheads, and rockers. Be sure to check out my next column, as I’ll count down the best albums from 2013.
Questions? Comments? Requests for a specific album to review? Email me at tenanb400@strose.edu
