Single Out: "Black Tongue" by Mastodon

Know this: I love Mastodon. They are easily my favorite metal band of all time, and are right up there with my favorite bands of all time like The Mars Volta and Alice in Chains. The guys behind Mastodon are the toughest and goofiest collection of metal musicians of this generation. Leviathan is a masterpiece, Blood Mountain just kicks ass, and Crack the Skye pushes metal into a bold new direction.

But the guys have made an album for each element and now they’re relying on pure musicianship instead of crazy concepts mixed in. The band’s fifth album, The Hunter, isn’t coming out until September, but the band has released a track from the highly anticipated album on Youtube. “Black Tongue” feels like a balanced mix of the band’s last three albums. It’s not as heavy as Leviathan, but it retains the amazing production and layered nature of Blood Mountain with just a bit of celestial otherworldliness from Crack the Skye.

I really like the opening, which possesses the production nature of Crack the Skye before Troy Sanders belts out a bellow to rival his vocals on “Blood and Thunder.” It’s not a guttural call, but it feels deep, like falling into a dark abyss. Sanders’ vocals still feel definitive compared to the growling of stereotypical metal bands. They’re rough and melodic all at once. The actual guitar work isn’t anything that Mastodon hasn’t done before, but that’s far from a bad thing. Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher remain a dynamic combination on the strings. Not to be left out, drummer Brann Dailor doesn’t skip on his superb pounding and rhythmic crashes. His skills on the drums remain some of the best in modern metal.

“Black Tongue” would feel right at home on Blood Mountain, with its massive amount of layers and creative use of metal melodies. It’ll definitely be interesting to see how Mastodon plays out without a wacky concept to merge the songs together. The guys have said that they simply want to have fun on this album. But the guys have made it unconscious habit of adding depth and layers to their music; they’ve made a richness without trying or even wanting to. I never thought I’d be more excited for a new Mastodon album than I already am, but that shows what I know. “Black Tongue” is just an appetizer of what is sure to be a deliciously rich main course.

Album Review: American Tragedy (Hollywood Undead)

Hollywood Undead really came out of nowhere in 2008, and by nowhere, I mean the rotting innards of Myspace. A group of rappers with an Ozzy Osbourne sample took off to become one of the most popular rock-rap groups this side of Linkin Park. However, unlike their influences, Hollywood Undead seem…well…dead-set on partying and making the entire music lifestyle into one big metaphor for crazy. Hollywood Undead’s second studio outing American Tragedy leans toward a more serious tone, but there are just enough crazy lyrics and catchy choruses to be worth listening to.

Hollywood Undead’s debut album Swan Songs, was a crazy mix of catchiness and heaviness, giving the Hollywood degenerates a good foot in the door when trying to gather an audience. Aside from occasional ballads like “Black Dahlia”, the entire record felt like a joke, in the parodic sense. These guys just want to have fun, and they don’t care what the reception is (listen to “Everywhere I Go” and you’ll know what I mean). The departure of founding member Deuce does change things up a bit. While Deuce sounded more like a Hybrid Theory-era Chester Bennington, new man Danny sounds like a mix between Bennington and Justin Timberlake of all things. This shift makes many of the quieter songs on American Tragedy feel more personal, and even the more party-crazy songs like “Apologize” get a smoother tone and groove to them.

When the guys get serious, some of the appeal starts to weaken. “Been To Hell” is an anthem with one hell of a chorus punch, and “Levitate” has an upbeat intensity for sure. “Tendencies” in particular has a very strong tempo, making it one of the heaviest and best songs on the album. Those are examples of seriousness that benefit from the bands devil-may-care song style. The first single “Hear Me Now” didn’t impress me at first, and still remains one of the weaker songs on the album. The more ballad-like songs like “Coming Back Down” and “Pour Me” echo “Black Dahlia” a bit, but Hollywood Undead never really integrate them into their image. It’s just hard to listen to them after hearing such blatantly obscene tracks like “Gangsta Sexy.”

But the seriousness ends once you hear lyrics like “you just got a mean boner from a Charlie Scene poster.” Hollywood Undead may be trying to be a bit more serious this time around, but they have a knack for lyrical content, as vulgar as it may be. My initial reaction to hearing phrases like “man sword” was essentially a “can they do that?” Aside from the lyrics, songs like “Bullet”, a song about suicide with what sounds like a glockenspiel playing in the background, just don’t seem to be serious. There’s just no way that these songs are accidentally edgy and vulgar. The Hollywood Undead guys are either completely ignorant at their song content, or they're pulling a fast one on their audience.

If you’re interested in the Deluxe Edition, which has four extra tracks, you’re best to skip it. The last four songs sound like derivative B-sides, never really feeling definitive. Save the cash and stick with the regular version if you can.

American Tragedy is actually a very catchy album and a good collection of wacky party anthems. The problem doesn’t so much lay in the songs themselves, but the band. You really can’t tell if the over-the-top lyrics are intentionally ridiculous or just a bunch of wannabe gangsters trying to be tough guys. Regardless of what is really going through the masked misfits’ minds, American Tragedy is rich with hooks, as simple as they might be, and you’re bound to hear at least a song or two at your local club or bursting from your neighbor’s car stereo. Though they’ve made moves in the right direction, Hollywood Undead still have an identity crisis, one that promotes the party lifestyle while also dragging their feet in surreal balladry. Like every good party, American Tragedy’s at its best when everyone’s dancing and having a good time. Once it’s all over, however, the angst sinks in and the good times are lost in a haze of alcohol and emotional rambling.

Final Score: 3 stars out of 5

Single Out: "Country Song" by Seether

Let me get this out of the way first: Seether is not a good band.

Yeah, I know. Shocking. I’ve always found that Shaun Morgan was a bit of a drama queen, and I think that his sitting in the spotlight has made him look like a schmuck more than an alternative rock star. I first encountered this band through that collaboration with Amy Lee from Evanescence, and since then, Seether has been a generally underwhelming act. There have been a few solid hits early in their career, but they’ve mostly been hits due to a stagnant post-grunge scene, surrounded by Nickelback lovers instead of rock aficionados.

“Country Song” is another boring single from a band that hasn’t made any kind of progression since it was called Saron Gas. Aside from having a really dumb name, “Country Song” is about as typical and cookie-cutter as modern rock has become. The acoustic guitar in the background during the opening is an interesting touch (desperately trying to add some justification to the song name), but once the chorus comes in, it’s practically a waste with Shaun Morgan grunting like a farm animal. The guitar line is heavy and it is a pretty big punch to the gut. Still, the lyrics are weak, derivative, and trite, calling on angst-filled trivialities. Not the angst that made grunge great, but that hollow, peer pressure angst. Seether isn’t cool. It just wants to be cool.

“Country Song” has already become a massive hit for the band, and I know that people are going to love it, but encouraging this kind of boring, pseudo-aggression isn’t going to help the modern music world. For every creative up-and-coming band that emerges, another Seether song comes out, and another million concert goers love it.

Save your ears the trouble and don’t listen to this one. Sorry, Shaun. Maybe next year?

Single Out: "Panic" by Sublime with Rome

When a legendary band like Sublime returns with a new lead singer, it’s bound to bring up comparisons to the original frontmen. It happened with Alice in Chains, and it’s happening with Sublime. After legal disputes, Sublime returns with Rome Ramirez (from that Dirty Heads song “Lay Me Down”), now under the name Sublime with Rome. Their first single, “Panic”, is a great way to kickstart the band again. Don’t expect a perfect transition, though.

The second that “Panic” starts up, it sounds like Sublime. A triumphant mix of ska, punk, and alternative rock, “Panic” transitions in between a saxophone-guitar rush (a pace once set by Sublime’s lewd hit “Date Rape”) and a slower “Santeria”-esque jam. It’s frenetic but groovy, energized but laid-back. Rome Ramirez does a respectable job as the new frontman, doing his best to fill the shoes of the late, great Brad Nowell with a quick bout of staccato lyrics and a smooth croon in between. Ramirez feels more like a jazzy soul singer than Nowell, which does add an interesting twist, but it’s safe to say that the song retains the grooves and musical design of the rest of the Sublime crew.

However, despite having a powerful energy, the song still feels like a tribute band jam of Nowell’s Sublime. It’s a fun mashup of song styles from Sublime and will definitely get you moving, but Ramirez won’t be able to replace Nowell, just as William DuVall will never replace Layne Staley. “Panic” straddles a line between tribute and imitation, never leaning too far into either, but cautiously remaining on the fence instead of taking many risks.

Overall, however, “Panic” is a jam with that same goofy energy that made Sublime so legendary, even if Rome’s Sublime will forever be eclipsed by the accomplishments of Nowell’s.

Single Out: "3" by Disturbed

In 1993, three men in West Memphis, Arkansas were convicted of the murder of three eight-year-old boys. Titled “The West Memphis Three,” the three men were infamously imprisoned. Media pressure and forensic evidence contributed to a growing belief that the men were innocent. However, the jailing continued as the trial was still in progress.

Metal band Disturbed, in an effort to support the West Memphis Three’s cause and defense, offered a special B-side “3” for sale on their website for $.99, with every payment supporting the defense charity organization of the West Memphis Three’s case, in addition to trial and court expenses.

If you’ve been headbanging to Disturbed since The Sickness, you’ll understand that the band is no longer nu-metal, but full on metal. You understand David Draiman’s unique voice and the band’s calling on Soundgarden and Pantera for influences. You understand all that.

The problem is that “3” isn’t anything new for Disturbed. The very verse echoes the erratically composed “Never Again” from Asylum, and in that retrospective, it seems to be drowning in a sense of lyrical complexity than musical prominence, very similar to “Never Again” (which focused on the Holocaust effects as subject matter.) David Draiman continues with his guttural growl and clean sing combo. The hint of prog is shown in some odd time signatures, and of course, you get a kicking guitar solo. Everything in “3”, subject matter aside, is what Disturbed has been doing for the last three albums. They do it well, but uninventively. They’re a band sticking to their strengths and nothing else.

It took me a longer time to like Disturbed’s Asylum than I would’ve liked. It’s a heavy album with a bit more substance than Indestructible did, and “3” could’ve been a decent inclusion to their 2010 album. The band’s commitment to their cause is admirable, but standing on its own feet and un-crutched by the subject matter, “3” is a pretty unremarkable song by Disturbed. Is it worth paying a dollar for? That really depends on your support of the cause. If you believe in Disturbed’s cause, “3” is a good consolation for your participation. If you don’t, “3” probably won’t change your mind.