Sunday, October 4, 2015

Three more to listen to before Aftershock: recent releases by Shinedown, Sevendust... and Pop Evil

Shinedown, Aftershock 2013
Shinedown, Aftershock 2013
Three new albums in my in-box (both digital and that old-fashioned, hard copy way): Shinedown's Threat To Survival, Sevendust's Kill The Flaw, and Pop Evil's Up, the latter in a beautifully-packaged, two-disc-grey-vinyl set.

Connected, in a way; all three bands create fine metal/rock music, more melodic-metal-rock than any-type-of-core, more singing than growling the vocals; guitars that stand out and then weave back into the fabric of the music. But each, very different. Each, unique. And I am waiting, impatiently, to see them all live, very soon.

All three of these bands will be performing at Aftershock in just twenty days from now: Shinedown and Pop Evil on Saturday 24th, and Sevendust on Sunday 25th.

Shinedown, Aftershock 2013
Shinedown, Aftershock 2013
First, I listened to Shinedown.
I really should like Shinedown, I know I should, and I do try, very very hard, and it takes a while before their arena-style-rock-anthems strike the right chord. I spent all Saturday with Threat To Survival on CD, in the truck. Admittedly, the truck's sound system has seen (or heard) better days, but...

I *know* Shinedown will put on a fantastic and over-the-top show at Aftershock, and I can't wait to see them again, in person, out loud, with whatever lights and pyros-that-might-be-allowed-in-a-California-drought-year. The one song from Threat To Survival, Shinedown's first new album in three years, that hit the spot this weekend was Outcast (you can hear it here, on YouTube... then go buy the album.)

Then, I listened to Sevendust. Been wanting to see these guys on tour, locally, for a while. The new album, Kill The Flaw, released October 2nd, reinforces that desire. It's good, it rocks, and it's staying in the truck. Good, driving music.

Stand out song from Kill The Flaw on first few listens:  Letters  You can hear the entire album, streamed on YouTube, but then go pay for the music and buy a copy, OK?  I'll be listening to mine some more...

And then, I listened to Pop Evil.

I may not listen to anything else, all week.

After tracks throughout Up that are metal, heavy, melodic, and a wonderful blend of the best in metal: suddenly, Seattle Rain drops out of the grey, vinyl sky, and everything stops.

I could listen to that song for the next year. I just might.
(It's basic, it's almost-folk, it's Seattle-in-the-rain, it's beautiful... and it shows once-again how you cannot excel at the abstract (in this case, heavy metal), without first understanding and mastering the fundamentals).




Now all I have to worry about is the Aftershock schedule, and which bands will be on which stages at which time, and planning a route around the festival to hear, and see, all of the performers who have been lined up for the weekend.

Did you get your tickets, yet?

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