Dillinger Four - Civil War - Fat Wreck
Yes, I got this through very illegitimate avenues, but I will preface this review by saying that I would buy this album three times over on different formats. That is how much I love the Dillinger Four. In fact, I will buy the vinyl version as well as the CD, because the D4 is one of the best things going right now.
Don't worry dudes, I'm not planning on redistributing this and further. It's solely for my own hunger and anticipation for this record. I'm sure what you're thinking is "you've waited six years, why can't you wait one more month?" Because I can't, ok? The point is, the six year wait for a new record has turned me several shades of blue and purple waiting.
I was suffering from "the plague" over the last few days and in a moment of desperation yesterday, I did a quick search through my usual means of this sort of thing and found a "leak" of the album. I D/L'd it, dropped it onto my iPod and sat out on my back porch, reading and listening to the album. I've since listened to it several times and at this moment, I'm listening to it.
The one thing I can take away from this album is that the Dillinger Four's six year absence from the recorded format has not made them rusty. I think if more bands would wait to release albums instead of forcing out bullshit, they too would have the longevity of bands like the Dillinger Four and AVAIL. Instead of "playing the game," the D4 have put together a record that is the most logical follow up the Situationist Comedy anyone could imagine. The arc of their existence has been one of consistent evolution and experimentation, while retaining what makes the D4 a band that we all love. Let's face it, we do all love them. Every last one of you love this band and if you don't you're probably tone deaf or you just haven't heard them yet. Which at this point you should probably just hit up your favorite record store and take care of that problem.
What the D4 at the core is a melodic punk band, made up of four dudes who do this because they love it. They have an understanding of what punk rock is and realize that it's not worth doing if it isn't fun. Sure, they have a lot to say and who says having something to say isn't fun? If you listen to the words on this record, there's the signature D4 play on words as well as clever song titles.
There are moments which are outside the norm of the D4, like melodic break downs, ala None More Black and an incredible slow song called The Classical Arrangement.
If you've downloaded the leak of this record, you know how good it is, so I'm urging you, as well as everyone else to buy this record. It's seriously the album of the year for me. It's topped Off With Their Heads record, so I implore you to check it out. So so so incredibly good.
Dillinger Four
Fat Wreck Chords
Metallica - Death Magnetic - Warner Bros.
Do I really need to review the new Metallica album? Does Lars Ulrich and company really care what some dude in the Midwest really thinks of their latest effort? The answer to these two questions are "no" and "probably not," but I'm going to anyway.
I was extremely curious about this record; more so than I have been in years, in regards to Metallica and their output. I can think of a million other bands that I like more than this band, but very few have had the profound impact on my life that Metallica had.
Like many people in my generation, I discovered punk rock through heavy metal. Being born in the mid 1970's, most of my formative years were spent listening to local top 40 station Z95, which on occasion slip in some metal and hard rock into their rotation. Eventually, I discovered local metal station WVVX, which coupled with my best friend's older brother was responsible for my introduction to Metallica.
The first Metallica record I ever bought was Master of Puppets, which to this day is not only my favorite Metallica record, but my all time favorite metal album. In fact, had it not been for the Garage Days Re-Revisited cassette that logged countless hours in my Walkman, my discovery of the Misfits would have simply been a comical foot note in my discovery of punk, rather than a band that changed my life.
I owe a lot to this band and despite their actions against their own fans, I think that most of their intentions are fairly pure and non-money motivated. I even remember rediscovering Metallica, after distancing myself from them and their legion of dopey fans (for fear of getting flamed by actual intelligent Metallica fans, I will say that later in my life, I realized that there are smart Metallica fans, but at 15, my only exposure to Metallica fans were the dopes who went to my high school.) I was in college, sitting in a coffee shop in a not-so-cool part of town, reading some bullshit for my Sociology class when the goofy looking kid behind the counter put on Ride the Lightning. He and his annoying art school counter part behind the counter were giggling uncontrollably at their self induced irony. While these two dip shits laughed about listening to Metallica, while faux-headbanging and holding up the horn hands, the unbelievable musicianship and speed of Fight Fire With Fire was a surprising and pleasant change of pace from the mamby-pamby bullshit that the two art school assholes were previously listening to. I made a mental note to bust out Master of Puppets when I got home.
The reason I was curious about the new Metallica album was the promise of "back-to-basics" speed metal. Add to this thought process the production of Rick Rubin, a man I've been a fan of since the first time I took note of his name back in the mid 80's, I felt this could be a formula for success.
I really went into this album wanting to like it. I really did. I wanted to see this album as a return to form, or even a welcoming of an old friend. I was expecting them to at least attempt to break new ground, but instead, what we received was Metallica trying to reinvent the wheel. As much as I tried to like this album, it just isn't happening.
At this point in the game, all I can really do is reiterate what a lot of other people have said; I can pinpoint riffs from other Metallica songs in the new songs. I can even pinpoint riffs from other bands songs in Metallica songs. Of course, let's look at some of my favorite bands: the Ramones. Their entire career can be summed up in three or four riffs. The Jesus and Mary Chain; they're infamous for recycling chord progressions and even in some instances melodies.
So I ask myself, why is it less of a big deal when the Ramones or the Chain do it and a bigger deal when Metallica does it? I think the answer is that in the case of Metallica, they approached their music as redefining themselves with each album, raising the bar and constantly redefining the genre they helped create. Where as with the Ramones, they did what they did really well for four or five albums and everything that followed was a throw away.
Where as with the Jesus and Mary Chain, each album they released sounded completely different from the last and their use of simple blues and pop progressions were the linking element between each album, still making each sound unique.
With the new Metallica album, it almost feels like they phoned it in. Many of the riffs sound like they were pulled from a catalog of riffs, or as my friend Chris calls it, "riff tapes."
I think if each song were half as long and the record clocked in at forty or fifty minutes, as opposed to roughly 72 minutes, we might have something to work with.
Honestly, on this album, Metallica absolutely shines when Lars is ripping out Discharge style d-beat patterns and rest of the band is just tearing through the song. When they drop into "riff mode" they lose me. Eight minutes of riff-fast-riff-fast-riff-solo-riff-fast tests my patience. If they would simply destroy every song like they do on the "Discharge" parts on the first song, this record would be absolutely mind blowing. Unfortunately, this isn't the case at all.
Metallica, if you're reading this, and I doubt you are, I want to thank you for your first four albums. I would also like to thank you for getting me into the Misfits and Venom. Beyond that, please, either break up, collaborate with Hank Williams III and write a country-metal album or please stop worrying about record sales and "the industry" and go back to writing honest, full force metal albums. Please check out the band His Hero is Gone, or possibly visit the Havoc Records discography, because those records can teach you how to play fast and be brutal again.
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