Metal Riot

DC sadly dropped the ball on the bloated BVS so fucking hard (Deadpool and Ant Man both blew it awayyyyy in terms of quality and are both  initially lower profile non team movies from other studios) but one thing that they are currently behind which rocks is the new Black Canary series helmed by Brenden Fletcher. Not since Dazzler’s days of fronting a band in the pages of X-Men has there been such a fun blend of pop art and punk rock in a comic book (unless you count the Brody Dalle inspired lead character of American Dark Age).

Black Canary is now a punk rock/new wave band who sort of sound like The Sounds or White Lung mish mashed with Missing Persons. Yes, I said sound like because in an awesome viral move the band have an EP out on Bandcamp! In a world where we can have Gorillaz, why not? “Fish Out Of Water” is actually a pretty fuckin’ great song! I wonder who the real performers are? Kudos on this great idea, a way better reinvention of a character than making Lex Luthor a sad Riddler rip off wuss.

Is the comic good? Well, the Vol. 1 Kicking and Screaming trade is plenty fun. It is campy but still has some depth, albeit a bit of the male fantasy side that usually happens when super hero blondes front rock bands in comic books. Black Canary’s Dinah Lance in this current incarnation sort of recalls the real band Barb Wire Dolls‘ Isis Queen if she took the time to beat the living crap out of many of her fans or those foolish enough to heckle.

The supporting cast is great, from a mute pre teen band member named Ditto who Dinah protects to Lord Byron, a sort of Gail Ann Dorsey ringer who tries to bring restraint and reason to the chaos and anchors the band. Some things are silly like the band always using a tour bus. Empire also is a pretty absurd depiction of the music industry these days. It just isn’t how things are any more. But this is a comic book and the Black Canary band is supposed to be pretty controversial and popular. The art by Annie Wu, Pia Guerra and Sandy Jarrell recalls what worked best about Jill Thompson’s epic Invisibles issues in the 90’s with perfect bright colors from Lee Loughride really bringing this book to life even more than the more fun than vital writing.

It’s not as life changing as Transmetropolitan or as groundbreaking as the body positive Faith over at Valiant, but Black Canary is certainly a fun ride. If you only know the character from CW’s Arrow, you’re going to be confused as heck, but this is a great book for readers who love rock n roll and want to jump into a newer comic that isn’t as brooding as Batman yet still mixes some real world stuff into a crazy Universe. There is also a good sub plot about rivalry between a former singer of the band and Dinah, the new singer. It kind of underscores well how sucky it is that women more often than not are competing in music rather than helping one another form a united front.

Order the first graphic novel collection HERE.

http://opethbook.com/

It is hard deciding if the best approach to reviewing such an exhaustive and important milestone  for Opeth as The Book Of Opeth, a super rewarding and fans in mind work of art (would you expect anything less?) from one of metal’s most revered bands, with a more exhaustive or impressionistic approach.

Aesthetically, it is as stunning visually as any of the band’s greatest achievements. The moody respect for the essential mystery of nature and the spirit and cerebral leaning craftsmanship with an emphasis on complexity has carried over, albeit instead of actual riffs we have the stories in the book which allow a hand swiped view through the foggy window of awe; a peak into the inner workings of a group who have earned every inch of respect over the past 25 years and change.

Much like the crucial Decibel anointed Choosing Death or Only Death Is Real from Bazillion Points, this Opeth doozy is fun while chock full of enough respect for sociology and the genre to warrant such an endeavor even if the band wasn’t as important as they ARE. You really get a sense of their development over the course of hundreds of killer photos, lush layout page detailing and fantastic reflections from members. Like Sean Yseult’s recent I’m In The Band or even, say, the massive Emperor 24 vinyl box set which the mere thought of makes me weep and shiver, this is a serious fucking beast of merchandise of the highest order and a celebration of accomplishment with a major sense of adventure and wonder for the entire business of it all. More than a labor of vanity or love, this says pay attention, this is about the collective work of amazing lives.

More below.

From Celtic Frost’s Into The Pandemonium to Metallica’s S&M to the mind blowing latest from blackened chamber doomers Wolvserpent to the fucking insane Bach shredding of shred dominatrix/violinist The Great Kat, many metal artists have flirted with or amalgamated classical influences into their sound, to drastically varied levels of success. Ontario’s The Visit, comprised of Musk Ox’s very skilled Raphael Weinroth-Browne (cello) and the strikingly talented Heather Sita Black (voice), get it more right than most of the others put together.

Starting in the reverse fashion of four feet and cello planted firmly in classical yet with a deep, romantic and soul pulling fascination with the darker side of the musical world, the pair have managed to make music that could stir esteemed concert halls and gothier types alike. Through Darkness Into Light, a late self-released 2015 triumph, was one of the loveliest and most breathtaking releases of late 2015 (with a stellar Alan Douches mastering job that really makes it feel cinematic). Additionally, this was  one of the most primary of a handful of albums that kept me “sane” last year (along w moody stuff like Tearist, The last temptation of christ, He Whose Ox Is Gored, Vowws, Marriages, etc.)

During a particularly dark time I found The Visit‘s gossamer heartache and striving sounds that float throughout Through Darkness Into Light to be a comforting sort of oxygen that I could trust in, a record I didn’t talk much about because I was holding it rather close. That is, ironically, often the best compliment we can give something…exclusion via the intimacy of overly processing how something powerful makes you feel which you aren’t yet willing to vocalize.

Metal fans of a certain type may scratch their caveman heads but others will get that heavier stuff like permanence, desire and the magnitude of self in a vast cosmos are at play, a certain naturalist’s existentialism that perhaps is a product of being an avant garde act from Ontario. Or maybe I am just projecting. When the bowing gets heavy enough on “Without This Flesh” I dare you to not be hit by the impact of feel anyway, even if other passages are somehow too floaty for you thrash types.

Personally, I think The Visit are a breath of cold, fresh air and make inventive, soul stirring art of the highest musical caliber.

Raphael and Heather answer my questions below.

Doro Pesch, the German heavy metal Queen, is touring the US with a mini-tour starting tomorrow. It is always such an honor to speak to Doro, not only an incredible survivor, powerful presence and legendary metal beauty but a timeless and unique voice who holds a deeply important place in the history of the evolution of Heavy Metal. Whenever you hear her proud banshee call there is no doubt who is singing.

I’d rather spend my time listening to Doro than do most things in life. Hail, Metal Queen!

Doro is evidence that there is no half assing it, ever.

More below.

Intercourse is a noisy hc punk rock 5 piece from New Haven, CT. “True Patriot” is taken from their upcoming Enablers EP.

It is a particularly frenetic track with some sharp words. Don’t be scared by the photo of the Donald.

Check it out HERE.

Jason Taylor of Canada’s promising newish sludge prog band Sierra checks in to kick off this week with a great interview. Some may know the band from their Kylesa endorsed Retro Futurist release Pslip from a few years ago, a record that lures me back for repeat listens even amidst all the daily promos and other shit on my plate to distract me. It was kind of like I had found a trippier C.O.C. or stoner rock Tool and the music had a certain warm hazy but powerful quality I loved.

Time passes and the band is back with the 72 EP, a unique long form song with a grisly tale behind it. The 72 EP will see self-release by the band on March 4th, on both CD and digital formats and is sure to be more than worth discovering.

Read MORE below.