Hammer of the Gods (Self Titled) EP: Review

After catching them at Sonisphere UK 2011 and enjoying what I managed to see of their set (I only got there halfway through), as well as from recommendations of their studio music, I thought I'd get hold of Hammer of the Gods debut EP Hammer of the Gods and see what I thought. Recorded back in November 2010 in Reading the EP consists of three songs: The Halting, Earthshaker, and Maiden. The band is made up of members: Apollo, Zeus, Poseidon, Ares, and Hermes.

The Halting, the first track of the EP beings with a catchy power metal intro typical of their music. Soon afterwards deep bass toned guitar riffs are launched and I already find myself nodding along. The guitar riffs are interesting without overcomplicating things. The vocals, which are on the correct side of growling in my opinion work well with the guitar here. About 1:30 in the song slows down before being built up by the original riff and a thudding bass drum. It reaches a peak and then the full power of the main part is brought back in expertly. The moment it reverts back to the original piece is sublime; the pause followed by a moment of sheer power. About three minutes in two more trebly guitar parts are introduced which produce a nice melody. Towards the end the bass drum appears in short bursts which assault the listener, adding to the effectiveness of the song.

The second song begins with a lovely riff that finds the right balance between the power needed for this genre and the creativity needed for it to be in any way interesting. About 1:20 the song slows down and we're introduced to a slow, throbbing, riff. The song relaunches soon after with another good riff. This part of the song definitely reminds me of another band but I can't quite pinpoint who. It doesn't matter too much here as it's still definitely their style that is most prominent. The solo on this track is good; it's got something Maidenesque about it, not in tone, but in moments of the melody itself. A very solid song, not necessarily the most memorable, but it shows the band's talent clearly.

The final piece, Maiden, begins with a strong, riff cantered, introduction. It's by far the best intro of the album, and like the others it's very catchy. About 30 seconds in a double picked riff is introduced that attacks the listener like a machine gun such is its power and ferocity. This song seems to be much more driven by the riffwork than the others do; the vocals and the drums play a part of course, but not to the same extent. A nice melody introduced just before the 2 minute mark, which while a little generic, is a nice addition. Simple but effective. 30 seconds later the song slows right down to give us a strong combination of guitar and drums. About 3:10 a pounding riff comes in which melds nicely with the vocals. The riffs later are a little disappointing though I have to say, there's nothing musically wrong with them, it's just that they are very reminiscent of something I've heard before. I'm not entirely sure where from, but I've heard a similar riff. Although it's obviously a mistake I can't help scouring my mind when I listen to it to remember what it reminds me of which does detract from the song. Overall however it's the best song on the EP, it's catchy, powerful, and doesn't let go of your ears.

Seeing them at Sonisphere was like a breath of fresh air, they weren't the best band there but you could tell that they wanted to be there as much as any of the others and more than most. Having just left a band I didn't like they turned my mood around.

For a debut EP this is great stuff. The power is generally well balanced with creativity, and every song is catchy in its own right. I'd give the piece a 7.5/10; it's a really great start. In future I'd like to see a little more melody as I thought in places it could have done just a little bit more. Watch out for this band, I know I will.

Blog Upgrade

Greetings all, you may notice that Malfunctioning Musical Madness has had a minor upgrade. There haven't been any major changes, I've just added a few buttons at the top of the page (just below the blog title) that allow for easy navigation to a few notable pages. These include: "Home" which links to the front page, "About" which talks about the aims of the blog and a little about me, the author, "Links" which lists useful web addresses currently just for music related websites but will eventually have a list of non-music related websites that I feel you may find interesting, and "Contact" where you'll find information about how to get in touch with me.

These new pages may be edited and built upon as time goes on so, for instance, while the "Links" page is a little thin right now I'll be adding more websites as I remember/encounter them.

Thank you for your continued support.

The Album: Many Songs, One Piece

Often just a collection of songs an album is generally how bands release their music, with the exception of EPs and singles. Often an album will have two or three "hit" songs and then several other lower profile, but hopefully still good, tracks. Often the songs are very much separate entities and can sometimes be very different in style from each other. However this isn't always the case, sometimes an album can feel like a single piece of music, even though it's technically split into multiple tracks. To achieve this each song needs to lead into the other, not necessarily seamlessly but the divide can't be too obvious. Also each song must be similar in its style and motifs if not directly continuing the previous song's lyrical subject.

So in this article I'll talk about a few albums that sound like they're one long musical piece and, more than that, work as one single entity. A few of these albums may have been mentioned before on this blog before but I can't leave them out of this list.

Far - Regina Spektor

The interesting thing, for me, about this album with respect to the idea of it being a single piece is that the songs are fairly separated, they vary a little bit especially with regard to their tempo. However despite this it feels a little bit like a journey of sorts and so it fits into this category. A masterpiece of vocals and piano, this is one of my favourite albums. Its beautiful lyrics touch on various melancholic subjects; for instance the questioning of belief in Laughing With (the best song on the album), and in Blue Lips with the lines:

"As they made it past the enemy lines
just to become enslaved in the assembly lines"

A lovely album that, while individual tracks differ, has a nice overall production with relaxing piano part and vocals that make you think while you enjoy the music.

By Tom dl (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons


10,000 Days - Tool

Simply a masterpiece. The album's dark allure prevails right the way through with songs varying dramatically but still retaining an overall composure. The first track, Vicarious, has to be one of the greatest album openers I've ever heard, and what's more it leads quickly into the crushing introduction to Jambi. The album's absolute highlight, and my favourite Tool song, is 10,000 Days (Wings Part 2). The lyrics for this are sublime and the singer Keenan's emotions come to the surface as he recounts the hardships his mother endured when she was paralysed before her eventual death.

"10,000 days in the fire is long enough,
You're going home."

Talent is so obvious on this piece, along with all the other Tool albums. The multiple time signature changes add to the complexity of the music that amazes me every time I hear it. The album feels like a single entity, and I rarely listen to individual songs from it (with the exception of the song 10,000 Days). It's one of my top two albums (I can't decide how to rank it within that group) and I urge you check it out. If you don't listen to any other music I talk about, listen to this.

Crack the Skye - Mastodon

Departing somewhat from their normal style, 2009's release from Mastodon was far proggier than anything they have released before or since. Not as heavy as Leviathan it features lots of picked acoustic guitar and lovely whiny melodies over heavier riffs. The lyrics talk about Tsar Nicolas II of Russia amongst other things. The songs on this album are sometimes difficult to distinguish from each other; such is the way that the piece ties together. This really emphasises the sense that it's less a collection of songs and more a musical journey. The final track, The Last Baron, is 13 minutes long which along with its style puts it firmly in the progressive category, and also features lyrics that work especially well live. When they toured in 2010 I saw them in Bristol UK where they played the entire album start to finish. Playing an entire album live is rare but it worked really well. This shows the majesty of the album; definitely worth a listen.

By http://www.flickr.com/photos/shadowgate/ [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shadowgate/3703888760/


So those three albums are all examples of where, rather than being firmly split into several unique songs, the tracks are all part of a single identity and form a journey upon which the listener embarks.

Sol Invicto - Initium: Review

Deftones guitarist Stephen Carpenter and his side project Sol Invicto have released their debut EP for free download. Since I enjoy listening to Deftones I thought I'd check it out. I've given it a listen and I've formed my opinion of the record. Here's my review:

Uninteresting is probably the best word to describe it. It has its moments that seem to break through in some way or another but nothing close to being energetic or creative. I don't know electronica as well as a lot of people, but I'd say that whatever genre of music I'm listening to I can recognise creativity and talent, but the former was definitely lacking in this piece.

The first track starts with a mildly ominous introduction which drags on a little before a repetitive heavier guitar riff comes in which melds nicely with the preexisting electronic parts. What struck me most was the lack of any melody. The track would have had the potential to be quite entertaining if there had been some kind of part over the top to finish it off, but as it is I just find it lacking.

The second track, and indeed all the tracks, leads directly on from the previous song. Here ambient effects are introduced which I liked and found somewhat interesting. The faint effects in the background underneath the ambience remind me of rain and have a pleasant influence on the song as a whole. Towards the end of the track there's a few snatches of speech that, in retrospect, seem self indulgent and serve no particular purpose.

Each track is named simply Sol Invicto Initium followed by the track number, so Sol Invicto Initium 3.0 begins with a more confident drum beat which again combines nicely with the other effects in use. The elements of chorus introduced here sound faintly of an Air Raid Siren so you can make your own mind up about that; I actually quite like it.

While listening to the fourth track I thought: "Anyone sitting in their room with a keyboard and decent effects software could make this." This is perhaps an unfair and untrue statement since the talent is evident in the overall piece, but it does convey my frustration at how uncreative the piece is. This track is the most unmemorable of the entire piece.

There's a moment of silence in the next track which seems to form a sort of minibreak for the EP which works nicely. It doesn't quite separate the piece into two parts but just gives the feeling of an intermission which works well.

The guitar riff in the sixth song, while uncreative, sticks in your head and draws your attention back to the music a little, which I suppose is a good thing. However the drum beat in the song is not just uncreative, it is generic to a ridiculous degree.

The combination of guitar and chorus parts at the beginning of the seventh and final song spark a little interest, however the riff is the same as in the sixth track and is still as uncreative as ever. The song seems to begin to build up to something but this then dissipates and there's a feeling of lost opportunity. The song ends with twenty seconds of nothing.

Overall it was uninteresting and generic. I had pressed play with high hopes for the EP but I was in the end disappointed. It may be that because this genre of music isn't what I listen to the most I don't know what I'm talking about, but I stand by my assertion that I can spot talent in most genres. Fans of Deftones should check this out, but don't have too many expectations of it.

Black Sabbath Return... Well Actually No... Actually Maybe?

(Edit: It would appear that the news that Black Sabbath are returning is false and the work of a journalist that blew a casual remark out of proportion. I apologise for any inconvenience caused. I'll leave the article I posted here for you to read as it's got some interesting information)

(Edit mk II: Other reports that have been released appear to support the original statement, so I'm going to wait to see what happens.)


It's been announced that the original lineup of Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward have been playing together once more with intent to tour and to record a new album. This is truly historic news for rock and metal fans, many of whom never got the chance to see Sabbath the first time around.

Black Sabbath are regarded by many in the musical community as the band who created heavy metal, which was subsequently made big by Iron Maiden and Metallica. Hailing from the midlands of the UK in a setting filled with steelworks and other metal production facilities the band's music reflects with the deep guttural power of the riffs reflecting the utilitarian steelworks.

I don't know Sabbath too well, I've only heard the album Paranoid but I'm definitely going to listen to more of their work. What's more I'm setting aside some cash for a gig ticket. My fear is that the high commercial opportunity that this reformation brings will cause ticket prices to be alike to when Led Zeppelin reformed for a limited amound of shows and charged way over £100 for two tickets. The demand for tickets for this tour will be immense and I foresee server crashes when online ticket sales open.

By Photobra|Adam Bielawski (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

I find it astonishing that this has been kept under wraps for so long, since the band have been rehearsing since June. Whatever the outcome, however many albums the band release, this is going to be an event like no other, and will shake the metal genre to its very core. Bring it on!

Profile: The Mars Volta

From now on the series of "Notable Artists" posts will now be replaced with a series of profiles. The articles will be essentially the same in style but with a few changes. In this I aim to achieve a greater consistency across the series in terms of the information included so as to aid comparison. I hope you enjoy the new format.

The Mars Volta are a Texan band who first became active back in 2001 (biographical information courtesy of wikipedia.org since the bio section of their official website was empty). Forming out of the remains of At the Drive In, they released their debut album in 2003 entitled De-Loused In The Comatorium. Many of the songs from this album still feature in their live sets today including Inertiatic Esp, a track of shorter length than a lot of their pieces.

Their brand of alternative, progressive, rock/metal has earned them a large following and they have become a very successful act to date. They currently have five studio albums released:

• Deloused In The Comatorium 2003
• Frances The Mute 2005
• Amputechture 2006
• The Bedlam In Goliath 2008
• Octahedron 2009

Having listened to them all I'd say that my favourite album is Octahedron, I love the balance between progressive rock and riff-like melodies as well as the nice extras like 30 second piano trills that just make it that bit more interesting. However what is in my opinion their best songs are both on Frances The Mute and are called The Widow, and L'Via L'Viaquez. The former is very catchy and works fantastically live, it's one of those songs that gets the crowd swaying and draws you totally into the music. The latter, which I haven't seen live, I like partially because of its bilingual nature. It switches between English and Spanish, and as someone who knows a little Spanish I appreciate its inclusion which gives the song a higher lyrical quality. L'Via L'Viaquez is a track typical of The Mars Volta's style in that it's over 10 minutes long and is therefore a great example of prog rock where the increased length of the song allows the piece to vary wildly in its tone and style: a defining aspect of that genre. For newcomers to the band I recommend you begin with Deloused and go from there, I don't think it matters which order you listen to them in after that but I feel that Deloused is definitely a good introductory album to their music.

In terms of raw skill they're phenomenal. This is evident in the frequent changes of style and timing during songs which many bands would struggle to pull off, especially live. When listening to their music you get a sense of this and it demands a great respect for their work. Whether or not you like their music, which I definitely do, you should be able to see the skill with which their work is infused and appreciate them for that.

As a live act they're amazing. I say this about a lot of bands, I realise this, but there's something that sets The Mars Volta apart from other bands I've seen. The best word I can think of to describe the atmosphere of their live set is "captivating". The music just takes up all your attention until your just standing their in awe of their talent. When I caught them at Sonisphere 2011, when they headlined the second stage on the Saturday, I didn't see anyone moshing or even moving very much, everyone was just absorbed in their performance. Also the singer, Cedric Bixler-Zavala, was entertaining just to watch. He was full of energy and ran around the stage causing havoc. At one point he shoved a kettle and other equipment onto the floor (the former broke), but this was nothing compared to when he picked up one of the metal barriers from the side of the stage and threw it towards the crowd. Obviously it didn't reach the crowd, it went just off the stage, but it was still absolutely hilarious. A fantastic live band.

By Clownhouse III [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
http://www.flickr.com/photos/clownhousethethird/2676735835/sizes/l/


This band are popular amongst fans of similar progressive rock/metal and I'd say that people who like Dream Theater would like them. However it was obvious from their Sonisphere performance that they are very appreciated by fans of Tool. This doesn't surprise me in the least; the two bands are similar in style although Tool are darker and more metally.

So there you have it. I think The Mars Volta are at the forefront of their genre and are popular amongst the musical circles they inhabit. Still they are under appreciated and I urge you to check them out.

Iron Maiden: Live Review

Having seen the famous British heavy metal band at Sonisphere 2010, where they headlined the Sunday and brought the festival to a close, I was expecting great things from Iron Maiden this year, and I wasn't disappointed. Their Final Frontier World Tour finally reached the UK where they played an extensive stadium tour ending in two dates at the London o2 arena. I saw them at Cardiff International Arena when they played on 1st August.

Opening with Satellite 15... The Final Frontier (after UFO's Doctor Doctor was played on the PA system) their set began, with the low key first half of the song teasing at the crowd as they waited for the curtain to drop when the second half began. Before the gig I had my problems with that song, I felt that the first half was too long and was something you had to sit through in order to hear the better second part. I still feel that way but I really enjoyed the song live, but my view is that it only works as an opener, if they were to play it in the middle of a set a lot of the crowd's energy would be lost.

Afterwards they moved onto El Dorado, a track from their newest album (The Final Frontier), which I include as one of their classics. Next up was my highlight of the gig: 2 Minutes to Midnight. This song was like a shot of adrenaline for the already pumped crowd. I remember being very close to the front (which I was for the entire gig) and leaping as high as I possibly could into the air. I enjoy the studio version of the song, but I feel that it works much better as a live track.


Later on the crowd was graced with the beautiful, flowing, chorus of Coming Home; one of the songs that, I'll be honest, makes The Final Frontier, worth listening to. Not that it's terrible, it's no The X Factor, but many of the songs, while entertaining, are in the dangerous category of "filler". Coming Home, however, is a masterpiece, both on CD and in concert.

The opening notes to the next song, Dance of Death, put a massive smile on my face that lingered for a long time. Possibly the best ballad Maiden have ever written, it's subtle acoustic parts are directly contrasted with heavier riffs, and the lyrical content gives the song a darker edge with it's talk of the devil and things rising from hell. This is one of the songs that I've now seen live twice, as the played it at Sonisphere 2010, and I loved it both times.

By Scott Penner [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31648498@N00/4771190892



A couple of tracks later they played The Wicker Man. Personally I thought this was the weakest song of the whole set. I never thought it was that good a song; I feel that the chorus is boring and repetitive and that the overall song is just uninteresting. However the crowd loved it, so I suppose this may be one of the opinions that few people share. For the record I have similar feelings about Run to the Hills, although not to the same extent.

The 10th track they played was the epic ballad from their 2010 album. When the Wild Wind Blows was a change from the heavier songs that had gone before it but the crowd loved it just the same; and so did I. The soft vocals talk of the end of the world with such grace that the song seems to rise and fall with ease to the delight of the audience. A great song.

Next up was The Evil That Men Do, a classic from the album: Seventh Son of a Seventh Song, which I loved. There's a small part of the song which I like even more than the rest; when the lyrics go:

"And I will pray for her,

I will call her name out loud.

I would bleed for her,

if I could only see her now"

Something about those lines always gets me and it really defines the song for me; speaking about the nature of humanity.

Finally the band ended the gig the way they usually do; by embarking upon a storm of classics. Fear of the Dark had it's guaranteed effect of making the crowd sing out louder than ever before. Their self titled track featured a giant Eddie (their mascot) head which appeared behind the stage and glared around at the audience. They returned for their encore which began with The Number of the Beast. Hallowed Be Thy Name showed Bruce Dickinson's vocal talent once more as he soared through the extended notes and really brought across the plight of the song's narrator; a prisoner waiting for the gallows. The studio version, on the album The Number of the Beast, is in my opinion Dickinson's finest performance of his career with Maiden. Finally the band left the stage after playing through the ever-popular Running Free.

By Mike Lawrence (Flickr: Iron Maiden) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
http://www.flickr.com/photos/98945462@N00/5970616949


Overall it was a fantastic gig, in fact it's the best I've ever been to I think, with Mastodon at the o2 Academy in Bristol last February in second place. I enjoyed every song and I felt that the setlist for this gig was better than the one they played at Sonisphere 2010 which had too many rarities and not enough classics. This time they added 2 Minutes to Midnight, The Trooper, and The Evil That Men Do which improved the ratio of rarities to classics (6:10). The band have already hinted at a new album, which I'm guessing will be released in around September of 2012 since they seem to average an album every 2 years. Roll on the next tour!