The Mighty Van Halen Debate - Synic's Final Word

It has certainly come out to my readers by now that I love Van Halen. They're a band that transformed arena-rock, inspired countless glam-metal bands, and they continue to inspire to this day. It's no secret to my family and friends that I love talking about all things Van Halen, but the one question I hate being asked is "Van Halen or Van Hagar?" It drives me crazy that every day my Twitter feed is flooded with Roth fans shitting on Hagar, or Hagar fans shitting on Dave. The reality of the situation is, "Van Hagar" never existed. It is just the annoying and demeaning moniker that some so-called "fans" of the group gave the band after Diamond Dave left to pursue his solo career. One of the questions I WISH people would ask me is, "How do you feel about Van Cherone?" I bet many of you don't even know what I'm talking about. That's because Van Halen 3 is one of the most forgotten-about records in rock and roll history. Many current fans don't even realize that there was in fact a third singer for Van Halen in the late 90s. So when people ask me if I'm a Sammy or Dave fan, I tell them this: I'm a VAN HALEN fan. 3 singers, 3 sounds, 1 band. I'm a fan of all of it. Any time Eddie, Alex, and Mikey put new grooves in a vinyl disk, I was a buyer and a fan. In this breakdown, I'll talk about the strengths and weaknesses of each era of Van Halen, and give my final remarks at the end. So strap in and get ready.

Van Halen Phase 1: The Roth Years
Van Halen Phase 1 is some of the strongest, most inspirational, most inventive, most recognizable material in rock and roll. The list of hits is seemingly endless. The band's only #1 hit "Jump" would also come from the last of 6 records during this era. I could go on for a long time about the greatness of their debut record, or you can refer to my earlier post comparing Van Halen to Appetite for Destruction for my full analysis.

The first six records from Van Halen are a true treasure. Eddie Van Halen forever changed the guitar world with his incredible skill and unique techniques. The band's frontman, David Lee Roth, would become a rock icon. Not for his incredible voice, but rather his unforgettable showmanship. He was the perfect frontman, the girls in the crowd wanted him, and the boys wanted to BE him. What Roth had in showmanship, however, he lacked in talent. He could run, jump, and dance on stage like no one else, but he couldn't sing. In fact, early in the backyard party days of Van Halen, the brothers Eddie and Alex didn't even want Dave in the band because he sounded so bad. He could only sort of play guitar, but he couldn't sing. What he could do, however, was write great lyrics. (He also had a PA system that the boys desperately needed, as Dave came from a rich family and the brothers came from an immigrant family...) Another shortcoming Dave had was actually with his brilliant lyrics. On stage, he would often forget them. While he may play it off like a big joke, it's insanely unprofessional and the fans don't appreciate that.

So, in short, Dave could perform, and he could write. But he can't sing, and he can't remember his own lyrics.

Van Halen Phase 2: The Hagar Years
This era of Van Halen is easily the second-most talked about tenure for the band. And why shouldn't it be? They put out a string of hits, all on 4 records, each hitting #1 on the charts. It was a massively successful time for the group, even though many Roth fans would hate to admit it. When the Red Rocker stepped into the group, it was like a match made in heaven. In fact, the pairing had been in the works, more or less, since the beginning. Eddie and Alex were big fans of the Hagar-fronted band Montrose, and while they were recording their debut record, they handed producer Ted Templeman a copy of Montrose's debut record and said "Make us sound like this." There is even an audio recording out there somewhere of Van Halen (with Roth) covering a Montrose song at one of their famous backyard parties. Later on in Phase 1, Templeman tried convincing the brothers VH that Roth was holding them back, and they should give Sammy a call. Montrose had broken up, and Sammy was out on his own. It sounded good, but the time wasn't right.

When Sammy finally came in, after getting his car fixed by Eddie's mechanic, it was the pairing everyone had been waiting for. Sam could do it all, he could write, sing, perform, and he could play the hell out of a guitar. Just imagine, a guitar-focused band like Van Halen with dueling guitars. Guitar-God Eddie facing off with the newcomer Red Rocker. Would've been amazing. And was it? Well, yes, but not for the reason we were hoping for. Come mid-to-late 80s, Eddie discovered the keyboards, and began experimenting and writing with 88 keys instead of 6 strings. This transition to keys caused Van Halen with Sammy Hagar to start generating hits that were all focused on sex and love, which made many fans believe that Van Halen were getting soft, while others continued to love the new material. The change in tone of the band cause many fans to leave, and many new fans to come in, after all, Hagar had his own fanbase that he brought with him after his successful time with Montrose and massively successful stretch as a solo artist. For many years, Van Halen with Sammy would play some of his solo hits, such as "I Can't Drive 55" and "One Way to Rock" at their live shows. He would also include a solo acoustic performance of either "Give To Live" or "Eagles Fly."

With Hagar, the band found themselves a guy who could actually sing. His lyrics were a little weaker, and the band lost their edgy attitude, but that may not be entirely Sam's fault. He wrote and sang along with the music he was given, it's not his fault if Guitar-God Eddie wanted to play keyboards instead.

Van Halen Phase 3: Cherone and The Beginning of The End
I couldn't exactly call this The Cherone Years, as he was only with the group for one album, so this section will be the longest, but theres a lot of shit to cover here.

Somewhere around '96-'97 marked the unfortunate end of the Hagar run of Van Halen. Whether you believe Eddie or Sammy as to how the ending came to be, if he was fired or if he quit, is merely inconsequential. At the end of the day, Sam was gone, but Van Halen wanted to keep going. They needed a new singer. Roth and Hagar were both out of the picture, so they needed someone new.

Enter Gary Cherone.

Van Halen only recorded 1 record with Gary, and it is easily one of the most ignored records in rock and roll. But why? It doesn't deserve that at all. It came at a bad time, maybe, as rock and roll was struggling in the late 90s. Glam-metal was long dead, grunge was still somewhat big, and many of the big-name acts from the 70s and 80s were having a hard time with the late 90s and early 00s. Van Halen were no different. Van Halen 3 came in 1998, and a massive world tour followed. Was is successful? No. Should it have been? Yes. Here's why: Cherone had everything the band needed. He could perform, he could write, and he could sing. The setlist from their '98 tour was stacked with hits from all 3 phases of the band. He sand the hell out of Roth tunes "Mean Street," "Unchained," and more, and he nailed them. He hit Hagar favorites such as "Right Now," and "Why Can't This Be Love," and nailed those too. Then of course he sang his own material, like "Without You," and "Fire in the Hole" and naturally knocked them out of the park. The sad truth of it is, by this point, no one cared. After 2 beloved frontmen left the band, no one wanted a third. I feel bad for Gary Cherone for this reason. VH3 was, in the brother's eyes, a failure. After the string of #1 albums they had just celebrated, VH3 fell tragically short. But what I will say, is that the failure of VH3 is not Gary's fault. It was a great rock record. Maybe it wasn't a great Van Halen record, but it was a great rock record nonetheless. Maybe had the band toured with Gary before the record came out, things would have been different. It's hard to say.

To boil it down, I love Gary Cherone. He was the best possible choice for a doomed Van Halen in the late 90s. He could write, sing, and perform, and that was exactly what they needed to stay afloat. Sadly, the VH goose was cooked before Gary even stepped in.

This officially marks the end of all listenable material to come from Van Halen. It is my belief that Van Halen committed suicide in 1999 in their home in California. Maybe they couldn't handle the pressure of finding a 4th singer, maybe they were afraid of Y2K. I don't know for sure, I just know that it was over before the change of the century.

Since Gary left the band, they had done reunions with both Dave and Sam, generated 2 greatest hits packages, (both of which contain no Cherone songs whatsoever) and recorded some new songs with each of the first two frontmen. Dave came in for "Me Wise Magic" and "Can't Get This Stuff No More," which are two songs that many fans actually seem to like, though I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because many Dave fans are too stubborn to admit that he sucks now? I don't know. I bet that if Sam or Gary sang these songs instead, no one would like them at all. Think about it. The truth is, Dave sings like absolute shit on these tracks. When he tries to hit that signature squeal that he always did on early records, he sounds like a cat that was hit by a lawnmower. Hang it up, Dave. It's embarrassing.

Sam came in to record "Up For Breakfast," "It's About Time," and "Learning To See," all of which are absolutely awful. I will admit, I know all the words to "Breakfast" because I thought it was catchy and fun when I first heard it, but after the 3rd or 4th time of hearing Sam sing about morning wood and getting off first thing after waking up, I got pretty tired of it. Like I said before, he couldn't write like Dave could. His metaphors are just weak and he makes the same ones over and over again. Love you Sam, but not for these 3 songs.

Finally, Dave came back in for the new record that no one asked for. A Different Kind of Truth landed in 2012 with David Lee Roth on vocals, and Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang on bass guitar. I will now say that this is the only Van Halen record that I refuse to listen to. It's simply just awful. Truly unforgivably awful. It contains recycled riffs from the early 80s, meaning the guitarwork and drums are the only listenable components of this record. Dave's lyrics are tragically weak, and his lyrics were always his strength. (He also can't dance or perform live like he used to, so seeing their live show just isn't the same anymore either.) His voice is absolutely shot, so hearing him sing is like hearing Cookie Monster in drag trying to be a rock singer. The last piece is the flat bass playing. Eddie brought Wolfie in simply because he is his son, not because he has the chops to actually be Van Halen's bass player. He is not Michael Anthony, and he never will be. The last thing that NEEDS to be mentioned is the background vocals and harmonies that were a key component of EVERY Van Halen record from 1978 to 1998. Whoever was singing lead always had Eddie and Mikey singing background vocals, and they were a classic duet that was beloved by fans. ADKOT is missing that key component, which just drives the last nail in the coffin that this record should have never been recorded. If you don't believe me, give the album a listen for yourself. You'll want to shoot yourself in the head before "Tattoo" is on it's second verse. (For those of you who are too wise to not bother looking the record up, "Tattoo" is the first track.)

Synic's Final Word
Okay, we've come a long way to get to this point. Over 42 years, to be more precise. As I said in the beginning, I hate being asked "Van Halen or Van Hagar?" because the reality is that Van Halen had 3 singers. And no matter who was singing in the band, I was a fan. Roth, Hagar, and Cherone all gave us plenty of material to listen to. Most of it was great, some of it wasn't so great, but every band is that way. There is no band out there that wrote nothing but killer tracks. Even you biased Beatles and Zeppelin fans can admit that.

But here it is: my final word.

Roth had showmanship and strong lyrics, but he couldn't sing and often forgets lyrics.

Hagar had guitar chops, could sing and perform, but couldn't write strong lyrics like Dave. He often gets blamed for the keyboards and love songs change, but that is not entirely his fault.

Cherone was the "best of both worlds." (heh, heh.) He could sing, write, perform, etc. etc. He just wasn't given a fair shot.

When the COVID quarantine is over and you're looking to buy concert tickets, look for Sam or Gary. Don't waste your time or your money on Dave. Crawl out of your parents' basement and acknowledge it's not 1984 anymore. I love Dave too, but it's time to move on. Full disclosure I might be writing a tad hypocritically here, as if Dave came close I would probably go see him. As long as he wasn't opening for KISS anymore... So go see whoever you wanna see, but for Van Halen hits performed the way they sounded back in the 80s, see Sam. You'll be much happier. And for the love of God, acknowledge that there ARE 3 singers for Van Halen, and give them all a fair shot. It's all good shit, and there's no need to insult others and spread hate on Twitter because you think "Panama" is better than "Poundcake." Just be glad they both exist.

Personal favorites:

ROTH

1. Runnin' With The Devil

2. I'm The One

3. Ice Cream Man

4. Light Up The Sky

5. Somebody Get Me A Doctor

6. Where Have All The Good Times Gone

7. Little Guitars

8. Mean Street

9. Hear About It Later

10. Unchained

11. Panama

HAGAR

1. Good Enough

2. 5150

3. Dreams

4. Mine All Mine

5. Finish What Ya Started

6. Poundcake

7. Judgement Day

8. Spanked

9. Seventh Seal

10. Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)

11. Feelin'

CHERONE

1. Without You

2. One I Want

3. From Afar

4. Dirty Water Dog

5. Fire In The Hole

6. Why Can't This Be Love (Live 1998)

So who is my all-time favorite singer in Van Halen? That's easy.

Michael Anthony.

Synic's Spotlight: The Life I Remember - Once Human

Buckle up ladies and gentlemen, because tonight the spotlight shines on. Tonight is not another punk band like you may be expecting, though. Tonight I wanted to come up with something a little different to fill your earholes. So tonight I give you something harder, and a little more abrasive. Tonight I give you, Once Human.

Once Human came onto my radar not long ago, during my internet research of female-fronted metal bands to give my musical palette some femininity. I found exactly that in a couple groups, but not this one. Once Human is unlike anything I've listened to before, but let me say they are a warm welcome in my library. Their 2015 debut record The Life I Remember has been a regular shuffle in my daily listens for a couple months now, and it's showing no signs of slowing down.

When I first started getting into metal, I was never into the screamers. To me, that's all it was. Aurally abrasive and altogether displeasing. It was just screaming to me. I couldn't understand what the vocalist was saying, nor did I care. It came to be known to me by the sub-genre moniker that my sister came up with herself: Cookie Monster Rock. Its like your standard hard rock/metal, with an angry Cookie Monster holding the microphone. That said, something changed within me the moment I discovered Once Human.

The insane musical talent of the guys in this band just blew me away. The vocalist can hold a note with the best of them, especially on tracks like "I Am War" and "The Life I Remember," but sometimes you just have to scream it out. And that is also something she excels at, on near every track on the record. Minus the musical interludes, of course. (It also doesn't hurt that she is incredibly hot, but I'm not Revolver Magazine, so I won't rate my bands by the hotness of the lead singer.) What I will, say, however, is that while my progress of learning the lyrics to their songs is greatly impeded by the fact that she is indeed screaming, it is not impeding my enjoyment of their material in the slightest. There's something charming and deeply thrilling about being able to shut the world off and just bang your fuckin head for a while, and Once Human lets me do exactly that.

The Life I Remember - Once Human

9 - 4 - 2015

1. Trail of Tears

2. Ground Zero

3. You C**t

4. Pick Your Poison

5. Terminal

6. Demoneyes

7. Devil Can Have You

8. Time of the Disease

9. I Am War

10. The Life I Remember

11. Siren

12. Growing Colder

Favorite Track: You C**t

Least Favorite Track: I Am War

Synic's Spotlight: Evil Stig - Evil Stig

It's no secret to any of you that I've been on a big punk kick lately. I've also been on a big female-vocalist kick for even longer. So I thought it only appropriate to follow my L7 spotlight with their current producer in her very own punk effort. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: Evil Stig.

Evil Stig is a beautiful marriage of Ohio punk band The Gits and rock icon Joan Jett. Joanie always had a punk soul, but she used her powers for rock n roll instead. As a massive fan of hers, I'll take any music she wants to put out. She changed the game of rock n roll, and laid the groundwork for future women in rock to come. I can pour my heart out all over this page about my affinity for Joan Jett, and how I fell in love with her at a very early age before I even knew who she was. But this post isn't about her, it's about Evil Stig. Like I said, it was a marriage made in heaven. Their peculiar name comes from the reverse of "Gits Live" and this self-titled record is the only one they put out together. Maybe someday I'll revisit this and actually do a post where I talk more about the importance of Joan Jett and her legacy...

This lone record by Evil Stig has quickly become one of my favorite punk records, as of late. It has the high-energy, hard driving rhythm section that any good punk record needs, as well as a pair of raw, unyielding guitars with some face-melting fretwork. All of that, topped with Joan Jett's passionate rasp, shows us that she is a natural born star with a punk soul and rock n roll heart. We've been hearing her music and seeing her play on stage for years before this record came into existence, but it seems with Evil Stig that we're truly seeing her for the first time in her natural habitat.

Before continuing, I think it's important to note that this album is essentially a compilation of The Gits hit songs, rerecorded with Joan Jett on vocals. There are a couple songs from Joan Jett's Pure and Simple record with The Blackhearts, and a new song by the group as well. They toured this record together in '95 with a series of benefit concerts to fund the investigation of the murder of Gits lead singer Mia Zapata, hence Joan Jett's inclusion.

I think it's very likely that my current punk-kick is actually BECAUSE of this record. Like I said, I've been on a big female-vocalist kick for a long while now, and as a result of that I found myself digging deeper into the discography of Joan Jett, which brought me to Evil Stig. Evil Stig reminded me of how much I love punk, which lead me to finding other acts such as L7 and Barb Wire Dolls. (Barb Wire Dolls are reportedly releasing new music soon, and you better believe there will be a post for it when that happens. Find them AND Evil Stig on Synic Selects Vol. I) So to boil it down, I don't know when my punk or female-vocalist kicks will end, eventually the day will come when I grow tired of it and move on to a different kick, but I can say with absolute certainty that I will never grow tired of Joan Jett, or the record Evil Stig (*EDIT or The Gits themselves.) Give it a listen for yourself and I think you'll see exactly what I mean. It's a more palatable punk record, for punk fans and non-punk fans alike to agree on. It's just fuckin' fun. And it's also probably the closest thing to grunge (90's Seattle punk) that I will listen to willingly. So there's that.

For more of my current Joan Jett-related obsessions, see the music video for "Doom or Destiny" by Blondie. And yes, there will very likely be a Synic's Spotlight shining on Blondie in the not-so distant future.

EDIT: I bought the entire Gits discography immediately after initially posting this. RIP Mia Zapata.

Evil Stig - Evil Stig

6 - 15 - 1995

1. Sign of the Crab

2. Bob (Cousin O.)

3. Drinking Song

4. Spear & Magic

5. Last to Know

6. Guilt Within Your Head

7. Whirlwind

8. Another Shot of Whiskey

9. Second Skin

10. Activity Grrrl

11. You Got a Problem

12. Crimson & Clover

13. Drunks

14. Go Home

Favorite Track: Bob (Cousin O.)

Least Favorite Track: Drunks

Synic's Spotlight: Smell the Magic - L7

Hey guys. When I first started this blog, I went into it with the intention of doing one post a week, every week, where I simply took a new record that I got from a band I liked and just wrote my initial thoughts on it. Well as you may have noticed for yourselves, there is a real shortage of new records coming out every week. That, and I started doing 2 or 3 posts a week so I very quickly ran out of new records to talk about. Going forward, I will still continue to discuss new records as I get them, and of course I will continue doing reviews by request (see my reviews for Sugar Ray and Vibraveil in the archives.) However, I also decided it was time to introduce a new concept for the blog. I'd like to give a special shoutout to our friends at The Bookshelf for inspiring this new concept. Thanks, Kim! Synic loves you.

So allow me to introduce Synic's Spotlight. Synic's Spotlight will be very similar in format to my standard record reviews, yet now I am giving myself the freedom to go back in time, and review any record I want, from any band, from any genre, any year. Maybe it'll be a personal favorite album of mine that I've listened to countless times, maybe it'll be something from the 90s that I just heard for the first time this week. Well that just happens to be the case for this first edition of Synic's Spotlight. I will still give my personal favorite and least favorite tracks as I normally do, however I will skip giving them a numerical rating.

For the Spotlight's grand debut, I'll be taking a look at Smell the Magic, the 1990 studio effort by all-girl punk rock band L7. I've known of the existence of L7 for quite some time, actually, as they are produced by Joan Jett and Kenny Laguna on Blackheart Records. At least they were for a while, I don't know if they still are, I'm not super well-versed in their career and I don't do any research before writing this shit. That said, I never really cared enough to try listening to the group. It wasn't until I heard one of their songs used in a Hulu series I've been binging during quarantine that they really caught my attention. The song, "Shove," was instantly searched for on YouTube while the show sat paused in front of me. The song quickly went from discovery to obsession after that. I loved everything about it. The energy, the ensemble chant in the chorus, the angsty and powerful chorus, and the fact that the lead singer sounds almost like if Cartman from South Park got a sex change.

I needed more. So I went online and bought the record containing "Shove," which turned out to be called Smell the Magic, an album regarded by many fans as their best record to date. And let me tell you that it does not disappoint whatsoever. Maybe the only disappointing thing about it, is that after you hit play you only have about 30 minutes of blood-pumping material before the album ends. But that's just the way punk should be, right? Fast paced, crazy high energy, and over before you know it. Like sex on prom night.

After having listened to the album twice just today alone (I bought the record last night, mind you) I can say that my initial obsession, "Shove," holds up. It's the opening track on the record, and what a strong opener it is. But the following tracks do not let up either. The next track is just as good as it's predecessor. I really had to scrape the barrel to pick a least favorite on this one. It's just a damn fun record. For fans of punk, hard rock, or just anything hard and dirty that leaves a trail of destruction in your earholes, L7's Smell the Magic is a great place to look. But hell, it's been out since 1990 so if you like any of the things I mentioned earlier you probably already know this album. If that's the case, let me ask you: why the hell didn't you tell me about it?

Smell the Magic - L7

9 - 1 - 1990

1. Shove

2. Fast and Frightening

3. (Right On) Thru

4. Deathwish

5. 'Till the Wheels Fall Off

6. Broomstick

7. Packin' a Rod

8. Just Like Me

9. American Society

Favorite Track: Shove

Least Favorite Track: Broomstick

Synic Selects Vol. II - Best of Tony Hawk

The concept for Synic Selects Vol. II came to me very shortly after releasing the first edition, and I was so excited about the idea that I had to actually force myself to wait almost a full month before releasing it. (I was gonna do a full month or more between Volumes, but I have no self control.) I suppose the inspiration for this Volume sprouted as I was compiling the first, since the first Volume was entirely punk, and the Tony Hawk video game soundtracks are notoriously punk-heavy. But in the chaos of the world today I think we could all use some more punk in our lives. It's a hell of a lot cheaper than therapy, isn't it?

I believe that everyone on planet Earth who has ever picked up a video game controller, Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, or otherwise, has at some point in their lives experienced a Tony Hawk game. Be it one of the Pro Skaters, Undergrounds, American Wasteland, or one of the later entries in the franchise, everyone has some sort of experience with these games. Some of us still play them from time to time to this day. There's something about them, the simple controls, the wretched graphics, repetitive story missions, that just takes us back to a simpler time in life. A time when we were young, carefree, and Tony Hawk got recognized in public as Tony Hawk, and not some old guy that looks like Tony Hawk. Go ahead and look up any of the songs listed here on YouTube, or any of your own favorites that didn't make it onto this list, and I guarantee the comments will be flooded with references to the classic games.

In building this list I gave myself a few basic rules, otherwise I would have a playlist of hundreds of songs. While that actually sounds pretty cool to me, I figure for the sake of keeping things basic, I'd boil it down to just my favorites. I wanted to make sure every game between Pro Skater and American Wasteland were represented, as those were my personal favorites, and I also wanted to be sure I did not repeat any artists that may have appeared in multiple games. The following list is what I came up with. So, without further introduction, here it is. Synic Selects Vol. II - Best of Tony Hawk. Crank it loud, collect the letters to SKATE, and try to wallride the school bells. But most of all, enjoy.

Synic Selects Vol. II - Best of Tony Hawk

1. Police Truck - Dead Kennedys

2. Jerry Was A Racecar Driver - Primus

3. Cyco Vision - Suicidal Tendencies

4. You - Bad Religion

5. Pin the Tail on the Donkey - Naughty By Nature

6. Ace of Spades - Motorhead

7. Amoeba - Adolescents

8. T.N.T. - AC/DC

9. Drunken Lullabies - Flogging Molly

10. Blackball - The Offspring

11. Anarchy in the UK - Sex Pistols

12. I Wanna Pierce My Brain - Rubber City Rebels

13. White Riot - The Clash

14. I Love Livin' in the City - Fear

15. High Anxiety - Suicide Machines

16. Rock n' Roll High School - The Ramones

17. Add It Up - Violent Femmes

18. Liberate - Disturbed

19. X - Los Angeles

20. Midlife Crisis - Faith No More

21. Rise Above - Black Flag

22. Wild in the Streets - Circle Jerks

23. Who Do You Want To Be - Oingo Boingo

*SECRET TAPE:

Born Fe Rebel - Steel Pulse

*The Secret Tape was included as a fun bonus because it is a personal favorite song of mine, and I think it stands out the most from the rest of these soundtracks. I mean think about it, a compilation of punk, rock, and hip hop, with a random reggae jam thrown into the mix? You're full of surprises, Birdman.

Dissolute - Vibraveil

Here's a peculiar one for you. This one came to me yesterday by request, from the singer of the band himself. So Mr. Nardo, kudos to you for having the balls to ask an asshole like me to review your record. Respect.

Last night I had the privilege of looking at Dissolute, the third studio effort by lesser-known Aussie rockers Vibraveil. I say lesser-known because not only was this my first exposure to the album, but it was my first time even hearing of the band. After listening to an entire studio album of theirs, I can say with absolute certainty that I haven't the slightest idea who they sound like. They have a very unique brand of alternative metal-meets-progressive rock-meets post grunge. The closest relation I could make to their sound is if Pearl Jam were to try making a metal album. Or perhaps if Tool tried their hand at alternative rock. Maybe they're a demon child of the two? Whose to say. Regardless of whoever they might sound like, it was their unique concoction of these different genres that creates Vibraveil's signature sound, and let me tell you that it worked a lot better than I thought it would.

Before I get further into it, let me get a few things off my chest. I am not a fan of alternative. And what's more, I hate grunge. Being the big 80s metal fan you know me to be, this should come as no surprise. So if I come across as harsh or off-target with some of my analysis, that's why.

Even with the albums consistent tone, the band still showed plenty of variety while staying true to who they are. "Eutherian Dream," for example, has a punk-like edge to it that gave it a harder bite than some of the other tracks. Deeper into the record was "Blue Sky Drowning," which featured the bass groove that I was desperately waiting for throughout the entire first half of the record. Something about alt. metal post grunge prog. rock just SCREAMS bass groove to me, and this track brought it. I mean really brought it. Turn the bass up on your home stereo and give this track a listen, you'll see exactly what I mean. There's even an unexpected percussion solo that I wasn't prepared for, featuring what I THINK sounded like bongos and a tambourine. Maybe. You'll have to confirm with the band.

"Podium" was the track that stood out to me the most. It was, in my opinion, the most hard-rock almost metal sounding track of the whole record. Harder guitar, and just a more driving feel to the whole thing. "Unyielding Resilience," however, was one of the tracks that lost me. Any loyal readers should know that I am not one for a slow song, and for the first 2.5 minutes, that's all this was. Then the break finally comes in, and they speed things up to make it more interesting. Then maybe a minute or two later, we slow it back down and it loses me again.

My biggest gripe with what actually surprised me as a pretty cool record, was the mixing. The band is young and hungry, and there's definitely signs of that, however they just haven't gotten the sound-engineering part down yet. On some tracks the drums heavily overpowered the vocals, and I couldn't really hear the guitar at all. On slower tracks, however, it was actually the opposite. The guitar overpowered the drums.

All in all, I was surprised by how much I actually enjoyed this record. For a genre that I would never seek out on my own, these guys from down under really shook me. I'd definitely be interested to see where these guys go from here.

Dissolute - Vibraveil

11 - 15 - 2019

1. Tragic End

2. Rebirth

3. Together Now

4. Consequence Catastrophe

5. Microcosm

6. Eutherian Dream

7. Blue Sky Drowning

8. Podium

9. Macrocosm

10. Forgotten Futures

11. Unyielding Resilience

12. Anxiety Machine

Favorite Track: Podium

Least Favorite Track: Macrocosm

Rating: 7.0

MMXX - Sons Of Apollo

I was drawn to these guys entirely because of their name. Let me say that first. I was always fascinated by Greek mythology when I was growing up, I even briefly considered getting Poseidon tattooed on my thigh for a brief moment. So a modern rock band calling themselves "Sons Of Apollo" was definitely something I wanted to experience for myself. Eventually I landed upon their newest album, MMXX, which was ever-so-creatively named after it's year of release. The band itself is a supergroup of sorts, featuring 5 members whose credentials are far too long for me to even consider cataloguing here. Just know that these guys have been around the block once or twice and know a thing or two about playing rock and roll. Knowing all of that going into MMXX, I was excited to sink my teeth into it.

The opening track from the record, "Goodbye Divinity" grabs your attention almost immediately. The  band members appear in the video one by one playing the hell out of their seemingly-unwieldy instruments. The drummer is surrounded by an endless kit, the bassist and guitarist both have double-necked instruments for some reason, and the keyboardist has 3 keyboards stacked on top of one another. Imagine my surprise when the singer didn't appear with 3 mouths. In fact, the top YouTube comment on the video reads "Was really disappointed the lead singer not showing triple microphone." The amusing video only carries the song so far, as the endless intro completely lost my interest by minute 3. Yes, its nearly 3 minutes before you even see the lead singer. This was certainly foreshadowing more boredom to come, as the record contains only 8 tracks, with a total runtime of over 58 minutes. The last track of the record is over 15 minutes long on its own. Perhaps the band should consider a name change to Sons Of Extravagance?

I really don't know what else to add about this record. I do love the percussion parts, I will admit. The drummer has some killer fills and I love listening to his technique. It's the rest of the band's components that I have issue with. You would think that with this much talent, they would be able to hold my attention for more than 3 minutes at a time. But when one song its just an eternal guitar solo leading to forgettable lyrics, it leaves you disappointed. Like going to Olive Garden and filling up on salad and breadsticks. Sure, it sounds great at first, but when you get back in your car you just feel like your missing something. Well that's what this album is. Bottomless breadsticks. Sounds exciting on paper, but it probably isn't what you really need in your life. Keeping this in mind, picking a favorite and least favorite will be difficult because every song on this album sounds the same as the one before it. So wish me luck. Though I do have to give honorable mention and a special shout out to "Desolate July," a touching tribute to a beautiful soul. RIP David Z.

Needless to say, this record was certainly not what I was hoping it would be. It lost me 3 minutes in, and never truly regained my full attention. It just wasn't for me at all, and that's okay. No record is made for every single person in the world to enjoy. However, these guys most definitely have their following, so check them out and see what you think for yourself. If the demon-lovechild of Pink Floyd and Dragonforce is something you think you would enjoy, by all means. If that doesn't work for you, maybe think of them as an angry Dream Theater. Before I continue beating the dead horse, why don't I wrap it up here? Because unlike Sons Of Apollo, I know when to end it. Sorry, I just couldn't resist getting one last shot in.

MMXX - Sons Of Apollo

1 - 17 - 2020

1. Goodbye Divinity

2. Wither to Black

3. Asphyxiation

4. Desolate July

5. King of Delusion

6. Fall to Ascend

7. Resurrection Day

8. New World Today

Favorite Track: King of Delusion

Least Favorite Track: New World Today

Rating: 4.8