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

Let The Sin Begin - Psychosexual

This is something brand new that flew into my radar earlier today. I caught wind of a new project from Jeremy Spencer - the long-time drummer from 5FDP, called Psychosexual. I've been a follower of Jeremy on social media for a while, so the Slipknot-reminiscent-yet-also-dirty band name was not a surprise to me. What was a surprise, however, was the project itself. Psychosexual is a new brand of metal for Jeremy, much more goth in style than 5FDP ever was. And this time, Spencer trades in his drum kit for the microphone, by providing his own smooth and spooky vocals rather than percussion. 

The band's first album, Torch The Faith, has yet to be released, however the band did put out a single just this morning. The debut single is called "Let The Sin Begin" and it is not trying to hold back in its pornographic nature by any means. In fact, many pornstars are featured as dancers in the music video. The whole experience of watching and listening this new group in their first video made me think I was in an alternate reality, where Steel Panther donned black leather and eyeliner instead of leopard-print tights and hairspray. Jeremy quite literally sings about fucking and wiping his love from your chin. How charming.

That said, I did not enjoy the experience in the slightest. Jeremy does prove his musical talents once more, as does his backing band members, however the silly masks, gross lyrics, and macabre style all made for an unfortunate trainwreck that I couldn't help but watch twice. I had to watch it a second time to make sure I didn't imagine the dumpster fire the first time.

Look for Torch The Faith, the debut record from Psychosexual, out soon. I won't be looking for it, but if any die-hard fans of Steel Panther want to disappoint their parents even more, give this one a listen.

Rating: 2.0

Darkness - Stitched Up Heart

In the months before I started doing these reviews, my daily iTunes shuffle (yes, I still use iTunes) was getting pretty stale. I had all the bands that I ever loved, all my favorite songs, but something was missing. I was hungry for something new. At the time I was listening to a lot of female vocalists, including my vintage favorites Joan Jett and Vixen, along with new blood Halestorm, New Years Day, and In This Moment. It was the only thing that would come on my shuffle that I wouldn't immediately skip. So I needed more. A quick "female singers in rock and metal" Google search led me to Stitched Up Heart. Honestly I'm not sure how our paths haven't crossed sooner. They spent last spring opening for Sebastian Bach on his Skid Row 30th Anniversary tour, which I almost went to go see but decided not to at the last minute. Oops. Anyway, I discovered Stitched Up Heart and a handful of other groups and I immediately bought a bunch of albums. Stitched only had one record out at the time, but I soon discovered that they had a new one on the way. That sophomore record became known as Darkness, an album that I bought the day it was released.

In full honesty, my first listen to the new record was rather forgettable. Maybe I was distracted, or was just in a weird mood that day, but I wasn't feeling it the same way I was feeling their debut record. But as I sit in front of my laptop now, spinning Darkness again, I'm feeling it much more than I did the first time. The opening track, Lost, features Sully Erna, the frontman from the legendary Godsmack. Personally the song kicks in a little abrupt for my taste, I like an album opener to have more build up than that, but the track is killer. I don't know why Stitched didn't use "Lost" as the title track for the record, as the one they picked, "Darkness" falls flat. It's not a bad song by any means, but the album opener is just that much stronger.

Stitched grows but also stays true to themselves on this record, much like NYD did with their newest Unbreakable. Not to compare records, but both bands are very similar in style. They both have a refreshing brand of techno-pop-infused-metal that works surprisingly well. Which record you prefer depends on where you fall on the spectrum. If you want more pop, look to NYD. If you want more metal, look to Stitched.
Okay, tangent over.

Darkness is packed with fun tracks. Every one has a chorus that will get stuck in your head, and impressive instrumental work. I found myself focusing deeply on the drums in many of these songs, especially on "Dead Roses." There were two songs that were in close competition for my least favorite track. "Crooked Halo" is just plain boring to listen to, but "Problems" wins least favorite track because of the weak lyrics and annoying chorus. Might be mean, but it's my take. And if you've read any of my previous posts, you already know I'm a dick.

At the end of the day, this is not a platinum-selling record. But it is damn good. I've spun it twice already this morning. If you're looking to get into a new band that you can see for cheap ticket prices before they make it really big, Stitched Up Heart is a good place to look. I know I'm looking forward to catching them on tour someday.

Darkness - Stitched Up Heart

3 - 13 - 2020

1. Lost

2. This Skin

3. Problems

4. Warrior

5. Straitjacket

6. Dirty Secrets

7. Darkness

8. Bones

9. Dead Roses

10. Crooked Halo

11. My Demon

Favorite Track: Lost

Least Favorite Track: Problems

Rating: 7.6

Ordinary Man - Ozzy Osbourne

I don't know why I waited so long to crack into this one. As a huge classic rock/metal fan, I've always held Ozzy in high regard. Him and Rob Halford are like the founding fathers of heavy metal, and there's no denying that. With that being said, I also feel the need to say that while I love the man and everything he's done for the world of metal music, I don't find myself listening to him very often. Growing up I had a very select few of his tracks on my iPod. Two of those songs came from the last 20 years, while the rest were his early hits, and some of his stuff with Sabbath. Since 2000, I felt (granted I know very little of his discography in the grand scheme of things) all of his stuff started to sound very similar. Zakk Wylde-style riffs, hard percussion, campy, almost silly lyrics. While it's still very fun to listen to, and it works for many people on a high level, it just isn't the metal that I'm looking for these days. I keep looking forward, but this new record feels like I'm looking backward.

The opening track, "Straight To Hell," is a perfect example of Ozzy's campiness. If you watch the video, it's almost laughable. I watch it and wonder if the Ozzman even has any idea where the fuck he is. I was intrigued at first, the opening operatic vocal effect was an interesting hook to grab my attention, but the opening verse immediately lost me. The first line "All right now" was closely followed by a reference to defecating. Not exactly his best work. From there, the following two tracks are equally as forgettable. A memorable single from this record is the title track, accompanied with a really heartfelt video. It really made up for the laughable "Straight To Hell" video, and the "Under The Graveyard" video that looked like it was just pieced together with outtakes from all of Ozzy's scenes in The Dirt.

Ozzy pulled in some big guns to record this album, including Duff McKagan from Guns N Roses and Chad Smith from RHCP fame. There are also plenty of guest appearances on this record, including Elton John (why?), Travis Scott, (why??) and Post Malone (WHY??) Of all the potential guest artists I could think of to pair with Ozzy, these three never would have entered my mind. Not even close. Maybe on his next one we can get a cameo by The Wiggles. Rat Salad... yummy yummy...

I want it to be known before I wrap this up, that I adore Ozzy Osbourne. I love the man and what he has done for rock and metal. Many of my favorite artists today would not exist if not for him. In some way, Ozzy is like a crazy metal uncle that I always wished I had. But this record, Ordinary Man, is not the album I will remember him for in the decades to come. I searched this record long and hard for a memorable headbanger like "I Don't Wanna Stop" or a surprise tear-jerking ballad like "Dreamer," yet my search proved fruitless. While I was excited to dig into this record and give 5FDP a run for their money for metal record of the year, sadly, the Ozzman just did not cometh.

Ordinary Man - Ozzy Osbourne

2 - 21 - 2020

1. Straight To Hell

2. All My Life

3. Goodbye

4. Ordinary Man

5. Under The Graveyard

6. Eat Me

7. Today Is The End

8. Scary Little Green Men

9. Holy For Tonight

10. It's A Raid

11. Take What You Want

Favorite Track: Scary Little Green Men

Least Favorite Track: It's A Raid

Rating: 6.2

The Rebirth of AC/DC: 40 Years Later

This is a post that I hold very close to my heart, for many reasons. The main reason is, AC/DC was, is, and always will be, my favorite rock group of all time. They are such a transformative part of who I am and what I listen to today, that anyone who knows me personally knows that AC/DC and myself go together like peanut butter and jam. Of course you COULD have one without the other if you really wanted to, but you would know deep in your heart that just a peanut butter sandwich is boring and feels like its missing something. Well for many years, I was that peanut butter sandwich. Okay on my own, maybe a bit salty, but nonetheless okay. Until I discovered my jam. Pun intended.

Before I really get into it, let me say this: you never forget your first. My first time was in the parking lot at one of my older sister's lacrosse games. My dad and I were watching her play when it started to rain. I was just a kid and my old man wanted us to stay dry, so we climbed into the his old Honda. He turned the car on to get us warm again, and as soon as the radio roared to life I heard it: the bell. The hair-raising, bone-chilling resonance of Hell's Bell. Then that instantly-recognizable (though at the time, unknown to me) riff comes in. Then the drums and the bass. Suddenly, the raspy vocalist sings the line that would change my life forever: I'm a rolling thunder, pouring rain... I was hooked. "Who is this?" I asked my dad. "AC/DC," his reply. Moments later, a new song comes on. A fun bluesy number that I again did not recognize. That bluesy number turned out to be "Rock And Roll Ain't Noise Pollution." Again on the hook, I had to know. "Who is this?" to which my dad again replied, "AC/DC." That was it. I needed more. As soon as we got home that evening I dug through my dad's CD collection until I found one with their name on it. And there it was: a solid black cover, emblazoned with the band name at the top, and only 3 other words: Back In Black. Within months of that afternoon sitting in my dad's car at a women's lacrosse game, I would have every AC/DC album or DVD they ever released. To this day, I'm still wanting more.

Enough about me. 1980 was a roller coaster of a year for AC/DC. On February 19th, they lost their frontman (and my favorite vocalist of all time) Bon Scott to alcohol poisoning. Less than two months later, the brothers Young decided that Bon would not want them to sit around and mope. They were born to play on, so play on they did. In April of 1980, forty years ago this month, they auditioned replacement singers, until they found ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson. This is the key to their rebirth. The spark that allowed the phoenix to rise from the ashes. In many ways, this was a rebirth of rock & roll in general. Whether you, the reader/listener, are a fan of AC/DC or not, there is no denying that Back In Black is a landmark record. To this day it remains one of the highest-selling records of all time. They had already begun writing and recording some of the material when they were coming off the tails of their Highway To Hell tour, so somewhere out there in the world, there are recordings of Bon singing some of the songs from BIB and I can't think of anything I WOULDN'T do, to get my hands on them. I had a friend in college that didn't know much of AC/DC's material, save for the obvious radio hits. In fact, he had no idea that AC/DC even had two singers. (Technically more than two, but I won't get into that). When I showed him my copy of BIB on vinyl, he checked out the track list on the back. "Holy shit," he said to me, "Every song on here is a hit." Yup.

Back In Black is a record that, whether you realize it or not, everyone has a connection to. Some people have stronger connections than others, like myself for example, but everyone in the world knows the songs on this record. And to think we almost never got some of these tracks is a bittersweet thing to think about. It breaks my heart and warms it at the same time. Bon's death lead to the writing of "Hell's Bells" as a tribute to him, while Brian and the boys considered leaving "Have A Drink On Me" off the record because of the subject matter and how it played a factor in Bon's untimely demise. Then there is "You Shook Me All Night Long," one of the first songs Brian wrote with the band. The brothers may have had the riff while Bon still walked the Earth, but they didn't have lyrics for it. So Brian sat down and wrote about a car, not a woman, a car, and he was unknowingly writing what would soon be a massive hit single for the band. So when I think about AC/DC and the Back In Black record, I do it with a heavy, yet full heart, as I know it was the product of a horrible tragedy, yet it forever engraved AC/DC's name as one of the greatest bands to ever play. I could go on for hours and hours and endless pages of why I love this band. But I only wanted to scratch the surface of the importance of this record, and I think I've done that. My affliction and obsession for all things AC/DC is so deeply engrained within me now, that just this morning my own mother texted me "Happy 40th anniversary Brian Johnson!" because she knew her son would be celebrating. So thank you, Mom, for inspiring tonight's post. And while I certainly did not intend for this post to turn into a long review of BIB, I figure why not close with it. Before I leave you today, let me just say one last thing:

Ride on, Bon.

Back In Black - AC/DC

7 - 25 - 1980

1. Hell's Bells

2. Shoot To Thrill

3. What Do You Do For Money Honey

4. Given The Dog A Bone

5. Let Me Put My Love Into You

6. Back In Black

7. You Shook Me All Night Long

8. Have A Drink On Me

9. Shake A Leg

10. Rock And Roll Ain't Noise Pollution

Favorite Track: Hell's Bells

Least Favorite Track: Shoot To Thrill

Rating: 10/10