Hesher: A Very Bitchy Movie Review

I hate to be blunt, but this movie is a total drag. When I first read blurbs hailing the film as gruesome, dramatic, and hilarious, I was expecting something between Rockstar and Dead Alive. What I got instead was something between a chick-flick and a home movie. The plot is tedious, unless you want to spend an hour and a half of watching a 13 year old suffering constantly. Seriously, the protagonist, T.J, is tormented by his own family, school bullies, authority figures, and especially by the titular character, Hesher. The bad guys are all one-dimensionally cruel, with an annoying heartlessness bordering on that of a cartoon supervillain. Even the good guys are a pain in the ass, as they seem to be pathetic martyrs who passively suffer. For a movie that revolves around death, violence, and substance abuse, it somehow manages to be incredibly boring. Like all dramas, it has the requisite family dinner scene in which the males yell at each other, break the dishes, and storm off while the womenfolk weep and plead them to stop.

As for Hesher himself...
For all the depth he has, he might as well be a stick figure shouting "Weed! Beer! Motorhead! Fire! I'm an asshole! Rawr!" He is basically a caricature of all the negative stereotypes about Metalheads. On the plus side, at least he's not predictable. Even if you don't know what his next move will be, you can rest assured that he is consistently acting like a horrible dick. The worst part is, he'd be kind of hot if he wasn't such an insufferable asshole.

I'm not just being facetious when I say that the credits are my favorite part of the movie. That is the only time you hear a Metal song in its entirety, and I was also mildly entertained by the gallery of Hesher's art that looks like obscene graffiti from a bathroom stall. 

As grueling as this film is, it isn't all bad. The scene in which Hesher smokes weed with the Grandmother is so wrong, yet so beautiful, like the breast-feeding scenario in Grapes Of Wrath.  For the most part, however, this is an account of unjust existential tragedy, the likes of which I haven't seen since the Old Testament. I can acknowledge the allure of the movie's concept, but in all honesty, I pretty much hated the whole thing. Two stars outta five. 

Warehouse 21 Concert

So last time, I informed all you mongrels of the upcoming shows. If you missed this concert, that's entirely your own fault. Either way, here are the shenanigans that transpired last night.

Soul To Rest were the last-minute opening act, filling in for Burst Into Flames. I love both of these bands, so the show would have kicked ass anyway, but Soul To Rest is a local favorite and brought in a plethora of metalheads. They played monolith head-banging pieces such as Martyrdom Of The Divine and Early Morning Massacre, a pristine pre-game for the bands to come.

Next up was Echoes Of Fallen, a brutal Death-Metal band hailing from Albuqurque. Their style is a flashback to old school Death Metal. (Think about this: Morbid Angel meets Death. That's how they sound.) Although the subject matter of the lyrics is grueling, the vibes are all positive. These musicians are not only performers, but fans of Metal themselves, thus rendering gimmicks unnecessary. This attitude is radiant, and it shines through at concerts. Rarely have I seen a stage presence so energetic, even though it is devoid of novelty.

Leading into the headliner were local legends Savage Wizdom. This is old-style Power Metal at it's finest. These guys totally rock, with beefy lyrics, hooky riffs, and clean vocals bordering on operatics. The front row was packed with heshers banging heads in unison, and I kid you not when I say that most of the audience knew the lyrics by heart. Savage Wizdom put on a superb performance as usual.

The headlining band was Grinkai, bringing dirty thrashy Death Metal with a vengeance. These dudes have a funky style going on, reminiscent of Groove-Metal titans such as Pantera. The guitar riffs are catchy enough to get stuck in your head, and the vocals are ruthlessly caustic. Again, the stage presence brings in the X-Factor that recordings lack. A Grinkai concert is a spectacle to behold, and I cannot stress enough that if you missed it, I neither envy nor pity you. You deserve what you got, which is deprivation of the pinnacle of all that rocks. Serves you right, fucker.

Warehouse 21 did not dissapoint. This was the best night I've had in a long while. I'll be recovering from whiplash for a long time, but I hope to see you on March 2nd anyway. Four stars outta five.

Album Review: Clamber Of Chaos

Soul To Rest is one of the most popular metal groups in Santa Fe for a reason. Their style is caustic, melodic, and energetic, a very Whitechapel-esque combination. The recently released CD, Clamber Of Chaos, never recieved the hype it deserves. Soul To Rest concerts are most triumphant, so how would their recordings measure against the standard they set for live shows?

The album gets off to a good start, opening with the band's magnum opus, Like Sheep To Slaughter. This opening track is an undisputed masterpiece. The vocals are demonic, the melodies thrashy, and the composition sublime.Other tracks have been refined since their release on an untitled demo. Siphon The Beauty has evolved for sure. The intro no longer sounds like an ameteur cover of I Stand Alone, and now has a distinct sound unto itself.

Pitiful One, a former favorite until Sheep To Slaughter was composed, remains a testament of the prowess and musicianship of the band, being simultaneously heavy and catchy.The brilliantly titled Martyrdom Of The Divine is a barn-burner of epic proportions, rivaling the masterpiece that is LSTS. The remastered Hands Of Malice and new track Early Morning Massacre, although great songs, get lost in the mix.

The CD as an entirety is reminiscent of Whitechapel's style, although Soul To Rest guitars have more hooks and the drums are not as overbearing. The vocals are as wicked as the lyrics themselves, and all of the musical elements are cohesive. As a whole, the album is consistently badass, but a few songs are even more intense than the others.

Although not commensurable with the phenomenon that is a live Soul To Rest concert, the CD is very high quality with evolved heaviness and virtuosity from the band's humble beginnings. Four stars outta five.

Metal Day at the El Rey: A Concert Review

International Metal Day, that most (un)holy of days, fell on 11/11/11 this year. In recognition of this divinely commissioned coincidence, Albuqurque's own Historic El Rey Theater put together a badass gathering of epic proportions. These are the awesome results.

Night of Revenge is basically an ameteur Bullet For My Valentine. Their lack of experience is overshadowed by their potential. Quite talented for their age, they need only to improve their clean vocals and stage presence. Along the way, they can emerge as artists in their own right instead of an emulation of Mallcore. However, they deliver a spectacular show and proved a worthy choice to hit the ground running for the concert.

Have you ever wondered what Nu Metal would sound like if it didn't suck? Speculate no longer, comrades. Walls Within does not disappoint. Heavy as hell, they have a more Blues oriented sound than most metal artists. Thrashy strings complement the pounding drums and harsh vocals. It's a superb sound for the new generation. The ensuing mosh-pits are almost overwhelming at live shows, as are the plethora of  headbangers. Hope you're ready for some serious whip-lash.

Bear the Nightmare is a contemporary union of Metal with synthesizers. The result is something like Children of Bodom. The crowd-pleasing fusion of genres may not be radio-friendly, but it draws a great audience for live performances. Their musical style is funky and dance-able, yet intense. It's like psuedo-pop for moshers.

Ambryzette is Metal with a Post-Rock twist. The brooding melodic style is eroded by power-screams and snarls. They deliver an intense dichotomy of heaviness and ambience. Ever heard of Synesthesia, the phenomenon of senses overlapping? Having had more experience with psychedelics than I care to admit, I am all too familiar with this phenomenon. Now imagine you could hear a sunset. That's Ambryzette.

Hailing from Santa Fe, Savage Wizdom brings soaring Power Metal with a vengeance. Their nostalgiac vocal style echoes the likes of Halford and Geoff Tate, yet modernizes the early Dungeon-Metal sound to suit the tastes of modern Metalheads. Subject matter is beefy, ranging from grim reapers to dragon slayers, with nary a love ballad in sight. This is the kind of music that has the whole front row headbanging in unison. They were a great choice to lead into the headliner.

Remember how Walls Within sounded like the hypothetical non-sucky Nu Metal? Well, Blinddryve is what Nu Metal sounds like in its present state. Nonetheless, they do have a certain allure. The brutal lyrics and overwhelming sound-walls that are typical of Metal have been toned down to appeal to a larger audience. There's enough growls and distorted guitars to appease the average Metalhead, and the sweater-vest wearing masses can pretend to be rockers for a night. As such, the Metal-Day concert had ended, as T.S Eliot said, "not with a bang, but a whimper."

Band Review: Savage Wizdom

 Savage Wizdom rose to prominence in the local scene due to their adherence to Traditional-Metal styles, a refreshing break from the indistinguishable sounds of many local artists. The vocals are a combination of Halford operatics and the primal screams that peppered Pink Floyd's Wall. The guitars are gradient, transitioning from chugging rhythms to wailing powerchords in the vein of early Queensryche. The bass keeps up and never gets lost in the mix, as is the unfortunate case for the majority of Metal bands. The drummer is extaordinary, as he knows he is a musician and not a metronome. The 5 member band is like a perfect pentagram; all of the elements are in sync, with no one in particular dominating or upsetting the balance. This very chemistry (or alchemy) is the factor that most contributes to their phenomenal stage-presence. Although they rarely employ props or theatrics, they need little more than synchronised headbanging to bring all eyes on them.

The lyrics are the mercury icing on the Metal-cake. Subject matter is relatively niche, covering themes such as dudes with swords, dragon slayers, undead serial killers, and so on. In other words, another day in the life for a true Metalhead. We, as headbangers, would love to hear our collective biography performed onstage in front of all the other headbangers. Tragically, Savage Wizdom has spent more time in the studio than in the venues, so live shows are somewhat of a rarity. However, when they perform live, they attract a huge, enthusiastic crowd, often outstripping the fanbases of headliners. Brutal.

 A few line-up changes throughout the years have refined the dynamics of the band. Although their only released CD featured a line-up different from the current one, the sound quality and energy are excellent. Rumors abound about a new CD to be released in the near future. Details to come.

In a nutshell, Savage Wizdom is crowd-pleasing Power Metal with a modern twist. Four stars outta five.

 Check out Savage Wizdom's profile Here...

Destroy To Recreate

Metal as a genre is as durable, and also as malleable, as the substance that shares its title. The heaviness remains constant, but the method by which it is expressed can change, often surpassing itself. This resilience is not only characteristic, but even exclusive to metal. The genre can be seen evolving in the limelight, manifested by well-known bands and publicized by their ever-vigilant fans. However, it is usually the underground scene that incubates the revolutions, and the pioneers who spearhead them. Of such catalysts, one is frequently overlooked, despite it's indisputable significance to the upward motion of music.

Enter Destroy to Recreate.

Destroy to Recreate is the aftershock of the theatrical dark humor which prevailed in the early years of Metal. But the tactics that were popularized by early rockers such as Alice Cooper have been brutalized by DTR, the theatrics are made less humorous and more abrasive to accommodate the modern state of Metal. They epitomize a contemporary style of Shock Rock, which exploits the melodic potential of the instruments without compromising the caustic nature that makes the genre what it is. The guitar riffs, although distorted, hint at some kind of catchy rhythm. The drums are fierce enough to satisfy without overpowering. The vocals are a flashback to 90's metal, gutteral yet discernable.
Immunized by the gore which has been injected by the media, DTR succesfully shocks and entertains a generation which is not yet indifferent to violence. "Sometimes you watch the news and see all the fucked up things that happen in the world, and it's so bad that  it kind of leaves a nasty taste in your mouth." Such is the sinister prelude to their shredding number, Bitter is the Taste, as delivered by vocalist Alex. True to their name, they use violence only on that which needs mending, and whose mending depends on extreme measures. Such things comprise a long list, but music is at the top.

http://www.destroytorecreate.com/