If I Was...

...making a living as a touring and recording musician and I happened to stumble upon Animals As Leaders, I would quit. End game. Sell my equipment to a pawn shop. Become a banker.

I got their self-titled debut (which made my 2009 Best Of list, by the by) when it came out and have been jamming on it ever since. However, it was seeing them live last night (with the always awesome and criminally underrated Dredg and the 10-year sleeping pill in the making, codeseven) that turned my appreciation for a Meshuggah-esque worshipping instrumental record, into worship.

If you're even remotely keeping up on the metal scene today, you know that Tosin Abasi is THE MAN right now. He makes Joe Satriani look like he plays with the proficiency and talent of CC Deville. It's sickening to watch him play, eyes closed and off in some other world...Only long enough to fit right back in the pocket of a poly-rhythmic bridge or segue into another mindfuck of a riff. And his band (who fill out this POWER trio) is perfect. No mistakes, no wrong notes, no nothing. Pure talent. In fact, I'm fairly certain the drummer is a legitimate machine.

It's not often an opening band can win over a crowd, let alone a 17-year old girl/effeminate boy crowd, but they certainly did, be it by scaring them shitless or blowing their fucking minds...Who's to say? Who cares.

Prepare thyself:

"Cafo"

New Jams

Been a while, yet again. Life is tricky. It's great to be super busy but also great to have five minutes to come up for air. I have 30 seconds, so here's what has been pleasuring my earholes for the past few weeks:

- Burnt By The Sun: Heart of Darkness (Relapse)
- 16: Bridges To Burn (Relapse)
- Dredg: The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion (Ohlone)
- Cave In: Planets of Old (Hydra Head)
- Jesu: Infinity (Avalanche)
- 65daysofstatic: Escape From New York (Monotreme)
- City of Ships: Look What God Did To Us (Translation Loss)
- Birds of Prey: The Hellpreacher (Relapse)
- Clutch: Strange Cousins From The West (Weathermaker)...and read MANHUNT too. The song "Abraham Lincoln" on this LP is based on this amazing book.

..and the hopes that the new Pearl Jam album is more awesome that the 4 songs I've heard from it.

Dredg Rules.

I try not to mix words here. Dredg rules. Period. End of story. Go home. Fin.

Three LP's, a live record and a live show that never fails to have jaws on the floor, this Northern California foursome have never failed to even come close to disappointing. They get better with every release, they gain more fans with every tour and they are only asked once in a blue moon to support bigger bands, for fear of making the headliners looks like wet shit.

Very few artists can truly capture emotion and power quite like they do. They teeter on the brink of blowing up into mainstream popularity, but always fall just a bit short...And it's probably what's best for them. At a Dredg show, you see fans in t-shirts of so many bands that you would never think two people under the same roof would dig (Hoobastank, Incubus, Porcupine Tree, Rush, Mastadon, Dream Theater, Faith No More, Pearl Jam, etc), yet every motherfucker in the house is singing along to every word. I'm still in awe of a show I saw them play at The Avalon in NYC last April. One of the best shows I've ever seen...Ever.

They're currently in the studio, demoing new songs and preparing to redefine their sound yet again. 2008 is going to be awesome...

El Cielo is a masterpiece. Here is one of my favorite videos and songs, "Same 'Ol Road". You're welcome.