Category: Hard Rock & Metal

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Hard Rock & Metal Music Reviews

Axl Rose, You Are My Hero! (I Know I Have Said it Before and I’m Saying it Again)

So called 17 years in the making, 15 years I have waited for another Guns N’ Roses fix, hell yes I have enormous expectation on “Chinese Democracy”.  And the good news is, I am so delighted that this most expensive album never made has finally see the daylight.  To the naysayers who toss a few stars lesser than what “Chinese Democracy” deserves, do you even love Rose’s music in the first place?

Axl Rose is my hero, my inspiration.  Sure, he heck cares about his fans and if not for the lyrics of the last song “Prostitute”, I wouldn’t even have a glimpse on what the heck Axl Rose has been fighting for, for 15 or 17 years (depending if you are counting from his band’s last studio album or cover album).  If his music has been in your head for the last 2 decades, you should have no problem relating to the music and the lyrics of “Chinese Democracy”.

First, let me clear the air here for those who say G N’ R is no longer G N’ R.  I own both albums by Velvet Revolver (formed mostly by the ex-band members of Guns ‘N Roses).  Guns N’ Roses without Axl Rose (read: Velvet Revolver) sounds nothing like Guns N’ Roses.  Even with one original member left, “Chinese Democracy” still sounds very much like a G N’ R production.

I think most exceptional artists are kind of eccentric.  Axl Rose is no exception.  What Guns N’ Roses has done with “Use Your Illusion I & II” is exceptional, unheard of.  A simultaneous release of two mega rock albums?  In recent years, Red Hot Chili Peppers released a double album “Stadium Arcadium”.  That is the only production that remotely reminds me of “Use Your Illusion (1991)”.  Still, songs like “November Rain”, “Don’t Cry”, “Civil War”, and “14 Years” have such a deep impression that till today, I still listen to.  Rewind to “Appetite for Destruction (1987)”, which electric guitarist wouldn’t be tempted to learn playing “Sweet Child o’ Mine”?  I have.  At least the beginning bit.

In fact, one of the first few songs I learned after I picked up guitar as my new hobby in my UK days was “Patience” from the “G N’ R Lies (1988)” album.  Lovely acoustic piece.  And strange to say, I do like the cover album “The Spaghetti Incident? (1993)” a lot.  Not their commercial success, I suppose.  But it is a rare gem.  Being able to execute so flawlessly in one cohesive album, only G N’ R can do it.

14 songs in “Chinese Democracy” total up to over 70 minutes of solid music.  The reassembled G N’ R has been touring for decades, without an album.  Hence, there is no surprise that the songs from this album sound so tight.  Pay attention to how the pieces of instruments weave together, pay attention to how well each piece balances with one another, no band these days make albums like this anymore – both from the music and recording perspectives.  To demonstrate my point on sound engineering, pick up an old rock CD (like one or two decades old) and play on your audio system.  Now, pick a recent rock CD and play.  Don’t you think that music these days are loud and in-your-face?  From the sound engineering’s standpoint, “Chinese Democracy” sounds just like a good old rock album.  Very well balanced.  Good stuff.

From the music standpoint, “Chinese Democracy” certainly contains more variety probably due to the countless number of band members coming and going and returning over such a long period in time.  One number starts with a Spanish guitar; all the songs come with solid memorable guitar solos; some I enjoy listening to the keyboard and piano tracks a lot.  The slower measures such as “If The World”, “There Was A Time”, and “Madagascar” are great tracks.  When Axl Rose sings the lines “It was a long time for you, it was a long time for me”, I can’t help but to smile at this subtle sad irony though the song appears to refer to something else.  And in the song “Sorry”, listening to the lines of “I’m sorry for you, not sorry for me.  You don’t know who in the hell to or not to believe”, I can’t help but to imagine this subtle message from him to his ex-band members.

When I first read the song title “Prostitute” (last song), I took the song at face value.  So it did seem that the song is about a prostitute.  Then the following line hits me: Ask yourself why I would choose to prostitute myself to live with fortune and shame.  That just occurs to me why Axl Rose may have been fighting with his record company or the system for so many years.

No doubt Axl Rose’s recorded vocal track sounds better than all that I have previously heard of.  The signature high notes are everywhere, overloaded with the signature pitch bending.  There is a nice tender side that shines, and the harshness that adds texture to his vocal track.  I can feel the emotion when he sings, as though he means everything he sings.  Awesome.

Today I am a happy man.  15 years of waiting is over.  Isn’t life simply awesome?

External Link: G N’ R Official Site

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Hard Rock & Metal Music Reviews

Metallica – Death Magnetic – The Gigantic Metallic Beast Is Awakened

If someone was to tell me a few years ago that Kirk Hammett would once again pick up his guitar and be the legendary guitar hero he once was, I would chuckle in disbelief.  If someone was to tell me that the new Metallica album would sound like this, com’on!  Are you for real?

Blasting Death Magnetic on our way home, Cynthia and I were screaming out loud punching fists in the air.  At first listen!  I only managed to get into St. Anger after 250 times of album repeat (no kidding, I used to have a count in my computer and it is hard to decipher the seemingly random patterns).  Gosh!  Are we living in an alternative reality or what?!  Kirk Hammett has finally come to his senses and hammers out some real cool and original guitar solo tracks.  Check out the signature snare smashing double bass by Lars Ulrich.  Not just double-time, or quadruple-time, but octuple-time double bass.  You wouldn’t have thought someone in the mid-forties, hospitalized in 2004 having to miss the tour, still able to pull this sort of act off.  The new bassist Robert Trujillo who was recruited into the band during the St. Anger era (that scene of one million cash proposal on the table together with an equal share as seen in the video Some Kind of Monster is hard to forget) plays brilliantly in this album.  Certainly my favorite Metallica bassist of all time.  Hopefully, Metallica Inc. is going to keep this one.  James Hetfield’s voice is in top form, sounds confident (consider how far gone he was with the alcoholism and rehabilitation), and his lyrics reflect just that, “You rise, you fall, you’re down then you rise again.  What don’t kill ya make ya more strong”.  Isn’t it more positive than “Shoot me again I ain’t dead yet”?  Not to forget to mention the mad guitar riffing of the opening track, these two guitarists have rescaled the difficulty spectrum of thrash metal up a few notches.

Approach any Metallica fan and we all have our favorite eras.  Rarely you find someone (like me) who loves everything from Kill ‘Em All (1983) to St. Anger (2003) including that S&M live with the San Francisco Symphony.  Purists would love the pre-Black Album era of songs like “The Four Horseman”, “Ride The Lightning”, “Master of Puppets”, and “… And Justice For All”.  These are great tracks, no doubt.  I still remember learning the riffs of songs from that era.  Then came the 15 times platinum selling Black Album that most fans would acknowledge its significance.  Some say the Load and ReLoad eras are sell-out, way too commercialized to the hardcore fans’ liking.  Well, I happen to enjoy being indulged in those amid slower, but somewhat memorable melodies.  And as a defender of St. Anger, I find myself having to explain to people my philosophy of why St. Anger – despite lacking in Kirk’s solo – was ahead of its time.  If you listen to Death Magnetic closely, you may be able to recognize the bits and pieces originating from the chaos within St. Anger (read: If there was no St. Anger, there wouldn’t have been a Death Magnetic).

What the new producer Rick Rubin has done is amazing.  There is an overarching structure yet there are elements of jamming within; there are familiar melodic phrases yet the singing of “Sad But True” and the earlier work keeps ringing in my head; there are modern guitar effects yet the pure metal essence of the “Master of Puppets” lives inside Death Magnetic; there is even an instrumental track “Suicide & Redemption” that rivals “Orion”.  Death Magnetic is a consolidation of all that Metallica has offered in the last 25 years.  It is a unifying platform for all the Metallica fans out there to rejoice.

Related Site: Metallica TV on YouTube

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Hard Rock & Metal Music Reviews

A Def Leppard Marathon – From Hysteria to Songs from the Sparkle Lounge

I have yet to figure out if each tragedy the band Def Leppard encountered leads to a success or each success curses them with a tragedy.

In year 1983, the UK rock band Def Leppard became famous after their third album “Pyromania” reached 10 times platinum in US alone.  In the following year, the drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm in a car crash.  I remember reading an article from a magazine while I was in UK.  A dramatic article on the return of the one arm drummer a few years after the accident.

After the car crash due to speeding, Rick Allen lost an arm.  You can imagine how disappointed the rest of the band felt.  First, the breakthrough, then the uncertainty.  But what about the young drummer?  Legend has it that he did not wish to give up but instead, he was determined to return to his career with three limbs and the help of electronic drum paddles.  In one dramatic evening, while the rest of the band members were having a drink at a lounge – their usual drinking place – without him, Rick Allen walked into the room.  I suppose some band members might notice his entrance but I would imagine that they were still mad at Rick and his recklessness.  So, no one was paying attention to Rick Allen.

Rick continued to walk to a drum-set set at the center of the room, and he started to play the drums.  At that very moment, vocalist and I suppose leader of the band Joe Elliott closed his eyes.  The sound of the drums filled his head, squeezed out all the resentment he has, and took him back in time.  A time when Rick still had his two good arms.  According to what I read, Joe Elliot couldn’t tell the difference.

So, there was life after “Pyromania” after all.  And a happy ending.  “Hysteria” hit twelve times platinum in US and perhaps, that fourth album is the peak of their career.

In year 1991, their legendary guitarist Steve Clark died due to alcoholism.  The following year, “Adrenalize” was released with a moderate success – three times platinum.   After “Adrenalize”, Def Leppard repackaged their b-side and unreleased tracks during the era of “Hysteria” and “Adrenalize” and named the album “Retro Active”.  Since I in particularly love that era, these three albums hold a dear place in my heart.

After that, their long time producer, Robert John “Mutt” Lange (once married to famous country singer Shania Twain) called it quit.  “Sling” is meant to be an album that expresses the true image of Def Leppard without Mutt Lange.  I personally like the uniqueness and freshness of that album but the mass media said otherwise.  “Euphoria” is forgettable and “X” is a joke.  I vowed not to buy any Def Leppard album, ever.

Then I bought “Songs from the Sparkle Lounge”.

Despite the lingering feeling of years of betrayal, I gave their 10th studio album a try.  The first song “Go” gripped me.  No way this is Def Leppard!  It sounds more like Korn.  I love the guitar solo too!  The next song “Nine Lives” is the album’s first single featuring country singer Tim McGraw.  OK, it is kind of old school rock and I didn’t love it at first listen.  Why choose “Nine Lives” as a single?  After a few listens, it does grow onto me.  And I agree, “Nine Lives” is probably one that has a better chance to stand the test of time.

It was the slow killer ballad “Love” that sealed the deal.  I do not have any of their albums prior to “Hysteria” and in the last week or so, I had a Def Leppard marathon listening to all their albums from “Hysteria” onwards.  I don’t think they have made anything like “Love” before.  That song is totally old school.  Cynthia thought that it sounds like a song from Queen.

Lyrically, some songs still remind me of the same old trivial stuffs such as “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Make Love Like a Man”. But check out the extract of the song “Cruise Control”.

I hear my god he calls my name
I must atone all men can change
and for my god I ring the bell
I will condemn the infidel

Mostly up tempo and mostly rock, I am happy that “Songs from the Sparkle Lounge” has revealed yet another side of the band.  It may not be as great as the “Hysteria” era but it is way better than any of their recent releases – if that means anything to you.

So tell me, how much do you love the old school rock music?

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Hard Rock & Metal Music Reviews

Velvet Revolver’s Libertad – A Sleek Rock Album By The Ex-Members Of Guns ‘N Roses and STP

In case if you wonder what on earth is Velvet Revolver (VR), it is a super-group formed by the ex-gunners Slash (guitar), Duff McKagan (bass), and Matt Sorum (drummer), the lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots (Scott Weiland), and Dave Kushner (guitar) of the 80s punk band Wasted Youth. At first listen, “Libertad” can be a little bit too “fibrous” – a borrowed term from Cynthia for albums that take a long time to digest – but I would say, “Libertad” has outdone VR’s debut “Contraband”. It is lean and it is a mean rock album. The patterns within each song are memorable and each instrument takes turn to shine in various parts of the song. There is no one member who dominates the album.

When VR first released “Contraband”, I could not help but to compare VR to the good old Guns ‘N Roses albums. After all, it is in essence Guns ‘N Roses minus Axl Rose. Time after time I would jump out of my seat and imagine how the song would sound with Axl instead. It is hauntingly scary I am telling you and it is frustrating.

Though it is hard to accept, VR is indeed a new band. A band that has moved forward with time and to be frank, the sound of VR is relevant to today’s rock scene without sounding too much of an old school. In their second album, VR has brought in Brendan O’Brien – a music producer who has worked with many renown bands including Stone Temple Pilots (STP) – and the result speaks loud and clear: “Libertad” convinced me to listen to VR as a new entity, and not just ghosts of Guns ‘N Roses nor STP.

If you like rock music, do give “Libertad” a try. The CD does suppose to contain videos of the making of the album. Unfortunately the media content cannot be played in my computer (duh!). Good thing though, it links me to the Sony BMG Musicbox. Do check out that site. It is like a mini YouTube with legal music videos in wide screen format. My only complain is the streaming speed. YouTube is much better.

PS. Is it just me to think that the name “Velvet Revolver” has a strong association to “Guns ‘N Roses”?

PS2. Oh I forgot to mention. I love the bonus track a lot. VR did a country music and when the singer kept going on and on towards the end, one of the members (Slash I suppose) said: whatever. And the song ends. Man, I am a sucker for all these extras.

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Hard Rock & Metal Music Reviews

Untitled – Is This The End Of Korn?

Many see Korn as the “Father of Nu-Metal”, a band that has created and popularized the nu-metal genre since 1994. What is nu-metal you may ask? Linkin Park has enjoyed a commercial success with music of this genre and I am sure many of you have heard a track or two from them occasionally on the radio. There are many reasons to love Korn. For me, I enjoy the guitar riffs that form the foundation of this “Korn sound”. I enjoy the lyrics that are abstractly dark – something I can certainly relate and in some ways, it is similar to my own lyrics writing style. Korn’s front-man Jonathan Davis has an unique voice and the bassist Fieldy adds much power and energy to the music. Korn likes to at times involve fans in designing their album art as well as giving free and unscheduled concerts to please them. I appreciate the effort of Korn reaching out to the fans.

After the departure of Head – one of the two guitarists of the band – Korn is never the same. The combo of the guitarists Head and Munky is what defines this “Korn sound”. In their last studio album, the looped in the famous production team “The Matrix” (who produced albums for Avril Lavigne, Liz Phair, Shakira, Hilary Duff, and etc … the combination of Korn and “The Matrix” is nothing but weird) to make some of their tracks more radio friendly. They did the same for this “Untitled” album.

I like to listen to an album with a context – a path of discovery. By reading the fine prints in the album sleeve (yes, please buy original!) and reading what the Internet has to say about Korn’s “Untitled”, I learned that in making this new album, they have to do without their original drummer David Silveria as he was on hiatus from the band. Instead, there were three drummers involved in recording “Untitled”. It is kind of sad for the fans. First it was Head’s departure, then David’s hiatus. From first listen, “Untitled” is nothing like the classic Korn sound. It was frustrating to me. Then on second listen, I began to appreciate the new Korn sound – the nu-metal sound with the atmospheres. Not only that, I have started to to pay attention to the different drummer’s style and influence to the music. How often do you find an album that has three distinctive drummers on different tracks?

Initially, Terry Bozzio was announced to replace David Silveria for the recording of one studio album. Terry is a good drummer no doubt (check out the last track). But to me, he has somewhat changed what Korn sounds like. After recording of 7 songs, Terry left due to disagreement of terms leaving another drummer Brooks Wackerman and the front-man Jonathan Davis to finish the job (Jonathan Davis can drum?! Wow). Personally I prefer Brooks Wackerman’s style – a more faithful continuation of what Korn supposes to sound like. My favorite tracks of the album are “Hold On”, “Bitch We Got A Problem”, and “Evolution”. Hearing Jonathan Davis sings and drums “Bitch We Got A Problem” with the hook of “Which one, which one of you is into me? Which one, which one of me is into you?” is as though hearing Jonathan talking straight to me. Strange.

Is “Untitled” the end of Korn? I surely hope not. Fans will follow Korn to the end and I am one of them.

Below is the music video of the song “Evolution”. I think it is a pretty funny video on the decline of mankind. Enjoy.

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Hard Rock & Metal Music Reviews

Within Temptation’s The Heart Of Everything – Yet Another Powerful Delivery From The Netherlands Band

Not many of you may have heard of a symphonic rock band Within Temptation from the Netherlands as they are relatively quiet outside the European and Australian charts. Nevertheless, if you enjoy listening to Evanescence, Within Temptation may offer you a much better alternative in terms of consistent song delivery, richness of rock and metal sound supported by a good symphonic ambiance, and the voice of Sharon den Adel is much better than Amy Lee from Evanescence. Within Temptation may also be more accessible to general audience as compares to one of their “competitors” from the same country, After Forever. The new album from After Forever is inspiring though the sound is more leaning towards metal while the fourth album from Within Temptation sounds pretty much like their previous one “The Silent Force”. In fact, both Cynthia and I think that the tunes are more catchy in “The Silent Force”, which brings out the question: is their new album “The Heart Of Everything” worth checking out?

I have to admit that over these 10 years of music creation, Within Temptation – though only have four albums – has become more sophisticated in terms of sound and melody. And with such a progress, I was slightly taken aback when I first heard of this album’s first single “What Have You Done feat. Keith Caputo” that has such as strong resemblance to Evanescence’s debut single “Bring Me To Life” (two vocalists – male and female). Perhaps it is Within Temptation‘s strategy to break into the global market. Nevertheless, “What Have You Done feat. Keith Caputo” is a great song and I have included its music video below. If you like that song, don’t miss another of their single “Frozen”.

If you buy the original CD, it comes with an “Opendisc” technology that enables you to view and listen to the exclusive contents streamed to your computer via the Internet. It has a couple of live recordings (four in total) as well as 11 video clips from their previous albums. I value bands with vocalists who can sing live well and the lead vocalist of Within Temptation, Sharon den Adel, truly shines when she is out at stage.

I personally do enjoy listening to this new album “The Heart Of Everything”. Content-wise, the band draws some of the concepts from the Christian Theology. There are songs of constant conflict and sorrow, sin and forgiveness. suffering and hope. My favorite track of the album is “Hand Of Sorrow” that contains a stunningly memorable chorus with the following lyrics:

So many dreams were broken and so much was sacrificed.
Was it worth the ones we loved and had to leave behind?
So many years have past, who are the noble and the wise?
Will all our sins be justified.

Talking about powerful tune of the chorus using the symphonic sound, the band even throws in a few Latin words inside “Our Solemn Hour”.

Sanctus Espiritus, redeem us from our solemn hour.
Sanctus Espiritus, insanity is all around us.
Sanctus Espiritus, is this what we deserve.
Can we break free from chains of never-ending agony?

Within Temptation does not belong to the genre that appeals to the general public. But if you are, you will probably add this group into your music collection by now. And don’t forget to check out their previous album “The Silence Force”. It contains great songs such as “Memories”, “Stand My Ground”, and “Angels”. The video of “Angels” is just beautiful, with a strong reference to good and evil.

Okay, I better put a stop in this blog. Or else I will keep on writing. Such a strong urge to do a write-up on their previous album.

Two weeks later after first drafting this blog: Okay, I cannot resist the temptation of sharing one of my favorite songs from their previous album. The song “Memories” is just beautiful. The video is beautifully filmed and the singer is beautiful in the video. If you find the song above too noisy for your liking, you may like this one better.

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Hard Rock & Metal Music Reviews

Marilyn Manson’s “Eat Me, Drink Me” – The Antichrist Superstar Turns Human (Or Not)?

If I am to name five artists who inspire my music creation journey, that would be Tori Amos, Pink Floyd, PJ Harvey, Prince, and Marilyn Manson in no particular order. That explains the length of this blog and I challenge you to devour every word I wrote – the finest piece of review I have to date perhaps.

Fans fall in love with Marilyn Manson’s unique dark music, his wit offstage, and his satirical views on government and religion. This unique blend of attributes gives forth an artist that there is none other than Marilyn Manson himself. Arduous fans support him to death while religious groups and government spokespersons protest against his artistic works records after records. It is not hard to imagine when he shamelessly voices out his religious opinions taking on the symbol of an Antichrist. His state opinions were being blamed for triggering the Columbine High School massacre just because the shooter was listening to Marilyn Manson during the shooting. As interviewed in Michael Moore’s controversial documentary “Bowling for Columbine”, Marilyn Manson argued that part of the American culture is to trigger fear and to find a common scapegoat. In this case, an entertainer is being picked while Bush was dropping bombs at Afghanistan causing more casualty than Columbine massacre. His views on government, fear, consumerism, and the American culture of guilt hiding and the use of violence as a mean to an end that is dated back in World World II – can be intriguingly intelligent.

Marilyn Manson is a stage name derived from Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson representing the two extremes of the spectrum in the American history. His music style is hauntingly dark and each album of his takes on a cohesive theme. With the talented Trent Reznor (who later formed Nine Inch Nail) collaborating with Marilyn Manson for that one record, “Antichrist Superstar” is perhaps his most notable work to date. And with “Antichrist Superstar” spins a trilogy of two more records “Mechanical Animals” and “Holy Wood”. His subsequent record “The Golden Age of Grotesque” was inspired by the seamy underside of Weimar Berlin specifically the underground artists back in 1930’s in the pre-Nazi Germany era. For those who are new to Marilyn Manson, I would recommend either the more accessible “Mechanical Animals” or the more tuneful “The Golden Age of Grotesque”. I will get to his latest work “Eat Me, Drink Me” in just a minute. If you are not too fussy on the lack of final polishing on the record production and if you usually listen to rock music but not nu-metal, “Eat Me, Drink Me” may be a better choice for you as his other records can get a bit “noisy”.

Marilyn Manson does not seem to have problem in attracting talents in assembling his band lineup even though some left or were fired along the way. John5 joined as the live guitarist for “Mechanical Animals” and was officially part of the band until lately. Twiggy Ramirez, an old time bassist and guitarist who contributed much to the music of the band, was ousted from the band after the “Holy Wood” album due to creativity differences. For “The Golden Age of Grotesque”, producer and bassist Skold was introduced into the band and have become a major source of music writing together with lead guitarist John5 who stepped up after the departure of Twiggy Ramirez. Probably due to difference in lifestyle, John5 – the only member with a clean image – left (or was fired from) the band after “The Golden Age of Grotesque”. There are fans who miss Twiggy’s guitar playing and there are even more fans who miss John5. In any case, Skold is now the new lead guitarist of Marilyn Mason with a new bassist coming on board from Prodigy to replace his previous role in the band.

While stifled by the circumstances of marriage with Dita Von Teese (once made it to the cover of Playboy magazine), Marilyn Manson withdrew from the music creation scene for a couple of years until he met his new 19 years old girlfriend Evan Rachel Wood. All of a sudden, instead of writing songs based on his opinions in the expense of shutting everyone around him, he started to write songs singing for someone. It comes as no surprise that “Eat Me, Drink Me” is inspired by his recent divorce and his new found love. Theme-wise, it is still as dark as before, more towards depression. However because the songs are more personal, he sings with emotions that can easily come across from the final recording. Music-wise, “Eat Me, Drink Me” was recorded in his own home studio with his buddy Skold and together, they played all the tracks from lead to bass guitar to drum programming to vocals. Bassist Skold has proven to be an all rounded producer and musician. “Personal Jesus”, a remake of one of Depeche Mode’s songs that was featured in his greatest hits album “Lest We Forget”, was created entirely by Skold with Marilyn Manson only contributed on the vocal track. Due to all these circumstances, “Eat Me, Drink Me” is heavy on the guitar and vocals and Marilyn Manson’s music continues to be tuneful like “The Golden Age of Grotesque”. One may observe that “Eat Me, Drink Me” is less produced and as close to unplugged as you can get with Marilyn Manson.

So, has our Antichrist Superstar turned human with songs that are sung with his heart and not opinions that humor the systems in the satirical way? Lyrics-wise, “Eat Me, Drink Me” explores the concept of “devouring someone whom you love dearly” or for that matter, “getting devoured by the one you love most”. In his own words (and definitely not mine), like Christ whose body and blood is consumed by the Christian community, Marilyn Manson is turning himself into a symbol to be … devoured. Intriguing concept I know but Marilyn Manson being the shock rocker himself, no topic is a taboo.

Is this change of his music direction for good? According to him, although he does not regret songs in the past that were written based on his opinions, he wish to have spent more time writing songs for the audience – even if it is for that one person. Besides music creation, Marilyn Manson does lots of watercolor painting having his own art exhibitions. He has a new upcoming film of which he is playing the director role.

With all that said, I think Marilyn Manson is a very talented artist if people can look beyond the way he sings, the way he looks, and the music themes that are less than mainstream.

I do not intend to embed the new promotional video clip “Heart-Shaped Glasses” again in this blog. You can view it in my previous blog. Now that I have listened to the entire album, in that video clip, the beginning instrumental track (with Marilyn Manson and Evan Rachel Wood having simulated sex) comes from the song “Evidence”. And inside the car when Evan was asking Marilyn Manson to drive “faster, faster … faster, faster, faster”, that is from the song “Are You Rabbit?”. The artwork of him and Evan holding out a knife while taking pictures with a Polaroid and the final car crash scene, those are from the song “Just A Car Crash Away”. Lyrically, tell me if I have a warped mind or not, I think this song no doubt is for his new girlfriend. But I think it is partially inspired by his science experiments when he had to dissect something (I have personally dissected a frog once in my life).

The chorus of “Heart-Shaped Glasses” goes something like “Don’t break, don’t break my heart and I won’t break your heart-shaped glasses. Little girl, little girl, you should close your eyes, that blue is getting me high, making me low”, which sounds kind of normal. But for the rest of the song “She reminds me of the one in school when I was cutting … and she’ll never cover up what we did with a dress … And I don’t mind you keeping me on pins and needles. If I could stick to you and you could stick me too.” – those words got me thinking especially when this album is about devouring someone you love. Maybe I am warped, maybe I am used to Marilyn Manson’s music … either way, I am one of his zealous fans.

PS. I wrote this blog without Wikipedia. The page on Marilyn Manson is down. It is hard! Thank you YouTube for all the interview videos and all the wonderful materials in the Internet especially MarilynManson.com that contains lots of interviews from various reputed magazines. And of course, I have been following Marilyn Manson’s career for a long time. I can even recite his progress backward.

PPS. Cynthia is looking for a pair of heart-shaped glasses right now. What’s the odd of a guy gets to live with someone who loves to listen to Marilyn Manson as well? Priceless.

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Hard Rock & Metal Music Reviews

Marilyn Manson’s New Upcoming Album

It has been long overdue to categorized my music related blogs based on genres. So here I am, further categorize my blogs based on the genres they belong. I reckon unlike me, most people prefer to listen to certain types of music they enjoy while for me, I enjoy a wide spectrum of what different genres offer.

Enough said. I know at least one of my friends is into Marilyn Mason’s music and if you don’t fancy his music or heard of him, most likely you will find this blog … offensive to the least. My heart felt apology in advance.

Marilyn Manson’s new album is made with just him and another buddy of his. “Eat Me Drink Me”, Marilyn Mason’s new album (to be released on 5th June this year), is as close to unplug as it can get. It is still dark and it is still … shocking. Featured below is a sexy video made with him and his new girlfriend Evan Rachel Wood 19 years of age. Marilyn Manson has gone through a divorce with his wife Dita Von Teese and he has had a fling with The Charmed’s hot actress Rose McGowan. What more can I say? Life of a rock star. Below is a 8 mins video … enjoy (strictly for Marilyn Manson fans only).

PS. Artwork from MarilynManson.com.

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Hard Rock & Metal Music Reviews

Linkin Park’s Minutes To Midnight – A Change For The Good … Or Not?

Right after I bought LP’s new album from HMV, my buddy TK asked me, “So how’s Linkin Park’s new album? They sound the same right?”. The problem is if I am asked to give opinion on an album that I have hardly listened to, you will probably get an insignificant opinion. That night I answered, “Ya, afterall it is Linkin Park”.

I was wrong. On the surface, LP’s new album has their trademarks all over it. Deep inside, they have changed quite a lot and they have prepared their fans for that right from the first page of the booklet that comes with the album – “As this is written, the album is not yet finished … it is safe to say, however, that this will prove to be a different kind of album for us”. Their first album “Hybrid Theory” – an old name for the band – was a decade in the making. Their 2nd studio album was inspired by Meteora, a historic monastery in Greece. Both “Hybrid Theory” and “Meteora” were huge commercial success around the world (funny when you look back when no record company wanted to sign them up). One time, Cynthia and I drove up to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia just to watch their concert. “Minutes To Midnight” is a reference to the Doomsday Clock … an album that the world was not ready a few years back. Sure, environment topics such as global warming and mass/voluntary extinction of mankind are hotter today than it was then.

LP’s uniqueness lies in the rock rap combo encased in the nu-metal setting. It is still unique as of today. No one has quite master the perfection of the way how Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda sing and rap and finish each other’s sentences. So, the big question is: why the change? Mike rarely raps in “Minutes To Midnight”. The analogy is like when Kirk Hammett of Metallica has decided not to play guitar solo tracks anymore in their latest album “St. Anger”. Both these two albums have hit the top of the chart – the power of fan anticipation I believe.

Another noticeable difference is that music-wise, it is more mellow down. “Minutes To Midnight” would not be a good debut for the band. But since LP has a good repository of great upbeat songs, their concerts will still be electrifying. Besides having more slow songs, LP has also stepped away from their nu-metal formula. As you will see in their 3rd single “Shadow Of The Day”, it sounds a lot like U2’s “With or Without You”. You can even sing “With or Without You” during the playing of “Shadow Of The Day”. The melody of the beginning verse of “No More Sorrow” – a great track by the way – reminds me of Depeche Mode’s “Strangelove”. It is kind of strange that LP, a band that did not sound like any other band has gone for a change and begins to sound like some other bands. The change does not stop where the melody is. There is even a guitar solo at the last song “The Little Things Give You Away”. It is rare to hear a solo track in nu-metal, more rare so for LP.

Their first single “What I’ve Done” is a great track from the album and I suspect that this powerful video will win some awards this year. So another big question: do I like “Minutes To Midnight”? Sure I do because I can understand why bands at times venture out of their comfort zone to create something different and I in general am supportive of such change – like REM’s “Monster”, U2’s “Zooropa” and “Pop”, and Metallica’s “St. Anger”. But I cannot speak on behalf of the majority of LP fans though.