Live Lyconthropy
Chophouse
Papa Wheelie is Jason Newsted's new project released on his custom label, Chophouse. The CD was recorded entirely live at the Record Plant recording studio in San Francisco. It's obvious since Jason's departure with Metallica, this former Flotsam is set on proving to the world that his roots are still seeded in hard-core metal. And he has gone out of his way to prove this, by forming 3 or 4 separate death-metal projects he's a part of, as well as producing bands for his newly formed label (he is currently producing a new Voi Vod record.) Although a step above his other death-metal side projects on Chophouse, Papa Wheelie are nothing more than a glorified garage metal band. There are some killer bass and guitar riffs, like in the Budgie influenced "His Scales Are His Pride," but the songs themselves are nothing too exceptional. Jason's vocals are mediocre at best, yet more distinct and audible than on his other death metal projects. Jason also opts to play guitar with Papa Wheelie while Joe Ledesma holds down the bass and Steven Wiig slams the drums. Some of the tunes lean toward stoner/doom metal while others are standard death metal. Apart from a couple of the more experimental tracks, like the instrumentals "Telephone Song" and the encore (track 10) which provide some interesting textures and solid grooves, this CD doesn't do a whole lot for me. BN
ORANGE GOBLIN
Coup De Grace
Music Cartel
Orange Goblin is my favorite out of the new crop that has been deemed as "Stoner-metal". Hailing from Britain, this quintet carry on the tradition of the classic NWOBHM bands, playing metal music that displays raw attitude and sheer power. Although Coup De Grace doesn't have the same impact as some of their previous releases (notably "Time Traveling Blues), this band still seems to stand out from the rest of the pack with their intense power and energy. This album not only lacks the classic metal grooves that appeared on their previous discs, but the band and label seem determined to exploit the Kyuss affiliation (obviously in "hopes" of boosting sales) with a sticker on the front cover boasting the fact that the album was produced by Scott Reeder of Kyuss and features guest vocals by John Garcia of Kyuss. My reply to that..."So the f**k what!?" The production sucks and John Garcia is barely featured on only two tracks. The band would be much better off relying strictly on their unique style and talent than to try to appease Kyuss fans with useless hype. The opening riff to "Your World Will Hate This" rules, and the tracks that follow, particularly "Rage Of Angels" and "Made Of Rats" are equally potent, but the momentum doesn't sustain throughout the remainder of the disc (apart from a commendable version of the Misfits "We Bite.") "Red Web" is a standout with a pretty cool intro reminiscent of Karma to Burn and the true kings - Legend. Orange Goblin still remains at the top of the crop of new metal bands, but I still feel this CD falls short of their true potential. BN
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