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Madlife – Angry Sonnets for the Soul
Madlife – Angry Sonnets for the Soul (2011, RBE/Fontana)
1. “Little Ray Of Sunshine” … 3:34
2. “Everyone” … 3:32
3. “Be Tomorrow” … 3:48
4. “Falling Apart” … 4:01
5. “Feeling Alone” … 3:25
6. “I Hate” … 3:19
7. “Think I’m Dead” … 2:59
8. “Money” … 3:06
9. “There I Stand” … 3:53
10. “Tantrum Of A Giant” … 3:03
11. “Screaming People” … 2:57
Band:
Angry Phil – Vocals
Isaiah – Guitar
Jimmy Minj – Bass
Kylio – Drums
Producer: Evan 9
Now this was a pleasant surprise! When this album arrived in the mail, based on the description of Madlife being an industrial rock act, I wasn’t sure if I would like it. It’s not a scene I was ever a HUGE fan of but I did like some acts like Rob Zombie, Nine Inch Nails, Static-X, Linkin Park and Powerman 5000. Even Marilyn Manson (who Madlife has toured with) and Orgy put out at least one album that I liked but I haven’t seriously listened to any of those bands since the late ’90s/early ’00s. Out of all the bands I just mentioned, the closest I could comparison to Madlife is Powerman 5000. Though this band is certainly not ripping off PM5K, a lot of the beats in the songs brought that comparison to my mind… even before I realized this album was produced by Powerman 5000 guitarist Evan 9! I think “Falling Apart” is the most like Powerman 5000.
Madlife isn’t as heavy or as electronically offbeat as bands like NIN, Static-X or Manson. They’re much more melodic. The band really does a great job pulling all of their influences together and coming out with one sound. It’s melodic, it’s modern hard rock, it’s industrial. A number of these songs bring me back to when industrial acts were all rage because they sound exactly like songs from that era (not complaining) but there’s also a number of songs that could just as easily find their way onto radio like “Be Tomorrow”, “Screaming People” and the awesome “I Stand There”, which is by far my favorite song on the album. By the way, kudos to vocalist Angry Phil for not resorting to the ugly screaming that is often found in industrial bands. Phil’s vocals are clean and convey a variety of emotions, depending on the song.
In addition to Marilyn Manson, Madlife has toured with numerous modern metal acts like Bullet For My Valentine, Trivium and All That Remains. Coupled with the hooks and ready-radio songwriting talent found on Angry Sonnets for the Soul, Madlife could have a very successful future ahead of them. I’m glad I’ve been turned on to this band.
Highlights: “Little Ray Of Sunshine”, “Be Tomorrow”, “Falling Apart”, ”There I Stand”, ”Screaming People”
http://www.madlifemusic.com
http://www.facebook.com/Madlifemusic
http://www.myspace.com/madlife
FILTER – The Trouble With Angels
Filter – The Trouble With Angels (2010, Rocket Science Ventures)
1. “The Inevitable Relapse” … 3:30
2. “Drug Boy” … 3:48
3. “Absentee Father” … 3:59
4. “No Love” … 4:21
5. “No Re-entry” … 5:40
6. “Down With Me” … 3:53
7. “Catch A Falling Knife” … 4:03
8. “The Trouble With Angels” … 3:53
9. “Clouds” … 3;34
10. “Fades Like A Photograph (Dead Angel)” … 4:25
Band:
Richard Patrick – Vocals, Guitar, Programming
Mitchell Marlow – Guitar
John Spiker – Bass, Guitar, Programming
Mika Fineo – Drums
Additional Musicians:
Yogi Lonich – Guitar
Bob Marlette – Keyboards
Bruce Somers, Rae Dileo – Programming
Producer: Bob Marlette
So I’m vaguely familiar with Filter. I know that Richard Patrick used to play in Trent Reznor’s touring version of Nine Inch Nails before going on to form his own band. “Hey Man, Nice Shot” is a great tune as is “Where Do We Go From Here” but their biggest hit “Take A Picture” was way too light and poppy for me. I’ve never sought out any of their albums and when this arrived in my mailbox I wasn’t sure if I was going to get an alternative rock/pop album or something harder and a bit more industrial. Either way, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this album but with time to kill, it decided to pop it in and press play.
From the research I’ve done, The Trouble With Angels was a conscious effort by Richard Patrick to get back to a heavier more industrial sound. In other words, he wanted to get back to his roots (I’m told the last Filter album was a softer affair) and it has worked, in my opinion. Granted, as previously stated, I haven’t exactly followed Filter’s career but this sounds like their harder, alternative stuff of the past with the exception of “Fades Like A Memory (Dead Angel)” which seems to be trying to tap into the same mainstream appeal that “Take A Picture” had while simultaneously retaining some bite and being far, far better than that hit song. The original version of the song appeared on the soundtrack for the movie 2012 in 2009. I’m surprised it didn’t chart when it was released as a single from that soundtrack.
I keep mentioning (whenever I review an “alternative” band) that I’m not much of an alternative rock guy but I’ve really been enjoying some of the albums and bands I’ve been coming across lately that are outside my comfort zone. The Trouble With Angels has garnered much more play in my car and computer than I ever thought it would. I can only listen to so much industrial hard rock before it all starts sounding the same but there are more than enough hooks on this album to keep me and anyone else coming back for more. This album has been one of the year’s best surprises for me and it’s well worth seeking out for those that aren’t as narrow-minded as I usually am!
Highlights: “The Inevitable Relapse”, “Drug Boy”, “No Love”, “No Re-entry”, “Fades Like A Photograph (Dead Angel)”
ALICE COOPER – Brutal Planet
Alice Cooper – Brutal Planet (2000, Spitfire Records)
1. “Brutal Planet” … 4:40
2. “Wicked Young Man” … 3:50
3. “Sanctuary” … 4:00
4. “Blow Me a Kiss” … 3:18
5. “Eat Some More” … 4:36
6. “Pick Up the Bones” … 5:14
7. “Pessi-Mystic” … 4:56
8. “Gimme” … 4:46
9. “It’s the Little Things” … 4:11
10. “Take It Like a Woman” … 4:12
11. “Cold Machines” … 4:14
Band:
Alice Cooper – Vocals
Ryan Roxie – Guitar
China – Guitar
Phil X – Guitar
Bob Marlette – Bass, Keyboards, Guitar
Eric Singer – Drums
Produced by: Bob Marlette and Bob Ezrin
After 1994′s The Last Temptation, Alice took a six year break from recording (the longest in his career). The Last Temptation shook off the 80s pop metal of Trash, Constrictor, Hey Stoopid and Raise Your Fist and Yell and featured similarities to his 70s work, but in 2000, Alice’s “comeback”, Brutal Planet, was another shift in sound. This time a drastic one which had more in common with the industrial metal of Rob Zombie (Alice’s “pick” to be his successor, should he ever desire to step down from being the King of Shock Rock) than Bon Jovi or the original Alice Cooper band.
I remember “Brutal Planet” was made available for streaming and it took me awhile to get into it. Alice inspired Rob Zombie greatly, so it was sad and disappointing to see Alice trying to play catch up with the new generation by taking a stab at industrial metal, which was then a trendy sound for many young metal acts.
I listened to this album a lot when it came out, just because I was a huge fan of Alice, but I could not get over Alice’s new heavier sound. It just didn’t seem natural to me. 70s Alice, 80s Alice… Anything but industrial Alice! In the last few years though, I’ve come to really appreciate it for what it is. Personally, 80s Alice is my preference, but Brutal Planet has some great songs, even if they aren’t what I would consider to be Alice classics. The lyrics are great to boot and I remember many reviews at the time giving high praise to them, saying they are some of this best.
There’s a general sense of doom and pessimism (see “Pessi-Mystic”) to the album. There’s not a lot of Alice’s signature humor outside of “It’s the Little Things”. This is angry Alice. This is an Alice that’s a bit more serious and the album focuses on real world tragedies instead of his usual tongue-in-cheek macabre. This album is a different kind of Alice, but one that I’ve come to enjoy.
The one song that really sticks out just from the rest, for the fact that musically it is so different than the rest of the album, is “Take It Like a Woman”. It is just one of a few numbers Alice has done throughout the years that I consider to basically be follow-ups to his signature ballad “Only Women Bleed”.
There was a really great Alice song left off the album, and it too, did not fit in with the rest of the songs — “Can’t Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me”. It definitely showed that fun, twisted side of Alice and sounded like a great fit for Trash or Hey Stoopid. It eventually ended up on international special editions of Dragontown.
On a superficial note, I’ve always hated the cover the and pictures of Alice the album had. Alice just didn’t look like Alice. He looked like a old bum. Maybe that’s what they were going for, but it didn’t work for me.
Highlights: “Brutal Planet”, “Sanctuary”, “Pick Up the Bones”, “Pessi-Mystic”, “Gimme”, “It’s the Little Things”, “Take It Like a Woman”
THE UNION UNDERGROUND – …An Education in Rebellion
The Union Underground – …An Education in Rebellion (2000, Columbia Records/Portrait Records)
Track Listing:
1. “An Education In Rebellion” [Instrumental] … 1:08
2. “Drivel” … 2:55
3. “South Texas Deathride” … 3:24
4. “Turn Me On ‘Mr. Deadman’” … 2:39
5. “Until You Crack” … 3:28
6. “Killing The Fly” … 3:45
7. “Natural High” … 3:26
8. “Revolution Man” … 3:40
9. “Trip With Jesus” … 3:26
10. “Bitter” … 3:53
11. “The Friend Song” … 2:24
Band:
Bryan Scott – Vocals
Patrick Kennison – Guitar
John Moyer – Bass
Josh Memelo – Drums
Produced by: Bryan Scott, Don Gilmore, Ulrich Wild
The Union Underground were one of two new acts (Mars Electric being the other) that were signed to the revitalized Portrait Records in the late 90s. The John Kalodner-led Portait was mostly set up as a haven for 80s rock & metal acts, in an attempt to copy the success Kalodner had with turning Aerosmith from a tired 70s act to a popular act back again in the 80s.
I LOVE this album. “Turn Me On ‘Mr. Deadman’” was a minor hit and hooked me enough during my experimental phase to give this new band a shot. The truth is, the album still holds up. It’s extremely catchy nu metal/industrial metal. It stays melodic and never crosses too much over into the typical cold industrial sound.
It’s a very dark album though and the use of drugs is commonly mentioned, so it’s not a “feel good” album and I have to be in a special mood to want to hear it.
Sadly, the band didn’t do much after this album (which just fell short of going Gold). They put out a live album after this but, oddly, their most well-known song is probably “Across the Nation”, which was used as the theme song to WWE RAW for a few years and was released on a WWE compilation album.
John Moyer now plays bass for Disturbed.
Highlights: Can’t pick just one, it’s all very good.
www.myspace.com/unionundergroud (pretty sure this was their official MySpace page, hasn’t been updated in a few years)
ALICE COOPER – Dragontown
Alice Cooper – Dragontown (2001, Spitfire Records)
Track Listing:
1. “Triggerman” … 3:59
2. “Deeper” … 4:35
3. “Dragontown” … 5:05
4. “Sex Death & Money” … 3:37
5. “Fantasy Man” … 3:52
6. “Somewhere In The Jungle” … 4:06
7. “Disgraceland” … 5:21
8. “I Just Wanna Be God” … 3:32
9. “Sister Sara” … 4:34
10. “Every Woman Has A Name” … 3:43
11. “It’s Much Too Late” … 4:38
12. “The Sentinel” … 3:53
Band:
Alice Cooper – Vocals
Ryan Roxie – Guitar
Tim Pierce – Guitar
Greg Smith – Bass
Kenny Aronoff – Drums
Bob Marlette – Keyboard, Guitar, Bass
Produced by: Bob Marlette
A sequel to Brutal Planet, but far more diverse. Alice was still on the industrial metal kick here, but he branches out with more of the typical Alice humor and catchy songs like the rockabilly “Disgraceland” and the awesome ballads, “Every Woman Has A Name”, and “It’s Much Too Late”.
Initially, I wasn’t a big fan of either of Alice’s two industrial-inspired works, but I *did* take a liking to Dragontown over Brutal Planet then and I still do to this day. There’s just too many catchy songs here, industrial or not, to not be a fan of it. I just needed time to adjust to this more modern, heavier Alice style.
Highlights: “Triggerman”, “Sex Death & Money”, “Fantasy Man”, “Disgraceland”, “Every Woman Has A Name”, “It’s Much Too Late”
www.alicecooper.com
www.myspace.com/officialalicecooper
END OF DAYS – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
End of Days – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [Clean Version] (1999, Interscope Records)
Track listing:
1. “Camel Song” performed by Korn … 4:22
2. “So Long” performed by Everlast … 5:00
3. “Slow” performed by Professional Murder Music … 3:58
4. “Crushed” performed by Limp Bizkit … 3:24
5. “Oh My God” performed by Guns N’ Roses … 3:40
6. “Poison” performed by The Prodigy … 6:15
7. “Superbeast (Girl On A Motorcycle mix)” performed by Rob Zombie … 3:52
8. “Bad Influence” performed by Eminem … 3:40
9. “Nobody’s Real” performed by Powerman 5000 … 2:54
10. “I Wish I Had” performed by Stroke … 6:34
11. “Sugar Kane” performed by Sonic Youth … 5:58
12. “Wrong Way” performed by Creed … 4:20
Soundtracks can be a great (and not so great) snapshot of a certain time in music history when said soundtrack is full of contemporary songs & artists. The soundtrack to 1994′s The Crow perfectly captures the grunge & alternative rock scene and End of Days does a fairly good job of showing what rock music was at the turn of the century: rap metal, nu metal, industrial metal and post-grunge rock.
BUT… While the soundtrack covers it’s musical bases just fine, that doesn’t necessarily mean those genres were any good in the first place and that this album is. Okay, okay… I’ll be honest, there’s actually some solid stuff going on here and not your usual soundtrack throwaway filler.
I could mention that, surprisingly, I like the Korn, Limp Bizkit, Creed and Eminem songs, but that’s not what is important about this album. What IS important is that it holds the only officially released single from the mythical Chinese Democracy from Guns N’ Roses. Of course, I’m talking about “Oh My God” which is a loud, aggressive NIN-inspired song that is just awesome and features Axl at his angriest and most sneering. It’s a far way from “November Rain” or “Nightrain”, but so what? Good is good and I love this song and it’s the only reason I bought the soundtrack. At this time though, if Democracy does ever come out, I think it’s probably best to leave this one off the record due to the time that’s elapsed since it’s original release.
In the end (of days), despite the genres involved, this album actually offers up some really great tunes and to this day, it’s an album I’ll occasionally pull out and listen to. Which is a lot more than I can say about the supposed “comeback” the movie was meant to be for Arnie.
And yes, I have the “Clean” version, picking it up at Wal-Mart and not realizing until later that there was an explicit version.
Highlights: “Crushed”, “Oh My God”, “Superbeast [Girl on a Motorcycle Mix]“, “Bad Influence”, “Nobody’s Real”, “I Wish I Had”
ROB ZOMBIE – Hellbilly Deluxe
Rob Zombie – Hellbilly Deluxe (1998, Geffen Records)
Track Listing:
1. “Call of the Zombie” … 0:30
2. “Superbeast” … 3:40
3. “Dragula” … 3:42
4. “Living Dead Girl” … 3:21
5. “Perversion 99″ … 1:43
6. “Demonoid Phenomenon” … 4:11
7. “Spookshow Baby” … 3:38
8. “How to Make a Monster” … 1:38
9. “Meet the Creeper” … 3:13
10. “The Ballad of Resurrection Joe and Rosa Whore” … 3:55
11. “What Lurks on Channel X?” … 2:29
12. “Return of the Phantom Stranger” … 4:31
13. “The Beginning of the End” … 1:52
Band:
Rob Zombie – Vocals
Riggs – Guitar
Mark Matcho – Guitar, Bass
Blasko -Bass
Tempesta -Drums
Additional Musicians:
Tommy Lee – Drums (“The Ballad of Resurrection Joe and Rosa Whore” and “Meet the Creeper”)
Danny Lohner – Guitar (“Meet the Creeper”)
Produced by: Rob Zombie & Scott Humphrey
I wasn’t a fan of White Zombie. In fact, I barely knew who they were. But I had a friend who had a few of their CDs and he picked this one up as soon as it came out. I took me a few months, but I finally picked it up myself because it’s darn good industrial metal filled with tons of grooves. “Industrial dance metal”?
I initially was put off to Rob thanks to the pentagram on the cover, but now I see Rob for what he truly is… Alice Cooper for a younger generation. The songs are just really fun and infectious and the album’s tongue-in-cheek B-horror movie artwork really shows this.
Highlights: “Superbeast”, “Dragula”, “Living Dead Girl”, “Demonoid Phenomenon”, “Meet the Creeper”
www.robzombie.com
www.myspace.com/robzombie
NINE INCH NAILS – Pretty Hate Machine
Nine Inch Nails – Pretty Hate Machine (1989, TVT Records)
Track Listing:
1. “Head Like a Hole” … 4:59
2. “Terrible Lie” … 4:38
3. “Down in It” … 3:46
4. “Sanctified” … 5:48
5. “Something I Can Never Have” … 5:54
6. “Kinda I Want To” … 4:33
7. “Sin” … 4:06
8. “That’s What I Get” … 4:30
9. “The Only Time” … 4:47
10. “Ringfinger” … 5:40
Band:
Trent Reznor – Vocals, Guitar, Keyboard, Sampler, Drum Machine
Additional Musicians:
Richard Patrick – Guitar (“Sanctified”)
Produced by: Trent Reznor, Flood, Adrian Sherwood, Keith LeBlanc, John Fryer
Highlights: “Head Like a Hole”, “Down in It”, “Sanctified”, “Something I Can Never Have”, “Kinda I Want To”, “Sin”, “That’s What I Get”
While I think the “industrial metal” tag is deserved for NIN (though Reznor disagrees) we both agree on this one thing– Pretty Hate Machine is NOT industrial metal, though you *can* hear the influence. In Reznor’s own words, PHM is “synth-pop” and I agree whole heartedly with that description. Very dark synth-pop.
So how the heck did it end up in MY collection? Well, I had a friend who was big into the band at the time and convinced me to pick up one of their albums. I think I may have gone with PHM only because it was cheaper than Downward Spiral ( 
).
In my opinion, PHM is Reznor’s best. The rest of his output is just too much of the same, angry or shock for the sake of shock. This was real angst here and the overall feel of the album is something that ties very closely to how my pathetic little teenage mind was feeling at the time I picked this up. But I’m a much happier person now and I can just kick back and enjoy this for the great work that it is.
Apparently, this TVT version went out of print in 1997 thanks to a dispute with Reznor. Guess I got lucky in ’98 when I found it at a Wal-Mart, of all places. It has since been re-released by Rykodisc.
www.nin.com
www.myspace.com/nin
MARILYN MANSON – Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)
Marilyn Manson – Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) (2000, Nothing/Interscope Records)
Track Listing:
1. “Godeatgod” – 2:34
2. “The Love Song” – 3:16
3. “The Fight Song” – 2:55
4. “Disposable Teens” 3:01
5. “Target Audience (Narcissus Narcosis)” – 4:18
6. “President Dead” – 3:13
7. “In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” – 4:09
8. “Cruci-Fiction in Space” – 4:56
9. “A Place in the Dirt” – 3:37
10. “The Nobodies” – 3:35
11. “The Death Song” – 3:29
12. “Lamb of God” – 4:39
13. “Born Again” – 3:20
14. “Burning Flag” – 3:21
15. “Coma Black: Eden Eye/The Apple of Discord” – 5:58
16. “Valentine’s Day” – 3:31
17. “The Fall of Adam” – 2:34
18. “King Kill” – 2:18
19. “Count to 6 and Die” – 5:55
Band:
Marilyn Manson – Vocals, Bass, Keyboards
Twiggy Ramirez – Guitar, Bass, Keyboards
John 5 – Guitar
Madonna Wayne Gacy – Drums, Keyboards, Synths, Mellotron
Ginger Fish – Drums, Keyboards
Additional Musicians:
Bon Harris – Synths, Bass, Keyboards
Dave Sardy – Synths, Drums, Guitar
Andy Suttle – Backing Vocals
Produced by: Marilyn Manson & Dave Sardy
At a whopping 19-tracks, this was quite a lot for myself (a non-Marilyn Manson fan) to take in back in 2000. Back in the glory days of Napster, I had “Disposable Teens” and “The Fight Song” on my computer and played’em constantly, so I gave this album a shot, even though I never had any interest in Marilyn Manson before. As a whole, it’s not really my cup of tea. Music like this never was and I don’t care for the imagery that the man himself projects (“Look at me, look at me! Condemn me so I can condemn you!”), but hey, I was young and I actually experimented with different types of music at this time in my life.
“The Fight Song” and “Disposable Teens” are still classics that define a certain time of my life and I remember seeing the videos on that trash show, MTV’s TRL back in the day.
Highlights: “The Love Song”, “The Fight Song”, “Disposable Teens”, “Target Audience (Narcissus Narcosis)”, “In the Shadow of the Valley of Death”
