Engel
“Raven Kings”
Gain/Sony
Produced by: Niclas Engelin & Marcus Sunesson
Tracks: 11

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

“Raven Kings” is the 4th full length release from the Swedish melodic death metal band Engel. The brain child of In Flames guitarist Niclas Engelin Engel burst onto the world stage in 2007 with their acclaimed debut “Absolute Design” and has strived for progression with each of its subsequent releases. “Raven Kings” is certainly no different and could easily the bands most progressive work yet. The album is being released via Gain/Sony Records and features 11 tracks produced by Engelin and co-guitarist Marcus Sunesson.

Fans of death metal looking for something a little more adventurous will want to take notice of the newest release from Engel. “Raven Kings” seamlessly blends aggression filled rhythm and vocal passages with beautifully orchestrated choruses that keep the listener on their toes. Tracks like “Your Shadow Haunts You” which starts out with tribal like drums and in your face screams instantly gives way to something much more as singer Mikael Sehlin belts out the songs opening line “Break free from all these chains” showcasing his range with almost an operatic type approach.

Don’t let my mention of operatic type lyrics sway your decision any as the band instantly goes back to its death metal roots with tracks like “Denial”, “When the Earth Burns” and the pulverizing “Broken Pieces”. Though I found a few of the tracks to be a bit over produced for my liking the album was a fresh listen that I think will appeal to fans of the genre.

Track Listing:
1.) Salvation
2.) Your Shadow Haunts You
3.) Denial
4.) Fading Light
5.) My Dark Path
6.) I Am The Answer
7.) When the Earth Burns
8.) End of Days
9.) Sanctuary
10.) Broken Pieces
11.) Hollow Soul

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Black Veil Brides
“Black Veil Brides”
Producer: Bob Rock
Lava/Universal
Tracks: 11

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

“Black Veil Brides” is the latest release from the rock band of the same name. The album is the follow up release to the group’s 2013 concept album “Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones”. The album is being released by Lava/Universal and features 11 brand new tracks produced by legendary producer Bob Rock that blur the lines between rock, metal and punk.

After being a bit put off by BVB’s 2013 concept album I wasn’t too sure what to expect with the latest offering from the band. Thankfully the group has appeared to have returned to its roots as “Black Veil Brides” is a straight forward rock/metal album speckled with nods to the bands early influences. Producer Bob Rock (Metallica, Motley Crue) showcases why he has been and still is the guy to go to if you want to capture that late eighties/pre-grunge era rock sound as each track has the perfect balance of flash and balls. Combine that with lead vocalist Andy Biersack’s gritty operatic style and you have the makings of what could be considered the bands most powerful release to date. Tracks like the albums take no prisoners opener “Heart of Fire” and the in your face “World of Sacrifice” shred through your speakers while more laid back tracks like “Goodbye Agony” and the ballad like approach of “Walk Away” will appeal to listeners on a whole new level.

Though at times I did find the album to be a bit over produced it wasn’t enough to pull my attention completely away what the band was trying to accomplish. Black Veil Brides may have been the band who first burst on to the scene sporting an over the top, make up stained look reminiscent of the 1980’s glam era however all of that is now gone and the band appears to be all business and their latest “Black Veil Brides” certainly helps prove that.

Track Listing:
1.) Heart of Fire
2.) Faithless
3.) Devil in the Mirror
4.) Goodbye Agony
5.) World of Sacrifice
6.) Last Rites
7.) Stolen Omen
8.) Walk Away
9.) Drag Me to the Grave
10.) The Shattered God
11.) Crown of Thorns

Niclas Engelin is probably best known for his guitar work in the Swedish heavy metal band In Flames. However when he’s not holding down the six duties there Niclas spends his time working on his melodic death metal group simply titled Engel. The group’s newest album titled “Raven Kings” was released in November 2014 and Media Mikes had the chance recently to speak with Niclas about its creation, what it was like working with Jacob Hansen and the prospects of the group touring in the United States.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some of the background on Engel’s new album “Raven Kings”?
Niclas Engelin: After the last album “Blood of Saints” we decided to take some time and sort of regroup. We didn’t necessarily stop but we did take time to think about what it was we wanted to do with the band and just exactly how we wanted it to sound. We knew that we wanted the next record to be strong and well put together not just musically but also visually as well. We had lots of conversations about what the music for “Raven Kings” was going to be about. We took all the ideas from those conversations and sort of compiled them into one theme. Marcus and Mikael are big in to gaming and they had this vision of a post apocalyptic type game. I am not a gamer so I had to do some reading and also watched some films. We really just collected all these moods, ideas and themes and from there went to pre-production and so on.

AL: Can you tell us about working with Jacob Hansen this time around?
NE: Jacob and those guys are all friends of ours. He had wanted to work with Engel in some capacity for quite awhile now. I think we had been talking off and on about it for something like 3 years. We really liked the work that he did with Volbeat and we knew that he was capable of going the extra distance to make what was important to us happen. We talked a lot about this and I love how the album turned out.

AL: “Salvation” is a pretty intense song. What made you choose it as the album’s first single?
NE: (Laughs) It’s a very in your face song. We had never done a song as fast paced as this one before so when we were thinking about doing it we figured we could put a treatment together that really would shock people and let them know we are here.

AL: How does the creative process work for you with Engel as compared to when you are working on In Flames material?
NE: For me I have to think of these two bands as being from two different worlds. I really have to keep them very separate from one another as they are different things. The way Marcus looks at material might not necessarily be the same way Bjorn looks at material so I have to be conscious of that.

AL: What do you feel is the hardest part about balancing your time between both of the bands?
NE: For me it comes down to doing each of these when I have to do them. It’s just like getting the kids around for school each day and paying the mortgage. These aren’t things you can do only when you feel like it. (Laughs)I am always collecting ideas and working on various things. I essentially am always working. I love writing and performing music so much that I don’t mind that constant work process.

AL: What are the tour plans for Engel as we have yet to really see the band here in the United States?
NE: We have plans to start touring Europe in 2015. We will be out on a 6 week run over there and then heading back to Scandinavian. I really want to hit the United States also as it seems like every day I am being asked by someone as to when we will be there. (Laughs)

AL: What do you think has been the hardest thing about getting Engel over to the States?
NE: We want to make sure that we are going to be part of a good package that it going to make an impact. This will be our first good tour in the States and we want to make sure that the fans in the US see and hear what Engel is all about. That’s something that is very important to us.

AL: Does the band have any other plans going in to the New Year?
NE: We are getting ready to release another single off the album. We are currently in talks about what type of treatment we are going to use but I the song is going to “Fading Light”. I have met with the videos director a couple times and I do have a script but we still have a few more things to work out before we start shooting.

Another year in music has come and gone here at Media Mikes and that can really only mean one thing. It’s time for our annual year end wrap up where the writers here at the site get together to present our top 5 album releases of the year. We also like to take this time to thank all of our dedicated readers, press outlets and artists who make this site possible. Without all of your continued support we would not be able to do what we do. Here is to a safe and happy 2015. Now without further a due we present to you Media Mikes top 2014 music releases.

Mike Gencarelli: Site Owner
1.) The Amity Affliction- “Let the Ocean Take Me”
2.) Kontrust- “Explositive”
3.) Marketa Irglova- “Muna”
4.) Pink Floyd- “The Endless River”
5.) You+Me- “Rose Ave”

Adam Lawton: Music Editor
1.) Against Me!- “Transgender Dysphoria Blues”
2.) The Gaslight Anthem- “Get Hurt”
3.) Judas Priest- “Redeemer of Souls”
4.) Foo Fighters- “Sonic Highways”
5.) CJ Ramone- “Last Chance to Dance”

Jeremy Werner: Staff Writer
1.) Dog Fashion Disco- “Sweet Nothings”
2.) Mastadon- “Once More Round the Sun”
3.) Skindred- “Kill the Power”
4.) Weird Al Yankovic- “Mandatory Fun”
5.) Slipknot- “.5: The Gray Chapter”

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It’s been a “Dukes” kind of year here at Media Mikes. Earlier this summer I spoke to John Schneider about his feature film directorial debut, the tongue-in-cheek horror film “Smothered.” This week I got to speak with the other Duke boy, Tom Wopat, who recently teamed with Schneider for an album of Christmas music entitled “Home for Christmas.” Being familiar with Mr. Wopat’s work in musical theater, as well as on country radio, I was well aware of his pipes. When we chatted before the interview he was as proud as a new parent. Rolling Stone magazine recently named “Home for Christmas” one of the ten-best holiday albums released this year and the album DEBUTED in the top 10 on Billboard’s Traditional Jazz chart. It didn’t climb to #10…it opened there! In fact, as I write this the album is “sold out” on Amazon.com Don’t fret, though. They’ll make more!

Mr. Wopat recently took some time out to talk to me about the album, further collaborations with John Schneider and his musical future. You can read my interview with John Schneider HERE

Mike Smith: How did this project come about with you and John?
Tom Wopat: We’ve always enjoyed singing together and in the past 20 years or so we’ve done a few shows. We’ve talked a lot about recording together. I had started producing as well and this just made sense. We cut a couple of songs together last December and then we finished the rest this past August.

MS: Both you and John have been very successful in the theater and in country music. Was there a reason you decided to do a Christmas album?
TW: Well, for one thing it’s kind of a perennial. You’d like to think that it will sell for a while. Another part is that we can go out and do a series of concerts every year with that material so it just made sense to do that.

MS: You’ve done a few shows already this year haven’t you?
TW: We did several. We did a show in New York, then we did a show for about 500 people in John’s barn in Louisiana and we just did one in Atlanta.

MS: It’s obvious that you and John have a great rapport. I listened to you both this past week when you were hosting on Sirius Radio. Is there anything else you two want to collaborate on in the future?
TW: We’ve talked about doing a movie. John has a lot of projects he’s developing…he’s putting together a movie studio in Louisiana…so hopefully he’ll give me a call one of these days and I’ll go down there and do something with him. And I’ve got some ideas for future albums. We finance them ourselves so hopefully this one will do well so we can finance others.

MS: I actually spoke with John this summer to promote his horror film “Smothered.” If Catherine Bach sings I’ll be able to talk to all of the Duke cousins!
TW: (laughing) There you go!

MS: What do you have coming up? Are you going back on stage soon?
TW: Those things just come along suddenly…I very rarely get much lead time on that. The only thing I can plan on is some upcoming dates with my band. We’ll be on Long Island in April and in Indiana in August. But I’m sure between next Thanksgiving and Christmas we’ll have ten or fifteen appearances planned. I’m also getting ready to do another solo record and there’s talk of myself, two women and a little jazz group going out on tour and performing the music of Woody Allen films…pretty much some great standards.

MS: Really? That would be right in your wheelhouse.
TW: Yeah, that would be a good one.

Photographer: Cameron Powell

A few weeks ago I got a weird text. It said “do you want to do an interview next week?” When I replied “with?” I got back “you. Michael Smith.” I was excited. Someone wanted to interview ME! Actually I was told that I would be the interviewer and the subject would be Christian singer Michael W. Smith. I was even more excited!

A winner of (3) Grammy awards, as well as (40) Dove awards, Michael W. Smith has enjoyed success not only on the Gospel/Contemporary chart but in the mainstream as well. This month he has released his fourth album devoted to Christmas, entitled “The Spirit of Christmas.” The album, on which Smith duets with such singers as Vince Gill, Michael McDonald and Bono, consists of both long time favorites (“Silent Night,” “What Child is This”) and new originals.

As he readied to embark on a short tour to support the album Smith kindly took some time out to speak with Media Mikes.

Mike Smith: This is your fourth Christmas-themed album. What is it about the music that makes you want to revisit it?
Michael W. Smith: You know this is the music I grew up with. All the way back to when my sister and I used to pull out the Christmas LPs and play them for four months straight! When I hear those songs they just take me back to my childhood. Especially the first part of this record, for sure.

MS: This album consists of duets. There are a few performers on it that your fans might surely expect, like Vince Gill and Amy Grant. But then you’ve also got Bono and Michael McDonald. How were you able to get them on board?
MWS: Well first let me tell you that I’m still pinching myself that it happened, you know? We had these people picked out from day one…before we even recorded one song. We had the whole record sequenced. We had a plan and we had a wish list of who we wanted to invite. And everybody said yes. I’ve known Michael for about 10 years and I’ve known Bono for 12 years. These guys get asked to do stuff all the time, so the thought that they said “yes” is still pretty miraculous to me and I’m very, very grateful.

MS: Is there anyone out there that you’d like to sing with that you haven’t so far? Do you have a wish list?
MWS: I grew up being a huge Barbra Streisand fan, you know. I’ve always loved her voice…I’ve loved her movies…”Funny Girl,” “Funny Lady.” Recently she’s kept a low profile though I know she has a new album out. (NOTE: Ironically, Barbra Streisand’s latest album, “Partners,” is also a duets album). I would love to record with her.

MS: Do you have a favorite song on this new record?
MWS: Oh, man…that’s so hard to pick. I mean, if I had to pick…gosh, it’s hard to pick! Wow. “Almost There,” which is an original song that I did with Amy (Grant). There’s something really special about it. I love…I think it’s one of my favorite songs that I have written….”All is Well,” that Carrie (Underwood) does. And the one song that I get choked up on is “Peace,” which is the one I do with Michael McDonald. And Michael actually co-wrote that song, so I’m sure that’s one of the reasons he wanted to jump in and be a part of it.

MS: When you’re writing songs, do you sit down and write about a certain theme, like Christmas? Or do you later go back and realize that a certain song is right for the project you’re doing at the time?
MWS: Definitely the latter, because I never know what I’m going to write. Obviously if I’m working on a Christmas record I’m going to be a little more intentional. I’m going to be thinking about textures…how a bell sound will go with a piano sound…something that might inspire me to be a bit festive. A bit “holiday-ish,” you know? On “Almost There” I knew I wanted it to be a little haunting. I mean when you’re on that 12 hour drive to the beach how many times do you ask mom and dad “oh my gosh, are we almost there?” My friend, Wes King, came up with the idea which was why not imagine Mary riding on that donkey. She’s pregnant and she can’t find any place and she’s wondering how long it’s going to take…you wonder if she ever said to Joseph, “are we almost there?” And that was the premise for the lyric.

MS: Are you going to tour at all to support the album?
MWS: Oh yeah! The Christmas tour started the Saturday night after Thanksgiving and we’ll be doing about fifteen shows around the country.

MS: What else do you have coming up?
MWS: I know it sounds a bit insane but I actually released three records this year. I did an exclusive record for Cracker Barrel called “Hymns.” That came out early in the year. Then the pop/worship record, “Sovereign,” came out in May. And now, of course, the “Christmas” album has just been released so it’s been a pretty busy year. After the “Christmas” tour we’re going to tour with “Sovereign” all over…South Africa…Asia…Europe. That will all happen in 2015.

MICHAEL W. SMITH’s Upcoming Tour Dates

December 18, 2014 Spokane, Washington
December 19, 2014 Portland, Oregon
December 20, 2014 Seattle, Washington
December 21, 2014 Abbottsford, British Columbia
January 11, 2015 Nashville, Tennessee

For more information go to www.michaelwsmith.com

Singer/songwriter Durga McBroom-Hudson has worked with the band Pink Floyd as a backing vocalist consistently on almost all of their shows since the 1987 “A Momentary Lapse of Reason” Tour up to the final concert of “The Division Bell” in 1994. In 1989, she formed the band Blue Pearl and had several hit songs including “Naked in the Rain”. Recently, she came back together with Pink Floyd to record on their supposed last album “The Endless River”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Durga about her work with the band and her plans for the future.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us how you ended up perform backing vocals for Pink Floyd?
Durga McBroom-Hudson: My sister was recording an album on Capitol Records in New York with Nile Rogers, and I was doing backing vocals for her. Meanwhile, Pink Floyd had started the Momentary Lapse Of Reason Tour with only 2 singers. The man who ran the production company shooting the initial concert videos recommended my sister, and she recommended me. They needed someone to sing bottom, so they asked me to join the tour.

MG: You toured with the band for their album “A Momentary Lapse of Reason” and “The Division Bell” tours; what was your most memorable experience?
DMH: Probably Pink Floyd Live In Venice.

MG: After your first tour with the band for “A Momentary Lapse of Reason”, what was it actually getting to go in and record in the studio for “The Division Bell”?
DMH: It was wonderful. Bob Ezrin had wanted all English singers, so they recorded the whole thing that way. But David thought the low parts weren’t right, so they flew me over from Los Angeles and I re-recorded all of those parts. He really likes the tone of my voice. It’s a huge honor to know one of your biggest teachers appreciates you.

MG: What is your favorite Pink Floyd to sing and why?
DMH: I don’t have only one. That is like asking which of your children is your favorite. Most people would assume “Great Gig In The Sky”, but I have a love/hate relationship with singing it because it’s so difficult.

MG: What is a fun fact about David Gilmour that a lot of people might not know?
DMH: I personally believe he’s a bit shy, despite the fact that he has quite an imposing presence. I am very fond of him.

MG: How did you get approached to come back for Pink Floyd’s last album “The Endless River”?
DMH: Youth, who is my partner in my own band Blue Pearl is a co-producer on “The Endless River”. He asked me, and we surprised David with what I came up with. Luckily, David loved it.

MG: Did you work exclusively on “Louder than Words”?
DMH: No. I am also singing on “Talkin’ Hawkin'” and “Surfacing”. David asked me to come in to add to what I had already done on “Louder Than Words”.

MG: What was it like working with David Gilmour again after a 20 year break?
DMH: He is the best, and he makes me do my best. I love working with him. It was like coming home.

MG: Was it challenging coming back to work on the music that Richard Wright created without him there?
DMH: He was there. I could feel him.

MG: Tell us about your involvement with the animated film “Strange Frame”?
DMH: I sang on the soundtrack, including a cover of “The Gunner’s Dream” from “The Final Cut” with Roger Water’s approval.

MG: What else do you have planned for the rest of the year and next year?
DMH: I expect to get more mixes in from Youth from the new Blue Pearl album, and next year I expect to see it released, as well as doing A LOT of shows. The rest of this year will mostly be spent with family. The new Culture Club album will be released in January, and hopefully George will have recovered enough from his throat injury to go back on tour – I hope to do some shows with them too. I already have at least 15 dates lined up from Brazil to Finland, some with my sister Lorelei. Keep your eyes open – chances are I’ll be in a city near you!

Jeremy Spencer is the drummer behind the bombastic sound of the heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch. In the past couple years the band has released two successful studio albums and performed to thousands of fans. To add even more to an already crazy schedule Spencer found time to pen his first book a biography titled “Death Punch’d: Surviving Five Finger Death Punch’s Metal Mayhem”. The book is a candid, no punches pulled account of Spencer’s life both in and out of the band. Media Mikes had the chance to speak with Jeremy recently about the books creation as well as what the band has planned for 2015.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us a little over view of the book and tell us why you chose now to the time to release a book like this?
Jeremy Spencer: It all sort of started around the time that I had just gotten out of rehab. I had started writing basically about my whole life as a way to process and get something outs. It was very therapeutic. Anytime I had some down time I would start writing. Once I had a large amount of stuff I started looking back over it and found a lot of it very interesting. I sent it out to my dad to get his take on it and he thought that some of the stuff I had written could be a benefit to people. He did think it needed to be edited down so I would be ostracized as it was very raw and real. (Laughs) He helped me with that and I ended up sending it off to our management and they loved it. From there they started shopping it around to the publishing companies. It wasn’t anything I was planning on but things took shape and we moved forward. Even though our band is still popular and on the upswing which is not when books from band members normally come out, but that ended up being all the more reason to put it out when we did. I think the story can help a lot of people and the positive feedback has been great thus far. This book has helped me with a lot of different things in so it just been a great experience so far.

AL: Being so fresh out of rehab was it hard to look back at some of these stories you put in the book?
JS: Some of it was horrifying! I wasn’t proud of a lot of it, especially when it was where I hurt someone. Those things made me sad. I have tried to work through things the best I can and I certainly wasn’t proud of who I was during those times. At the same time if I didn’t go through that stuff I wouldn’t be where I am now. I think by being a drug addict it forced me to look at things that I may not have if I was sober. Once you start dealing with the addiction side of things you realize that there is more deeply rooted stuff to also address as well. That for me has been a blessing.

AL: The books layout jumps back and forth between the past and present. Was that something that was a conscious decision or was that idea taken directly from your initial writings?
JS: That was something that happened during editing and was suggested by the book company. I am really glad they suggested that because it’s a bit different. I haven’t really read any books that do that. I wrote sort of chronologically and that has been done so much that we decided to change it up. I am really happy with how it turned out.

AL: Throughout the book you speak very candidly about the other members of Five Finger Death Punch. Was it difficult being that truthful knowing your still going to be working with them on a day to day basis?
JS: For sure. I definitely toned things down a bit as my intentions were not to throw anyone under the bus. I made sure to talk with the guys about anything I may have thought was questionable beforehand. I gave them a chance to read the parts they were in ahead of time if they wanted to just in case there was any worry or things like that. This project meant a lot to me and I didn’t want it to hurt anyone. I had to obviously pull back the curtains some so the reader could get a better feel for the story so if needed I changed people’s names or things like that. I was very cautious about all those things. Again there were a few things that got removed. Some of the things I found hilarious at first we decided to leave out after talking a little bit more about them because ultimately they didn’t fit well with the story. I think everyone was pleased with how the book turned out as no one was exposed too much.

AL: With the book having been out now for a few months is there anything that made it into the book that you sort of regret having in there?
JS: I am comfortable with. I don’t really want to change anything or wished I had done something differently. If that first draft I submitted would have come out it would have been terrible! (Laughs) The book went through a lot of editing. The whole thing was a process as there are just so many different steps you have to go through when writing a book. I have lived my several times over now.

AL: The band recently wrapped up a really great co-headlining run with Volbeat but, have there been any discussions about what the band will be doing in the coming year?
JS: The band has huge plans for next year. Once we get through the holidays we will be heading over to Japan for a run of shows there. After that we have a little time off and then we will be heading in to the studio to make the new record with hopes of a summer release. We also have some plans to do a few spring shows and a European run with Judas Priest. First thing first we have to get the new record done and out.

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Dave Ellefson and Chris Broderick are probably best known for their work in Megadeth however over the past couple of months the duo have appeared as part of Metal Allegiance. The all-star group along with Ellefson and Broderick the group features Alex Skolnick, Chuck Billy, Frankie Bello, Charlie Benante, Scott Ian and a long list of others. The who’s who of metals top players performed their first show as a part of Motorheads inaugural “Motor Boat Cruise” this past month. Media Mikes spoke with Chris and Dave about the creation of the group, experiences from that first show and what they are most looking forward to about performing with the group here in the States in January.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us how a group like this came together?
Dave Ellefson: Mark Menghi is the guy who put this thing together. Back when we were doing the Big 4 shows with Slayer, Anthrax and Metallica, Mark had put me and Frank Bello from Anthrax together for a couple of bass clinics. That developed into a couple shows put on by our sponsors called “Metal Masters”. After we finished those dates up Mark and I kept talking about keeping the concept of the shows together but develop a little bit further. “Motor Boat” was where the first real chance to try this idea happened. It was very last minute as there was a ccancellationby one of the headliners. I knew Chris and I were going to be there as was everyone else we had talked about so I called Mark right away. The show was really great and set a lot of what we are going to be doing in the coming months in motion.

AL: Was there any nervousness to get up their being everything was so short notice?
Chris Broderick: Absolutely none! (Laughs) I was so ready to get on that boat and just play. I thought the Metal Allegiance idea was great. It helped keep my ticket on the boat. (Laughs) We had such a great time jamming with everyone. Very rarely do you get an opportunity like this one to play with all these different guys. It’s a killer opportunity to play and hang out with some great people. I do have to say the only reservation I had was hanging out with Mark Menghi. (Laughs)

AL: What was it like performing a set that was mostly improvised?
DE: We usually start determining some sort of set list through an email thread. You can only imagine what an email thread made up of 12 metal heads looks like. Things get crazy quite quickly. At one point playing the “Love Boat” theme was mentioned. The cool part is that everyone involved is really talented and between all of us we can play just about everything. We of course throw in some of our band’s songs but we wanted to go back to playing some of the songs we grew up listening to and learning. Songs by Kiss, Deep Purple and Judas Priest were all mentioned. Of course the set changes from night to night and after the first night we did this we were having dinner with Alex Skolnick and we asked him to come up and do some songs. Alex brought in a whole bunch of songs he knew. Before we knew it we had the entire first side of Van Halen 1. Right before we walked on stage we all sat down at this little table and figured out what we were going to do. We are all like a bunch of kids when we get up there. It’s like forming a band and you keep adding all these amazing players. It’s fun to have those types of moments.

AL: Is there one guy who sort of runs the show when you are doing these type of shows?
DE: We default to Mark Menghi. He is sort of the voice of reason and sanity. When you throw a bunch of gun slinging, metal heads together it tends to turn in to one giant beer drinking brawl. Someone has to come in and make sense out of everything. You do really need that one guy to be the musical leader because I feel it’s important to stay within certain parameters. We don’t want this to come off as being too watered down so the music we do is all metal and hard rock. Its music fans of our regular bands might be into as a lot of them are our age and grew up on the same music.

AL: How does playing in a setting like Metal Allegiance differ from that of Megadeth?
CB: There is a lot more improvisation going on. We rehearse the songs on our own and then we just get up there and do them. When we go up there with Megadeth were doing the same songs night after night. It becomes almost like rope memory. With this you never know where everyone is going to be and there is a much freer flowing feel to things. Each performance is a onetime thing which gives you moments that can never be duplicated.

AL: Is this project something we could be seeing more of in the near future?
DE: Once we did the first show the phone hasn’t stopped ringing since. It’s going to be great bringing this show to the House of Blues to kick off NAMM. This type of group is perfect for these events. Outside of those bigger event settings promoters want us to do tour dates all over the world. Our bands separately would tough to get on one bill at one time. Metal Allegiance makes things a little more possible because you bring in the key members from these bands and we can just keep everything loose with a jam feel. The whole thing is about getting a specific vibe.

AL: With you guys being a part of NAMM will you be unveiling any new music equipment at this year’s shows?
DE: I have a brand new signature bass coming out called Kelly Bird 5. This is my 4^th signature model with Jackson and lots of them have been rolling out which is really been great. The new model just came out and I am really excited for people to check it along with the other gear I endorse.
CB: I have a hard tail version of my Chris Broderick signature series guitar. This model is going to be offered through the USA custom series. I am not sure if it we will be completely ready by NAMM but it will be out the early part of 2015.

AL: Can you give us a quick update on the new Megadeth album?
DE: The plan is to go into the studio in January. Generally there is never a specific date we put on an albums release as we want to make sure the songs we choose are the best fit for our style. We have quite a bit of material to go through right now.

“My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic – Princess Celestia”
Princess Celestia Variant Edition
Vinyl LP
Limited Edition
Tracks: 14
Label: Spacelab9

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

This Hot Topic Exclusive Vinyl LP is a “best of” collection by composer Daniel Ingram including fan favorite tracks from the hit series “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic” such as “The Gala Song,” “Love Is In Bloom” and “Becoming Popular.” This specific LP is an exclusive Princess Celestia picture disc and includes two bonus tracks. There is also a Princess Luna Variant Edition available as wel. This is a Limited edition release, so if you are a die-hard “”My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic” fan you should make you way to the closest Hot Topic ASAP!

My daughter absolutely loved seeing this picture disc, she kept flipping it over and looking double sided images. I was a little disappointed that the fun and catchy theme song was not on this record. “May the Best Pet Win” is definitely a fun track though. “Apples to the Core” and “Babs Seed” are the two included exclusive bonus tracks. The songs sound great and are well represented here. Lastly, this only comes in a plastic see through sleeve, like most Hot Topic exclusives. I would have loved to see then get a nice cover jacket. Still a great buy!

Side A
Twilight’s Failure Song
Love is in Bloom
The Flim Flam Cider Song
Becoming Popular
May the Best Pet Win
Art of the Dress
Ballad of the Crystal Ponies

Side B
Find a Way
Raise this Barn
The Laughter Song
At the Gala
Make a Wish
Apples to the Core*
Babs Seed*

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Media Mikes had the great pleasure recently to speak to not one but two legendary heavy metal musicians. Dave “Rock” Feinstein and Carl Canedy make up 2/3rds of the band The Rods a band which has been carrying the flag for heavy metal and hard rock since the late 1970’s. Both members have new solo albums out along with a newly released Rods single titled “Great Big Fake Ones” and we spoke with the guys recently about these new releases and their plans for the coming year.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about the decision to re-issue “Heavier Than Thou” and
“Hollywood”?
Dave “Rock” Feinstein: “Heavier than Thou”, and the “Hollywood” albums have been albums that wanted by the fans for a long time.  We felt that now was a good time to re-issue them.  They are both slightly different than a traditional RODS album, so I think that’s what makes them so interesting to the fans.
Carl Canedy: We’ve been in the process of re-issuing a lot of our back catalog that we own the rights to. These two CD’s in particular were something the fans had not had a chance own in a re-issued, re-mastered format. Fans have been emailing us for years asking when they’d be available. So like Dave said it simply was time.

AL:  What can you tell us about the newly recorded Rods track “Great Big Fake Ones”?
DF: There are many words that have been used to describe the song, but when Carl brought the song in, the three of us just felt that it was so funny, and just different enough to make the fans want to hear it.  You have to take it for what it is.  It’s not a traditional RODS song, but it is a very catchy tune that should make you laugh.
CC: The guys have been really cool about doing a song this since I initially brought it to them. It’s clearly a “one-off” type of song. The fans who’ve heard love it. I think as long as you realize it’s “tongue-in-cheek” you can enjoy it for what it is. Personally I love it and think it’s quite amusing. I gave it to the guys and when it came time to record it was done quickly. Rock and Garry really nailed the vocals.

AL: You both recently released new solo albums. Can you tell us about those and some of the guests who appear on the albums?
DF:  “Clash of Armor” is my forth solo release now and was done mostly by myself and Nate Horton. On my previous releases I have had quite a few guest performers. In the past guys like John West, Michael Butler, Jeff Howell and Matt Barnes have all come in to help me on various tracks as has Nate. On the song “Bitten By the Beast” from my 3^rd solo release I had Carl and Garry come in. I played guitar and Ronnie James Dio did the vocals.
CC: On my CD, I have John Hahn, a Leviathan artist who is a Mike Varney discovery. I’ve known John for quite a few years as I played on his first solo CD in the “90’s. Mark Tornillo has 3 vocals, Joe Comeau has 2 vocals and David Porter has 2 vocals. Chris Caffery came in and did some soloing on 2 tracks as well as several other artists who graciously brought their talent to this project.

AL: With a career spanning multiple decades what do you find these days to be the most rewarding part of being a musician?
DF: It’s rewarding to still be able to create new music.  Of course playing live is the ultimate rush, and to know that there are still fans around the world checking out our music and wanting more.

AL: Are there any plans to perform this new material live and what type of
plans do The Rods have in place for 2015?
DF: I think I can speak for the three of us that we love to perform live, and if a song of ours merits being performed live, then we will do so.  Right now for us we take every request to perform seriously, and try to do as much as we can to make these live appearances happen, For us and for the fans as well.
CC: We do have a few dates in the works that are not yet confirmed and we have confirmed the Defenders of Old Festival in March with Exciter. We’re excited about this show as it’s the first time in years we’ve been to the NY area. Also, I love the band and the guys in Exciter so I’m looking forward to the reunion.

Finch
“Back to Oblivion”
Razor and Tie
Producer: Brian Virtue
Tracks: 12

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

Post-Hardcore band Finch is back with their first new full-length release in 9 years. Titled “Back to Oblivian” the album is being released via Razor and Tie records and features 12 brand new original tracks produced by Brian Virtue (Deftones, Janes Addiction). Though it lacks the charm and catchiness of the bands earlier releases “Back to Oblivion” still has something unique for the bands long time fans.

The album has somewhat of an eerie vibe as it traverses through various high and lows starting with the album’s title track “Back to Oblivion”. The tracks seem to serve multiple purposes as it not only shares the name of the album but it also acts as the bands statement to its listeners that they are in fact back. However, don’t expect a reboot of the bands successful 2002 “What It Is to Burn” album as “Back to Oblivion” has a much more progressive and experimental feel. A perfect example of this is the tracks “Murder Me” which features a multi-layered landscape which slowly gives away to a more alt-rock style. While the track “Play Dead” combines similar layered elements but with more anthemic chorus passages which instantly throw you back to the bands more familiar 2000’s era recordings.

Other tracks worth noting were the chaotic “The Great Divide” which blasts through you speakers with reckless abandonment as does the punk tinged “Us vs. Them” and “Two Guns to the Temple”. Though the album left me a little underwhelmed it’s great to see and hear the band back to full capacity. My biggest hope is that this release has kick started the bands creative process and that this release is the first in a long line of new releases from the band.

Track Listing:
1.) Back to Oblivion
2.) Anywhere But Here
3.) Further From the Few
4.) Murder Me
5.) Picasso Trigger
6.) Play Dead
7.) Two Guns To the Temple
8.) The Great Divide
9.) Us vs. Them
10.) Tarot
11.) Inferium
12.) New Wave

CJ Ramone
“Last Chance to Dance”
Fat Wreck Chords
Tracks: 12

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

“Last Chance to Dance” is the latest solo effort by former Ramones bassist CJ Ramone. The album is the follow up release to Ramones 2012 album “Reconquistain” and his first release via Fat Wreck Chords. The album consists of 12 brand new tracks by Ramone and company that will surely unchain your inner pinhead.

Both catchy and to the point “Last Chance to Dance” is done and over in just under 30 minutes but don’t let the albums brief run time fool you. Each of its 12 tracks pack enough punch to keep you coming back for more as CJ continues to carry the flag of his former band. Fun, upbeat rhythms combined with tongue and cheek lyrics make this a must listen not just for Ramones fans but for fans of music in general. Songs like “Understand Me” and “One More Chance” will induce instant head bobbing while tracks like ‘Til The End” and “You Owe Me” tug at your emotions with their tales of love and loss.

Though CJ’s time in the Ramones is often overlooked by casual fans, true Ramones fans know just how impactful his joining the group was. CJ brought the group a breath of fresh air not only with his energy during live shows but also with his vocals and song writing abilities. These same abilities are present on “Last Chance to Dance” and are certainly responsible for the albums shine and appeal. 1,2,3,4, Get this album!

Track Listing:
1.) Understand Me
2.) Won’t Stop Swinging
3.) One More Chance
4.) Carry Me Away
5.) ‘Til The End
6.) Long Way to Go
7.) Mr. Kalashnikov
8.) Pitstop
9.) Grunt
10.) You Own Me
11.) Last Chance to Dance
12.) Cluster Fuck

“The Only Folk Collection You’ll Ever Need”
Various Artists
Shout Factory
2 Discs
Tracks: 30

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

“The Only Folk Collection You’ll Ever Need” is the latest collection release from the good people at Shout Factory. 30 ground breaking tracks spread over two discs which lives up to the releases name. The album draws from the Folk music genre’s rich history including performance from acts such as The Carter Family and Peter, Paul and Mary to Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. The compilation really gives folkies a perfect mixture of music that defined a generation. The thing I found most enjoyable about this release was that it the actual artist performances of each track. A lot of times on these larger compilations there will be reinterpretations of the songs. This was definitely not the case here as each artist’s original performance is showcased. Included within the album linear notes is a brief synopsis from journalist Bill Bush on the Folk genre and the included compilation. With genre as rich as the Folk genre you certainly couldn’t include every great song that has been produced over the years however a good portion of them are contained on “The Only Folk Collection You’ll Ever Need” making this a nice addition to any music lovers collection.

Disc 1 Track Listing:
1.) Can the Circle Be Unbroken (Bye and Bye)
2.) Rock Island Line
3.) This Land is Your Land
4.) I’m a Man of Constant Sorrow
5.) Goodnight, Irene
6.) John Henry
7.) Tom Dooley
8.) Silver Threads and Golden Needles
9.) He Was a Friend of Mine
10.) Blowin’ In the Wind
11.) Four Strong Winds
12.) The Last Thing On My Mind
13.) The Times They Are A-Changing
14.) Roving Gambler
15.) Sitting On Top of the World

Disc 2 Track Listing:
1.) I Ain’t Marching Anymore
2.) Mr. Tambourine Man
3.) If I Had a Hammer (Live)
4.) Little Bit of Rain
5.) Catch the Wind
6.) There But For Fortune
7.) Early Mornin’ Rain
8.) I Shall Not Be Moved
9.) Thirsty Boots
10.) If I Were a Carpenter
11.) No Regrets
12.) Turn, Turn, Turn!/To Everything There is a Season
13.) Who Knows Where the Time Goes?
14.) Angel From Montgomery
15.) Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down

“Frozen: The Songs”
Format: Vinyl
Release Date: September 30, 2014
Label: Disney

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

This weekend last year, “Frozen” was released in theaters and started a global phenomenon. The songs has become instant classics. I am a big collector of vinyls and when I saw that “Frozen” was being released as an LP, I was excited. I grew up with vinyls and this allowed me to introduce the format to my daughter. Plus if you don’t own the soundtrack, I mean who honestly doesn’t, this comes with a digital download of the songs.

The vinyl edition of “Frozen: The Songs” features all 10 songs from the Oscar-winning film. There are none of the score tracks on this vinyl, so just the fun music that kids will absolutely love. My issue is that this really isn’t the highest quality LP. It is pressed on 120g and has quite of bit of noise throughout. Also the quality seemed not as crisp as it should and almost muffled. Absolutely my two year old won’t notice but daddy does. So this may be a win for the kids but parents might stick with the CD release.

Track Listing:
Disc: 1
1. Frozen Heart
2. Do You Want to Build a Snowman?
3. For the First Time in Forever
4. Love Is an Open Door
5. Let It Go

Disc: 2
1. Reindeer(s) Are Better Than People
2. In Summer
3. For the First Time in Forever (Reprise)
4. Fixer Upper
5. Let It Go (Single Version)

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