Category: Heavy Metal

POWERTRIBE - CAROL OF THE BELLS

12/17/2018

Who's up for some Heavy Metal Christmas?

I've never been a huge Metal guy. But, you know, who can deny the brilliance of AC/DC or Iron Maiden or Motorhead? And Metal Christmas songs used to be cool. But so many, these days, don't even put in a real effort. I guess they figure if its loud enough, people will love it. But that's just annoying. I dig August Burns Red (though I'm still trying to wrap my head around Christian Metal). But, otherwise, I'm getting long in the tooth and loud just isn't enough for Christmas. I want to hear some artistry.

In my humble opinion, PowerTribe is the real deal. They put some thought, some effort, some artistry into this cover of "Carol of the Bells" and it shows. The guitar, the bass, the drums...they're all really attacking this thing with artistry. Anyway, I think so.

I do have a couple of minor issues. Given Trans Siberian Orchestra, I might have chosen a different song. Not that the versions are in any way comparable, but "Carol Of The Bells", these days, gets too readily identified with TSO in the Rock genre. More importantly, PowerTribe is a female fronted Metal band and their vocalist (and bassist) Missy Percifield is really really good. So why an instrumental? You got a hard rock band and your vocalist has the pipes and skill Missy does, show her off. "Show her off" sounds kind of sexist, but I'd say the same thing if PowerTribe had a male vocalist that good. Next year, guys, vocals on your Christmas song. Just sayin'. Incidentally, as I said, they're all good, so a little love, too, for guitarist Darren Stroud and drummer John Chominsky. They're both awesome on this thing.

Check out some of PowerTribe's music on Soundcloud and their album "Prepare For Battle". And they'd really appreciate it if you'd stop by their Facebook page and give them a "like". Oh, and "Carol of the Bells"? You can download it free from PowerTribe's official web site.

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QUINI ROIZ - ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU

11/9/2018

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Quini Roiz is from Spain and occasionally goes by the name Heavy Cobra. He's been playing guitar since he was 8. On this recording, though, Quini Roiz is acting in the role of arranger and producer. Guitars, here, are from David Rodriguez, vocals and keys by Juanjo Román. And that's about all I can tell you. As much as I can get behind the musicianship on "All I Want For Christmas Is You", I do have to question the song selection. Mariah's song has been covered to death and just needs to go away for a while (IMO). At this point, "All I Want For Christmas Is You" has become as annoying as "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer". Probably more so. Yeah, yeah, you like "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer". Fine. Play it at your house.

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FLEMING & JOHN - BACK IN RED

8/23/2018

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Holy Happy Holidays, Batman! Do you hear what I hear? It's a bloody miracle! Presents under the tree from the exquisite and exquisitely talented Fleming and John? No offense to the (possibly evil) NOW empire, but THIS is what I call Christmas. Yes, they're back. And they're "Back In Red".

Got a note from one of our loyal readers this morning. "I'm sure you already know about this...." You know, I get that a lot and it simply isn't true. I miss a lot. I mean a lot. And I pretty much missed everything last year. Nor did I see these particular gifties mentioned by any in our circle of Festive Friends (though I could easily have missed that as well). Anyway, our reader pointed us to the Facebook page of Fleming & John.

Fleming & John are a husband and wife team based in Nashville. John Mark Painter plays more instruments than you knew existed and his genius mind has a conception of sound that far exceeds that of mortal men (or women). Fleming McWilliams has a voice from the gods and she knows how to use it. She whispers, she purrs, she growls, and she screams...and that's just on one note. Really, she has one of the best and most versatile singing voices I've ever heard. And these talents have not gone unnoticed. The pair are highly in demand for session work with others, they run the International House of Fleming studios and the DWEEB record label. And they do their own thing, when they can, as Fleming & John (it's actually a full band with other members, but Fleming and John are the heart of it).

Back when the Internet was young...well, younger at any rate...Fleming & John created one of the best Christmas song mashups ever. I don't know the actual original release date. Some time in the aughts, I suspect (2004, perhaps). "Winter Wonderland/Misty Mountain Hop" (that's "Winter Wonderland" done to the tune of Led Zeppelin's "Misty Mountain Hop") became an annual favorite of Christmas music obsessives, it's popularity peaking out between 2010 and 2012. And then I sorta lost track of them and it seemed like other Christmas collectors did as well.

So it was a true joy to have a Stubby's fan alert me to the duo's most recent holiday wonders. "Back In Red" dates back to at least 2016 (there's a reference on their Facebook page to a new Christmas song in 2013, but no follow up post to that one). It's a delightful holiday reworking of AC/DC's "Back In Black" which truly rises above typical novelty fare thanks to inspired lyrics and Fleming's amazing vocal talents.

But, for me, the better holiday treat turned out to be the pair's recording of "Do You Hear What I Hear?" from 2017. No Metal Mashup, that one, but a true sonic wonderland. John, here, does some extraordinary things with the sound. And Fleming's vocals are truly transcendent. The track would work just as well in hard rock and soft rock formats. It's just a beautiful thing to behold and instantly became my favorite version ever of the song.

You know, when you're doing a mix that friends and family are going to listen to, you have to consider a lot of factors. The Mashups are always popular. But I think, musically, "Do You Hear What I Hear?" is the better selection. I've been going back and forth all day. Ah, the hell with it; just use them both. They're that good. While they remain available, both songs (as well as "Winter Wonderland/Misty Mountain Hop"--still a top notch performance, if you haven't already got it) are free to download via Dropbox, Yuletide presents from Fleming & John. Yeah, they're very special people like that. Pay them a visit at Facebook.

Back In Red
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Winter Wonderland/Misty Mountain Hop

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ALTERNATIV JULEKALENDER (Alternative Advent Calendar)

12/12/2016

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AS HE SAID

I've been so busy, I haven't had time to check in with any of the Advent Calendars (except for Lie In The Sound, cuz I love those people). One of the longer running and more interesting Advent countdowns is the Alternativ Julekalender, which is "hosted"(?) by Arne, Jonny, and Stian and has been since 2007, I think. They are the people behind the Scandanavian Indie label Riot Factory. From the first of December to the 25th, they post a song a day to Soundcloud that you're free to download. Usually the old calendars remain available, too. It's remembering to check every day that sometimes becomes the issue. And it's fairly typical for me to catch it on day one, catch up right around the middle, and then go back and catch up again around New Years. But you know, if we forget to check, they might stop doing it. And nobody wants that. They post some fascinating stuff, some of it in Norweigian (but lots in English)--from sweet Indie Pop to very Heavy Metal and everything in between and on both sides. It's very cool. Will you like it all? Maybe not. But its one of those things where, if you pay attention, you will come out with a few "this is my new favorite of all time" cuts. And isn't that why we're all here? We'll try to remember to update this post as we get more. Just click on "Advent Calendar" on the categories menu to your right to get back here (or to any others we post). I'll note that a couple of these do not appear to be downloadable at the moment (just Days 6 and 10, right now), so perhaps they're including streams or maybe you only get one day to download those. Hey, I'll take 10 out of 12 any day.

Up top is my favorite so far this year. The group As He Said with an original song about coming home, "Quiet". I liked the song so much, I immediately hit up their other Soundcloud tunes and then headed out to their Facebook page. The group ranges from Indie Pop to Alt Rock to Synth Pop and back to Dream Pop. They say their lyrics are very intimate and vulnerable and the sounds are whatever the four of them come up with. Whatever they're doing, they need to keep doing it. It's trippy and lush and wonderful. As He Said should soon be releasing their first ever EP--hopefully something I can buy from here in the States. Remember the name. As He Said. And, if you want some more beautiful Christmas music from As He Said, check the video on their Facebook page for "Nordnorsk Julesalme", which translates to North Norwegian Christmas Psalm. Too bad I can't embed it here. Really and truly beautiful.

1. Tre Små Kinesere - Nedsnødd på Julaften [Snowbound On Christmas Eve]
2. Drango - Carrol of the Bells
3. Gourm£t - Bare God Mat (m Harry Mayne) [Just Good Food]
4. Tapewind - Away in a Manger
5. Pom Poko - Lemon
6. FOG (Frukt og Grønt) - Auroras Rolle
7. Dear Esther - Papillon
8. Black Moon Circle - The Sun Is Coming Back
9. As He Said - Quiet
10. Samū - Sundown
11. Herman Wildhagen - All I See
12. Moon Like Bell - We Don't Swim
13. Christoffer Øien - I'll Be Home For Christmas
14. Kristoffer Lo - Alternativ Julekalender 2016

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ALAN LACY - WINTER WONDERLAND

10/7/2016

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Back in 2011 or 2012, Alan Lacy and a great gob of Christian Metal musicians in Texas conceived a merry Metal Christmas stage show. I'm a little vague on whether L211 was the name of the musical collective or of the musical itself, but it was billed as "The Loudest Christmas Story Ever Told". They put together an album, "Christmas Day". I take it there were some hard copy CDs. Downloads could be purchased via Bandcamp. And they delivered their stage show on December 22, 2013. And then it all just disappeared.

L211's digital footprint today is virtually nil. You know how it goes.

I'm not sure what Alan & Co. have been up to in the intervening years, but he's dusting off the old record and bringing it back under his own name (at least I'm presuming this is the old record). The hibernating Facebook page got a new post in September--just an image of the album cover--and some of the tunes are up on Bandcamp. It looks like its still a work in progress (I suspect there are more tracks to be posted), but there are currently 5 songs posted for "Christmas Day" -- "Deck The Halls", "March Of The Toy Soldier". "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", "Noel" and "Joy To The World". And 5 will get you 5 (although there is no price currently visible, click the "Buy Now" button and it's 5 bucks; fair enough). And then there's "Winter Wonderland", being offered as a free download on a separate page, presumably to stir your interest in the rest of the record. All of the tunes are instrumental.

There was a time when putting together a Heavy Metal Christmas mix was a real challenge. Not so much anymore. And that's a good thing. Because now it just comes down to the quality of the music and we aren't forced to schlep in some bogus filler. Overall, "Christmas Day" features plenty of Head Bangin' goodness. On first listen, my favorites were "March of the Toy Soldier" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen". But "Winter Wonderland" has got a super Thrash tempo and some sparkling guitar work and, hey, it's free!!! Can't beat that. Grab it here.

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The FREE List

Here we hope to direct you to some of the Christmas music on the web that can be yours absolutely free. We will not direct you to mp3 or sharity sites, here, but only to artist sites, label sites, and other authorized and unquestionably legal locations.

POWERTRIBE - CAROL OF THE BELLS

QUINI ROIZ - ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU

FLEMING & JOHN - BACK IN RED

ALTERNATIV JULEKALENDER (Alternative Advent Calendar)

ALAN LACY - WINTER WONDERLAND

The FREE List

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