REVIEW: OPETH - SORCERESS - 9/30/2016
Gweedo

If you're close minded and like listening to the same three chords over and over let me stop you right here. Re-evaluate your life and come back later. Ok, now that we got rid of all the squares let me delight your ear holes with some new original sounds. Opeth. Yeah they used to play Swedish death metal but it's time to wake up because these guys have left that in the rear view. Now pumping out experimental progressive jazz rock they released Sorceress, their 12th album. I don't want to lead you too far astray. This is definitely a "need to be in the mood for" type of record but that doesn't make it any less good. In my opinion it is best enjoyed as I am; unwinding at the end of the day in your thoughts with a cold beverage. It demands to be absorbed, digested, and appreciated. Get it on vinyl if you have the chance.

REVIEW: SLASH - WORLD ON FIRE 10/9/2014
Gweedo

I spent some time checking out Slash’s new album, World on Fire; soaring vocals, guitar solos, and groovy rock beats, what more could you ask for?! Slash’s third solo album brought back Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators to hammer out 17 awesome tracks. World on Fire seemed very cohesive like a full band wrote it instead of a collaboration. You can’t beat Myles Kennedy on vocals. Todd Kerns had some great bass parts and I really enjoyed Brent Fitz on the drums. The cherry on top was the fantastic album art that is a collage of popular figures and a yellow top hat smiley face housing a skull. Ron English is to thank for that. The tracks are dynamic and have catchy melodies making this my favorite solo Slash CD yet.

REVIEW: THE BASTARD SUNS - LONG LIVE SONG 1/22/2014
Gweedo

In December 2013 the world was given the gift of song. Through Kickstarter, The Bastard Suns and fans produced the gem, Long Live Song. I’m honored to have been a part of putting this great CD out. I like the front to back album art depicting a caricature of a dead colonial man in a wooden coffin wielding a violin with two pence over his eyes. Inside, the CD has a custom pence design with the band’s name and the 2004 establishment date of the band. My hat’s off to Clay Heirs with the design and Whitney Carite for the awesome artwork. Also, due to the Kickstarter funding, there is a long list of all the people that helped bring this album to fruition on the inside cover. Long Live Song brings a little bit different sound to the table. The Bastard Suns lost a few of their members and from the marijuana ashes emerged as a stronger, better band. The core of the band remained the same with Clay on vocals, Wes Driscoll on guitar, and Jay Tea Thomas on drums. They added Mongo Peterson to pound out some bass and background vocals and the delightful Whitney to add some new flavor to the lyrics. The biggest changes to this album are including a female vocalist and that it is a little more folky. My favorite album of theirs is still Here Come The Suns because I think the songs are catchier and I like the grove of the album. Long Live Song is a must get album though.

REVIEW: FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH - THE WRONG SIDE OF HEAVEN AND THE RIGHTEOUS SIDE OF HELL, VOL. 2 12/16/2013
Gweedo

Five Finger Death Punch’s The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 2 came out just as the effects of Volume 1 were wearing off. Christmas came early with this and was quite a treat. It isn’t my favorite album. Although, I wouldn’t say it is bad at all. The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 2 marks their fifth release. This time, there were no special guests, but it does feature the first song that guitarist Zoltan Bathory ever played and a remake of an old song from singer Ivan Moody. To some fans’ rejoice, I believe there are a few songs on this record that harken back to the self-produced debut album, Way Of The Fist, that many fans still think is their best . I will have to respectfully disagree and stand by my previous review that Volume 1 is my favorite.

REVIEW: FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH - THE WRONG SIDE OF HEAVEN AND THE RIGHTEOUS SIDE OF HELL, VOL. 1 8/20/2013
Gweedo

Have you ever rocked so hard it could not be contained on a CD? Me either, but I know someone who has – Five Finger Death Punch. They released The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 1, their fourth CD, with Volume 2 coming out later this year. Obviously, these guys were on a roll. The album name is a mouth full but an interesting statement. I think this album has some of Five Finger’s best work on it, as does most everyone else. It debuted as the #1 Rock album globally and #2 on Billboard 200, selling 112,000 records the 1st week. I believe that makes this their most successful album to date. They brought on special guests Rob Halford of Judas Priest, Maria Brink of In This Moment, Tech N9ne, Max Cavalera of Soulfly and Sepultura, and Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed. Also, this is the first album to have bassist Chris Kael on it. I have put in some of solid hours listening to this CD, and it is great start to finish. My assumptions with the plans of there being two volumes are: 1) There would be a lot of filler, and 2) There would be very few tracks. To my surprise, there are 14 tracks that are as lean as Chris Kael! The tracks are heavy, energetic, and powerful. Everyone did excellent on the CD.

REVIEW: EVE 6 - SPEAK IN CODE 3/15/2013
Gweedo

I know this album has been out for almost a year, but I don’t think it is getting the attention it deserves. There’s always skepticism when a band breaks up for a while and comes back together. Are they going to be the same? Are they going to stay together? Will they still have that same magic? Skeptics and questions were silenced with three words, Speak In Code. After an eight year break, the Eve 6 originals entered the studio and produced this gem. The album is a spectacular addition to their discography. It seems that the break energized the band and it shows. At the core, you can hear the old Eve 6 that we all came to know and love, but just as we all matured, so have they and their sound.  There is a lot more production put into their new songs; it really enhances the tracks and is not over done. I consider it one of those bad day therapy CD’s. Put this through your speakers, and your problems start melting away. Eve 6 take relatable problems and back them with an awesome beat. Every song is unique, refreshing, and never lets up.

REVIEW: TRAPT - REBORN 1/30/2013
Gweedo

Trapt just released their fifth studio album, REBORN. This is a great accomplishment for the band since it was independently released by them. Though it was slightly delayed, it was worth the wait. It fits nicely into their discography and has some awesome songs on it. You can tell the music is unrestricted with the lyrical content and the overall tracks sound. There was no one forcing radio hits and proves that a band can produce solid singles. If Trapt has success with this album and continues this path, the title REBORN is very justified. The deluxe version has 17 tracks with a couple repeat songs performed acoustically. It adds a nice touch to the CD since some songs are a challenge to get to sound right acoustically and often brings out hidden melodies.

REVIEW: INTERTWINED - ATTEST 12/9/2012
Gweedo

Go buy this CD! The End.

Alright, perhaps you’d like a little more information than that. I spent a couple of weeks listening to Intertwined’s ATTEST nonstop. You really need to embrace a CD to catch all the nuances, and I thoroughly enjoyed this CD. ATTEST is Intertwined’s third album over eight years. That is impressive for a local band. This little Grand Junction, CO band is trying to catapult their way into the national market, and this is definitely a CD that will help them reach that goal. It is my opinion that they should relocate to Denver to have more opportunities to increase their fan base. I could see some of these songs being played on Denver’s 106.7 KBPI. It is definitely a CD to be proud of as a band.

REVIEW: CHARM CITY DEVILS - SINS 9/19/2012
Gweedo

Charm City Devils Sins is a great CD. This is the band’s sophomore album that took three years to get out. It is locked and loaded and unstoppable. Seriously, it hasn’t stopped playing in my CD player since I got it. To be honest, I was being really lazy and trying to convince myself not to write this review. The fact of the matter is that the CD is just so good. I had to do it. There are two singles out as of right now, Man Of Constant Sorrow and Unstoppable. With this second album, they really stepped up. The best way to describe it is a mix of southern rock and blues filtered through some heavy, gritty rock. When I listen to the tracks, I hear essences of Lynyrd Skynyrd and some bluesy guitar riffs.