40 Grit: Heads

40 Grit emerged from the San Francisco Bay area, forming in 1996 and releasing their first album in 2000 titled; Heads. Being the year 2000, Nu metal and alternative/radio metal had all but taken over the mainstream scene and as such, record labels began pumping out as much material as possible, even traditionally metal based staples such as Metalblade Records (which is who released this album).

As for Heads, the music here consists of large, groove laden riffs akin to Machine Head or Skinlab. The drums offer the bare essentials in the rhythm department and provide just a glimmer of spunk to the overall sound. The song structures are simple and rely on catchy leads and metalcore like vocals, which best resemble Matt Holt from Nothingface. Most songs are built on a mid tempo baseline that slowly broods until the chorus hits and the energy explodes. It’s a basic formula for the successful Nu/alternative metal acts at the time such as Spineshank or Powerman 5000; Nothing groundbreaking, but the genre wasn’t meant to be as much. It’s simple, catchy and has replay value. A successful formula for a record deal at the time. All in all, not a bad listen if you enjoy the genre.

Highlights: “Fade Into You” “Serving Time” “Spit”

Rating: 3

Virus 7: Sick in the Head

Virus 7 is a short lived Nu metal/alternative metal band from Sweden, which gain a tiny amount of notoriety due largely to the fact that Mercyful Fate guitarist, Hank Shermann happens to be a member. Now, why would an established musician within the heavy metal community decide to anchor such a seemingly mediocre band? Well, that’s none of my business. I mean, I have no problem when a musician decides to dabble in another style or even a completely different genre. I would imagine most musician have an affinity for other music besides the genre they play and with it, a desire to explore those interests. I suppose c'est la vie.

Justification aside, let’s talk about the music. As I said, the sound here is prime Nu/alternative metal era to the core. The equation: blissfully simple guitar riffs, radio rocking vocals, drums that any Guitar Hero fan could master and a pinch of hip-hop influence thrown into the mix. Even with those simplest elements that most metal enthusiasts balk at, some bands were actually able to create a rather memorable and enjoyable listening experience. I must admit, although Virus 7 lacks much in the way of musical innovation, “Sick in the Head” is a rather catchy album with a few tunes that stuck in my head after I listened.

The first mention has to go to Shermann’s guitars, which aside from his name, bears no real resemblance to his reputation. The guitars, are in fact, simplistic, groove laden, chugging chords that play through the majority of the album. However, they do shine from time to time with an occasional solo and some modern sounding (for the era that is) rhythms that help keep a few songs in particular on this song fresh and interesting. (See my highlights)

As for the rest of the music, well for starters the drums, are pretty much what you would expect. Bare bones and neither establish themselves as a major player or stand out in any sense of being powerful or explosive. They are clearly heard throughout the album, but more so just along for the ride. The bass, believe it or not, actually plays a vital piece to most of these songs, as it’s thick overtone can be heard behind the scenes for the most part. This extra dose of heavy tone really helps the Nu Metal atmosphere by adding an additional layer that is often absent from the genre. As for Edgar Paul Allen’s vocals, I’m indifferent on their overall ability, but I must admit, for this kind of music they fit nicely. Other than perhaps a mid 90’s groove outfit, I don’t think his voice would go over too well in most metal formats, but as I said, for this radio metalish material, they meet the minimum requirement for enjoyability.

At the end of the day, “Sick in the Head” is an underwhelming display of musicianship, but a pretty decent Nu metal album for the time. Those unable to find any joy in the simplistic nature of Nu metal will no doubt toss this record to the trash, but if you enjoyed the sounds of the era, there will be a few track here you might enjoy.

Highlights: “Sick in the Head” “You Better Believe” “Last Chance”

Rating: 2.5

Spineshank: Strictly Diesel

Of all the Nu-metal bands out there, Spineshank is far and away my favorite. I've always loved their industrial touches they add to their music, the raw aggressive approach to their instruments and Johnny Santos' vocals. "The Height of Callousness" and "Self destructive Pattern" get regular listens to this today. However, those two albums of gold would be sandwiched between two lackluster releases in comparison. "Strictly Diesel" was released in 1998 and is as you would imagine, Nu-metal to the bone. The music on this album is nowhere near the level of the following release, staying true to a more simplistic, minimal technique formula with a little hip hop and electronics thrown into the mix. I might even go out on a limb and say that many aspects of this album could be called progressive Nu-metal? I guess, I'm address the issue, that some songs have a less aggressive tone at the start and build into their choruses. Maybe? Either way, this is not a bad album. It's not gold, but it's not trash either. The music here, aside from sounding exactly like it the era it dropped in, is raw and untapped in ability. In many of the songs, you can hear the combination of harsh and soft vocals they would begin to fine tune on their next two releases, but on "Strictly Diesel" they seem just a bit unrefined. The guitars and drums are incredibly vanilla in flavor, but not imitation vanilla if you get my drift. In their defense, I will say that the vanilla approach works for this album, because if Santos would have tried to belt out the vocals used on either of the following releases, this album would be abysmal. Instead, they played the correct balance needed to achieve their sound and his vocals. Again, the use of electronics adds an underlying industrial sound, which adds a nice layer to the overall atmosphere, but they would really learn to use it in the near future. The cover of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" shows off the best aspects of their style, giving it an interesting change of sound. So, all in all, this is not the greatest of Nu-metal albums, nor is it Spineshank's best, but I would recommend it for those wondering what Nu-metal was all about. It's a nice start to a mildly successful stint the band would soon create for themselves.

Highlights: "Stove Bolt" "Intake" "Where We Fall" "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"

Rating: 3

Spineshank: The Height of Callousness

"The Height of Callousness" was a big change for Spineshank. On this album, the sound would lose the elements of hip hop and much of their progressiveness displayed on "Strictly Diesel" and become a straight forward monster of aggression. Remember folks, this is still Nu-metal, not Iron Maiden, so the level musicianship isn't exactly legendary, so to expect as much would be foolish. What we get here is a lot of yelling, thick, distorted sounding guitars, crisp percussion and of course, a splash of industrial elements thrown into the mix. Things get started off right away with "Asthmatic". The vocals are filled with piss and vinegar and a simple riff that isn't much to brag about technicality wise, but it fits its energy level perfectly. The title track follows suit, but adds more of the industrial aspect into the fold. "Synthetic" and "New Disease" would go on to become minor hits, landing them some radio spots and having their videos shown on television. Remember, this was 2000, the peak of Nu-metal grasp on the music world. "(Can't Be) Fixed" shows a little of the progressive sound they flash on "Strictly Diesel", which slowly builds to a very catchy chorus. "Cyanide 2600" is heavy on the industrial side and is heavy to the core, while "Transparent" displays Santos' best use of his clean vocals thus far with the band.

From start to finish, "The Height of Callousness" is a Nu-metal gem with everything you could want from the genre. Its energy is matched by its intensity, while not trying to be something it isn't. Again, Nu-metal. Straight forward, simple and fun music. Spineshank stepped their game up to a new level with this release and unlike many other Nu-metal bands, they would go on to improve their sound even further in the future.

Highlights: "Synthetic" "New Disease" "Transparent" "Asthmatic"

Rating: 4.5

Spineshank: Self Destructive Pattern

I have a friend who claims this was when Spineshank sold out. That their mild success with the mainstream caused them to abandon their metalcore anger and intense energy for a more radio friendly sound. On one hand I can see his point. "Self Destructive Pattern" is nowhere near the level of raw aggression "The Height of Callousness" displayed. On the other hand, I would say that the band, much like others have done, wished to explore another sound, one that yes, was focused on being more accessible, but one that they performed admirably. In any case, I love this album. Spineshank would substitute a lot of their energy for more structure their songs, which helps them create multiple moods throughout the album. Again, this is Nu-metal, but the sound on this album is much more diverse in that, it's not all over the place trying to mere multiple genres and samples into one sound, but rather the album flows with a similar atmosphere from start to finish.

The album kicks off with "Violent Mood Swings", a song with the aggression of old and simple catchy riff that propels the chorus forward. The next song,"Slavery" has another catchy rhythm to it, one that would be used in the film "Freddy vs Jason" as would the song "Beginning of the End" as well. "Smothered", is obviously the bands most successful track, which was nominated for a Grammy. "Consumed (Obsessive Compulsive)" and "Falls apart" show off their fast paced aggressive roots, while songs like "Stillborn" show the use of their industrial elements that they have always been known for.

At the end of the day, yes this album was geared toward a greater chance of success by altering their pure Nu-metal energetic sound to one more melodic. Is that a bad thing? Depends. If you wanted another constant yeller like "The Height of Callousness" than maybe. If you enjoy hearing a band grow and develop a little more layered approach to their simplistic style, than this might be for you. Either way, I eat them both up and enjoy them each for their unique sound.

Highlights: "Slavery" "Falls Apart" "Violent Mood Swings" "Tear Me Down"

Rating: 4.5

Spineshank: Anger Denial Acceptance

When Spineshank split up after "Self Destructive Pattern" I was bummed. When Johnny Santos formed Silent Civilian, I was sure that meant the end of the band. Now, Silent Civilian's "Rebirth of the Temple" is, in my opinion, one of the greatest metalcore albums of all time. However, it was not Spineshank, even though their two releases would tide me over. Now, for years, rumors of the band's reunion had floated around the internet to no avail. But, when Silent Civilian seemingly went of Hiatus after their 2010 release, those rumors gained momentum. Eventually the news came out that Spineshank had indeed reformed and were planning on releasing a new album. It had been nine years since "Self Destructive Pattern" and twelve since "The Height of Callousness". To say this new album was highly anticipated among Spineshank fans is an understatement. After disbanding after arguably their most successful album, fans wondered what could have been during that span. In 2012, "Anger Denial Acceptance" was released and I like most Spinshank fans picked it up immediately.

It's funny and sad how the anticipation of waiting for something you expect to be great can be better than the actual product. Like a kid waiting all year for Christmas to arrive after dropping hint after hint of a particular toy, only to open up a hand knitted sweater. This long awaited album was my knitted sweater. Look, the music on this album isn't by any means a horrible mess that should be burnt to dust, but it's not Spineshank. After nine years of waiting, this sounds like the band got together a few months prior, jammed out in a basement and settled on a handful of tracks they could slap their name onto. This album fails to capture any of the sounds from either of their three previous releases. No anger, no ferocity, no progressiveness, no industrial overtones. It's more of an angry rock album than it is Nu-metal. I was hoping this wouldn't just be a rehash of Silent Civilian, but I would have taken a carbon copy of that over this album. Disappointing to say the least. There are a few songs however, that are catchy and exhibit a flicker of their days of old, but this is one of those albums that each new song has you wondering "how many more tracks are left?" Not in a "I don't want it to end way" mind you, but rather a "is this a new song or is it on repeat".

I'll be totally honest, this is a biased review, so I'm willing to hear another take on it, but it would take a lot for me to consider this anything resembling the Spineshank of old. I think the disappointment is worse than the actual music, so give it at least a listen if you're not familiar with the band. I don't know, you might like this. Fans of Spineshank, think of this as "Dumb and Dumber To" or "Anchorman 2": just stick with the tried and true sound.

Rating: 2

36 Crazyfists: Bitterness the Star

"Bitterness the Star" was my first experience with 36 Crazyfists back in high school and it left quite an impression on me, one that never faded with time. I would describe this as NU/metalcore leaning more towards the Nu-metal side of the spectrum. As I've stated before, being Nu-metal in nature, has far less technicality behind its sound, but that makes it no less enjoyable than any of their other releases. The simplistic sound is the perfect medium to put Brock Lindow's vocals front and center, which is undoubtedly the most recognized aspect of this album. Speaking of Lindow's vocals, the only way I can explain them would be to compare them to Gerrit Mutz from Sacred Steel. Either you love them or you hate them. I loved them then and even though their sound has matured over the years, allowing Lindow to expand his vocal range, I still enjoy his voice. Don't let the Nu-metal label frighten you. Yes, this isn't the most musically diverse album on the planet, but it has plenty of catchy riffs, crisp drumming and memorable songs. Fans of metalcore and Nu-metal (Especially Glassjaw) should give this a listen.

Highlights: “Turns to Ashes” “Slit Wrist Theory” “An Agreement Called Forever”

Rating: 3.5