Album Review: Royal Blood

Gene Simmons recently stated that "Rock is Dead," but then came a band from the UK to prove the blood spitting demon wrong, Royal Blood.

Only sporting a bass player and drummer, this dynamic duo stirred up a 10 track album filled with nothing but hard rock melodic hits!

I would compare their style to bands like Black Keys, Jack White, and Led Zeppelin all wrapped in a single 2 piece band.

The first song that stuck out for me was a tune called "Little Monsters" which has this incredibly heavy opening riff that goes into a softer verse and then back into a heavier unforgettable chorus. Once you get a taste of it you'll play it on repeat for the rest of the week. Then from that jam another song that caught my ears was "Ten Tonne Skeleton" which has this creepy dark heavy riff that will make your head bob up and down without you even knowing it's happening.

There isn't a single bad song on this entire album and the musicianship is incredible. I heard their shows are even better so I'm now waiting for them to do a headlining show in LA.

I highly recommend all my rocker friends to give this band a listen. They are the answer to our prayers for keeping rock in the scene now let's join them in proofing that rock can never die!



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Music Video Premier: SIXX:AM's "Gotta Get It Right"

August 6th, 2014 Sixx:AM released the new music video to their first single "Gotta Get It Right" of their new album "Modern Vintage"

Sixx:AM consists of Motley Crue's bassits Nikki Sixx, DJ Ashba from Axl Roses' solo band on Guitar, and singer James Michael, who has produced records for acts such as Meat Loaf, Halestorm, Motley Crue, Papa Roach and many more.

"Gotta Get It Right" offers a Mott the Hoople 70's feel with the band adding their own flavor as well. When I first heard the song I could tell the band was going for that vintage sound, but something seemed a little different to me and I wasn't sure if I was into it. James has his own style of writing which can be tough to adjust to, at least for me, at times, but I always end up digging it in the end. Their last album This is Going to Hurt was a fresh sound and had great energy.

Sixx spoke to Revolver Magazine about the new album and said "I think Sixx:AM fans are going to love this record and I think new people will come in and be really surprised by it and become fans as well," he said. "I don't think our first two records sound like the same type of record, but I do think there's a sound with the band and I think we're going to continue on that tradition."

I'm looking forward to hearing what this new album has to offer when it drops on October 7th.

Check it out and tell me what your your thoughts.

Congratulations Mercedes!

Congratulations to Mercedes Tesolin from Argentina for winning the Gilby Clarke Swag!

Thanks for helping spread the Wall of Sound in Argentina! I really enjoy sharing what's going on in the rock scene and it means a lot to know there are people out there enjoying the posts!

Hope you enjoy all the sweet swag gifts and keep your eyes open for the contests in the future!

Cheers,

Keelan

My Big Ten Inch Records

In preparation for the Aerosmith concert on Wednesday it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who knows me that the only thing other than my brain that's spinning are my Aerosmith records...

Vinyl collecting could be considered one of my addictions. I don't care how broke I am or in what format I already have that album, if it's an album that has spoken to me in some way, shape or form I'll buy it in a heartbeat. I'll save my vinyl stories for another blog, but for now let's discuss the matter at hand... Aerosmith!

Ever since I was a young problem child all I talked about was this band, Aerosmith. I knew very little about them, but I knew they were my light at the end of the tunnel.

The moment I saw the band's raw energy and the way Steven Tyler threw himself on stage, I knew what my purpose in life was going to be. I wanted to be a rock star.

It's one thing to enjoy a concert, it's another to watch a band and feel an urge of wanting to be on that exact stage and do what those guys get to do night after night. It's hard to explain that feeling, but that is what Aerosmith does for me. I want to be that 2 hour escape from reality for thousands of people. 

So for now I will dream until my dreams come true and vicariously live through Steven Tyler until my time has come. Wednesday shall be a great escape for me and a thousand others. 

I will most certainly have a concert review up after the show so stay tuned! 

What band has influenced you in some way?

KISS AND DEF LEPPARD @ THE LA FORUM 7/8/14 CONCERT REVIEW

I WANTED THE BEST AND I GOT THE BEST!

After 22 years of waiting I finally experienced my first KISS concert and I couldn't have been more excited. It was also my first time seeing a show at the LA Forum which was an incredible venue after being completely redone.

I have seen Def Leppard before and I was looking forward to seeing them again. They sounded amazing that night at the forum. All the background vocals were spot on and the band was very entertaining. I was told that Vivian Campbell had 30 hours of chemo before the show due to his battle with cancer, but he still got up there on stage and rocked the crowd for an hour. They played all the hits that the crowd wanted to hear and it was a great performance.

Click here for Def Leppard's Setlist

After Def Leppard played a fantastic set, we went to the Forum Club which was packed with guests and had free food for everyone. Plus KISS and Def Leppard cake!

Before we knew it we saw smoke coming through the cracks and knew that only meant one thing, KISS HAS HIT THE STAGE! 

Pyro, blood, flying, and a huge moving spider stage! Need I describe to you how the KISS performance went down? It was everything I wanted from KISS and more! Of course the band has gotten older and even though the make-up might hide their age it's tough singing those high notes from their early days. Gene has always sounded great, but I think his songs are easy to sing. Paul always sings incredibly high notes and he has always pulled it off, but recently his voice has been struggling. It is no reason to not give him any crap because he performed so incredibly well that I wasn't bothered by his vocals. He was soaring high and falling to his knees, giving everyone a bang for their buck. He flew across the crowd and onto a stage that was centered in the middle of the audience and played two songs under a rotating disco ball. I feel like their performance reflected a broadway act where they knew every move they were about to make and they didn't miss a step, and what do you expect from a band that has been doing it right for the past 40 years? Not very many bands can reach the success that KISS has achieved. I'm sure the big elephant in the room is the fact that Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer aren't the original members. I agree of course I would rather watch Ace Frehely and Peter Criss, but I agree with what Paul and Gene said that a band is like a marriage and you aren't going to be in a relationship with your ex. I wish they were more open to playing with the original members, but I am not in their shoes and don't know what the band went through. I am also currently reading Paul's new book and will find out all the dirt very soon. 

Click here for KISS' Setlist

THE WINERY DOGS ALBUM REVIEW Released 7/23/13

Are you tired of the triple threat power trios yet? Well not to worry because you know what they say, they come in threes and here is the third and final threesome that I feel is worth your time and money.

The Winery Dogs are singer and guitar virtuoso Richie Kotzen (Poison, Mr.Big) Bass Extraordinaire Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, David Lee Roth) and drum master Mike Portnoy (Dream Theatre).

Being a fan of both Kotzen and Sheehan's work in their previous bands, and knowing how talented of musicians they are, I was looking forward to hearing this combined effort. Dream Theatre is not on my radar so I didn't know anything about Portnoy, but knew how talented his band was and this album proved such that. Portnoy is an incredible drummer and I became a fan of his after listening to this album.

Now onto the material. The album opens up with a ripping song titled "Elevate." Just in the first 10 seconds of the song you understand the talent that is within the three piece and your attention is grabbed. It is a perfect opener to get the listener warmed up and up to speed of what this band is all about. The song that captured me before I picked up the album was a ballad titled "I'm No Angel" (below). I'm not sure how everyone feels about ballads, but even if you think it could be a cheesy style I suggest giving this one a try. It is incredibly catchy and if your someone who enjoys the story behind songs listen to the lyrics because Kotzen opens up in this song about his relationships. I'm not speaking for Kotzen so I can't say if the song is a true revelation or just a great idea that listeners may relate to, but it's definitely entertaining none the less.

I can sit here and nit pick all the songs on this album, but to save us all some time and not bore you to death I'll just say the entire album is very well written and the production is excellent. It is very catchy and melodic with heavy songs and soft songs, so I would say it's a good mix and there is something on it for everyone.

I know getting yourself to listen to a new album can be a challenge, I've had those moments many times and I force myself to give it a good listening for about a week until I have an honest opinion. This album didn't take long for me to realize how great it really was. To start you off, listen to those 2 songs I mentioned above to hopefully get you hooked, then listen to the first 6 songs which I feel are the best, and then give the last half a shot. This is a must have in any rocker's collection!

Charts

#27 - Billboard 200

#3 - Top Alternative Albums

#4 - Top Independent Albums

#4 - Tastemakers

#5 - Top Rock Albums

#8 - Top Internet Albums

#30 - Canada Top Internet Albums

Tour

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New SLASH Single - World on Fire Released 6/13/14

Check out Slash's new single "World on Fire" now.

Buy Now:



New album comes out Sept. 15.

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Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators will also be touring with Aerosmith this summer on the #LetRockRule tour. They will also be performing a select number of headline dates.

Date	Location	Venue
7/9	Hampton Beach, NH	Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
7/10	Wantagh, NY	Jones Beach Theatre
7/13	Kitchener, Canada	Big Music Fest
7/16	Mansfield, MA	Xfinity Center
7/19	Cadott, WI	Rock Fest
7/20	Northfield, OH	Hard Rock Live
7/22	Cincinnati, OH	Riverbend Music Center
7/25	Tinley Park, IL	First Midwest
7/26	Kansas City, MO	Harrah's - Voodoo Lounge
7/30	Inglewood, CA	The Forum
8/1	Scottsdale, AZ	Talking Stick Resort
8/2	Las Vegas, NV	MGM Grand Arena
8/5	Dana Point, CA	St. Regis
8/8	Stateline, NV	Harvey's
8/9	Temecula, CA	Pechanga Resort
8/13	Concord, CA	Sleep Train Pavilion
8/15	Coquitlam, Canada	Hard Rock Casino
8/16	George, WA	The Gorge Amphitheatre
8/19	Denver, CO	Pepsi Center
8/22	Dallas, TX	American Airlines Center
8/25	The Woodlands, TX	Mitchell Pavilion
8/28	Atlanta, GA	Phillips Arena
8/29	Hollywood, FL	Seminole Hard Rock
8/31	Atlantic City, NJ	Boardwalk Hall
9/3	Newark, NJ	Prudential Center
9/6	Bristow, VA	Jiffy Lube Live
9/9	Clarkston, MI	DTE Energy Music Theatre
9/12	Sydney, Canada	Open Hearth Park