Bite Me! CD Reviews A - F

+44 – When Your Heart Stops Beating (Interscope Records)    

Two years after the demise of Blink 182 Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker are back with +44.   Heartbroken fans have nothing to worry about because +44 is an extension of Blink with the addition of Shane Gallagher (Nervous Return) and Craig Fairbaugh (Transplants).  The foundation is still intact; however, the boys have broadened their musical horizons by experimenting with dance rock textures and electronics beats.   The result is a sound that is more dark and dirty as opposed to silly and poppy.  It’s about time they leave the adolescence behind.   The album’s first single, “When Your Heart Stops Beating,” is good, but “Weatherman” shows promise.  The tune, which reflect on Blink’s demise, feature the darkest lyrics ever penned by Hoppus.  Electronics come out in The Cure inspired “Interlude,” - an acoustical piece of mystical guitars and trip-hop drums.  “Little Death” gives off a moody tone that is balanced out by the highly explosive “155”.  Electronic drums and synths creep into the verse of “Baby, Come On,” which also features an extremely catchy chorus that will delight Blink fans.  The mighty “Chapter 13” ends the album with a bang thanks to its anthemic chorus and dramatic guitars.  Yes it is true…Mark and Travis have grown up.  Not sure how long it will last but on When Your Heart Stops Beating they’ve proven that they have the ability to craft energetic and catchy pop-punk songs as well as melodically atmospheric ballads.  -NIN

69 Eyes - Framed In Blood: The Very Blessed of The 69 Eyes (Cleopatra)

Peter Steele is back!  Okay, not really, but Jyrki’s sexy vocals will make you think he is.  In fact, The 69 Eyes’ melodic blend of goth, glam, and metal is similar in nature to that of Type-O Negative.  The unit from Finland put the rock in goth by mixing influences of Bauhaus & Sisters of Mercy with the likes of Alice Cooper, Bowie, Iggy Pop, and The Doors.  This disc covers the band’s performances from 1995 – 2002 and contains such greats as “Electric Shock” and “The Walls Have Eyes”.   Bam Margeria is a fan.  Don’t you think it’s time you became one too?  -NIN

All That Remains – The Fall of Ideals (Razor & Tie / Prosthetic)

In their debut follow up, The Fall of Ideals, All That Remains represents the top of the crop.  The explosive metal quintet has broadened their style and offers an array of tunes that span the spectrum of thrash, death, old skool, and metalcore.  To make things even more interesting Phil’s vocals run the gamut from a growl, a scream, and on occasion he even sings.  But that is not all…headbangers everywhere all know that a true sign of a good metal band is the level of technical guitar work and The Fall of Ideals doesn’t fall short in that category.  The progressive guitars mixed with rapid fire double bass and death growls from the bowels of hell practically beg you to play this disc at maximum intensity.   -NIN

And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead – So Divided (Interscope) 1/2

So Divided is Trail Of The Dead’s version of ‘The White Album’.  Innovative and passionate, it’s a heroic effort by the acclaimed rockers.  The group’s latest release is more elaborately orchestrated than ‘Source Tags and Codes,’ as Trail of the Dead continues to challenge their musical creativity by going beyond their musical boundaries.  This honest and sincere offering is proof that rock can and still should be unpredictable.  The layered harmonies and textured hooks pay homage to the Beatles and the Beach Boys.  Though a bit more upbeat at times Conrad’s lyrics are still intense which can be seen in the passionate “Stand in Silence”.  “Eight Day Hell” mixes dark power pop with indie rock and coats it with atmospheric textures.  A Tahitian drum rhythm complements “Wasted State of Mind,” while the multi-faceted closer “Sunken Dreams” showcases the group’s versatility.  With its symphonic collision of guitars, strings, pianos, drums, grand melodies, and anthemic vocals So Divided clocks in as Trail of the Dead’s most elaborate and structured piece to date.  Some may argue that it’s not as great as ‘Source Tags and Codes’ but it holds its own.   -NIN

Army of Anyone (Firm Music) 1/4

Army of Anyone—the long awaited project from Richard Patrick (Filter) and Dean & Robert DeLeo (STP)—has finally surfaced. While the DeLeo brothers and Patrick are talented musicians in their own right, the real surprise lies in drummer Ray Luzier.  Ray is a star just waiting to shine.  The songs themselves are not as poppy as STP nor as heavy as Filter.  In fact, they lie comfortably in the middle.  Signature STP riffs coat the album’s first single “Goodbye”.  Staccato guitars fuel the urgency behind “Generation”.  The psychedelic strummings of “Disappear” are backed by Ray’s hard steady beats.  There is also some beautiful guitar work buried underneath the layers of “Stop, Look, and Listen,” which is the epitome of rock ballads.  “A Better Place” calls to mind Filter’s “Take a Picture” and heavy handed drums fuel meatier tunes like “It Doesn’t Seem to Matter” and “Father Figure”.   Judging from the album’s tone and topics it appears that Patrick is in a new stage of his life.  He seems more at peace on this record.  Perhaps he’s found stability in life.  As for the DeLeo brothers the have a knack for crafting radio friendly songs.  They’ll adapt to any situation.  -NIN

Mickey Avalon (Shoot To Kill Music) 1/2

“We are going to have open sexual intercourse on every street corner of America,” the infamous quote by Wayne Kramer introduces the lead track “Waiting to Die”.  The tune is so amusing that one has to wonder if Mr. Avalon stole a page or two from Weird Al’s notebook.  Simple Life fans may remember Avalon’s stint on the last season when he sang “Friends and Lovers” at a same sex wedding hosted by Paris Hilton.  Avalon’s self titled effort is the first individual artist release for Myspace.  The album’s semi slapstick raps features rhymes like “Licky, licky, suck, suck more junk in your trunk,” delivered by a voice that sounds a bit like Jaime Kennedy.  Oh yeah, Malibu’s most wanted got a record deal.  To say the least, this self-titled effort is obscene but comical.  There is no denying that Avalon is an interesting character.  The self-proclaimed drug addict male prostitute turned rock star loves to rap about chicks, his dick, and turning tricks all to the back drop of tacky lo-fi beats.  His lyrics are witty and ironic and what the album lacks in variety it makes up for in attitude and candor.  Yes it’s true…H.I.M. has gone rap on our ass.  Avalon is the new face of electro dance drug culture music scene.  -NIN

The Barbarellatones - Invasion Of The Surf Zombies! (Sex With Lurch Music) 0

The transvestiglamrock of The Barbarellatones has rarely proven appealing to discerning ears who've had the displeasure of hearing it.  The new opus, Invasion Of The Surf Zombies, is no different.  Nineteen horrendous songs of Cramps-wannabe tracks that offer nothing endearing or engaging - other than their awfulness.  Imagine a watered-down, less loud, neutered rockabilly fronted by the whiny voice of David Lowery of Camper Van Beethoven.  Hell, they even include a fiddle on a track or two.  Since when does Horror-rock even find a fiddle acceptable?  The answer is never, which is how often you should listen to this pile of shit.  -Repojay

Bayside – The Walking Wounded (Victory Records) 1/4

Always one for emphasizing emotions in their music Bayside injects lots of passion in the heartfelt The Walking Wounded - the follow up to their critically acclaimed debut.  During the course of the album the Long Island foursome establish themselves as a hard hitting outfit with unlimited potential.  The commercially viable “Duality” was the perfect choice for the single.  Solid riffs and driving rhythms propel the listener through “Carry On”.  “Choice Hops and Bottled Self Esteem” is another rockin’ tune, as is the hard driving “Thankfully”.  Delicate chimes accent “Head on a Plate,” while soaring melodies light up “Landing Feet First”.  These boys may be passionate, but there are plenty of energy laden tunes on The Walking Wounded to keep the speakers thumping.  -NIN

The Cocktail Revisionists - This Is My Happy Face (Urban Cheese Records)

Time once was that bands like The Cocktail Revisionists ruled the musical landscape.  The name might make you think that this is more of the Ultralounge movement like Combustible Edison just 10 years too late.  Instead, it’s actually more like the son of jangle pop movement like 10,000 Maniacs only 15 years too late.  If the record was only horribly dated it wouldn’t be the end of the world.  But, this group doesn’t really show that they have the musical chops or songwriting skills to actually compete effectively, even in that world.  The end result is a dull CD that we’re sure their friends love, but I’m not sure how anyone else would willingly listen to this.  -Repojay

Cracker – Greenland (Cooking Vinyl)

One would think that being on an indie label has truly changed David Lowery and his band Cracker.  Free from major label shackles, he can explore his muses with reckless abandon.  The press notes would have you believe that as well - suggesting a record more dark and personal than previous efforts.  Personally, this Cracker is the same as it ever was with very little change.  I don’t think David Lowery ever really kowtowed to commercial demands and he doesn’t start here.  Just because there’s little change for Cracker fans doesn’t make this record dull.  On the contrary, after 2 decades of making records, Lowery is about as dependable as they come and Greenland is another top notch disc of forlorn songs with a slight twang and a tiny smirk in the lyrics.  Cracker remains a solid unique outfit worthy of a listen.  -Repojay

Dashboard Confessional - Dusk and Summer (Vagrant Records)

When your audience is very young and you build yourself up with a brief prolific fury waiting 3 years between albums can be the kiss of death.  Dusk and Summer is probably my contender for most over thought album of the year.  Enlisting mainstream rock producers Don Gilmore and Daniel Lanois seems like an all too obvious bid to make this emo originator into a mainstream rock star.  All it does is start with a song that sounds a lot like his breakthrough hit “Vindicated” (“Don’t Wait”) and then descends into 10 more songs that are so indistinct from each other that they almost could have been made by the Emo Elevator Music Allstars.  In this genre, wallpaper is the last thing you want to be reminded of.  -Repojay

Dead Poetic – Vices (Tooth & Nail) 1/4

Dead Poetic’s third release, Vices, came out appropriately enough on Halloween.  The albums’ solid tunes represent the cutting edge of modern rock.  As the title suggests, the lyrics touch upon topics of sexuality, pride, vanity, and redemption.  Brandon Rike’s vocals are reminiscent of Maynard James Keenan, but there is also lots of variety to be found.  The anthemic “Cannibal vs. Cunning” sets the album’s pace.  The hard hitting “Narcotic” is an energetic blend of catchy riffs and though provoking lyrics.  Deftones’ Chino Moreno co-produced two of the band’s tracks and even lends his voice to the mystic “Paralytic”.  Moreno’s presence may have also influenced the Team Sleep inspired “Crashing Down”.  “Long Forgotten” pairs angry vocals with emotional string work, and the band’s arena alt-rock sound fuels the infectious “Motorcycle (Left with Nothing/Long Forgotten/When it’s Gone)”.  Dead Poetic lets it all loose on the epic closer, which also happens to be the title track.  On Vices this ever evolving unit has released their strongest album to date.  It can only get better from here.  -NIN

Fear Before The March Of Flames – The Always Open Mouth (Equal Vision Records) 1/4

This epic experimental release will keep you guessing.  At first you are not sure what to think, but by the album’s end you are convinced that this band is brilliant.  The Always Open Mouths is a departure from the past for the band because this time around Fear Before The March Of Flames incorporates a bit more edge and unpredictability into their sound.  Think Faith No More mixed with a hybrid of screamo, hardcore, metalcore, ambient electronica, and heavy industrial.  You have to experience it to truly appreciate it.  “Ten Seconds in Los Angeles” channels KoRn & the Deftones and features some truly phenomenal drumming.  Electronic elements creep into “Taking Cassandra to the End of the World Party”.  Those are but a few of the highlights.  However, what really makes this record great is the band’s willingness to experiment with different styles.  Their use of dynamics and vast array of influences creates a unique sonic experience.  The Always Open Mouth may not for everyone, but those who appreciate it will embrace with open arms. -NIN