Stone Temple Pilots Debut New Single with New Singer "Roll Me Under"

Stone Temple Pilots have been through some serious hell and back in their day. Not only have both iconic singers they have had died, but now they have to pretty much build their reputation back from the ground up with new singer former X-Factor competitor Jeff Gutt. Their second newly released single "Roll Me Under" seems to be a good start.

"Roll Me Under" definitely has a real STP vibe to it. It rumbles, booms, and grinds where it needs to. I wouldn't say it is anywhere near their best work, but it is still a solid rocker. I could definitely have pictured Scott Weiland singing this. That said, Gutt does a plenty serviceable job at the mic for this tune even if he does sound a little too much like his predecessor.

I'm definitely looking forward to the new STP album if it sounds anything like this. It's out on March 16th, by the way. Whatever we get will be some serious balls to the wall stuff, though I'm just hoping that Gutt doesn't sound too much like Weiland on the rest of the record. I don't really like it when bands get a new singer that sounds like their old one. It makes it seem like they are stuck in the past.

Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow to Release New Studio Track With "Memories in Rock II" Live Album

It's been pretty exciting the past couple of years to see Ritchie Blackmore play his first rock shows in two decades with a new incarnation of Rainbow. The past couple of summers he has done a small handful of shows in Germany and the UK. Now Blackmore is planning on releasing a new studio track along with the upcoming Memories in Rock II live Rainbow album of the 2017 shows.

The video above showcases Blackmore and other members of the Rainbow band and crew talking about the experience and how great it has all been and mentions the coming album.

So far no release date details for Memories in Rock II have been mentioned, nor any other details for that matter such as what tracks will be on it or what the new song will be.

Last year Rainbow recorded a couple of studio tracks, but all they were were a rerecording of "I Surrender" and their instrumental version of "Land of Hope and Glory". Personally, I'm hoping that this will be a brand new original song with singer Ronnie Romero howling away on the mic and the band ripping it up in true classic Rainbow fashion. Whether or not that's what we get is a whole other story.

I REALLY hope Rainbow does even one show in the U.S. I will pay any amount of money and travel as much distance as I have to in order to get to that show. Seeing Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow is a once in a lifetime kind of experience and is definitely NOT something you want to miss if you can help it.

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #150

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week is a feature I run on Young Ears, Fresh Perspective on Sundays/early hours of Monday morning where I pick out 5 tunes that I think are notable and tell you a bit about them. The point is to give you some rocking music to help you deal with your weekday blues. You can either listen to one each day, listen to them all at once, or any other combination that you feel. As long as you can get through the week without the man getting you down, that's all I care about. Without further ado, here are the 5 tracks I've picked out for this week:

1. Baby Got Back, by Jonathan Coulton

One of the things I've always been rather amused by is when someone will take a well known classic rap song and turn it into a soulful, melodic ballad. Especially when it's one that is not meant to be that way. This song does exactly that. If anything, the singing makes this song in particular that much funnier than the original. If you're feeling kind of blue and need a good chuckle, this song is definitely what you need.

2. Walking in the Shadow of the Blues, by Whitesnake

This is classic old school pre-hair metal Whitesnake at its finest. David Coverdale puts real passion and soul into his lyrics and performance and guitarist Micky Moody plays one hell of a mean slide guitar. This is blues on some serious steroids. Definitely something worth cranking through the stereo. This sounds nothing like the Whitesnake most people are used to hearing, but it's definitely worth checking out. You might even like it better.

3. Ride the Sky, by Lucifer's Friend

If you ever wondered what it would sound like if Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin somehow managed to have a four-way love child together, look no further. Lucifer's Friend is exactly that, at least in their 1970 debut album anyway. Why they never got more big and famous than they did is beyond me, though of course the name of the band could have had something to do with it. Regardless, it's some great music to go back and revisit.

4. Catbot, by Joe Satriani

Satch put out a new album recently and it's pretty damn cool. I like this tune in particular because it showcases his charming eccentricity in some of the best ways I've seen it done in years. It really does sound like a song being made by a robotic cat. I get that picture so clearly in my head whenever I put it on. Honestly, I would love to see what would happen if you put this on in the vicinity of a real living cat.

5. The Threat is Real, by Megadeth

After quite a few albums that I felt were rather sub-par Megadeth came roaring back a couple years back with a brand new album chocked full of fantastic new tunes with a brand new lead guitarist and drummer. Honestly, I think this is probably the best line-up that Megadeth has had since its classic 90's Rust in Peace line-up. It's still not quite on the same level as that, but it's certainly not all that far behind. Hopefully this second wind of theirs carries on for a while.

Album Review: "What Happens Next", by Joe Satriani

After retiring the onstage persona that he played during performances for so many years in his last album Shockwave Supernova, guitar wizard Joe Satriani sought to make his next album more down to earth. More rooted in the reality of just a man with real hopes and dreams. The end result was Satch's newest studio effort, his 16th album What Happens Next.

Satch recruited a very special group of people to help him do this album. In the past he has frequently called on the same group of guys to act as his backing band, but this time around he wanted to do something different to freshen things up a bit.

This time Satch called on drummer and former Chickenfoot band mate Chad Smith (also from Red Hot Chili Peppers) as well as renowned bassist and vocalist Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple, Trapeze, Black Country Communion, etc. fame. There was very little keyboard involved, so the idea was to make a solid rocking power trio of them.

What Happens Next was recorded in both San Francisco as well as Los Angeles with famed rock producer Mike Fraser.

As mentioned before, What Happens Next follows a more straightforward approach to songwriting. Satch decided to ditch the progressive elements of his previous two albums and go for a more accessible approach that he referred to as "pure rock and soul".

Referring to What Happens Next as an 'internal artistic rebirth', Satch further expounded on what the aim and feel of the album ways, saying it was “about a human being, two feet on the ground, heart pumping, with emotions, dreams, and hopes. That seemed to be the direction I really was yearning for"

That said, the album certainly does seem to go with the vibe that Joe was aiming for. It does feel a lot more accessible to the average listener than Unstoppable Momentum and Shockwave Supernova. These songs feel more straightforward and not so confusing and boring to someone who isn't a music theory nerd. They have a pretty steady groove and flow that can easily be followed.

That's not to say that What Happens Next isn't creative in that special Joe Satriani way, though. It has his stamp all over it. You can hear it in the melodies, the song structures, the timbres, and even the methods by which certain sounds are achieved.

The song "Looper" especially manages to base an entire flowing and grooving song over the same guitar loop cycling through most of the song. It goes in so many directions with just the same cycle and it's astounding.

How does What Happens Next stack up against Joe's classic albums, though? It actually does so quite well. This record manages to bring together many of his styles from different periods of his career all into one cohesive record. You can hear a bit of Surfing With the Alien and Flying in a Blue Dream in some places and a bit of Professor Satchafunkilus and the Musterion of Rock and Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards in others. At the same time, you can still hear him pushing forward and not trying to rehash the past.

Joe DEFINITELY chose a good rhythm section for this record. Hughes and Smith interlock so tightly that they are an unstoppable force. They keep the deep earthy groove going while Joe does his wild, crazy fret board fireworks. It all comes together into some powerful music that spans so many spectrums of different genres.

Honestly though, you couldn't put this album into a particular genre. It's not rock. It's not metal. It's not prog. It's just Joe Satriani. You can hear just how much fun he and the guys are having making this record and that is what's most important here. If an artist loves what they're doing and his having fun with it, odds are their audience will too.

What Happens Next definitely sounds like Satch has been revitalized and his passion for the electric guitar has come roaring back louder and more fierce than ever. It is a lot of fun from start to finish and it will definitely help you feel a wide variety of emotions without a single word being sung. That is the one thing Satch has always been best and continues to get better at as he gets more experienced. That said, this record is a must have for fans of Joe Satriani and rock n' roll alike.

What Happens Next, by Joe Satriani receives 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Track List:

1. Energy
2. Catbot
3. Thunder High on the Mountain
4. Cherry Blossoms
5. Righteous
6. Smooth Soul
7. Headrush
8. Looper
9. What Happens Next
10. Super Funky Badass
11. Invisible
12. Forever and Ever

Buy the album on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/What-Happens-Next-Joe-Satriani/dp/B075QZCFFL/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517003455&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Joe+Satriani+What+Comes+Next

Throwback Thursday: "Dehumanizer", by Black Sabbath

Throughout the 80's Black Sabbath went through numerous line-up changes, the only consistent member being guitarist Tony Iommi. The most popular of the post-Ozzy Osbourne line-ups though was the classic one of Tony Iommi on guitar, Geezer Butler on bass, Vinny Appice on drums, and Ronnie James Dio on the mic. In 1982 that line-up split up, causing the band to go into a downward spiral. In 1992 however, for a brief moment they managed to patch things up well enough to do another album together, known as Dehumanizer.

Dehumanizer is arguably the heaviest Black Sabbath album ever recorded. Iommi's riffs are gargantuan monsters and the drums and bass just pound through the speakers. This of course can be partly attributed to the high level of studio production, but let's not take away the credit where it's due either. Dio wrote some of his darkest lyrics of his career on this album with topics ranging from fear for a computer controlled future, doubts about the afterlife, being a monster, and more.

"Computer God" is one hell of a way start an album. It builds tension with the sounds of metal being hit until it turns into a drum beat followed by a gigantic wall of sound from Iommi and Butler. It hits you over and over, giving you a minor reprieve in the bridge with Ronnie's soft singing backed by a light arpeggio riff until you get dragged along by the balls for a blistering fast solo section up until the song comes crashing to an end.

"I". Just one simple letter, yet it represents one of the most powerful and heavy songs Black Sabbath ever put to a recording. I and many others have looked to it as a source of self-affirmation because that essentially is one of the meanings you can glean from it. It stomps around and crushes buildings, making you feel like you are an unstoppable force of nature. Never have I heard Dio sound so angry and evil in a song. It's chilling in a way.

Dehumanizer is definitely one of the most under rated Black Sabbath albums in the catalog. It's not the best of the Dio albums, but even the least good of those is still AMAZING. Monstrous riffs, blistering solos, well written lyrics, thundering booming rhythms, and an overall dark, empty, chilling atmosphere await ye who play this record. I can guarantee you'll like it better than some of the Ozzy era songs for sure.

Dehumanizer, by Black Sabbath receives 3.75 out of 5 stars.

Track List:

1. Computer God
2. After All (The Dead)
3. TV Crimes
4. Letters From Earth
5. Master of Insanity
6. Time Machine
7. Sins of the Father
8. Too Late
9. I
10. Buried Alive

Buy the album on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Dehumanizer-Remastered-Black-Sabbath/dp/B001MCOXIK/ref=ice_ac_b_dpb?ie=UTF8&qid=1516939777&sr=8-1&keywords=black+sabbath+dehumanizer

Elton John to Retire from Touring

There seems to be a massive wave of artists deciding to hang it up and call it a day lately. Many of them are the ones that actually made an impact unlike a lot of today's bands and artists. The latest addition to the list of farewells is none other than Sir Elton John.

In a recent press conference John announced that his priorities are changing and that being on the road is getting to be more and more tiring and distracting, saying:

"My priorities have changed in life, but we had children and that changed our lives. ... My priorities now are my family and my husband. I thought the time is right to say thank you to all of my fans and then to say goodbye. That doesn't mean I won't be creative, but I'm not gonna travel anymore."

The tour will be titled the Farewell Yellowbrick Road Tour and will go for about three years. After that, John will be hanging up his sparkly coat and enjoying a well deserved retirement.

I can't say I blame Elton for wanting to retire from the road, especially at his age after everything he has managed to achieve. There does come a point where you should spend what time you have left enjoying time with the ones who matter most to you. He definitely has reached that and deserves to do so.

Slayer to Call it a Day With Final World Tour

I know for many of us we have a hard time thinking of the Big Four of thrash metal getting old and finally calling it a day. For the longest time each band has continued to go on strong. However, Slayer according to the video above has decided to be the first of them to hang it up and retire with one final world tour.

This is not a total shock, however. Back in 2016 bassist and vocalist Tom Araya in an interview with Loudwire expressed a desire to give up the touring life because of how tiring it can be, saying:

"After 35 years, it's time to collect my pension. This is a career move. Where's my pension? I'm grateful that we've f---ing been around for 35 years. That's a really long time. When we started off, everything was great, because you're young and invincible.

And then there came a time where I became a family man, and I had a tough time flying back and forth. At the level we're at now, I can do that. I can fly home when I want to on days off and spend some time with my family, which is something I wasn't able to do when [my kids] were growing up. Now they're both older and mature. So now I take advantage of that. It just gets harder and harder to come back out on the road. 35 years is a long time."

Personally I can't say I blame Araya or the band for wanting to hang it up for multiple reasons. For one thing, at this point only half the original band is left. Without Jeff Hanneman or Dave Lombardo they lack a significant chunk of the true spirit of the band. A lot of what Slayer has put out in recent years to me has honestly sounded boring and uninspired and I think a good portion of it is because of the lack of key members as well as the fact there is only so much you can do with the same subject matter. It's better to end it now before the legacy gets tarnished any further.