Children - Hard Times Hanging at the End of the World & Death Tribe

Remember to Stay Children

"Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them."

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

"Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."

Jesus Christ

 

Listen up, kids! This is some music you should listen to, at least those of you who can still remain children at heart (from time to time). Children offer us something truly different from what one might here in any metal scene these days. It is hard indeed to put into any particular genre. Who cares about style names though when a band is so good at rocking!

Children sound exactly like their name suggests, which is the main reason their single Death Tribe and debut Hard Times Hanging at the End of the World are so refreshing.

Now, what do I mean? I mean that this band does not seem to care what's going around them, whether anyone will "get" their music or how many copies of their CDs they will sell. That's what makes young bands and their debuts in general so great: their minds are not occupied by anything other than music at that time of their career; they just want to let people hear the fruits of their creativity. As Doc Godin said in his review: "the whole thing sounds like it's about to fall apart at any minute" but Children don't care - they keep playing and screaming their heads off: let everybody hear all the little flaws and inaccuracies! This is like eating an apple with a worm in it but no pesticide or wax touched its surface. Yes, give me some of that sun-filled, juicy fruit straight from the garden outside my window. 

Children's single and first full-length are the closest thing to the juvenile energy outburst of Metallica's Kill 'Em All. Yes, it does not have the maturity and grandeur of Master of Puppets, but that's the whole point: James Hetfield has never sounded as demented and, shall I say, matchless, like he did on Kill 'Em All thereafter. I don't know where Children will go with their next effort, but I just want to enjoy this unadulterated craziness coming straight from their hearts. OK, this review is getting long - time to describe the music... 

Hard Times... and Death Tribe have the spirit of thrash, the attitude of punk and the heart of stoner. This is riff-based music, and many songs are built upon a particular (drug-induced, intoxicating) guitar theme (check this out) that the song starts with (either with other instruments or not) and then builds and develops into other themes, an undeniably, it is the mighty guitar riff (remember Magnus?) that makes these two releases have unmistakably Children-nish character to them: by creating the aggression of thrash, the daredevilry of punk, and the psychedelia of stoner or, for that matter, the acoustic, melancholic beauty of the title track. Vocals and drumming amplify all these characteristics correspondingly, which makes Children's debut even more of a success.

Now, children, go out there, have courage to be honest, and share your hearts with the world! God Bless!

<3, K†ulu

ZAZ - ZAZ

Fragile and Strong (dedicated to my lovely fiancée, who introduced me to ZAZ)

French chanson anyone? Unexpectedly, me got a little hooked on some of that.

First time I heard of ZAZ was through this video sometime last summer: impressive performance and a great song even if you don't understand the sincere lyrics with truly existential connotations.

Later, I decided to give ZAZ more attention by listening to her self-titled debut. So how did that sound? Not too impressive after a couple of spins, and I did not really see any room for growing on me. Time went by though, and in autumn I found myself enjoying this CD quite a lot.

I do not have much experience with pop music, but I guess I am capable of perceiving and evaluating it. So what caught my attention with ZAZ? First, the voice. Isabelle Geffroy can sing: she can be emotional ("Trop sensible," "Port coton," "Éblouie par la nuit"), she can have fun (the crazy galloping "Ni oui ni non," one of my personal favorites), she can be serious ("Le long de la route,") or... in love ("J'aime a nouveau"). There is a lot of sincerity in her slightly husky voice and lyrics (which are worth reading by the way). Inside the fragile girl lurks explosive charisma and vocal cords capable of serious soul impact... Listen to "Éblouie par la nuit" or ZAZ's (superior in my opinion) rendition of Édith Piaf's "Dans ma rue" and feel for yourself.

Now to the music, and that's something usually more important to me than vocals. What we hear on ZAZ's debut can be described as chanson with some jazz elements. While I am used to heavy and/or complex metal riffs, here I encountered something really different: acoustic guitars, the upright bass, and the piano at the core plus occasional atmospheric keyboards, trombone and other brass instruments (on "Prends garde a ta langue" and "La fée"), and the violin. A big fat plus is that the music is not there just to accompany the singer; there are some great guitar and bass licks as well as active participation from other instruments (check out the guitar-violin duel in the second half of "Ni oui ni non"). Granted, there are simpler songs featuring just the guitar or the piano, but what makes the music generally enjoyable, after all, is that each instrument, where present, makes a meaningful contribution to the song's sound, and the interplay between the musicians results in rich harmony and simply enjoyable tunes.

Nothing to add: listen, have fun, and be happy! Always!

Lich King - World Gone Dead

Modern Thrash Done Right

Simply put, World Gone Dead by Lich King is without exaggeration one of the best examples of the new wave of thrash. This third effort by the Massachusetts-based outfit might not be all that original looking back at the golden age of thrash, but with World Gone Dead Lich King have achieved something notable. Not only did they unleash a real storm of riffing brutality in the vein of early Kreator, Exodus, and Vio-lence, but they also managed to do a few other very important things.

 

First of all, there is a sense of variation throughout the album: blazing-fast riffs change mid-paced riffs, choruses are properly emphasized, breakdowns are thrown in for slower headbanging as well as some real thrashing soloing. Even something rare in the genre these days as memorable vocal performance finds its place on this album. Second, variation spreads to the inter-song level, and while listening to World Gone Dead, one will hear separate compositions in different tempos, not just a sequence of riffs, all played 200 mph. "Grindwheel" is an example of a whole song being played in slow speed and still sounding thrashing heavy. Third, Lich King have finally managed to create a beefy and clear enough sound to project their aggression appropriately.

Full of memorable songs and addictive hooks, World Gone Dead is a real treat for any thrasher. In fact, "ED-209" features one of the most addictive riffs ever created. Intrigued? You know what to do then.