Murdoc Rock a Castle
Murdoc stormed the Dublin Castle on November 26th with their tight performance and classy songs. They’ve sure come a long way since the last time I saw them, when they were a bit haphazard, to say the least. Now they are a rather good four-piece group with a female guitarist/backing singer and charismatic front man. They have a strong boozy vibe going on and with jolly good songs, to boot.
And it should be said that the band take care of their fans. A bunch of underage fans came along, and the venue changed its mind over their admission. The band made sure these kids had something to do while the band were on — they took them to a movie so they wouldn’t end up wandering around Camden on a Saturday night. As far as I could tell, the band were as concerned about their young fans as they were their own performance that night. A very classy move.
Overall, Murdoc deserved to headline this gig as they certainly produced the tightest set of the night. The band are keen to get into the studio and do another set of material to show how far they’ve come. As with the other two gigs I saw this week, Murdoc were well worth the trip across London on a cold November night. They’re certainly a band to watch over the next year or so. Thanks to Dean for the invite and best of luck in his new venture: Tourdates.
CD Reviews: Anthrax, Dragonlord, and Indukti
A motley collection this lot, but some decent stuff nonetheless.
Anthrax's No Hit Wonders
Thirty tracks (and only one different mix of the same song!) from Anthrax's pre-John Bush past. Released on the back of hugely successful "classic line-up" reunion tour, this CD is clearly a money-spinner for the record company. It comes not very long after Greater of Two Evils, a set of the same songs re-done with John Bush on vocals. That said, No Hit Wonders isn’t a bad collection if you have all these tracks on vinyl or want to re-live your long-haired, denim-clad youth.
It can be argued — and I would do so — that Anthrax's best material was done with John Bush on the mic. Specifically, their finest hour came in the form of the awesome Sound of White Noise. However, most people seem to have their fondest memories for the gumby metal of Belladona-vocalled Anthrax. While Megadeth, Slayer, and Metallica were serious, Anthrax was always a bit more goofy. Need proof? Check out “Antisocial” (an English remake of Trust's song...a band which Iron Maiden's did a stint with), “Efilnikcufecin (N.F.L.)" ("nice fucking life" spelled backward), “I am the Law” (an ode to the comic Judge Dredd), and “I'm the Man.” That last track was credited with inventing the rap-metal genre. It’s a good song, and the crap that followed in its wake at the hands of Korn and their ilk should not diminish the song in any way.
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Article comments
1 - Guppusmaximus
Great Review Marty,
DragonLord is kinda like Dimmu Borgir...Huh, I guess I will have to check that out, but I am definately interested in Indukti if it comes anywhere close to Opeth it must be pretty good.
Now, my only gripe.... Granted Anthrax acted like a bunch of clowns from time to time they still put out some great work like "Among the Living" and "State of Euphoria" which is more than I can say for Rob Zombie with his Disco Rock. I even saw Rob(White)Zombie when he opened up for Anthrax on "Sound of White Noise" and they killed him.The only good thing was the chick on Bass..*Smirk*.. Even the White Zombie material was utterly boring & monotonous... I think Rob and Andrew W.K. should come out with some Aerobic DVDs and leave the Metal to the Pros!!
Thanks for the info on those two new bands....