Everyone’s a Comedian, Part 2.

Continuing on with my overview of today’s most notably brutal & funny….

4. HORSE the Band

HTB’s album R. Borlax came out while I was in college.  “Cutsman” was a total dorm fav.  NINTENDOCORE??!!!  LOL NO WAYYYY.  I mean, it makes sense.  Nerdy hardcore/metal kids like video games….why not combine the two?  Everyone needs a shtick.  The result: magnificent.  After 2005’s The Mechanical Hand, and their Pizza EP that came out in 2006 (which I named my favorite ‘Food-Themed EP’ of that year in my college newspaper), I really thought this band was on a roll.  But after 2007’s A Natural Death, it looked like they were starting to lose steam.  Is the joke getting old?  It sort of seems that way, but I can’t help but pull for these guys.  They have a new album coming out later this year, and they also have SCISSORS ON THEIR FUCKING HEADS.  VERDICT: YAY, THEY JUST NEED ANOTHER ‘HIT’ REEEEAL BAD. (See also: The Advantage, Powerglove, etc.)

5. Gods of Fire

We have now reached the ‘Let’s Promote My Friends’ portion of this post.  Gods of Fire are a Jew Metal band from New York who are determined to make Chanukah the most br00tal of all holidays.  Julia and I got to experience their magic first hand at last year’s Major League Dreidel surrounded by every ‘tribe’ member in the tri-state area.  The band is now recording an album which will be due out Chanukah 2009.  If you’ve never longed for metal versions of all of your Chanukah favorites like “I Have a Little Dreidel” or “Oh, Chanukah, Oh, Chanukah,” you will now.  VERDICT: MEL GIBSON WON’T LIKE THEM, BUT YOU SURE WILL.

6. Alestorm

“With the power of ale, he could not fail.”  Words to live by.  It sure seems like bands are trying to insert any possible descriptive word before ‘core’ or ‘metal,’ thus creating a whole entire new sub-genre.  Pirate metal seems to be one in the forefront these days.  More than anything else, this stuff really lays on the shtick: big hats, hooks for hands, WENCHES!, MEAD!, ARRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!  Alestorm’s singer happens to play the keytar, which only makes them more lovable.  But how long can this joke hold on for?  Is a good portion of Alestorm’s appeal in shock value alone?  Will they be out the door when the next nutty sub-genre rolls through?  Well, since their newest album, Black Sails At Midnight was just released last week, hopefully these silly Scots can hang on.  VERDICT: FUN, BUT THERE IS LOTS OF PRESSURE TO KEEP THINGS FRESH. (See also: Swashbuckle.)

-Elise

Stay tuned for Part 3…