Reign in Blonde [noun; plural] - Two tall, blonde chicks who bring the metal. We're not know-it-alls, and we don't report the news. This is our blog where we simply discuss what's on our brutal minds. Bon Appetit.
Uh, so when Elise first posted about this band, I really thought they were just another new band to make fun of for a second and that was it. But as I was walking through the mall this weekend, I passed by Hot Topic and noticed that right next to their “Free Weezy” t-shirt was an ENTIRE DISPLAY of Black Veil Brides shit, and posters everywhere advertising their album. The fact that they’re in Hot Topic doesn’t shock me, but the extent to which their being advertised there set me back a second cause that means… they have an actual audience. People LIKE that CRAP?
I have full confidence in you to watch for yourself, but if you want to save yourself the idiocy, it’s like Poison meets Attack Attack! with a hint of My Chemical Romance (which is nothing I’d ever be interested in) and this whole androgyny thing isn’t intriguing at all. It just makes me think you’re a bunch of weirdos. There was a time for that, and it was called 1984. I’m afraid to know what tweens (AND teens for that matter) are listening to these days…
I’ve been pretty mellow and low-key lately and I’ve been matching my music choices to my mood. There’s not a whole lot of mellow metal out there, at least not a lot I like (ugh ISIS, FML), so I’ve been channeling those moods elsewhere. Enter stage left, Johnny Cash.
Anyone that’s heard his cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt” knows what I’m talking about here. I could listen to that song five times a day, everyday, and I think it would still hit as hard every time. And if “I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die” isn’t just as brutal as “I wanna rip you wide open just to see what you’re made of”, I don’t know what is.
More importantly, I don’t think there’s a metal band out there that doesn’t have mad respect for the OG Man in Black, if not notably influenced by him. We all know metal’s (bloody) roots lie in classical, blues, and jazz music, and most of us have musical interests outside the genre. It’s not a question of “What kinda of music do you like? …besides metal” but rather, what non-metal artists are actually kinda metal after all?
Sure, I might be a little biased, but I’m not the kinda girl to bullshit. You may not have heard of Empyreon, but I suggest jumping on board with them now so you can say you were one of the cool ones that listened to them way back then. Straight out of Brooklyn, they’re not only some of the coolest, nicest guys ever (especially that kickass drummer *big doofy smile and a wink*) but they KICK ASS AND TAKE NAMES. Check out their just released vid for the title track from their album and decide for yourself, but I’m pretty sure you won’t be disappointed. If you are… get out.
Ever find yourself on the internet? In a place you didn’t expect to be? (If not, try googling your name and see if what comes up is actually you. If nothing, get out more) I was originally scheduled to see 6 or 7 Phish shows this summer, but thanks to my new job and hence, new work schedule, I had to bail on all but one. That one was Canandaigua, NY just last week.
We know it’s not exactly my idea of a good time, but all in all it wasn’t THAT bad. I’ll give it to the hippies, they make for some EPIC people watching, and the fact that we had real seats as opposed to the lawn was clutch. But I digress. Behold, “bundangbear” the hippies answer to Jose Mangin. I guess.
At about the 1:57 mark you can catch myself (with the flower in my hair. Gay, I know), The Beardo (in orange) and a couple of our friends quickly walking past the freakshow to our right. Enjoy?
-Julia
P.S. On another weird music note, I had a dream last night that I went to see Kittie and they opened the second half of the show with a cover of Fergie’s “Big Girls Don’t Cry”. What does it mean?
Thanks to our buds over at The Number of the Blog, today I stumbled across A Lovely Day for Bloodshed. GroverXIII pretty much summed it all up, but being the “women in metal” fan that I am I needed to add my own commentary.
Unfortunately, there’s not a whole lot to write about. I like the idea, but frankly they just kinda suck. They have potential (I guess) but some serious music lessons are in order. That especially goes for the drummer. Listening to “15 ways to die” is like a total time signature clusterfuck to my ears. As in, WTF is wrong with that rhythm? Where is the beat?
ALSO, WHEN is the hairstyle of parting your hair at the EAR to make bangs and two drastically different hair colors gonna die? That goes for men and women alike. FOR REAL. And snakebites? You look like a retard. All of you.
But here’s the real skinny though on why this all kinda sucks. The only good thing about this band is that they clearly are trying to just be a deathcore band, and NOT an all-female deathcore band. There’s this double-edged sword in this little genre of ours, where whether you’re amazing or amazingly sucktastic, being a female will overshadow everything else. Even us. I genuinely think that a lot of us aren’t thinking of this fact when we are trying to be our most brutal, knowledgable, respectable selves, but it kind of overrides everything. Like a giant boil on Lemmy’s neck, the only thing you can do is try your best to just ignore it. Just a fact of life I suppose… Carry on ladies, and practice practice practice.
Last week, I saw my 5th GWAR show at non other than my local spot, The Westcott in Syracuse. Nowadays, it seems like every show I go to brings a new idea to my mind, a theory I’ve never thought of, or some kind of question to ponder. This time the question was: Can a show be both good AND bad?
I was getting a new music fix listening to the debut from Diabulus in Musica… it’s kinda like a Spanish (Tarja-era) Nightwish with a little less “umph.” Anyway, I’m listening along when all of a sudden I hear a very familiar voice- is that you, Barack Obama?
There are two kinda weird things here, first that a band from Spain is sampling the voice of a US political figure (isn’t that System of a Down’s job?), but moreso that that political figure is our NEW Commander in Chief. I’ve gotten so used to the haterade that’s been thrown around with G Dubs, and it was really weird to hear Obama on a metal track. It’s been more than a year since Bush has been out of office and thus the hate has been less commonplace. Are we ready for a new era of politico BS intertwined in our tunes?
Is it that people are losing faith in our leader, or does it not matter who the president is, they’re always going to be criticized in music? And what’s a metal band from Spain got to do with it anyway?
This one’s for you, Grim Kim. My favorite place in Chicago has livened up their already awesome menu and added an EYEHATEGOD burger (this weekend only?) in honor of their two-night stint at the Empty Bottle. So what’s makes an EYEHATEGOD burger?
Beef on a pretzel roll
Polish mustard
A savory pecan crumble
Bacon wrapped, bleu cheese stuffed dates
Fresh rosemary
Very interesting. You’ve heard about the other favorites on the menu, what bands do you think should be honored with their own burger? What would you put on a tribute burger to Dio?
I’m gonna go ahead and say that music videos are dead. Artists and bands still make em all the same, but who really cares cause the only time you’re gonna see em is on the internet or at 4:30am. They’re a bigger deal for pop stars who do all the choreography and everything, but I can’t remember the last time I really thought that a metal music video was really awesome. Take the new Slayer vid above for World Painted Blood.
Just north of Cincinnati, Ohio was once a monument known as the “King of Kings” in front of some church. Well, as of this week the King is DEAD. And Norwegian Black Metal musicians and enthusiasts rejoice.
A bolt of lightning hit the gigantic statue this past Monday, and it consequentially burst into flames. This has nothing to do with metal really, but when I saw it all I could think about was:
“Brutal”
“That would make a cool album cover”
“I wonder if there’s a band out there named ‘Burning Jesus’ ‘Jesus Burns (in Hell)’ or anything combining the ideas of JC and FIRE”
“There should be a metal band that gets something out of this. Bonus point if they’re from Cincinnati! I’d buy it!”
If you hadn’t noticed, I kinda like to find the metal in everyday life. It’s there if you’re imaginative enough. What’s the most metal part of your daily routine (aside from the obvious listening to music and/or playing it?)
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