The Metal Advisor

Re: What gear do you have ? I need to compile a list of all my guitar-related gear, but in the meantime, here are all of my guitars (I think!) Been playing the axe since I was six years old. ?? Amada 8011 '01 Fender Iron Maiden Stratocaster '03 Fender Highway 1 Showmaster HH '03 Fender Mark Knopfler Stratocaster '10 Fender American Standard Telecaster '06 Gibson Les Paul Classic Goldtop '07 Gibson Flying V Faded ?? Guild GAD-50 '04 Ibanez Destroyer DT200 '09 LTD EC-CZ II (#34/250) '00 Martin D-16GT '07 PRS Singlecut Satin Trem Natural '09 Schecter Jeff Loomis C7 FR '99 Yamaha Pacifica 112M (mods: Lil' Screamin' Demon/Screamin' Demon) ?? Yamaha Pacifica USA 1 (Custom Shop)

Re: What Are You Listening To? Havok - "Scumbag in Disguise"

I'll keep this one somewhat short, but with enough information to spark some discussion. As some of you may know, there are quite a few bands that share the same moniker and spark heated debate on Last.fm (and other places). Take Warrant for example. You have the German Warrant in one corner, and the American Warrant in the other. One is speed metal, the other hard rock. The Germans put out one fairly good album. The Americans' output ranges from mediocre to worse, though they have some decent songs here and there like "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and "Mr. Rainmaker." However, in today's age, the American Warrant easily has more fans, and the German one has unfortunately has fallen into oblivion and ultimate obscurity. This is the case for most of these bands. One is still going, while the other is defunct and, for all intents and purposes, forgotten. Can these bands coexist peacefully or does one group have rights to the name? Rights could be based on popularity or on which one was established first. Your call. Other examples: Slaughter (death/thrash metal from Canada) vs. Slaughter (poppy hard rock from the USA) Poison (death/thrash metal from Germany) vs. Poison (poppy hard rock from the USA) Torch (Swedish heavy metal band) vs. Torch (German rapper) ^ Just a handful of examples. Many, many more exist, but these (incl. Warrant) seem to bring up the most controversy. Feel free to bring up other bands, as well as post music.

Re: Rate the user above You're getting into Miles Davis. A solid 10.

Re: THE SWORD I have The Sword's sophomore effort. Let's just say I hardly ever listen to it.

Re: Death Magnetic - MetallicA - 2008 The production on this album is absolutely terrible. Nearly unlistenable.

Re: Jazz ^ Right on. You should be able to pull some nice licks from Grant Green. If not, I'll give you something else.

Re: Records, CDs, or MP3s? Tough. I use CDs and vinyl frequently, but never MP3s unless it's verified 320kbps on my digital audio player. I prefer Lossless formats such as FLAC and ALAC. The compression (with loss of audio data) that is characteristic of the MP3 format sucks. For fun I'll pick vinyl. I do have over 1,500 CDs so I could pick that too... Hm...

Re: Jazz Those are the impressions I was looking for! I suppose I was a little forward with Bitches Brew. I've just seen a lot of people that like it, myself included. Once you've digested these three albums thoroughly, I'll pass more stuff along if you'd like. P.S. I also frequently find jazz tough to listen to for extended periods of time. Sometimes I have to be in the right mood. Nevertheless, it's still one of my favorite genres.

Re: Jazz Hm, okay. I will give you three albums to look into first, from the same artist no less. For some traditional sounding jazz, go for Miles Davis - Kind of Blue. Everyone and I mean everyone that wants to get into jazz must hear this one. For something that was a heavy influence on fusion, go with Miles Davis - Miles in the Sky. Lots of neat soul and funk influence. Then for something nearly everyone loves, check out Miles Davis - Bitches Brew. Let me know what you like and what you don't like.

Re: Jazz ^ Start with Grant Green.

Re: Jazz What do you like so far? And what have you heard?

Re: Ban the user above you! Banned for liking Dimmu Borgir.

Re: Pantera ! Likewise.

Re: What Are You Listening To? f(x) – "NU ??? (NU ABO)"

Re: Cover Art of the Album You're Currently Listening to I can read the album cover. I meant how is it? Good? Bad?

Re: What Are You Listening To? Driller - "Alchemy of Love"

Re: Jazz Love jazz. I only have a couple artists on CD (Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Grant Green, Thelonious Monk, and Michael Wolff Trio), but I have quite a few jazz recordings on vinyl.

Re: In Flames Classic.

Re: Pantera !

Re: Check Out The Metal Advisor and a Post About Metal Forum Right on!

Re: Metal Vs. . . . . . everything else

Re: Section Suggestion I meant no offense with that comment. I just wanted to point out that quite a few modern "melodic death metal" bands take a very poppy approach to their music. No hatred toward pop either. I'm quite a big fan of some South Korean pop groups.

Re: Cover Art of the Album You're Currently Listening to How is that? It looks interesting.

Hey MetalForum, this one is fresh off the press. I literally just posted it. Some background: Tridon is a band local to Arizona, USA that got in touch with me via Twitter. I decided to take a listen to their music and it turned out that I really liked it. Then I bought the album I'm reviewing. The best place to hear some cuts from their album is on their profile on Reverbnation. Youtube offers nothing and their website only has short samples. This will hopefully my first review in a long series about smaller, obscure bands. I particularly enjoy giving them a bit of exposure. ------------------- I think a ninja would probably use Tridon's symbol as a weapon. Occasionally I'll stumble across something that immediately catches my attention, sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad way. For Tridon, it was the former. As some of you know, The Metal Advisor now has a Twitter account, and it has been very beneficial because I've discovered some fledgeling and obscure bands that are quite good, a lot of the time better than their bigger contemporaries. Of course, Tridon is one of them. Actually, the band's vocalist, Rick Fredrick, started following my Twitter account, which sparked the inevitable "Hey, I gotta check this band out." I'm sure glad I did, or I would be missing out on some sweet tunage. From the my first listen of "10-Fold," I knew I was going to be hooked. Based on the 35 second clip of "10-Fold" on the band's website, I took a chance and ordered Lucky #7 (although it was a good chance, the kind you don't feel bad about). The album arrived in a timely 4 days. Surprisingly the band included two logo stickers with the CD, one of which I will surely adorn my car window with because I want the band to get noticed in any way possible. Word of mouth and anything that doesn't have to do with the internet ain't dead yet. Sure, Twitter/Facebook/whatever creates a prime exposure spot for bands, but I find the most fun way to discover a band is through a flyer, word of mouth, or even a blind buy at my favorite record store. As of now, Tridon appears to be a band that has the potential to turn into something big, but without proper exposure and the right connections, they aren't going to be fully realized. Let's make it happen people! Excessive rambling aside, let's take a look at Lucky #7. The band's Twitter describes their sound as a mix of haunting guitar melodies and hard hitting vocals that take a listener on a musical journey. For the most part, I'd say that's correct. I don't find the guitar melodies on the album the least bit haunting, but rather a nice blend of heavy metal and hard rock, forming a nice rockin' foundation. The riffs are crunchy, yet somehow bouncy and really get you moving and immersed in the music. There might even be a dash of alternative influence, but it's minimal. Based on riff passages alone (not to mention other musical elements) it would be wholly inaccurate to call them a metal band. Tridon's culmination of different styles puts them outside the heavy metal spectrum and into metallic one, effectively a hybrid of metal and hard rock. They're harder than your normal rock band, harder than many hard rock bands, yet they don't always reach the level of Iron Maiden, a bona fide heavy metal band. This is what makes Tridon fairly unique in an age where being distinct is tough. Their mix of metal, hard rock, and a trickle of alternative is compelling, and it should get them noticed. As a whole, I find the rhythm section (bass and drums) on the album to be fairly tight, though there is at least one spot where the drums sound slightly off. I suspect the production might partly be to blame, but at the beginning of "Crash N Burn" the double bass part sounds out of line from the rest of music, thus ruining the experience for me. Luckily, I haven't noticed any other issues on other tracks at the time of this review. And lest I forget it, I must mention Rick's vocals. I generally enjoy his vocal tone and his crisp pronunciation of lyrics, but I can't help but think with a little bit of training he could become an excellent vocalist. There are spots on the album where his vocals sound somewhat weak, and that is where vocal training would benefit him greatly. To be clear, I say this the best intentions possible, no bashing intended; I very much enjoy Tridon and their style. They just need to do a little bit of fine tuning. Constructive criticism aside, the production on Lucky #7 is very good. In an age where anything even slightly mainstream is overproduced, overpolished, and computerized, Tridon takes a clear and warmer sounding approach to their music. It sounds glorious, and it doesn't leave me out in the cold like, say, something like the production on Testament's last album. If you like the computerized sound, that would be your aural bliss. However, Tridon avoids sounding fake and I really, really appreciate it. Now that I've covered the gist of the album, let's look at the highlights. "Resurrection" is a track that anyone will be able to get into because of its simplicity and memorable melodies. "Torn" and "10-Fold" use the same formula, presenting a combo of hard hitting riffs and a hearty dose of "I'll stick in your head" type melodies. "Finishing off the Past" is another favorite of mine with its clean intro that transitions into a heavy riff. There isn't really a bad track on this album, but the weakest are "Crash N Burn" and "Letters." Slight shortcomings aside, Tridon is a very charming band that is impossible to dislike. As previously stated, I really enjoy the way they blend their influences because it works well, coming together in a neat package that any rocker should be able to appreciate. The best way to describe the band's sound is accessible, but not in a mainstream type of way, if that makes any sense. In short, Lucky #7 is a very good, highly-enjoyable effort and I eagerly await more material from the band. As Rick would say, "You rock!" A big fan here, The Metal Advisor Check here for the original post: http://metaladvisor.blogspot.com/2011/07/review-tridon-lucky-7_17.html Purchase the album here: http://www.tridonmusic.com/