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Coliseum/Doomriders, and Mikoto…

- Not of This World - A Salute to Danzig - splitHell yeah, I popped this one in figuring they just stole the title from Danzig, but no, in fact the full title of the latest release from Level-Plane is "Not of This World—A Salute to Danzig": A killer split CD where the two contributing artists do in fact cover Danzig tunes, in addition to offering up original material. And how can you lose with Coliseum or the Doomriders? Two bands known for their brands of gritty rock 'n' roll colliding with noisy hardcore/punk who kick ass on their own, so of course they maul your fucking worthless face when they team up together. Coliseum takes on "Am I Demon" and then blasts through two quick originals, while the Doomriders drop one longer track of their own before unleashing a perfect rendition of "Possession". There's no slacking here either, just check the accuracy of that intro! This one's got some badass artwork too, the usual when Ryan Patterson's involved. Simple as that. The end. I'm sold. If you don't dig these bands, you suck.

Coliseum "Ride on Death Riders"
Doomriders "Possession"

The label was selling this fucker for less than $6, so of course it's sold out, but you can grab it elsewhere for barely more than that, so... for those about to rock:

@ Very Distribution

Mikoto - s/tMy guess is that a lot of people who read this site probably aren't gonna be into Mikoto's self-titled EP, and I admit its contents came as somewhat of a surprise considering what I'm accustomed to hearing from Level-Plane, but hopefully there are enough people out there like me who just listen to whatever the fuck they want without concern for what's "cool" (and therefore "acceptable").

At face value, Mikoto comes across as somewhat of a typical contemporary emo/screamo band, what with their blend of singing and screaming, chugging guitar parts and moderate discordance with a strong sense of melody, plenty of post-hardcore textures, etc. But what can I say? I like it. Memorable songwriting does the trick for me, and there's enough diversity happening with this one to throw you for a couple of loops and keep you wondering where they'll take it in the future. If these guys play their cards right (or get lucky, whatever it is that works these days) I would honestly expect to see 'em get kind of "big", although, the general lyrical approach and song explanations are still tied pretty tightly to the tenets of the hardcore/punk scene, so... maybe they'll decide not to go that route? I don't know, but this is a promising debut!

Mikoto "Tired of Me"

You can also grab this one for a mere $6 at 29 North Records, a distro that I believe is run by the folks at Level-Plane, so if you enjoy it and you're not afraid to get sensitive from time to time, you know the drill:

@ 29 North Records

On somewhat of an unrelated note (okay, not really), I have to say, I can't do a "real" post about it because major labels are overflowing with ignorant weenies and I'd probably get sued or some shit, but The Darkness' new record, "One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back", is without question one of the best records of the year. (Funny that I never would've bothered to listen to it in a million years had I not randomly downloaded it from some student FTP site or some shit that I recently came across—and I immediately bought it within 24 hours, thank you very much ignorant major label weenies.) I hated this band when they first popped up a couple years ago, and in general I just hate "funny" bands, but what can I say? The fuckers are brilliant and they've converted me in full. Who would've thought that an even mix of Queen (who I hate), Def Leppard, and AC/DC would kick so much ass? Seriously, I highly encourage you to at least give this record a shot. The ridiculously pristine recording and massively bloated vocal harmonies, the absurd lyrics... it's all gold. I simply can't not bow before a band that somehow manages to make one of the most epic songs I've heard all year out of the topic of male pattern baldness. No shit. Best $13 I've spent in quite some time.

Comments

  1. just listened to title cut at their website and you
    left out eddie money influence -see: two tickets to paradise.  I will check out the album sometime soon.
    charlie

    12.19.2005 | By Anonymous

  2. Taken were rad.
    That is all.

    12.19.2005 | By Anonymous

  3. DARKNESS!!  YES!!  Seriously…I was thinking I was the only person totally enamored with the new record.  As I recently told a friend…sure, it sounds like Cheap Trick covering Queen with a strangled cat for a singer.  But…uh…isn’t that the point?

    Lady Dinner Arms is a definite song of the year…

    12.20.2005 | By Frank Realitos

  4. Hell yeah I picked up the Salute to Danzig cd at the Coliseum show(super nice guys by the way.) My favorite is the cover of Possession that Doomriders play. Those vocals on it just rule all. Also they were one of the best bands i’ve seen live, so rocked out it hurt.

    12.20.2005 | By zach

  5. Doomriders are amazing and Coliseum are pretty great as well. If you like Coliseum you should definately check out their louisville mates Lords. They’re incredible live.

    12.20.2005 | By logan

  6. Frank, damn near every song on the record is a single.  For my money “Bald” is the fuckin’ greatest, followed extremely closely by “Is It Just Me?” - which should be their ace in the hole for a video hit.  If they don’t release that song they deserve to fail, the chorus is fucking gold.  The intro to “Dinner Lady Arms” sounds very Def Leppard, ala “Love Bites” or something, and you can’t lose with that ha, ha…

    12.21.2005 | By Andrew Aversionline

  7. I’m thinking The Police when I hear the intro to “Dinner Lady Arms”, but I still think it’s a pretty good song. These guys now how to play the guitar. Haven’t heard solos like these since GN’R were around.

    12.21.2005 | By Anonymous

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