You've got a Monster in your power saw

 

      I really don't get the QOTSA - Red Fang point of referrence beyond that likely a considerable amount of QOTSA fans would dig Red Fang. Certainly any QOTSA fans who also like KYUSS (I'm a QOTSA fan, BTW - I just find the comparison a bit of a marketing reach and am weary of it). They could reasonably lump Soundgarden in there as well, if only to spark a little curiousity. At least no one has likened them to Nickelback on some really bad 'Shrooms or something. Not sure if I'd be able to stand for that.

     Every single album review of Red Fang's Whales and Leeches has some sort of Queens of the Stone Age referrence. In the right context it may be entirely well-founded to compare the two bands, but it's nothing immediate to me at all. Rather, I see it as a mere 'blanket statement' to use as a point of referrence and depending on a given song, Soundgarden is at least as similar to Red Fang as QOTSA. It becomes a matter of marketing the band as album reviews are quoted and Queens of the Stone Age is familiar. I think the comparison to Nickelback on really bad 'Shrooms is probably more accurate than either QOTSA or Soundgarden as the members of Nickelback might actually write some good songs if they were tripping out really bad and about to die.

     OK - so to revisit my previous post about the RED FANG - QOTSA comparison - After repeated listenings (and with the notion of comparison planted in my head now, as opposed to my first couple of listens where I had no other thought than "Hell yeah ... New Red Fang tunes!") I must admit that I do see the validity of the comparison (But also feel like saying "F@^% you f@^%ing journalists, you just ru...ined it for me"). The way the songs are structured sound very much like songs that might appear on a given QOTSA release. But the band doesn't really sound like QOTSA much at all. And the production isn't at all like any QOTSA I've heard. Maybe if a Brontosauras had done the production of 'Songs For The Deaf', it might've sounded similar to 'Whales and Leeches'. The Red Fang sound is just so damn bottom heavy that I'd imagine a Brontosauras could've helped them find their sound. That would be an unlikely task for Nickelback to achieve no matter how hard they were tripping. They'd have to have that Brontosauras on the hard stuff as well. It just wouldn't ever happen. So scratch that notion. But I still stand by my own interjection of Soundgarden also being a viable comparison in the proper context (as well as just about any good, capable hard rock act for the sheer sake of marketing a band's sound). I'll expand upon that in a way that would completely erase QOTSA from thought and consideration with this : Bad 'Shrooms aside, How about 'Dimension Hatross' era Voivod meets 'Louder Than Love' era Soundgarden with the strung-out Brontosauras handling the final mix? Nevermind that none of the bands sound anything like Voivod did beyond some of the abnormalities of song structure and unusual guitar parts that a guy named Piggy pretty much innovated, Voivod hasn't even really sounded like Voivod since about 1989 either.

    On the plus, I did catch Queens of the Stone Age on Conan and didn't think of Red Fang one time.

 

HPGD Labelmates Oshiego and Throatplunger

Oshiego 'The Great Architect Of Nothing'

   This band comes from Singapore by way of the Horror Pain Gore Death Productions label that has turned us on to so many outstanding (if obscure) acts. 'The Great Architect Of Nothing' features some very intriguing cover art. It's nothing elaborate or beautiful, but the concept of the cover alone generates curiosity.

    The HPGD press release describes the release as "Eight soul shattering original tracks of groovy, neck-breaking riffs, bonecrushing subsonic bass and primal, warlike exteme percussion ..." and that's pretty spot-on. I'd add that there's a sprinkling of hardcore punk inspiration in there also. The Death Metal tag works, but maybe it's a tad restricting here. I find myself thinking that a lot lately though - whenever a band exceeds the generic expectations that a given description puts in my mind. At the same time, I wouldn't really know what else to call it (Extreme metal doesn't need any more adjectives either).

    Oshiego has an aggression that is very well-crafted.

Throatplunger 'Cumplete Discography'

    I found the Throatplunger CD to be perhaps the single most annoying collection of songs that I have ever gave a listen. The introductory movie samples are the main culprit, they are pointless and overdone.

South of the Earth

Iron Man 'South of the Earth'

    Iron Man are one of those bands that have been around for awhile that I haven't ever really gotten into all that much. They had a CD out several years ago that I listened to a few times but it failed to make much of an impression. The band had a good sound but the songs just weren't all that good. That's been my opinion of the overwelming majority of rock and metal acts for the longest time now. It's got to be a tremendous task to write something that sounds more original than it does derivative.

    Guitarist Alfred Morris III is the driving force behind the band, it's very much his baby. And what an exceptional guitarist he is, his sound is precise, soulful, and scorching. 'Screaming Mad' Dee Calhoun has a powerful throat and makes for a competent frontman. The overall sound on 'South of the Earth' is far too groovy to call this a Doom Metal release. Much credit can be given to the rhythm section, Louis Strachan on bass and Jason Waldmann on the drums.

    For the sake of comparison, I'd have to look to the groundbreaking Kyuss release 'Blues for the Red Sun'. That's very apparant on track three 'A Whore in Confession' and remains throughout the entire CD. I'd not label these guys as Kyuss rip-offs or anything like that, but the likeness is a consistency. Kyuss were one of my all-time favorite bands, so the comparison is more complimentary than anything else. (It's not a matter of my listening to Iron Man and thinking "Hey, they lifted that part from Freedom Run ...")

    The lyrical content is very much Doom Metal with familiar Christian/Catholic and Lovecraft subject matter. That's all well and good here, but those things can become tedious after awhile. Especially when the music is equally uninspired, which is not the case here. (Perhaps someone should redo a classic Sabbath number and rechristen it 'A Tired Road' to properly and effectively address the problem.)

    I like 'South of the Earth' enough to recommend it to any Kyuss and Black Sabbath fans out there. It's a pretty solid release with 'A Whore In Confession' being one of those ageless classics. The title track is monumental as well.

This one time at band camp

** One time when I was 10 or 12 maybe, I was outta town and visiting family and friends. One of the neighborhood kids was being a little sh*t, I thought, and drinking chocolate milk. I haven't the faintest idea why I thought he was a little sh*t, but surely he was being one. He went inside his house and left his drink on the porch. I seized the moment and put a handful of mud in his glass of chocolate milk. I'm literally dying here right now as I think of the look on his face when he took a big gulp. **

Not exactly sure what made me think of that, but for whatever reason, I did. It was quite a hoot.

The Distortion Field

Trouble 'The Distortion Field'

    Trouble is a band that hasn't crossed my mind in quite awhile. Certainly they're a notable band that I liked 'way back when'. They had their own sound, they stood out. They never were a favorite by any means, but when I read about there being a new CD out I was immediately interested. Moreso upon learning that vocal duties were being handled by former Exhorder vocalist Kyle Thomas.

    Exhorder was another notable band, 'The Law' spent a good deal of time in my cassette deck. They were pretty solid, never really a favorite either, but did hold my attention for a time. I never really bought into the whole Pantera rivalry though. They weren't anywhere close to being as good of a band as Pantera.

    Kyle Thomas has a much more powerful voice than long time Trouble vocalist Eric Wagner. Wagner may be the more distinct of the two, but his vocal stylings are among those qualities with no room for middle ground. You either love it or hate it with Wagner on the mic. That's not to say that Thomas isn't a tad reminiscant of him occassionally here either, he just doesn't have that same annoying quality which embodies Wagner's voice. I'm actually surprised that Thomas has been so far from being on the music radar (so far as I'm aware of. And really that's the only thing that counts on this here blog site.) with his set of pipes.

    Guitarists Bruce Franklin and Rick Wartell remain in the band. Trouble has always had a pretty badass guitar sound. The sound of Doom, if you will. The guitars perhaps sound better than ever. The band is really good, but many of the songs just aren't very memorable from the first listen. I really dig "Sucker", "One Life", and "Have I Told You", but I almost wish that they would have done a cover also because I know they'd really nail it. That said, I do recommend 'The Distortion Field' pretty highly. It has that 'Play it again, Sam' quality that a lot of classic albums possess.

Hyaena Rabid

Hyaena Rabid "Homo... Homini... Hyaena!"  (9/17/2013 release date)

Italian grindcore outfit on the Horror Pain Gore Death Productions label. During the first seconds of Track 01 (Spin!), I can tell this will become a favorite. I totally get the grindcore tag, but I find this to be so much more than the 'garden variety' sound it connotes. There are a number of different things going on here musically - the most prevalent being a heavy Punk-inspired sound which intertwines with elements that would characterize Death Metal, Thrash, and even Grunge acts. There's also some NWOBHM and Black Metal sounding moments (Spin! and Blastfamous, respectively). The sound this band has is very tight also, especially for this to be their debut album. The drumming intrigues me maybe more than anything else as it primarily serves to fuel the diversity here. There are blast beats a plenty and then there are parts that sound almost like Dave Grohl maybe (that's a good thing, BTW). Freak Mafia at times almost sounds like it could've been on Nirvana's 'Bleach' (well if Nirvana had been faster and heavier and Kurt Cobain carried on more like Barney Greenway). Chupacabras made me imagine The Offspring, perhaps, playing like Napalm Death. Education By The Stick and Bullfrog Petardo are more thrashy, 'crossover' sounding. Hyaena Rabid are anything but boring or 'run of the mill'. "Homo... Homini... Hyaena!" is a CD that I recommend highly.

HPGD068 Cardiac Arrest + Mutant Supremacy - Split 7-Inch Record

HPGD068 Cardiac Arrest + Mutant Supremacy - Split 7-Inch Record

Whenever I first hear 'Unhinged' by Cardiac Arrest I'm taken back to the early 1990s. It's as if I'm hearing this 'Grindcore death stuff' for the very first time again. Perhaps I should be having a York's Peppermint Patty for this. The song has such a reckless energy. It's nothing terribly original, this part reminds me of this band and that part sounds a little like that band, but I wouldn't say they were ripping anyone off. I like it a lot, actually. It's tight, yo.

'Self Loathing' is off to a crusty start. The vocals remind me of Hypocrisy circa 'Penetralia'. This track is also a reckless affair with more of a hardcore feel. There's some Repulsion in there too. Really good stuff, Cardiac Arrest is a name to remember.

Mutant Supremacy is the other band on this split release and their sound and production is considerably more primitive than the ones by Cardiac Arrest. 'Gruesome Tableau' doesn't really do a whole lot for me, but 'They Came With Fire' shows a good deal of promise. There's potential there. I can't knock these guys, but the tracks sound like rehersals.

Summertime Blues

Wow, I gotta say that this is rapidly becoming a dismal Summer for yours truly. Nothing severe, just mundane as hell really. Allergies be damned ... there's No Fun in the Sun with all this congestion.

METAL EMPIRE LOG 6/24/13 www.WAWL.org  HR 01  5PM 
MOTORHEAD  No Voices In The Sky / WITCHCRAFT  If Crimson Was Your Colour / BLACK SABBATH Loner  [PSA]  KISS Tears Are Falling / BLACK SABBATH A Hard Road / PURSON Leaning On A Bear / VENOM Warhead (Single)  [PSA]   EXHUMED The Ghoul / TWISTED SISTER Ride To Live, Live To Ride (Live At the Astoria) / WASP L.O.V.E. Machine  [PSA]  MOTORHEAD Capricorn (BBC) / FIREBALL MINISTRY Sundown

HR 02  [LEGAL I.D.]  6PM
DEF LEPPARD Bringing On The Heartbreak / SPEEDWOLF Hell And Back / ROTTING CHRIST Gilgames  [PSA]  HIM All Lips Go Blue / THE COFFINS Acid Orgy / KILL DEVIL HILL Old Man / CHRISTIAN MISTRESS Possession / SPUN IN DARKNESS Temple To The Living God  [PSA]  GRAVEWURM Descendants Of The Abyss / MYSTIFIER The Baphometic Goats of the Knights Templar in the 12th Century / GATES OF SLUMBER Coven of Cain  [PSA]  INTER ARMA The Long Road Home

THE MERRY, MERRY MONTH OF MAY

May - School years end. Fun in the Sun goes into full effect. By now mowing the lawn has become a little bit easier, but sucks nontheless. Sunscreen. Bug spray. Washing the car. Beer - I always switch from Guiness and Sam Adams to any sort of light beer. It's way too hot to drink as much whiskey. Perhaps that depends on what you chase it down with, Wooooo! June's getting closer and, for me, 2013 will be a total 'Wild Card' Summer. Needs to be as wild and wide-open as possible, but not too awfully expensive. 

METAL EMPIRE www.wawl.org LOG FOR MONDAY 5/13/13  5PM
INTRONAUT - MILK LEG / NEWSTED - SOLDIERHEAD  [PSA]  HYPOCRISY - NECRONOMICON / SIX FEET UNDER - ALIVE TO KILL YOU / BURZUM - KAIMADALTHAS' NEDSTGNING / KROKUS - HELP  [PSA]  CRUCIFIED BARBARA - INTO THE FIRE / ENTRAILS - IN PIECES / CARCASS - NO LOVE LOST / ROTTEN SOUND - SALVATION  [PSA]  TOXIC HOLOCAUST - METAL ATTACK / METALLICA - BROKEN, BEAT, AND SCARRED (LIVE)
6PM  LEGAL I.D.
FLOTSAM & JETSAM - GITTY UP / EXHUMED - I ROT WITHIN  [PSA]  KILL DEVIL HILL - OLD MAN / JUNGLE ROT - UTTER CHAOS / DISMEMBER - FORGED WITH HATE / ZOMBIFIED - SUFFERING ASCENDS / INTER ARMA - 'SBLOOD  [PSA]  LAMB OF GOD - CHEATED / SPEEDWOLF - HELL AND BACK / PSYCHOTHERMIA - SLASH & BURN / LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH - BAPHOMETIC CHAOSIUM  [PSA]  CATHEDRAL - INFESTATION OF GREY DEATH

METAL EMPIRE www.wawl.org LOG FOR MONDAY 5/20/13  5PM
SIX FEET UNDER - ALIVE TO KILL YOU / KILL DEVIL HILL - OLD MAN / ANTHRAX - DEATHRIDER (John Bush)  [PSA]  HIM - ALL LIPS GO BLUE / TOXIC HOLOCAUST - METAL ATTACK / UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS - DEVIL'S WORK / LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH - PSYCHIC WATERS / MIDNIGHT - SHOCK 'TILBLOOD / BUCKCHERRY - DREAMIN' OF YOU  [PSA]  SATAN'S WRATH - SLAVES OF THE INVERTED CROSS / ASG - AVALANCHE / SPEEDWOLF - HELL AND BACK  [PSA]  FLOTSAM & JETSAM - GITTY UP / MORPHEUS DESCENDS - IMMORTAL COIL / ABATTOIR - BACK TO HELL
6PM  LEGAL I.D.
FOZZY - SIN AND BONES / HATE - ALCHEMY OF BLOOD  [PSA]  SADIISTIK FOREST - THROWING CARS AT PEOPLE (ON COKE WITH THOR) / PSYCHOTHERMIA - SLAH & BURN / RAVEN - ROCK UNTIL YOU DROP (LIVE AT THE INFENO) / ANTROPOMORPHIA - ANOINTMENT BY SIN / VEX - CARVE MY EYES  [PSA]  ENTRAILS - IN PIECES / PYRITHION - BLEED OUT / MASTODON - THE BIT (LIVE)  [PSA]  BULBOUS CREATION - LET'S GO TO THE SUN / MUNICIPAL WASTE - UNHOLY ABDUCTOR

I Just Might

     Got on here and it says 'Blogger has a new look'. Indeed, as I have put on about 5 - 10 lbs of pure ground'n'pound. Twisted steel. You get the picture. I've been M.I.A. from doing the blog. It must take a backseat to me stacking my paper up to the glass ceiling. This post will be a Multi-tasker (The red squiggle indicates that I may have just invented a noun. They don't teach that at Community college.)
     Technology has come such a long way. It is downright staggering. Yet, that 1080p flat screen is still secondary to the prevailing thought of stringing two cans together so's to not have to get up and walk to the fence post. It ain't no white picket fence either. Picket signs, picket your nose, get comfortable and marry well. The salon and Oil of Olay will only cost more over time.
     April Fools is becoming a lost art. I did a live broadcast of METAL EMPIRE on 4-1-13 that was rife with fictitious attributes which was a hoot! I guess you'd have to been there, but I had a ball. Here's the log -

METAL EMPIRE (WWW.WAWL.ORG) 4-1-13  5PM
BUCKCHERRY - WRATH / INTER ARMA - 'SBLOOD / PIG DESTROYER - DEPRESSION [PSA]
SACRED REICH - DEATH SQUAD (WACKEN) / VULKODLAK - BEWITCHING THE PIOUS / CHRISTIAN MISTRESS - HOME IN THE SUN / VOIVOD - MECHANICAL MIND [PSA] KROKUS - HELP? / MOSS - BLEEDING YEARS / JUNGLE ROT - UTTER CHAOS [PSA] FLOTSAM & JETSAM - GITTY UP / LITA FORD - MOTHER
2ND HR    6PM   LEGAL I.D.
BULBOUS CREATION - HAVING A GOOD TIME / ABIOTIC - VERMOSAPIEN [PSA] ACCEPT - LOVE CHILD / THERION - IN THE DESERT OF SET / SONIC PULSE - QUEEN OF BEERS / OZZYw/TYPE O NEGATIVE - PICTURES OF MATCHSTICK MEN [PSA] BATHORY - DIE IN FIRE / SIX FEET UNDER - ALIVE TO KILL YOU / HYPOCRISY - BLACK MAGIC / GYPSYHAWK - STATE LINES [PSA] DORO - VICTORY / ANTROPOMORPHIA - PSUCHAGOGIA 

     R.I.P. Jeff Hanneman. That was completely unexpected. I've had METAL EMPIRE rebroadcasted for the past few weeks as I haven't been able to do a live broadcast for one reason or another. Commitments, ya' know? I had to have a new one today, with all of the promos I've gotten and to pay homage to Slayer and the Hanneman legacy.

METAL EMPIRE (WWW.WAWL.ORG) 5-6-13   5PM
PROPHECY OF DOOM - ONWARD EVER BACKWARD [LEGAL I.D.*] SAINT VITUS - LOOK BEHIND YOU (LIVE 1990) / CHRISTIAN MISTRESS - POSSESSION [PSA] SLAYER - SERENITY IN MURDER / FLOTSAM AND JETSAM - GITTY UP / PURSON - LEANING ON A BEAR / BUCKCHERRY - NOTHING LEFT BUT TEARS / INTER ARMA - 'SBLOOD [PSA] NAPALM DEATH - EVERYDAY POX / RED FANG - HANK IS DEAD (DAYTROTTER) / TWISTED SISTER - BURN IN HELL / ROTTREVORE - SPAWN OF IGNORANCE / BLUE CHEER - GIRL FROM LONDON [PSA] SLAYER - GEMINI
2ND HR    6PM   LEGAL I.D.
HATEBREED - DEAD MAN BREATHING / KYLESA - UNSPOKEN / DANZIG - BLACK ANGEL, WHITE ANGEL [PSA] CATHEDRAL - CATHEDRAL OF THE DAMNED** / SLAYER - IN-A-GADDA-DA-VIDA / LACUNA COIL - TRIP THE DARKNESS / KROKUS - DIRTY DYNAMITE [PSA] JUDAS PRIEST - TURBO LOVER (PRIEST...LIVE) / SLAYER - WAR ENSEMBLE (DECADE OF AGGRESSION - LIVE) / DREAM DEATH - BITTERNESS AND HATRED [PSA] SLAYER - BEHIND THE CROOKED CROSS / BLACK VEIL BRIDES - IN THE END
* AND ** INDICATE AN ERROR AND/OR INTERESTING TIDBIT.

     I am supposing that is all for now.

Misplaced

     I know many a gal I'd refer to as 'Miss Placed' because they'd seemingly fit nicely at my side, yet they have a preference toward douchebags. But that's another blog for another time. This one's titled as such to reflect upon my absence of  a log/playlist for the 3/11/13 edition of METAL EMPIRE. I seem to have misplaced it. Well, I'll be a Son-of-a-Bitch, y'all.

   3/18/13 METAL EMPIRE Log www.wawl.org  wawlpierce@yahoo.com
HOUR 1  (5PM)  
PAPA ROACH Change or Die / RATT Lay it Down / NEUROSONIC Until I Die  [PSA BREAK]  SIX FEET UNDER Zombie Blood Curse / DORO Victory / WEAPON Crepuscular Swamp, Unhinged Swim / BUCKCHERRY Nothing Left But Tears / PIG DESTROYER Depression  [PSA BREAK]  VOIVOD Kaleidos / SPUN IN DARKNESS Carnival Freak Show  [PSA BREAK]  KROKUS Dirty Dynamite / NACHTMYSTIUM These Rooms In Which we Weep. 
LEGAL I.D.   HOUR  2   (6PM)
TANKARD Zombie Attack / ARMORED SAINT Chemical Euphoria (live) / TESLA Comin Atcha Live  [PSA BREAK]  INTRONAUT Milk Leg / NEWSTED Soldierhead / INTER ARMA Love Absolute  [PSA BREAK]  CHRISTIAN MISTRESS The Way Beyond / MASTER Believers Have a Choice  [PSA BREAK]  OZZY OSBOURNE w/ TYPE O NEGATIVE Pictures of Matchstick Men / BATHORY Die in Fire.

     Until next time - well do whatever it is that you do, just don't be hitting me up for a loan or ask me to help with your Math homework. And, yes the request lines are open whenever there's a live body in the Master Control room at The WAWL to pick up the phone. And if that happens to be me, I'll gladly see what I can do for you. But - and it's an awfully big butt, cause someone needs to start jogging - METAL EMPIRE is a weekly specialty show and the content is generally already decided. I won't be playing Tori Amos or R.E.M. at anytime during my show. But I will do my best to 'spike' it in there after 11:00 PM. Ah, Dios a Mios.

Not Too Shabby - another instalment

I do so agree with all that's been said about 'Noogans being cheapskates or spoiled ingrates - I've seen this on many fronts here in Chatt-town. My take is that it's symptomatic of larger-scale issues, with Economics being only the biggest one. To step back a bit and look at Chattanooga as a stop on someone's tour bus, it ain't anywhere close to what it was in the 1980s. We're geographically stuck in the middle. Oh, but we do have a really nice Aquarium and the Fair (Riverbend) comes to town every year. It's easy to get bored as hell here in Chattanooga and a lot of folks - the one's a club-owner would prefer to have around, cause they got some extra cash - hit the damn road to Nashville, Atlanta, maybe Knoxville as the big tours still roll thru those places. That being said, I do think Chattanooga has really stepped up big-time in the last couple of years. I missed Down and Dethklok, but that Napalm Death show was badass. I thought Cage the Elephant were kinda so-so, but it was a good time. Some of the area bars and clubs are making an effort. There's a lot of quality local bands too, but, goddamn, after awhile who gives a fuck about seeing 'The Electric Jim-Bobs' play at the same club every couple of weeks? Your boss at Burger King won't let you off to go on tour, or your drummer got locked up again for being behind on Child Support payments, etc. You never got your big break. So no matter how tight your band sounds, or how much your guitarist shreds - you ain't nobody special in Chattanooga until you can manage to get the fuck out of Chattanooga and make a name for yourself somewhere else. Until then, we still need a clean up on aisle nine. And I'm not just talking about the local music scene - There's a lotta folks in town whose britches aren't anywhere near as big as they'd like to think. "Yeah, Honey ... I saw you on TV, but your ass is behind me in line at the Grocery Store. And I just got the last gallon of milk." But Chattanooga ain't too shabby. Especially if your car's not running real well. We got Redbox, we have Netflix, we have fiber-optic Cable TV. Thank you, Thomas Edison. And that man who dug the tunnel so Jared could eat Turkey sandwiches at Subway. 

On the flipside - we got heads and tall tales here, Suburban Hamilton County is a helluva a good place to raise a family. We here have many, many things to be thankful for. Again, I don't think I'd be as inclined to trust my neighbor, or to trust my mechanic to fix the car as I would in the 1980s. That is also symptomatic of a larger scale issue, but with Nashille and Atlanta no more a part of the picture than New York City. "New York City? Did he just say New York City?" Simmer down, Dimwit, it was really Made In China. Right under that big ol' hole in the Ozone layer. They probably thought we were plunging right into Hell back in the 1950s when Elvis Presley started dry-humping the television screen. Aunt Bee got so hot and bothered she had to go and cool off in the Cement pond. But we ain't nowhere near Hell yet. We got that damn Tennessee River to go cool off in. I'll take a chill pill anytime I can, if you'll get it together and start a better band. 

To anyone wondering - No, no, I've yet to get my Sheepskin. Don't have my Foreskin anymore, either. Grease for Peace, hope to see you tomorrow at Ziggy's for Deceased.

Marching Forward

3/4/13 METAL EMPIRE LOG www.wawl.org 
HOUR 1  (5PM) 
NIGHTFALL  Oberon and Titania / ZOMBIFIED Suffering Ascends / PIG DESTROYER Depression  [PSA BREAK]  LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH Baphometic Chaosium / INTER ARMA 'sblood / PARADISE LOST Fear of Impending Hell / CHRISTIAN MISTRESS The Way Beyond  [PSA BREAK]  METALLICA 2x4 / NEBULA Dragon's Eye / DECEASED Robotic Village  [PSA BREAK]  KRISIUN The Will To Potency 
[LEGAL I.D.]  HOUR 2  (6PM) 
BATHORY Die In Fire / ANTROPOMORPHIA Psuchagogia / MUNICIPAL WASTE Unholy Abductor  [PSA BREAK]  BUCKCHERRY Nothing Left But Tears / MORBID ANGEL Immortal Rites / MORPHEUS DESCENDS Corpse Under Glass / GYPSYHAWK Planet Former / DIO Rainbow in the Dark (Intermission - Live)  [PSA BREAK]  LITA FORD Mother / ROTTEN SOUND Salvation / SACRED REICH Death Squad (Wacken - Live) / MEGADETH Whose Life (Is it Anyways)  [PSA BREAK]  VOIVOD Kaleidos  

A Musing - I did have a huge 'blooper' as I introduced DECEASED's 'Robotic Village' and blasted some NEBULA just as soon as I hit the button. Honest mistake, had the wrong tracked cued. My flubs are always quite aggravating, but hopefully someone finds it entertaining. I've been trying to feature some DECEASED as they'll be playing Chattanooga this Friday.

It was Live in the Studio

Here's the Log of the 2/18/13 METAL EMPIRE broadcast - done live-in-the-studio at Chattanooga State. 
email - wawlpierce@yahoo.com   www.wawl.org  

MONDAY  2/18/13    HOUR 1  (5PM)  
VOIVOD Mechanical Mind / INCANTATION Ethereal Misery (Live in Brazil) [PSA BREAK] WITCHFYNDE The Divine Victim / INTER ARMA 'sblood / NEWSTED Soldierhead / DORO Victory  [PSA BREAK] BUCKCHERRY Nothing Left But Tears / GYPSYHAWK State Lines / LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH Baphometic Chaosium / DEVOURMENT Fifty Ton War Machine [PSA BREAK] MYSTIFIER The True Story About Dr. Faust's Pact With Mephistopheles / ABATTOIR Ace of Spades.
HOUR 2   (6PM) 
WEAPON Vanguard of the Morning Star / ANNIHILATOR Never, Neverland [PSA BREAK] HELLOWEEN Burning Sun / ZOMBIFIED Suffering Ascends / PRONG Subtract / HATE Alchemy of Blood / PIG DESTROYER Depression [PSA BREAK] SUCK War Pigs / DESTRUCTION City of Doom / NECROMASS Necrobaratrum [PSA BREAK] ADMIRAL SIR CLOUDESLEY SHOVEL The Last Run / ANTROPOMORPHIA Fleisch. 

A little editorial, just some notes and observations during the program - I was psyched to be able to debut a track from BUCKCHERRY a day before "Confessions" goes on sale. Thanks to Century Media for the advance. I would've ran  "Gluttony" if not for the F-bomb. Ah, damnit, that swearing is frowned upon. I did like what I've heard of the CD. Haven't really sat down and dissected it track-by-track yet, but I predict that it will live up to the hype and serve to please. I thought it fitting to run "War Pigs" with it being President's Day and had the cover from early Seventies South African band SUCK (LP - "Time To Suck"). I've always had an agenda of throwing in the obscure whenever I can. My thinking is that if it's a relatively common track -  no matter how heavy it may be, if you can hear it on the local classic rock station there's no reason for it to be on my program (typically speaking). I'm liking the latest DESTRUCTION "Spiritual Genocide". When I played "City of Doom" I coulda sworn they were doing a cover of MEGADETH's "Hangar 18".
"SOMEBODY PLAY FREEBIRD". Yeah, I got an off-the-wall request from a listener. It was rather humourous. Too bad I wasn't set up to put the fella on the air. With METAL EMPIRE being a weekly 2-hour specialty show, fielding requests aren't a priority of any sort. But they will be taken into consideration. By all means.

METAL EMPIRE LOG - FEBRUARY 2013 - PART 01. 

www.WAWL.org MONDAY 2/4/13  HOUR 1 (5PM) 
BLACK SABBATH Zero the Hero / SIX FEET UNDER Frozen at the Moment of Death [PSA BREAK] DEVOURMENT Fifty Ton War Machine / ANTROPOMORPHIA Psuchagogia / MEGADETH Who's Life (Is it Anyways) / GATES OF SLUMBER Coven of Cain / MUNICIPAL WASTE Unholy Abductor [PSA BREAK] NEWSTED Soldierhead / FOZZY Sandpaper / CHRISTIAN MISTRESS The Way Beyond [PSA BREAK] HYPOCRISY Attachment to the Ancestor / LACUNA COIL Trip the Darkness / SATAN'S WRATH One Thousand Goats of Sodom. 
[LEGAL I.D.]  HOUR 2  (6PM) 
ACCEPT Hung, Drawn, and Quartered / NACHTMYSTIUM These Rooms In Which We Weep [PSA BREAK] DECEASED The Cemetery's Full / INTER ARMA 'sblood / ZOMBIFIED Pull the Trigger / TESSERACT Nocturne [PSA BREAK] GUTWRENCH Swarm of Flies / DISMEMBER As I Pull The Trigger / U.F.O. Too Hot To Handle / EXHUMED The Ghoul [PSA BREAK] NIGHTFALL Oberon and Titania / CRUCIFIED BARBARA Rules and Bones. 

www.WAWL.org MONDAY 2/11/13   HOUR 1  (5PM) 
BLACK VEIL BRIDES In the End / GHOST Elizabeth / LAMB OF GOD Now You've Got Something To Die For [PSA BREAK] LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH Baphometic Chaosium / U.F.O. The Last Stone Rider / CARCASS No Love Lost / INTER ARMA 'sblood [PSA BREAK] TRAPEZE Send Me No More Letters / RIVERSIDE Celebrity Touch / ZOMBIFIED Suffering Ascends [PSA BREAK] DESTRUCTION Cyanide / DEVOURMENT Fifty Ton War Machine. 
[LEGAL I.D.]   HOUR 2  (6PM) 
DRUID LORD Baron Blood / ABSERDO Taco Time / VEX Away from the Sun [PSA BREAK] ELECTRIC WIZARD Murder and Madness / WHITESNAKE Love Will Set You Free / SEPULTURA Firestarter / LACUNA COIL I Won't Tell You / KROKUS Stayed Awake All Night [PSA BREAK] BURZUM Belus' Doed / EXODUS Toxic Waltz (live GFVF) / ANTHRAX Only [PSA BREAK] PENTAGRAM 20 Buck Spin / METALLICA Phantom Lord. 

 

... So I played this (1/7/13)

The log of what aired on METAL EMPIRE on Monday 1/7/13
HOUR ONE (5PM Eastern)
Crucified Barbara - Losing the Game (Live in Berlin 2011) / Samael - From Malkuth to Kether / Municipal Waste - Unholy Abductor [PSA BREAK] Gypsyhawk - State Lines / Antropomorphia - Psuchagogia / Metallica - Too Late, Too Late / Lamb of God - A Devil In God's Country / Spun In Darkness - Carnival Freak Show [PSA BREAK] Prong - Subtract / Morbid Angel - God of Emptiness [PSA BREAK] Sacred Reich - Death Squad (Wacken) / Sepultura - Funeral Rites / Lions Lions - Grounded
[LEGAL ID] HOUR TWO (6PM Eastern)
Black Country Communion - Confessor / Exhumed - No Quarter [PSA BREAK] Slayer - At Dawn They Sleep / Sonic Pulse - Queen of Beers / Christian Mistress - The Way Beyond / Infernal Majesty - Skeletons in the Closet [PSA BREAK] Abserdo - Taco Time / Nebula - The Alchemist / Midnight - Savage Dominance [PSA BREAK] Opeth - The Grand Conjuration.

ATTN - Bands, Labels, Publicists, Distribution - wawlpierce@yahoo.com

HOLY DOPESMOKING HYENAS, BATMAN !! It's been THAT DAMN LONG since I blogged about anything. Not that I haven't had anything meaningful to say, My time has been stretched. Still going to school. Took a full classload in FALL 2012. Scratched my head on the 22nd. Made it thru the Holidays. And that more or less brings me here.
A FEW THINGS ABOUT 2012
 * Still involved with Indy Wrestling, 13 years-plus now. 2012 was a pretty fantastic year for me there. Got to visit all sorts of places here in Tennessee where Bert Prentice and Mike Porter promoted events with my friend JP Magnum. Roadtrips are always an adventure. Made a few with then NWA North American champion "The Temptation" Shaun Tempers. Great times. Worked out really well for having footage to submit to WDEF News Channel 12 (CBS affiliate here in Chattanooga) for the "In The Zone" segment during Nick Bonsanto's time at the station. Shot a handful of events in Alabama promoted by Ultimate NWA and NWA ProSouth and this event from IWA-Deep South
http://smvod.com/premium-video/iwa-deep-south-november-17-2012-xtreme-warfare-sylacauga-al
My fourth production for that group and the one I'm most proud of. Check it out, if you will.
Too many things to address, too many hands to shake, too many ugly babies to kiss for a simple blog post. Gotta name drop Pro Wrestling Chattanooga, Empire Pro Wrestling, Deep Southern Championship Wrestling, Wrestling Superstars (in Knoxville), EWA, and New Elite Wrestling. I'm especially psyched for Deep Southern Championship Wrestling (DSCW) and New Elite Wrestling (NEW) events going into 2013.
* Metal, heavier than the law will allow on www.wawl.org
METAL EMPIRE airs every Monday beginning at 5PM (Eastern), Two hours of Metal Mayhem and Misdeeds. I've hosted and programmed the show since 2009 with a combination of older, classic music and newer, sometimes obscure bands. Never any intention of appealing to the masses. The show is called METAL EMPIRE, not PLASTIC EMPIRE. It's been a rewarding experience, however I've found myself stretched and unable to devote as much time to it as I'd like. All good thing must come to an end they say, and Monday 7/22/13 will be my final original broadcast of the program. That's still a few months away, and there's a comet or two supposed to crash into the planet before then, so it will remain as unique and unpredictable as ever. I've already got new tracks lined up for this coming Monday.
* Bang your head. One of the biggest things for me in 2012 was catching Napalm Death, Municipal Waste, Exhumed, and Speedwolf at a bar here in Chattanooga. Chattanooga is not too shabby. It will surprise the hell out of you every now and then. This show was scheduled for a venue in Knoxville which had to close due to some crazy statutes for Tennessee businesses. I don't understand it, not up to speed on the specific details. I suppose you could Google 'Knoxville The Valarium' for more, but it all went down at JJ's Bohemia. It was crazy to be that close to the bands. There was nothing at all phony about it. Had The Rev. Dan Wilson along for that one.
GOING INTO 2013 I really haven't got any resolutions set aside. Just gonna keep on keepin' on. I get the feeling that I'm forgetting a thing or two here. That's likely the case.