There Is No God*

It seems Jesu will not be part of the Isis tour until further notice. The reason? Still don't have work permits. Dammit.

(*That's a Justin Broadrick joke; I'm not *that* broken up about this. Hopefully, Jesu will be back on tour by the time they roll through D.C.)

Damn

Well, I knew it was a gamble. Tonight's Mastodon show is sold out. I bet if I went over there, I could probably by a ticket on the street. The question is, do I freeze my ass off on another gamble? I'm leaning toward no. I'm not surprised. Mastodon has pretty much become the flagship band of "metal for people who don't like metal", which is fine by me, because they do blaze and deserve the attention. It just kinda screws me when I want to see them live. On a Saturday night. In an area that has always had a large metal following. In a town full of hipsters. You don't need to be Euler to figure out that equation means no ticket for Damian.

Slayer has already sold out both nights of their show. Even less surprising.

I should probably get my Isis (3/11) and Lamb of God (3/26) tickets soon, because those will likely sell out, too.

But, while I'm on the subject of teh rock, 3/26 is also the street date (I think) of the new Clutch album, From Beale Street to Oblivion. Go get you some of that. It's pretty great.

It's 2007. C'mon With The Postings!

Yeah, it's 2007, and it's already off to a whiz bang start. Naturally, I already feel behind, but I can say that things are getting out of the gate fast in the first two months. I can endorse heartily the following (some which haven't seen official release *cough*):

Low Drums and Guns: If you liked the last Low album, or are just willing to ride with the band wherever they go, you should get this when it comes out. The album favors shorter songs, some with an oddly unfinished feel (and may well have been, considering), but still manages to sink its hooks into you from the beginning. Even the use of programmed drums, which doesn't seem right when it comes to this band, feel natural rather than out of place. See if you can find "Sandinista" or "Violent Past" to sample the wares.

Jesu Conqueror: This is good, and may even be great, but doesn't have the benefit of brevity that last year's brilliant Jesu EP has. I honestly haven't listened to this enough because the songs tend to drag toward the middle. Then again, I haven't really had much time/patience for critical listening lately.

Explosions in the Sky All Of a Sudden, I Miss Everyone: One of my favorite bands seems to be in a holding pattern. But if the music is this good, that's not a bad thing. This isn't a giant leap beyond their fantastic last album, The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place, but is not bad in the least. If you're a sucker for this kinda dramatic, crescendo-rock (like I am), then go nuts.

I've also put in some time new albums by Phazm, Rwake, and Minsk. Early judgment is favorable, but I need to give them a few more spins. I'm especially liking the Phazm disc, which seems to have some good hooks and riffs on the disc.