PETE BERWICK
The New
Album
"If any man deserves
the title of hardcore
troubadour, then it's
cowpunk pioneer
Pete Berwick."
- Rootstime Magazine
ALBUM PHOTO BY
MICHELLE GADEIKAS
APPEARING IN FEBRUARY
SUNDAY FEB 2 • 10AM - NOON
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 27
SATURDAY MARCH 1 • 7PM
THE LODGE
4:00 - 7:00
899 MAIN ST. • ANTIOCH, ILLINOIS
847-395-3373
METR0 DELI @
UNION STATION
WANTED
SALOON
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 21 • 9:30 PM
210 S. CANAL ST.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
1800 W. DIVISION • CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
773-486-9862
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 28 • 7PM
2840 HWY 70 E
DIXON, TENNESSEE
615-375-8292
WITH KARA CLARK &
ROWDY JOHNSON BAND
JUST ONE MORE
BAR & GRILL
3261 HILLSBORO HWY.
MANCHESTER, TN
931-728-9308
WITH KARA CLARK &
ROWDY JOHNSON BAND
APOCOLYPTICA
Wagner Reloaded
- Live In Leipzig
(BMG)
The cello is the professional wrestler of
string instruments: it's sound is neither
wimpy like a violin nor as weighty as a
stand-up bass. So who better than a quartet of theatrical prog-metal musicians to
use three cellos – as well as a symphony
orchestra – to revisit, revamp, and revitalize the music of Richard Wagner, perhaps
the most rock 'n' roll of classical composers? The 14 tracks, recorded during a
two-night stand last July, are an amazing
amalgam of chaos and class. Tunes like
"Flying Dutchman" and "Ludwig –
Wonderland" fuse familiar orchestral
themes with energetic instrumental the-
SUNDAY MARCH 2 • 4:00 PM
SAT FEBRUARY 22 • 9:30PM
works, and you’ve got to give Turisas
credit for having ginormous balls to try to
pull something like this off. The catchiest
song is CD opener, “For Your Own Good.”
Chiming orchestral bells, timpani and
power chords are decorated with a brooding and rumbling piano rhythm. Vocalist
Warlord Nygård’s triumphant swooning
really shows his magnificent vocal range.
Some annoying vocals makes “Into the
Free” fail miserably, as does the cheesy
keyboards mixed with Children of Bodom
vocals on “The Days Passed.” “No Good
Story Ever Starts With Drinking Tea” is an
amateurish, alcohol-fueled song decorated
with Munchkin voices that would even
make Korpiklanni cringe. However, the
grandest song is saved for last on “We
Ride Together.” Its Mexican-themed opening, complete with horn section is right out
of the Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass’
playbook. In fact, you’ll hear layered horn
sections popping up throughout most of
the disc, but oddly, the orchestration
sounds a bit artificial at times. Given its
obvious absurdities, if one can refrain from
comparing Turisas2013 to the band’s previ-
pull it off without sounding like a send-up.
(O.K.: a complete send-up.) The title track
and "Habeas Corpus" come together as
two of the strongest cuts in the band's
repertoire. Before the grandiosity begins to
take on a chintzy hue, the 16th-note riffage
returns and heads bang again. Despite the
flurry, it almost feels like the foot's off the
pedal when maybe a flute should be
jammed in to keep the ideas coming
– Steve Forstneger
6
PHYLLIS' MUSICAL INN
PETE BERWICK & THE RENEGADES
LIVEWIRE LOUNGE
3994 N. MILWAUKEE • CHICAGO
773-480-1418
WITH KEVIN LEE & THE KINGS
Apocolyptica
LIMELIGHT
201 WOODLAND ST.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSE
OUTLAW HALL OF FAME ASSCOCIATION
TRIBUTE-BENEFIT FOR WAYNE MILLS
Albums and updated live dates: www.peteberwick.net
ous releases, it just might be able to stand
on its own two legs.
– Kelley Simms
6
CLOVER
Vultures
(Self)
New York hardcore is alive and well,
and if Clover gets established, as it should,
the future looks bright too. On its first fulllength release, this Kingston, N.Y., threepiece throws down as hard as the likes of
Hatebreed. The result: 10 bristling tracks
of hardcore metal, financed through a
$1,500 Kickstarter campaign. Back-to-back
tracks “Berserker” and “Ragnarok” juxtapose frenetic metal with sludgier stuff.
Every track is fierce and raw yet moments
of groovy riffing abound, especially on the
otherwise brutal “Catalyst.” Clover is
clearly a band to notice early.
- Jason Scales
8
SLOUGH FEG
Digital Resistance
(Metal Blade)
Metal Blade recently did Alehorn of
Power vets Slough Feg a solid by re-releasing three of the band's difficult-to-obtain
albums. Now the label has the tricky task
of re-branding the Bay Area trad-metalists,
seeing how Digital Resistance might tickle
fans of Jethro Tull more than Black
Sabbath. Even trickier is how Slough Feg
40 illinoisentertainer.com february 2014
atrics, creating a magnificent and aptly
Wagnerian wall of sound.