By Jillian Locke

Congratulations! You’ve survived yet another year! Now it’s time to shake the New Year’s festivities-induced haze that you’ve been emerging from for days so that we can reminisce about the last couple months of 2007, which we think are indicative of an equally kick-ass 2008!

Let’s start by reflecting back to some of the last shows of 2007. Even though they’ve rocked metalheads overseas for 10 years, environmentally-conscious French metal outfit Gojira (the original Japanese spelling for Godzilla) has only recently broken onto American soil. On November 16^{th, they pummeled the Palladium with Beneath the Massacre, Job for a Cowboy, and metal tyrants Behemoth. “I’m supposed to be all, ‘F*ck You’ and ‘Kill Kill Kill’ up there on stage,” says Gojira vocalist/guitarist Joe Duplantier. “I mean, we’re just regular people. We don’t want to label ourselves as ‘eco-warriors’. We’re just aware that we’re part of a race of humanity. We’re not trying to preach, we just want to say, ‘Hey, open your eyes.’ Being environmentally friendly isn’t cool,” laughs Duplantier. Well, even if that isn’t considered cool in the metal world, the music most certainly is, as Gojira proved by dominating the stage and spreading their metal-with-a-green-message to the black-clad masses.}

And the phenomenal Palladium shows just keep on coming. November 27th saw a sold-out show as an eclectic line-up, including The Fall of Troy, Clutch, and Coheed and Cambria, played for a ravenous crowd. TFOT got the crowd to its feet with their chaotic guitars and rapid and sporadic beats. Clutch then cranked out their signature rock-your-face-off raw rock n’ roll laced with blues and funk, satisfying the Gearheads in the audience (and fear not ~Clutch will be back in the area in February!). Coheed and Cambria then took the stage, bringing the audience to full attention as they filled the venue with their full, bombastic, and always unique arrangements.

November 28th (all the good shows ALWAYS fall in the same week, don’t they?) saw Soilwork, DevilDriver, Lamb of God, and Killswitch Engage at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell, as they kicked off the first night of their three-week tour. “It’s always good to play to the home crowd,” says KSE vocalist Howard Jones. “It’s just kind of strange playing in a venue this large and being one of the headliners.” One of the most modest and unassuming musicians I’ve ever had the pleasure to speak with, Jones is always looking to grow and improve upon what he’s done, rarely being satisfied. “You definitely want to do better with each thing you do, but I think the new one is a solid listen all the way through. There are fewer songs that are weak. People in the end may disagree, but that’s my opinion. The new album is just a natural progression.” Considering “The End of Heartache” went gold in November, I think that constitutes “well received,” don’t you? KSE will be back this year with Dillinger Escape Plan, Every Time I Die, and Parkway Drive.

DevilDriver frontman Dez Fafara also follows the same mantra, as “The Last Kind Words” was an important evolution in the band’s career. “The first record was us just steppin’ out, like ‘This is DevilDriver.’ The second one was a little too experimental, even for my taste. We wanted to reel it back in a little and try and capture our live show, which is really up-tempo.” The theme of the album also encompasses a sense of strength and solidity. “Perseverance and determination are important things…in this day and age, there is a lot of knocking down than can be done, for young and old. Sometimes you gotta make music that makes me want to put your fist through the wall, not that you should do that,” Fafara adds, laughing. “Sometimes you gotta stand up for what’s right.”

If any band would want to make you thrust your fist through plywood, it’s Richmond, Virginia’s Lamb of God. “A good performer exudes energy. I feel that we, as a package, go out there and just destroy people with what we’re doing. It’s fun sh*t.” says Lamb of God bassist John Campbell. Indeed, they do. 2006’s “Sacrament” is all out “Pure American Metal,” as their banner states. “Black Sabbath started heavy metal, and its dark, religious imagery. It’s heavy metal, we’re not gonna sing about puppies or girlfriends or anything.” The crowd seems to explode twice as hard when LOG takes the stage ~ that was the case when they were the direct support for Slayer during the Unholy Alliance Tour in 2006. The infamous ‘Wall of Death’ that frontman Randy Blythe adopted from the early punk scene was just as brutal and frightening this time around, and it was obvious that yes, as a package, LOG destroyed the crowd, sending sneakers flying and sweaty metalheads reeling. “We rock the Journey from time to time,” Campbell adds. Well, apparently so does Howard Jones. Another guilty pleasure they both have in common? “Just for the record, I f*cking love Hall and Oates.” I think John Campbell and Howard Jones should go bowling : )

And now, for the “Show’s I’m pissed I missed” section. The Viva la Bands tour came to the Palladium and left, without me there. When will I ever get another chance to see both CKY and Cradle of Filth share the stage?? And Radio Moscow, Witchcraft, and Baroness melted the Middle East, a stellar show that had to go on with me, too!

November was a busy month ~ but what better way to spend my time than at the onslaught of metal shows that landed in Massachusetts?! Check out www.thepulsemag.com for more music news, including snippets from the OTEP, Blood Simple, and Hell Yeah show December 7th, some comments from Matt White on his debut album “Best Days,” and shout-outs to new releases for 2008.

Matt White made an appearance opening for Third Eye Blind at The Palladium back in November in support of his debut album, ‘Best Days.’ “I wrote the album in college, which were the best four years of my life. It’s basically about personal discoveries, exploration, and growing up.” Drawing influence from Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan, White describes his music as “groove oriented” and points out that “…you need the sensitivity in music. I’m just a sensitive guy.” If sensitive, nostalgic tunes are what you’re after this New Year, then check out www.myspace.com/mattwhitemusic.

The Autumn Offering ~ The third effort from Daytona Beach, FL metal outfit, “Fear Will Cast No Shadow,” is a fresh, solid offering, with the help of new vocalist Matt McChesney (former vocalist for Lowell’s own Hell Within). Carrying over the signature scream from HW, McChesney focuses more on a harmonic level of melody with this new project. This latest effort is classic metalcore, polished, harmonized, and addictively catchy. Not my usual cup o’ tea, but for some reason this album struck a real chord in my musically strung brain.

Byzantine, the barking, bestial juggernaut of metal from West Virginia, comes through full throttle with ‘Oblivion Beckons,’ their fourth release on Prosthetic Records, which continues to be one of the most diverse and deviously executed metal efforts of 2007. Vocalist/guitarist Chris Ojeda slides back and forth between smooth, full-bodied choruses and grimy, gritty scowls, all while creating an ethereal yet terrifying excursion into a land that is metal, introspective, and sometimes spiritual. The album’s title track rings through with the pleading chorus, “We want to live in another world,” while ‘The Gift of Discernment’ caps off with eerily beautiful solo guitar melodies. The boys then crash into ‘Expansion and Collapse,’ feeding the listener with the classic machine-gun metal urgency that sends heads a-bangin’ and hair a-flowin’. These tracks are just a sampling of what the album has to offer, and the lyrics definitely deserve research and inspection, as only editorial space restrictions prevent me from listing every phenomenal line from every song. On the whole, the 13-track metallic symphony is well-rounded and full-bodied, with unexpected and aurally pleasing twists and turns, much like a fine bottle of cabernet sauvignon…I don’t know how metal it is to compare metal to red wine, but either way, both leave you thirsting for more.

Stillborn Fest stormed The Palladium on Friday, December 28th, as Hatebreed, Agnostic Front, and God Forbid brought along fellow compatriots Necro, Thy Will be Done, and Austin, TX quasi-electro-whacked-out-progressive-metal maniacs At All Cost. Celebrating their recent team-up with Century Media Records, the Lone Star State madmen have somehow managed to take a fresh approach to metal, creating a fast-paced, hard-hitting, electro-metal mutant. AAC has infused their sound with enough intelligible melodies and harmonies to make it accessible to people into this type of music, but also to people who may not be familiar with this sound. I got a chance to pick the brain of vocalist/keyboardist and sometime percussionist Andrew Collins to catch a glimpse of where some of their inspiration comes from. “(By) fearlessly challenging ourselves to push to envelopes within ourselves as well as the genres we sit in…We have managed to drop all reservations about appeasing labels, critics, and kids, and that opens up a lot of room to experiment with. For me, influences like Refused, Daft Punk, and Pink Floyd helped shape my ‘voice’ in music, but there are so many other mediums and events that I draw influence from, artists, poets, political figures, historical events, avant guard, dance, literature, the works.” Their 2007 Century release, ‘Circle of Demons,’ showcases the band’s growth, diversity, and evolution in a musical world of blurring the lines and crossing genres. “Circle of Demons serves as a metaphorical entity of everything wrong, within the band’s realm, but also beyond that. A circle of demons is all that holds you down, and takes from your heart. I hate the record industry with a passion; I hate the lawyers, managers, A&Rs, the whole pile of sh*t who feed off the artists and their hard work. It’s insulting and repulsive, so that came into play with themes. Also our growing discontent and isolation from the metal and hardcore scene played into the writing process as well. Politics and self understanding/realization are also strong themes within the record.” All this said, At All Cost is a perfect addition to this year’s Stillborn Fest. Don’t miss the fire and the fury that could possible melt away enough snow in Worcester for on-street parking.

Speaking of prog-metal, check out the newest addition to Prosthetic Records roster ~ Canadian death metal prog-rock outfit Neuraxis. Blasting onto American soil with the usual blast beats, their buzzing riffs dripping with that wall-of-bees-swarming-towards-you sound that every metal enthusiast loves and in some crazy, biological way, actually has ~ in thick, bloody form ~ streaming through their veins, Neuraxis will no doubt quickly become a staple of the blackest of black metal crowd. There’s just something so painstakingly metal about hearing an angry French dude scream, “Merci beaucoup!” to an audience of hungry, sweaty, equally French metal dudes…

For those of you who are hot blooded, want to know what love is, and are waiting for a girl this New Year’s Eve, then look no further than CN8, for a special performance from your favorite 80s cheesier-than-the-cheesiest-cheese love ballad band, Foreigner, who will be performing at the Universal Orlando Resort at 8pm. No television in sight? Fear not, for the performance will also be streamed at www.CN8.tv. You know you love it, like you love a fiery poker piercing your bleeding heart. Let Foreigner fill that punctured void.

Savannah Georgia’s got it goin’ on…kinda makes me wanna skip out on the frigidity of New England’s winter and head down south for a hot minute. Notorious sludge conquerors Baroness and Kylesa are hoppin’ across the pond for a winter tour, spreading all their thick, eerie, progressive doom overseas. Baroness embodies all that is dirty, filthy, and beautifully obscene in raw, muddy metal. The guitars emit stripped down, unadulterated angst and hope, fear and strength, hate and love. The darkness of the guttural vocals envelopes all light while creating its own. Now for something completely different…care for a little psychedelic claymation tyranny? Check out Kylesa’s video for the song “Hollow Severer,” off of 2006’s ‘Time Will Fuse Its Worth.’ youtube.com/watch?v=VGFru8yyYIw.

Brooklyn, NY’s The Shondes are preparing for their debut release, “The Red Sea,” on Januray 8th. This breakthrough quartet have been compared to the likes of Patti Smith, Rasputina, and Sleater-Kinney, making them a formidable force and a great new musical discovery for the New Year.

At last but most certainly not least, thanks to Worcester’s own ECI Productions, the legendary Murphy’s Law is slated to turn Ralph’s Chadwick Square Rock Club, 143 Grove Street, into a full-out Irish session party on January 12th. Is Worcester ready for the likes of these crazy, hard-hitting, hard partying Irish boys? Of course it is. And you will be too ~ Hearty Guiness to all, and to all a good night!