Former GNR drummer is Back from the Dead

By Jason Savio

”I dodged a bullet to the head/ Now I’m back from the dead,” sings Jacob Bunton on the opening track of Adler’s aptly titled debut album Back From The Dead. If the group’s name rings a bell, it’s because it’s their drummer and band leader, Steven Adler’s, last name. For those who may not remember, Adler was the original drummer for Guns N’ Roses and was a key component of that group’s initial success. After an unceremonious firing from GNR because of a drug addiction, Adler has since been wading in the void until now.

Much of Back from the Dead reads like Adler’s fall from grace and long road back to recovery with song titles like the title track and the grooving “Own Worst Enemy.” On the powerful number “Waterfall,” when lead singer Jacob Bunton sings, “The scars of my mistakes/ I remember everyone/ They may not be here today/ But their memories have served,” you can hear Adler hammering away all his past demons for good with every triumphant hit of his drums. Adler gets a couple of assists on the album as well; joining his former bandmate on “Just Don’t Ask” is Slash, and John 5 throws down on the back-alley roll of “Good To Be Bad.”

Although Adler’s Back From The Dead may get lost in the mish-mash of other modern metal/hard rock, it is most memorable for the return of Steven Adler himself. After more than 20 years of drug addiction and hurt, it feels good to hear the guy back and doing what he loves to do.

Available on Amazon.com and iTunes.

Crystal Castles’ (III): Change isn’t always good

By Ben McNeil

I wanted desperately to like Crystal Castles’ (III), the Canadian EDM duo’s third album, released jointly in November under Fiction and Polydor Records. Maybe my electro-overloaded youth, including a Monday night drive to NYC to see Alice Glass (vocals) and Ethan Kath (producer and mixer), has dissolved.

Kath strived to make (III) unique. As opposed to (I) and (II) ~ CC’s first two albums, both which ignited my love for experimental electro and Boston’s club scene ~ computers were not used for mixing, and each track was recorded in one take to establish an overall raw feeling. The end result, aside from the tracks “Plague” and “Violent Youth,” was an unfocused album devoid of the raw energy so tangible throughout (I) and (II), specifically the tracks “Black Panther,” “Crimewave” and “Untrust Us” on (I) and “Empathy,” “Not In Love” and “Baptism” in (II).

I can’t entirely stomp on my once-favorite group, however; Glass and Kath are a duo focused on sound experimentation, and (III) has one outstanding track. “Plague,” the opening track, has a perfect beat matched with lyrics pregnant with meaning. Glass proclaims: “I need you pure I need you clean / Don’t try to enlighten me / Power to misconstrue / What have they done to you.” These lyrics are chilling; humanity is subjected to brainwashing by mass media, corrupt government and religion ~ an apocryphal sickness. So Glass and Kath consistently establish this anti-establishment theme throughout (III), which counts for something.

I might have fallen in love with (III) had I listened to it five years ago.

For more information, visit crystalcastles.com.

Recovery Council’s Plan-Do-Check-Act

By Katey Khaos

With a new year comes new music, right? Recovery Council’s third full-length album, Plan-Do-Check-Act is a must for your 2013 music collection.

Geeky chicks can rock out just as hard as any mainstream rocker, and female front woman Rebecca Qualls is living proof. Add in Isidro Santos and Jeff Trenholm, and you’ve got a post-punk band that takes a fresh approach to the ’90s music scene. Fresh hooks mixed with those raw guitar riffs and some killer female vocals to boot ~ what more could you ask for?

Plan-Do-Check-Act opens with a track entitled “Pushover.” The track mimics melodies similar to Hole, sans the screaming, and this killer basement rock sound continues throughout the entire album.

In addition to the continuity of its sound, Recovery Council also prides itself on sprinkling in metaphoric lyrics of protest throughout tracks like “Resolve,” with its clear Nirvana influence.

The album concludes with “Always Sunny,” which is the epitome of a ’90s rock anthem. This track possesses a certain sense of realness and rawness that hits your ear drums perfectly and kicks you back to a moment of nostalgia.

Sure, the ’90s have long since passed, and the genres of that time have had a chance to shine. However, Plan-Do-Check-Act is a fantastic album in which to relive some of those ’90s feelings without smelling like Teen Spirit, if you know what I mean.

To snag a copy of Plan-Do-Check-Act, visit www.recoverycouncilmusic.com.