This episode signifies six months of the SideShow’s existence as a podcast. For those of you who have been with us since the beginning, you know that we started with reviews of some of the biggest albums of 2011. Well, as it just so happens, this week we review one of the most anticipated albums 2012, amongst a few others form the final release week of Metal Month. We also take a look back at some previous reviews to see if our minds have changed, and Brian gives you rundown of his experience at the Metal Alliance Tour.
Reviews:
3 Inches of Blood – Long Live Heavy Metal
Hour of Penance – Sedition
Meshuggah – Koloss
Thanks to all of our listeners and followers for all your support these past six months. Stick around for the next six (and beyond) as we continue to bring you the best (and worst) in music to make your ears bleed…and some more interviews, giveaways, and whatever other surprises we can drum up!
The Sideshow Podcast 
-As an Opeth fan, I love how Kyle now thinks that “Opeth is metal.” And it’s even enjoyable! Now we have to get Nick to try Zeppelin again and Brian to revisit Mastodon’s Crack the Skye which is a masterpiece. Maybe get him to read Final Crisis in order to have a better understanding of the type of concept album that Crack the Syke is. Then again, you’d first have to read every DC comic written in the last 40 years to understand Final Crisis.
-I’ve been listening to Koloss and I think Kyle sums it up quite well. I get it, I like it, but I don’t love it. I think why I don’t love it is as Kyle said about failing to find the hooks. If I’ve listened to an album 5 times and I still can’t distinguish which songs are which and there is nothing that hooks me in to remember the songs after I’ve listened to them, then I can’t say it is great music.
-Since you’ve asked about concert etiquette, I’m going to raise the t-shirt question. Why is it not ok to wear the t-shirt of the band you are seeing at that concert? If it is because it is obvious that I am a fan of the band just by attending the concert, that may not always be true. I might be going to a concert with a friend who is a bigger fan and I might just be checking that band out. And what if it is a festival or if there are multiple bands playing at that show? Wouldn’t I want to show support for my favorite band of the entire lineup at that show? Sports fans across the globe wear their team’s shirt with pride to their own games, but metal fans are too cool for that? That’s the kind of attitude I’d expect from Brooklyn hipsters, not from headbangers.
-Chain burgers? No wonder why you’re broke, Kyle. You must be spending all your money on gasoline to drive out to the suburbs just to have a burger. Just use your monthly metrocard to get to Corner Bistro in the village for a great burger. Or even better just walk over to the Parker Meridien on 56th street to find the hidden gem that is The Burger Joint.
It’s funny you bring up Crack the Skye with Koloss b/c musically, I found Koloss more memorable. I am not going to deny the talent of Skye, and i understand why so many people love it, but in the numerous times I have gone back to that album, I never left it with a song or even a piece of one in my head. Koloss, on the other hand, I find the main riff on songs like “Don’t Look Down” quite memorable. I can see how the general sound of the album can give a monotonous feel to it (a lot of kinds droning sounds) but I find enough variation in the rhythms and pacing of the songs to maintain my interest.
As for Skye’s concept, even if I understood it 100% it isn’t going to sell me. Despite the band or the story, VERY few concept albums actually manage to tell me a story I can follow while listening to the album. (King Diamond’s “Abigail” is one of those exception since Diamond actually applies different voices to the characters.) With that, it its more about how album flows and the songs seem to connect. So, Skye, much like the recently reviewed Helvetios, does have that flow to it where the songs feel connected by a single theme. But, that doesn’t mean anything is gonna be memorable.
And, ya know, really looking at Mastodon, I think it boils down to that I am just not a huge fan. I did really enjoy them live the couple of times i saw them in the pre-Skye days (the only times i saw them), and granted, I haven’t gone back to Leviathon or Remission in a while, but back when they came out, I couldn’t get really into them no matter how much I tried. I don’t know why exactly, but from them through The Hunter, I just very rarely find myself going back to their albums.
Oh, and the shirt thing. Yeah, idk anymore. Lol. I used to be a big supporter of that rule, and I personally will still follow it. But now, I just feel defeated and I question how much it ever was a ‘rule’ especially with the younger crowd who NEVER follows it, to the point of buying a shirt there an putting it on…which I think is stupid. I think at this point, if I was going to, say, a Chimaira show, I wouldn’t wear a Chimaira shirt because I don’t want end up wearing the same shirt as a dozen others. And the band will know my support when I am in the front yelling all the words.