Trail Of Blood Reviews:Brain Drill, Korn, Danzig

Despite the pretentious, juvenile, contrived band name, Brain Drill does actually have good reason for such a title. The sheer technicality of their death metal assault does, in fact, drill your brain. In listening to Brain Drill’s most recent album “Quantum Catastrophe”, one might be swept into the unbelievable realization that they are listening to a band that transcends death metal. While keeping the traditional death metal format of growling vocals, and multiple tempo and time signature changes, Brain Drill incorporates some of the most complex riffing and soloing ever recorded. Both the guitar and bass continuously pummel you with arpeggios, 16th and 32nd notes, as well as crushing production. The drumming, despite suspect production quality, is metronome perfection and drives this megabeast that turns the drill’s engine. If you like death metal than you will like Brain Drill, but as a musician, you will drool over this. Classic cover artwork too.

Korn is somewhat of an an icon, having been credited with inventing and popularizing Nu-Metal. Korn’s new album, “Korn III:Remember Who You Are” is nothing short of status quo. It’s actually a return to form, to the style that popularized them to begin with. The bass is still low and clunky, the drumming is slappy and solid, the guitars are tuned to a near-incoherent mush, and the vocals need lots of effects just to sound as big as the rest of the music (during the singing parts). Also, Jonathan Davis breathes really heavily into the microphone. Lyrically, there is a lot of whining about heartache and having a terrible lot in life. The burden of rock stardom, etc, etc, etc … They still are attempting to feed off of teenage angst, and quite successfully it would seem. If one is hoping to hear a more mature band after all of these years, they won’t because that doesn’t sell records. Overall, if you are 16 or still haven’t matured since you were, you will like this album. Otherwise, feh.

Classic metal icon, genius, and part-time knucklehead Glenn Danzig has returned with his new album “Deth Red Sabaoth”. With a new lineup of musicians including Johnny Kelly of Type O Negative on drums, he delivers a collection of songs which are his best since Danzig III over 15 years ago. Danzig’s unique vocals are a great mix of influences ranging from Elvis Presley, to Jim Morrison, to Howlin’ Wolf. He’s at his best on this album, despite the massive abuse his voice has taken from years of touring. The guitar work is rockin’, bluesy, and grimy. The bass pounds and the drums hammer. Johnny Kelly’s drumming adds interesting dimensions that Danzig has never had. “Deth Red Sabaoth” is an old-school Danzig album, worthy of this classic Lodi, NJ artist’s legacy.