Steerpike
11-04-2005, 08:09 PM
Well, Halloween has come and gone, and we go back to normal. As we approach the end of this chapter, we look back fondly on what has passed.
Candlemass - The Godfathers of Doom (http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=392118)
Blue Oyster Cult - Dark Visionaries and Satirists (http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=394772)
Rhapsody - Journey to the Enchanted Lands (http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=397321)
Gamma Ray - Kai Hansen Still Rules (http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=400025)
Warren Zevon - One of the Good Dead Ones (http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=402849)
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Dark Queen of Goth Rock (http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=405520)
Halloween Special, Part I: Mercyful Fate - Quake with Fear! (http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=407685)
Halloween Special, Part II: King Diamond - Hail to the King! (http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=408105)
As the next to last installment of this chapter, we'll be going over a band that, by all means, has had this coming.
Biography
If I have to see one more thread about how rock music is dead or how modern music sucks, I'm gonna throw up and rip somebody's friggin' head off. Maybe not in that order. Newsflash, people! There was bad music in the 70's too! But we forgot about it because it sucked! And by perpetuating the myth that musical standards a couple decades ago were higher, you're only burying all the great bands that might otherwise live on. In other words, rock isn't dead, but you phillistines certainly aren't helping!
I'm going to kindly ask the regulars of R&M who are currently reading this to mark and remember this thread so that the next time some noob comes by saying modern music sucks, you can show him this and point and laugh. Why? Because this week's spotlight is about a truly awesome, but underappreciated modern rock band: The Atomic Bitchwax.
The stoner rock scene has always had a cult following. It's out of this underground that a lot of young musicians cut their teeth. And it was from here that The Atomic Bitchwax originated. Ed Mundell, guitarist for Monster Magnet, formed it originally as a side-project to experiment with. He recuited Chris Kosnick from Godspeed to handle the bass and lead vocals, along with Keith Ackerman to be the man behind the kit.
This was back in 1992, mind you. It took 7 years before they finally got a contract to produce their self-titled debut album. It was a damn good one at that, filled to the brim with high-octane rock and roll. But their label went bankrupt a year later. Mice and men...
Fortunately, the group was immediately snatched up Tee Pee Records, which led to the second album. Reception on this one was mixed. Some thought it was just as great as the last, others felt it was only second-rate. It certainly didn't help matters that Ed was very camera shy. He loved being a guitarist, but he wasn't used to being such a main feature on stage. Eventually, he decided he wasn't ready for this sort of thing and went back to Monster Magnet full time, but not before releasing the rather lackluster EP with the group, Spit Blood.
Keith had grown rather attached to the project though. This was a man who had to stay busy. He formed a side project called Black NASA while he and Chris looked for a new guitarist. They found their new compadre in Finn Ryan who had recently left his band, Core.
With the new line-up they released their album simply titled 3. Fans had mixed reviews for the album, but it's still a solid effort with the usual high-octane sound blended with influences from stoner, prog, and hard rock.
The New Jersey power trio is currently embarking on a fall tour that will last into December, during which they'll record their first live album and DVD. They're still playing small venues only, but on the upshot that means you won't have to pay $25 for a beer.
Official Web Site (http://mysite.verizon.net/vze1kdk0/atomicbitchwax/index.html)
Candlemass - The Godfathers of Doom (http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=392118)
Blue Oyster Cult - Dark Visionaries and Satirists (http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=394772)
Rhapsody - Journey to the Enchanted Lands (http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=397321)
Gamma Ray - Kai Hansen Still Rules (http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=400025)
Warren Zevon - One of the Good Dead Ones (http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=402849)
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Dark Queen of Goth Rock (http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=405520)
Halloween Special, Part I: Mercyful Fate - Quake with Fear! (http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=407685)
Halloween Special, Part II: King Diamond - Hail to the King! (http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=408105)
As the next to last installment of this chapter, we'll be going over a band that, by all means, has had this coming.
Biography
If I have to see one more thread about how rock music is dead or how modern music sucks, I'm gonna throw up and rip somebody's friggin' head off. Maybe not in that order. Newsflash, people! There was bad music in the 70's too! But we forgot about it because it sucked! And by perpetuating the myth that musical standards a couple decades ago were higher, you're only burying all the great bands that might otherwise live on. In other words, rock isn't dead, but you phillistines certainly aren't helping!
I'm going to kindly ask the regulars of R&M who are currently reading this to mark and remember this thread so that the next time some noob comes by saying modern music sucks, you can show him this and point and laugh. Why? Because this week's spotlight is about a truly awesome, but underappreciated modern rock band: The Atomic Bitchwax.
The stoner rock scene has always had a cult following. It's out of this underground that a lot of young musicians cut their teeth. And it was from here that The Atomic Bitchwax originated. Ed Mundell, guitarist for Monster Magnet, formed it originally as a side-project to experiment with. He recuited Chris Kosnick from Godspeed to handle the bass and lead vocals, along with Keith Ackerman to be the man behind the kit.
This was back in 1992, mind you. It took 7 years before they finally got a contract to produce their self-titled debut album. It was a damn good one at that, filled to the brim with high-octane rock and roll. But their label went bankrupt a year later. Mice and men...
Fortunately, the group was immediately snatched up Tee Pee Records, which led to the second album. Reception on this one was mixed. Some thought it was just as great as the last, others felt it was only second-rate. It certainly didn't help matters that Ed was very camera shy. He loved being a guitarist, but he wasn't used to being such a main feature on stage. Eventually, he decided he wasn't ready for this sort of thing and went back to Monster Magnet full time, but not before releasing the rather lackluster EP with the group, Spit Blood.
Keith had grown rather attached to the project though. This was a man who had to stay busy. He formed a side project called Black NASA while he and Chris looked for a new guitarist. They found their new compadre in Finn Ryan who had recently left his band, Core.
With the new line-up they released their album simply titled 3. Fans had mixed reviews for the album, but it's still a solid effort with the usual high-octane sound blended with influences from stoner, prog, and hard rock.
The New Jersey power trio is currently embarking on a fall tour that will last into December, during which they'll record their first live album and DVD. They're still playing small venues only, but on the upshot that means you won't have to pay $25 for a beer.
Official Web Site (http://mysite.verizon.net/vze1kdk0/atomicbitchwax/index.html)