I had never heard of Dr. Aubrey de Grey until Broken Beard reader Jaki Cunha asked me, “Have you seen the beard on Dr. Aubrey de Grey?” His beard, she said, was like a beard on top of a beard. With all due respect to Ms. Cunha, that’s one hell of an understatement. The fact is, the good doctor’s beard is a majestic fur; it’s as if his face is wearing a dead fox. It’s a glorious, Yosemite Sam son-of-a-bitch the likes of which makes me weep with envy and astonishment. Dr. de Grey deals in gerontology, the study of aging, and is best known for his theories that aging can be abolished and that humans could possibly live much longer lives. If his beard is any indication of his science, this man is a fucking genius. Now, someone pass me a tissue, damn it.
My apologies to Hazzard’s Cure guitarist Leo Buckley for having to follow such an amazing opener, but I hope he takes it as a compliment and it inspires him to keep ‘er going. According to Hazzard’s Cure drummer Clint Baechle, Leo’s got the best beard in the band, and it’s now longer than it is in this picture. Well, that’s good enough for me! Best of luck growing that black beast, buddy!
This album, Dixie Witch’s fourth, with its gold chrome letters on crushed black leather, is the simplest, most uncomplicated, and appropriately textured statement the band could make concerning their return after a five year absence. As if anticipating the inevitable question, ‘Well, what are you going to do now?’ they’ve just gone and shrugged and said, ‘Let it roll, motherfucker!’ With all due respect to the Small Stone bands who’ve already released albums this year, and many condolences to the ones yet to come, this here is the Olympic pinnacle, and the trio of long-toothed Texan troublemakers have stormed Zeus’ Godly realm and confiscated his throne. Armed with an arsenal of lightning bolts and cloaked in the kind of invincibility you can only get from a mountain high, Trinidad Leal, Curt “CC” Christenson, and new guitarist Josh “JT” Todd Smith now seem to hold dominion over all things ROCK; their Southern stoner sound, once drenched in the earthly confines of mud and fuzz, has found a magical, heavenly edge. It’s still every bit the beast Smoke & Mirrors is, but they’ve elevated the power and melody to rocket-fueled levels (and left out the ballads), making Let It Roll as much a supreme n’ sizzling cock rock record as it is a boogie n’ blues truck stop tango drenched in AC/DC, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, and Alabama Thunderpussy influences. I suppose Let It Roll has the potential to piss off anyone not enamored with a polished production, but if deliciously dirty dynamics and majestic riffs are your bag, you’re in for one hell of a treat.
Italian power folk from 10 year veterans, Elvenking, who’ve ridden that long, singular path through the forest of glory, beset on either side by heathens, ravens, and cobblestone cottages with roaring fires and pints of mead. At once queer, organic, heavy, and melodious, Red Silent Tides blends Elvenking’s usual fiddle and lyre feel with epic, eye-lined riffing to create a tempest of catchy metal best suited for laser-lit arenas rather than jousting tournaments. It’s damn near impossible to pick out the most ridiculously delicious moments, but songs like “The Last Hour” and “What’s Left of Me” will surely stick in your head for days and leave you smiling like a drunk jester. Sure, compared to 2001′s Heathenreel or 2004′s Wyrd, there’s very little traces left of the fairy tale magic in what Elvenking offers, but I’ve always preferred their more pop-oriented power metal stuff anyway, so the fact that Elvenking now sounds like Blind Guardian, Edguy, Power Quest, or Throne of Chaos is pretty majestic as far as I’m concerned.
Check out the video for “The Cabal” from Red Silent Tides!
Dixie Witch
Elvenking