Noisecreep

Thrice's Dustin Kensrue Still Looking for a Home on 'Beggars'

Justin Jacobs — 2009-11-11T18:00:00+00:00

Listening to the crisp, speedy metalcore of Thrice circa 2001 and the bass-rumbling, earthy rock of Thrice circa 2009, you might hear two different bands. And in a way, you'd be right -- little about the Orange County act's early and recent music is similar, something longtime fans have debated for years as each subsequent release shifts the music further away from Thrice's roots.

'Beggars,' Thrice's seventh album in eight years, is worlds apart from the band's debut, 'Identity Crisis,' but a few factors do remain -- namely, singer Dustin Kensrue's constant grappling with the idea of home, faith and purpose. The first album was called 'Identity Crisis,' after all. With 'Beggars,' though, Kensrue dives deeper into his beliefs than ever before.

About 'In Exile,' one of 'Beggars' heaviest-grooving anthems, Kensrue told Noisecreep, "That song is speaking of the contrast between this world -- the one we see around us, the one that will end when we die -- and someplace else."

The Used Tell Fans to Steal Album From Walmart

Justin Jacobs — 2009-11-09T14:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Shows

With 'Artwork,' the Used have created their rawest, loudest and most raging record since the band's self-titled debut began smashing faces in 2002. Live, however, the Used go the opposite direction -- they seem a bit tired.

During the band's hour-plus set in Atlanta, Used frontman Bert McCracken performed with bouts of infectious energy that were overshadowed by his too-frequent letting the audience take over vocal duties. Sure, holding the mic over the crowd can get a crowd screaming along louder, but I could get some friends together and blast 'A Box of Sharp Objects' to the same effect.

But with a bag of thunderous songs now four albums deep, The Used still kicked a hole in the crowd's head during jams like 'Pretty Handsome Awkward,' 'Take It Away' and latest single/concert opener "Blood on My Hands." This is fist-pumping stuff, and the Used know it -- Bert led the sea of waving arms, 'Hey! Hey!' chants and devil horns like a seasoned maestro.

Kiss Let the Rock Do the Talking in Atlanta

Justin Jacobs — 2009-10-29T20:00:00+00:00

Kiss clearly had their priorities straight Oct. 26 in Atlanta. In front of a packed -- and face-painted -- crowd, the classic rock act's frontman Paul Stanley laid out the band's agenda for all to hear. "Some bands stand onstage and tell you how to stop global warming, who to vote for or how to end the war. If you came to hear one of those bands, you're in the wrong place," he crowed. "We came here to leave that bad news behind. Sometimes you just wanna rock 'n' roll."

Kiss then launched into a little ditty called 'Rock 'n' Roll All Night,' complete with enough white confetti to turn the arena into a the set of a Christmas movie -- plus, of course, a barrage of explosions, indoor-friendly fireworks and the general musical mayhem that ensues in such a song. So while Stanley's sentiment wasn't the most original rock 'n' roll rallying cry, it was refreshing.

Buckcherry had started the night off right following the same motto -- skip the message (this ain't a U2 show) and go for the jugular with booming rock.

Metallica Melt Everyone's Face on 360 Degree Stage

Justin Jacobs — 2009-10-06T11:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Shows

Describing a Metallica show is a more difficult task than it might seem -- simply because all the appropriate natural disaster references have likely been said. Was it like a hurricane of rock? Well, yes. A violent earthquake? Yes, quite. A violently whipping tornado of guitars? You got it.

So, put simply, the only thing to say is this: Metallica's near-sellout show in Atlanta's Philips Arena was extraordinarily loud and heavy. The jagged guitars tore the faces off of most in attendance -- and, in the case of the more-tattoos-than-clothing woman sitting to this reviewer's left, they effectively tore off some skimpy tank tops as well.

But really, such an abandonment of natural disaster phrases would be selling Metallica short, as there are few forces -- musical or otherwise -- that compare to the sheer energy and power that surged through the arena last night. And all coming, no less, from a band that has been destroying such venues for over 25 years.