Hard Rock Daddy presents Music Discovery Monday – 12/7/15.
Each week, the HRD team shares songs that fly below radio’s radar, ranging from lesser-known artists to deeper cuts from both up-and-coming and established artists.
In addition to exposing the Hard Rock Daddy audience to new music that isn’t getting the attention that it deserves from radio, Music Discovery Monday also features a segment called “Hard Rock Music Time Machine,” which showcases older songs (from the ’70s to today) that hard rock music fans may have missed at the time of release.
In addition to appearing on the embedded YouTube playlists beneath each section, all songs featured on Music Discovery Monday can be listened to by clicking on the hyper-linked song titles.
ADAM WALDMAN – (Publisher, Hard Rock Daddy)
The rock world was dealt another blow this week with the death of Scott Weiland. The immensely talented singer/songwriter’s untimely demise sent waves of sadness through countless fans and bandmates (past and present). Looking at the reactions to his passing, it seems that virtually everyone saw this day coming. Although he was constantly battling his demons, he managed to create music that will live on long past his time on earth. My selections this week showcase his talent on his lesser-known works and one of his most popular. RIP Scott…\m/
SCOTT WEILAND AND THE WILDABOUTS– “20th Century Boy”
Scott Weiland rose to fame during the grunge era, but his talent, style and influences go well beyond grunge. It’s hard to think of another singer that straddled the fence between grunge and glam, but if there are any out there, none were in the same league as Weiland. His cover version of T. Rex’s “20th Century Boy” – with his latest solo project, Scott Weiland & The Wildabouts – showcases his unique ability to blend genres that are seemingly the polar opposite of each other. His melancholic, melodic style transcended sub-genres. His charisma made you forget that there was an ever-present inner battle going on between a brilliant artist and a tortured soul. His latest solo project has largely flown under the radar, but that is more indicative of the current music climate, not diminishing talent. Talent was something that Weiland had in spades; his inability to stay clean was his only downfall.
ART OF ANARCHY – “Death Of It”
One of the more peculiar stories in recent times is the confusion surrounding Scott Weiland’s role with Art Of Anarchy. While the supergroup (which includes GNR’s Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal and Disturbed’s Johny Moyer) considered Weiland a member of the group, the enigmatic lead singer claimed to have been a hired gun. Based on the music, and the chemistry between the members, Weiland certainly seemed to be a part of the group. Just as he battled addiction throughout his career, Weiland also had his share of challenging moments with the bands that he fronted. However, his undeniable talent covered a multitude of sins, and made others want to work with him. We’ll never know what may have come of this collaboration now, but it will be a memorable chapter just the same.
“Death Of It” begins with chilling vocals highlighted by Spanish guitar before dialing up the intensity, and vacillating between dynamic moments throughout. The song is beautiful, angst-ridden, haunting and tormented all at once. That Weiland delivered such a powerful performance while thinking that he wasn’t even a part of the band speaks volumes about his talent. That there was confusion surrounding his role with another in a long line of recent supergroups speaks volumes about his troubles. Sadly, this song will likely never get the attention that it deserves.
NOTE: Please make sure to check out the Hard Rock Music Time Machine segment below for more of Weiland’s vast contributions and the parting words from his former bandmates.
JON LOVELESS – HRD Music Scout
ARCSIN – “Nowhere To Hide”
It’s been quite a while since I’ve heard a new band display as much diversity in one song as I hear in the debut of this Miami, FL group. That might not work for most bands, but it feels organic enough here that it comes across as impressive, rather than disjointed. The song opens as relatively traditional metal but winds its way through prog, modern, and power metal territory over the next six minutes. A solid enough showing that I’m interested in hearing more from them in 2016.
DIRTY GLORY – “Sticks And Stones”
From Brazil, comes a bit of sleazy glam metal that stands up very well beside the work of their largely Scandinavian contemporaries. There’s plenty of Guns N’ Roses influence here, but I also pick up a bit of Faster Pussycat as well, a bit of broadening of their sound versus when I first heard them over three years ago. The band recently released a new full-length album (Mind The Gap), which is definitely worth checking out for fans of the niche.
ROB DELL’AQUILA – HRD Music Scout
MYSTERY – “Wall Street King”
Canadian prog rockers Mystery have a new album, Delusion Rain, and a new lead singer to go with it (Jean Pageau). With impressive range and finesse, he blends in beautifully with their smooth, but sophisticated, sound. “Wall Street King” in particular has all of the atmosphere and just enough edge for a compelling piece that remains true to that sound.
AXEL RUDI PELL – “The King Of Fools”
German guitar virtuoso Axel Rudi Pell returns next month with a new album called Game Of Sins. This first single suggests that the band will remain true to form, delivering melodic power metal with heavy riffs, ambient keyboards, and the soulful vocals of Johny Gioeli.
CHRIS HERZEGOVITCH – HRD Music Scout
SHAKRA – “High Noon”
Swiss metal band Shakra has seen a lot of action on tour with many notable groups: Great White, Iron Maiden, Hammerfall and Stratovarious. “High Noon” – the title track of their upcoming 2016 release – is a good, traditional hard rock/heavy metal composition that’s melodic and carries a good rhythm from start to finish.
GUARDIANS OF TIME – “Iron Heart”
Guardians Of Time is a power metal outfit from Norway. Machine gun bass drums from Øivind Vågane drive this mystical/glory-themed track with the requisite wailing guitars from Paul Olsen, and power vocals of Bernt Fjellestad. “Iron Heart” is from their fifth studio album, Rage and Fire.
SUBMISSIONS
To be considered for Music Discovery Monday, please e-mail a link to the song being submitted on YouTube and an artist bio to – submissions@MusicDiscoveryMonday.com
HARD ROCK MUSIC TIME MACHINE
ADAM WALDMAN
STONE TEMPLE PILOTS – “All In The Suit That You Wear” (2003)
At the time of his death, there were hints that Scott Weiland may have been looking to rekindle the on-and-off relationship with the band that helped launch his career. Before Stone Temple Pilots broke up in 2003, they released a compilation album (Thank You) that featured their greatest hits and “All In The Suit That You Wear,” a previously unreleased track that was originally intended to be on the soundtrack to 2002’s Spider-Man. The song was ultimately pulled from the soundtrack when it wasn’t used as the lead track, but did eventually appear on an episode of CSI: NY.
“All In The Suit That You Wear” is a song that probably would have been a hit if it had been released during the band’s heyday. It features the quintessential sound that made STP a household name when they burst onto the scene with their debut album, Core.
Stone Temple Pilots eventually reformed for an extended tour in 2008, and a self-titled album in 2010. Weiland’s final departure from STP in 2013 ended up in a lawsuit (an all-too-common occurrence these days with acrimonious band splits). Despite their differences, the remaining members of Stone Temple Pilots felt the pain of his loss…
“Dear Scott,
Let us start by saying thank you for sharing your life with us. Together we crafted a legacy of music that has given so many people happiness and great memories. The memories are many, and they run deep for us. We know amidst the good and the bad you struggled, time and time again. It’s what made you who you were. You were gifted beyond words, Scott. Part of that gift was part of your curse. With deep sorrow for you and your family, we are saddened to see you go. All of our love and respect. We will miss you brother.” – Robert, Eric, Dean
VELVET REVOLVER – “Fall To Pieces”(2004)
All of my previous Scott Weiland selections showcased his lesser-known work. There was a temptation to do the same with Velvet Revolver, but since “Fall To Pieces” is my favorite Weiland song of all-time, I decided to include it here.
This supergroup was something to behold musically, but they were bound by more than talent. Like Weiland, Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum had all battled heroin addiction. In fact, Weiland met Sorum in rehab. What separated them was the ability to stare their demons down.
“Fall To Pieces” is an incredible song filled with the best that Weiland ever had to offer, highlighted by the signature sound of Slash’s “singing” guitar, which conveys emotions like few can. For my money, this was the most perfect song of Weiland’s illustrious career.
As much as I love this song, it’s the video that really resonated with me the most after learning of Weiland’s passing. When it was filmed, it was art imitating life in a very convincing way. Watching it since Weiland’s passing makes it look more like a documentary that was foreshadowing his inevitable demise. It’s the beautiful, sorrowful reality of talent destroyed by addiction.
As was the case with other bands, Weiland’s musical work with Velvet Revolver was stellar, but marred by internal strife. Yet, his tragic passing still dealt an emotional blow to his former bandmates who shared their thoughts on social media…
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of our old friend and bandmate, Scott Weiland. We experienced a good chunk of life with Scott, and even in his darkest times, we all had hope and love for him. His artistry will live on, of that, there is no doubt. Deepest condolences and sadness are for his children, Noah and Lucy. We all travelled around this world together on tour; our band, wives, and kids…and we grew to a big family that still remains to this day. It’s just so sad and brutal from any perspective. Rest In Peace Scott.” – Slash, Duff, Matt, and Dave
JON LOVELESS
DIRTY GLORY – “Mr. Jack” (2012)
I don’t often “double up” on artists in this space, but I thought that it was interesting to hear the evolution that I mentioned in the new release by this band from Sao Paulo, Brazil. This particular track seems to be the first one that I heard from them and, at least to my ear, the growth that has taken place over three years time is evident. Don’t misunderstand; by no means was the previous work bad. To the contrary; it was good enough to catch my attention and remain memorable through literally thousands of songs that I’ve heard in between. Still, I think that the maturation of their sound, with additional nuances, is interesting to hear side-by-side.
ROB DELL’AQUILA
SKANSIS – “I Don’t Believe In You” (2011)
Skansis is a hard rock band hailing from Switzerland. They released this melodic rocker in 2011 from the album Leaving You, filling it with equal measures of angst and groove, all set within a wall of sound.
NORWAY – “Anything At All” (2007)
In 2007, this hard rock band out of New Jersey released their third album, Rising Up From The Ashes. Filled with melodic rock, it included this personal favorite. Dave Baldwin’s smoothly defiant vocals really bring home the theme of the song: that he won’t feel…anything at all.
CHRIS HERZEGOVITCH
VOLBEAT – “Still Counting” (2008)
I’ve always admired Volbeat’s clean, powerful sound and Michael Poulsen’s vocals. “Still Counting” is a great introspective track off their 2008 album, Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood. I love the energy of the tune, especially how it starts from a low key electric strum to full-on power; the arrangements fit together seamlessly.
BURNING POINT – “Night Games” (2003)
One of my favorite Alcatrazz songs covered expertly by Finland’s Burning Point. “Night Games” was featured on the band’s 2003 release, Feeding the Flames. Pete Ahonen shows a good rasp in his vocals (which is necessary for any Graham Bonnet tribute). Jukka Kyrö did a great job of covering the original Yngwie Malmsteen guitar parts.
Leave a Reply