Showing posts with label Sebastian Bach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sebastian Bach. Show all posts

CD Review: Sebastian Bach – Give 'Em Hell

CD Review: Sebastian Bach – Give 'Em Hell
Frontiers Records
All Access Rating: A-

Sebastian Bach - Give 'Em Hell 2014
Sebastian Bach just can't help himself, especially when it comes to the lovely Minnie Gupta. A slave to his appetites, and not just ... The Grind, the former Skid Row screamer, now sober, reveals how susceptible he is to "Temptation" on the irresistibly wicked, melodically heavy tour de force Give 'Em Hell, his upcoming solo album on Frontiers Records.

Never apologetic for his advocacy of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll as a lifestyle choice, the roguish Bach carries on with a wink and a smile. The steamy video for his new song "Temptation" features Gupta, Bach's off-and-on love interest, in all sorts of seductive poses, with Bach trying not very hard to resist her not-so-subtle charms. Giving in to the ocean-wide melodies, swarming guitars, thick metal grooves and luxurious modern sound, enhanced by revered hard-rock producer Bob Marlette, of Give 'Em Hell feels just as sinful.

Mighty, churning riff machinery operated by guitarists John 5, Devin Bronson and Steve Stevens – given added heft from Duff McKagen's hydraulic bass lines and the powerhouse drumming of Bobby Jarzombek  – drive movable walls of sound like "Hell Inside My Head," "All My Friends are Dead" and "Harmony," as well as the aforementioned "Temptation," before giving way to lush, spacious choruses that take advantage of Bach's expansive vocal range. Thinking outside the box and shredding with feverish dexterity and diabolical imagination, Stevens, Bronson and John 5 unleash torrential solos throughout Give 'Em Hell, getting their aggression out in the sexually charged "Dominator."

While Bach does, indeed, Give 'Em Hell here, especially when his singing turns raw and confrontational in the angry, complex maze of riffs that is "Gun to a Knife Fight," there is a gentle weariness to his phrasing on the alluring power ballad "Had Enough" and he expresses a healthy combination of music-business cynicism and heartfelt empathy for screwed-over artists that's all caught up in the rolling piano and acoustic ramble of "Rock 'N' Roll is a Vicious Game." Still wild and untamed, though less assertive than on past efforts, Bach is playing it pretty well these days.
– Peter Lindblad

CD/DVD Review: Sebastian Bach – ABachalypse Now


CD/DVD Review: Sebastian Bach – ABachalypse Now
Frontiers Records
All Access Review: B+

Sebastian Bach - ABachalypse Now
Twice, Sebastian Bach brings the proceedings to a halt, waving his arms and yelling, “Stop the show.” As only he could, the hyperactive former Skid Row front man admonishes the crowd at Hellfest in France on this warm, sunny summer day in June 2012 for not being as lively or making as much noise as he wants. 

They respond with feverish enthusiasm, and Bach gets his band to again rev their engines. And the caution flag drops, signaling a jailbreak restart.

To Bach, this is church, and the congregation has to be frothing at the mouth to receive communion in the form of screaming vocals, snarling riffs, searing guitar solos and thick, muscular grooves – except for the sweet power-ballad nectar of “I Remember You,” that is. No Sebastian Bach show would be complete without that Skid Row love potion of tangled acoustic strum, big swells of amplified chords and Bach’s surprising vulnerability. That goes double for the riotous “Youth Gone Wild,” which sends the Hellfest crowd into complete hysterics.

Captured on video and audio in a new Frontiers Records live two CD/DVD package – of varying, but mostly outstanding, quality – titled “ABachalypse Now,” the Hellfest performance is part of a trio of 2012 live Bach meltdowns crammed into one 160-minute DVD of what is being hailed as the ultimate Sebastian Bach experience. And it is wall-to-wall Bach up in here, his infectious exuberance impossible to ignore – and there are bonus music videos of “Tunnelvision,” “I’m Alive” and “Kicking & Screaming” to boot. Strong, but rough, sounding audio CDs of the Hellfest and Live at Graspop, Belgium, gigs are here as well, capturing the dynamic interplay of Bach and his band of heavy metal outlaws with full, hard-hitting sonic force.

Whether it was the heat in France or the slipshod camera work, the Hellfest performance is the weakest document of the three. Despite Bach’s efforts to rally the troops, the band lacks personality and energy, and Bach himself seems completely bored having to play “18 & Life” for the millionth time. Harder, edgier stuff like the bottom-heavy “American Metalhead” and “Monkey Business,” not to mention the combustible opener “Slave to the Grind,” saves the day, however, as Bach’s band thrashes, growls and salivates while gnawing on the bones and sucking out the marrow of these meaty songs.

In sharp contrast, the Live at Nokia show, filmed in colorful high-definition on Aug. 2, 2012, is absolutely riveting. Professionally shot and edited to thrill, this is worth the price of admission alone, ending with a savage rendering of “Youth Gone Wild” – enflamed by Black Veil Brides’ Andy Biersack joining his strong bellow with Bach’s wildcat howl. Lesser vocalists would leave the stage with collapsed lungs while delivering such a challenging performance, but the charismatic Bach is made of stronger stuff, prowling about like a dangerous animal being poked at by a trainer who’s about to be mauled. And he hits every seemingly unreachable note with gusto. With help from several guest guitarists, his band sounds sharp and vicious, attacking “Big Guns,” “(Love is) a Bitchslap,” “Piece of Me” and the heavy stomp of “Tunnelvision” with raging intensity, as drummer Bobby Jarzombek, of Iced Earth and Riot fame, hits everything in sight with bad intentions and guitarist Johnny Chromatic emits clear, rich tonality on every precise solo. Almost always in motion and supremely confident, they affect rock poses that are totally unscripted and completely born of the moment.

And “ABachalypse Now” isn’t finished, as Bach and crew battle the elements at Graspop. In a steady downpour, they forge onward, laying siege to an audience that deserves a powerhouse performance for getting soaked to the skin. And they get it. Splashing around in puddles onstage, Bach’s outfit guts it out, hammering their way through “Kicking & Screaming,” “Dirty Power” and the aforementioned “Big Guns.” And Bach invests himself fully in the proceedings, tearing his larynx to shreds in the name of rock ‘n’ roll and taking time out to laugh at the weather and kvetch about Mother Nature’s timing. Things go wrong, with false starts and the like, and that’s all right. The imperfections make it memorable and exceedingly likeable. So is “ABachalypse Now.” (http://www.frontiers.it/home/
– Peter Lindblad

Sebastian Bach readies new DVD/live CD package


Former Skid Row singer eyes spring release for ABachalypse Now

Sebastian Bach 2012
One of the wildest front men in heavy metal history simply loves the smell of napalm in the morning, and we’ll all get a good whiff of it on the upcoming Sebastian Bach DVD/live CD package that bears the title ABachalypse Now.

Due out on Frontiers Records in spring of 2013, this journey into Bach’s heart of darkness will include never-before-seen footage from Bach’s fiery performances at this year’s GrasPop Festival in Belgium and his Hellfest set from France, plus the fully remixed and remastered Club Nokia show from Los Angeles that was broadcast on AXS TV this fall. A full track listing and table of contents for the release has yet to be finalized.

“I am so excited for all of you to witness and experience ABachalypse Now,” says Bach. “We have included three recent concerts and the footage is totally kickass! It’s remixed and remastered for full audio and video quality. The performances and energy of the crowds are killer throughout the DVD and you really feel like you are at the shows. Prepare yourselves for the coming ABachalypse – now!”

Sure to feature tracks of his latest album, Kicking & Screaming, this collection will certainly have a fresh feel to it, since the concert footage and audio is culled from very recent performances. Kicking & Screaming was produced by Bob Marlette, known also for his work with Black Sabbath, Shinedown, Atreyu, and Filter. The album, which debuted in the Top 75 of the Billboard Top 200, received strong reviews, with Outburn stating, “Sebastian Bach delivers a balls out gang of mountainous hooks, titanic grooves and straight down the middle hard rock", and Revolver gushing, “Bach's voice is in particularly fine form on Kicking & Screaming, boasting more color and range than most...” Revolver went one step further in naming Bach one of the 100 greatest living rock stars.

Sebastian Bach has sold in excess of 20 million records worldwide as lead singer with his former band, Skid Row and as a solo artist. Far from just being a multi-platinum recording artist, the singer/songwriter/actor/entertainer has expanded his career over the past decade to include episodic television with a 5-season recurring role on the CW's hit series "Gilmore Girls", starring roles on Broadway ("Jekyll & Hyde", "The Rocky Horror Picture Show") and national touring companies ("Jesus Chris Superstar"), and has appeared regularly on MTV and VH1.

Sebastian Bach televises live show Aug. 2


Sebastian Bach - Kicking & Screaming 2012
Always and forever a slave to the grind, Sebastian Bach hasn’t stopped Kicking & Screaming – which also happens to be the title of his raucous, hook-heavy new solo LP – since the halcyon days in Skid Row. And now, Bach is toasting the blazing, gutsy release and its high-flying initial chart success – it did surprisingly well in its first week, landing at #73 on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart – with a special live television extravaganza on AXS TV next month.
Out barnstorming the planet on the “Sebastian Bach: Kicking & Screaming & Touring” tour, Bach will bring his electric circus to Club Nokia in Los Angeles on Thursday, Aug. 2 for a performance that will be broadcast live at 10 p.m. Pacific Time – that’s 1 a.m. Eastern Time – exclusively on AXS TV. Tickets for the show are available at: http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/2C0048DDD2E65225.
Fans can share the experience of what promises to be a wild rock and roll free-for-all on twitter at www.twitter.com/AXSTVConcerts and Facebook at www.facebook.com/AXSTVConcerts. For more information on AXS TV concerts and events, visit www.axs.tv.