Evanescence
What You Want

Big Country called and they want their intro back! I know people are going to bitch about this not being metal, or hard rock. Certainly at the time that they released their breakthrough album The Fallen no one had made it big with their sound. Yes I realize bands like Lacuna Coil came first, but the Italian band has yet to release anything that has become remotely as big as that Evanescence album. What they do nowadays is a given as thousands of clones have sprouted up in the past ten years. But looking back in time they were the first band of their style to really make it doing this type of hard rock/metal.

By the time the Ben Moodyless follow up The Open Door came out five years ago, a lot of other bands has swallowed up a lot of the market Evanescence possessed. A lot of these bands are doing the same today, regurgitating songs that remotely sound like tracks off The Fallen. Couple that with the band needing to prove themselves to an extent, the constant bickering between singer Amy Lee and Moody, then the constant bickering between Lee and Seether frontman Shaun Morgan (who is the subject of the leadoff single Call Me When You’re Sober), things just soured for me really quick. I just want to hear some good music, could care less about their personal issues, and in my opinion the follow up missed that infectiousness, that it factor that The Fallen had. Maybe the lyrics where more personal, and the songs where more intricate, but they were far less entertaining for me.

Fast forward to this track, I honestly was not expecting anything from the band. I figured why not, let me listen and see, I’m not expecting much, so it really doesn’t matter if it is any good or not. The track surprised me, aside from the Big Country intro there are aspects of the song that make me think back to The Fallen, yet there are new aspects brought to the table, and that infectious chorus that was missing throughout The Open Door. What was also missing was Terrry Balsalmo’s giant riffs that made Cold such a radio rock stalwart years ago. They are here on this track. Maybe there was such a conscious effort to separate them from Moody that they neglected to realize what got them to the dance initially, or what made a certain member a valuable asset. I’m all for evolution, and change, and what not, but there comes a point where you just alienate the listening audience. That’s what The Open Door did to me.

I know this is just a small glimpse of the album. But it sure seems like a good step forward for the band. Check it out if you’re remotely a fan of the band, or any of the clones that sprouted up after them.

Rated: B+

During this episode we bring you two interviews, one with Chris Howorth from In This Moment, and another with Patrick Kennison from Heaven Below. During Chris’ portion we discuss the making of In This Moment’s latest album Star Crossed Wasteland, what it has been like to tour with the likes of Ozzy, Dave Mustaine, being part of Talking Metal on Fuse, and his feelings towards Maria Brink’s involvement with such things as the Hottest Chicks In Metal, and what affect, if any, it has on the band. During Patrick’s interview portion we discuss his former band Union Underground, what it was like to put Heaven Below together, working with Ben Moody, and some misconceptions people may have about artists whose songs are frequently used on TV.

During the episode you’ll hear the following songs in this order:

Heaven Below – Heartbreaker
Union Underground – Across The Nation
Heaven Below – When Daylight Dies
In This Moment – The Gun Show
In This Moment – Just Drive
In This Moment – The Great Divide

Topics discussed include:

Warped Tour, Mayhem Fest, Blondie, Nine Inch Nails, Prince, Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Zombie, Chimera, Stone Sour, Union Underground, Heaven Below, Dave Mustaine, Megadeth, Schecter Hellraiser, EMG Pick Up, Krank Amps, Dunlop Pedals, In This Moment, The Dream, Star Crossed Wasteland, Chris Howorth, Kyle Kontiel, Jesse Landry, Trent Reznor, Hottest Chicks In Metal, Maria Brink, Talking Metal On Fuse, Blake Bunzel, Ernie Ball, Pantera, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Lacuna Coil, Blondie, Disturbed, Lincoln Park, Drowning Pool, Static-X, Ozzy Osbourne, Countdown To Devil, Reworking The Devil, White Stripes, Cher, Peavy, B.C. Rich, Coal Chamber, Korn, Marshall, VHT Pitbull, TC Electronics G-Force, Lexicon MPX2, Ozzfest, Marilyn Manson, WWE, Ben Moody, Motorhead, Bob Dylan, Chris Isaak

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Here is the playlist for episode 36:

Brazil – Sepultura – What I Do
France – Goddamn – Perfect End
Spain – Wayne – The Moon Effect
Switzerland – Krokus – Headhunter
England – Iron Maiden – Drifter
United States – Metallica – Through The Never
Germany – Scorpions – 321
Australia – Airbourne – Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast
Denmark – Volbeat – Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood
Netherlands – Van Halen – Dirty Movies
South Africa – Seether – Your Bore
Japan – Loudness – Crazy Nights
Italy – Lacuna Coil – Spellbound

As voted by the listeners of Fusion Sonica and Mars Attacks:

Best Track of 2009 – Megadeth – 1,320′

Top 15 Albums of 2009

1. Alice In Chains – Black Gives Way to Blue
2. Mastodon – Crack The Skye
3. Dream Theater – Black Clouds & Silver Linings
4. Megadeth – Endgame
5. Deathklok – Dethalbum II
6. Rammstein – Liebe ist fur alle da
7. Ace Frehley – Anomoly
8. Black Crows – Before The Frost…
9. Cannibal Corpse – Evisceration Plague
10. Converge – Axe To Fall
11. Heaven and Hell – The Devil You Know
12. Lamb of God – Wrath
13. Muse – The Resistance
14. Them Crooked Vultures – Them Crooked Vultures
15. Baroness – The Blue Record

Best albums of 2009 in my opinion:

1. Mastodon – Crack The Skye
2. Baroness – The Blue Record
3. Alice In Chains – Black Gives Way to Blue
4. Ace Frehley – Anomoly
5. The Crooked Vultures – S/T
6. Megadeth – Endgame
7. The Devin Townsend Band – Addicted
8. Heaven and Hell – The Devil You Know
9. Dream Theater – Black Clouds & Silver Linings
10. God Forbid – Earthblood

11. Lamb of God – Wrath
12. Warrior Soul – Chinese Democracy
13. City of Fire – S/T
14. Ripper Owens – Play My Game
15. Street Sweeper Social Club – S/T
16. Snail – Blood
17. Slayer – World Painted Blood
18. Autumn Hour – Dethroned
19. New Keepers Of The Water Tower – Chronicles
20. Swashbuckle – Cruise Ship Terror
21. Arkaea – Years Of Darkness
22. Throwdown – Deathless
23. Steel Panther – Feel The Steel
24. Seventh Void – S/T
25. Municipal Waste – Massive Aggressive
26. High Spirits – S/T
27. Paradise Lost – Faith Divides Us (Death Unites Us)
28. Kittie – Into The Black
29. Struck By Lightning – Serpents
30. Kiss – Sonic Boom
31. Lacuna Coil – Shadow Life
32. Mob Research – Holy City Zoo
33. Shadows Fall – Retribution
34. Austrian Death Machine – Double Brutal
35. Divine Heresy – Bringer Of Plagues
36. Kreator – Hordes Of Chaos
37. Marilyn Manson – The High End Of The Low
38. Shrinebuilder – Shrinebuilder
39. The Agonist – Lullabies For The Dormant Mind
40. Immortal – All Shall Fall

Non-Metal

1. Franz Ferdinand – Tonight Franz Ferdinand
2. U2 – No Line On The Horizon
3. Wolfmother – Comic Egg
4. Pearl Jam – Back Spacer
5. Muse – The Resistance

Best albums in 2009 recorded by national groups from here in Spain:

1. Wayne – The Moon Effect
2. Hell’s Fire – Eleven Roads To Hell
3. Aloud – Regeneracion
4. Guldin – Moralia
5. Blood – Seppuku

Best tracks of the year in my opinion:

1. Mastodon – Divinations
2. Lamb Of God – In Your Words
3. God Forbid – Empire Of The Gun
4. New Keepers Of The Water Tower – Pursuit of Yeti
5. Ace – Sister

6. Seventh Void – Closing In
7. Fear Factory – Power Shifter
8. Megadeth – This Day We Fight
9. The Devin Townsend Band – Addicted
10. Mastondon – Oblivion

11. Them Crooked Vultures – Scumbag Blues
12. Alice In Chains – Check My Brain
13. Killswitch Engage – The Reckoning
14. Baroness – Swollen and Halo
15. Warrior Soul – The Fourth Reich
16. Lamb Of God – Fake Messiah
17. City Of Fire – Carve Your Name
18. Megadeth – 1,230
19. Municipal Waste – Mech-cannible

20. Snail – Mental Models
21. Ace – Too Many Faces
22. Devin Townsend – Supercrush!
23. Dream Theater – A Rite Of Passage
24. The Company Band – Spellbinder
25. Shrinebuilder – Science of Anger
26. Baroness – A Horse Called Golgotha
27. Street Sweeper Social Club – Promenade
28. Heaven and Hell – Neverwhere
29. Marilyn Manson – I Have To Look Up To See Hell
30. Alice In Chains – Your Decision

31. God Forbid – War Of Attrition
32. Them Crooked Vultures – No One Loves Me Like I Do
33. Swashbuckle – Scurvy Back
34. Trivium – Down From The Sky
35. Autum Hour – Techcceleration
36. Slayer – Americon
37. Sepultura – We’ve Lost You
38. Alice In Chains – Last Of My Kind
39. City Of Fire – Gravity

40. Snail – Sleep
41. Danzig – Thirteen
42. Austrian Death Machine – In Need Your Cloths, Your Boots, Your Motorcycle
43. Chevelle – Sleep Apnea
44. New Keepers Of The Water Tower – Rise Of The Lizard King
45. Devin Townsen – Awake!
46. Megadeth – 44 Minutes
47. Ripper Owens – Death Race
48. Alice In Chains – All Secrets Known
49. God Forbid – Walk Alone

50. Immortal – Rise Of Darkness
51. Mushroom Head – Your Soul Is Mine
52. Slayer – World Painted Blood
53. God Forbid – Stockholm Syndrome
54. Hatebreed – Ever Lasting Scar
55. Slipknot – Psycho Social
56. Bruce Kulick – No Friend Of Mine
57. Shadows Fall – Still I Rise
58. Them Crooked Vultures – Gunman
59. Echos Of Empires – Ten Swords

60. Steel Panther – The Shocker
61. Otep – Rise, Rebel, Resist
62. Wayne – Till Death Do Us Part
63. Alexis On Fire – Young Cardinals
64. Alice In Chains – Acid Buble
65. Street Sweeper Social Club – The Oath
66. Lacuna Coil – I Survive
67. Cycle Of Pain – Dead Man Walking
68. New Keepers Of The Water Tower – The Three Headed Cow
69. Mob Research – Tribe

70. Kiss – Say Yeah
71. Shadows Fall – King Nothing
72. CKY – Hellions On Parade
73. Dream Theater – The Shattered Fortress
74. Killswitch Engage – Never Again
75. Keator – Hordes Of Chaos
76. Halford – Get Into The Spirit
77. Living Colour – Ass Hole
78. Mastodon – The Last Baron
79. Heaven And Hell – Eating The Cannibal

80. Ray West – No State Of Grace
81. Seventh Void – Heaven Is Gone
82. Slipknot – Sulfer
83. Static-X – Lunatic
84. Sylosis – After Lifeless Years
85. Arkaea – Locust
86. Baroness – War, Wisdom and Rhyme
87. Warrior Soul – She’s Glaswegian
88. Lamb Of God – Set To Fail
89. Yngwie Malesteen – Live To Fight
90. Megadeth – Headcrusher

91. Arkaea – Beneath The Shades Of Grey
92. Throwdown – The Scythe
93. Swashbuckle – Cruiseship Terror
94. Lazarus A.D. – Last Breath
95. Marilyn Manson – We’re From America
96. Heaven & Hell – Bible Black
97. Ace Frehley – Outerspace
98. Chimaira – Frozen In Time
99. Satyricon – Black Crow On A Tombstone

100. Mastodon – The Czar
101. Municipal Waste – Wrong Answer
102. The Agonist – Thank You, Pain
103. ZO2 – Painted Lady
104. Believer – The Brave
105. Otep – Smash The Control Machine
106. Divine Heresy – Facebreaker
107. Leeches Of Lore – I Am The Raptor
108. Arkaea – Years In Darkness
109. The Agonist – Waiting Out The Winter

110. Anvil – Bombs Away
111. Rammstein – Rammlied
112. Evile – Now Demolition
113. Them Croocked Vultures – New Fang
114. Devin Towsend – Disruptr
115. Red Fang – Prehistoric Dog
116. Throwdown – Tombs
117. Struck By Lightning – The Watchful Eye
118. Paradise Lost – Universal Dream
119. Ace Frehley – Pain In The Neck

120. The Elite – Kill The Sun
121. Immortal – All Shall Fall
122. Freakshow – Everyone
123. Masters Of Reality – King Richard THL
124. Dream Theater – A Nightmare To Remember
125. Devil Driver – Pray For Villains
126. Devin Townsend – The Universe In A Ball!
127. Heaven & Hell – Eating The Cannibal
128. Killswitch Engage – Starting Over
129. Alice In Chains – A Looking In View

130. Lamb Of God – Contractor
131. Motley Crue – Saints Of Los Angeles
132. Queensryche – Silver
133. Satyricon – Wolfpack
134. Street Sweep Social Club – The Oath
135. Sepultura – What I Do
136. New Keepers Of The Water Tower – The Strafing Lobster
137. Slipknot – Butcherhook
138. Snail – Via
139. Kiss – Modern Day Delilah

140. Them Crooked Vultures – Mind Eraser, No Chaser
141. Trivium – Into The Mouth Of Hell We March
142. Leeches Of Lore – Black Cognac
143. Warrior Soul – Don’t Believe
144. Steel Panther – Eyes Of The Panther
145. Queensryche – Man Down!
146. Black Pyramid – Mirror Messiah
147. Kiss – All For The Glory
148. Motley Crue – Mother Fucker Of The Year
149. Autumn Hour – End User

150. Heaven & Hell – Atom & Evil
151. Autumn Hour – Everyday
152. Ripper Owens – Believe
153. Ace Frehley – Foxy & Free
154. Amorphis – Silver Bride
155. Cycle Of Pain – Cycle Of Pain
156. Dream Theater – The Best Of Times
157. Kreator – War Curse
158. Lacuna Coil – Spellbound
159. Marilyn Manson – Four Rusted Horses

160. Megadeth – Endgame
161. Mob Research – Wambulance
162. Seventh Void – Slow Decent
163. Austrian Death Machine – Gotta Go
164. Cave In – Retina Sees Rewind
165. Chevelle – Jars
166. Chimaira – Coming Alive
167. Divine Heresy – Bringer of Plagues
168. Gallows – Crucifucks
169. Ripper Owens – Pick Yourself Up
170. Sirenia – Path To Decay