All I Know Is That Vanity Kills

I am more than a little excited to bring you this new band today. In fact, you could say that I'm practically bursting because I know that these guys are gonna totally blow you all away. Like I've mentioned before, I'm searching for new avenues to explore for you guys, so that you're getting a musical fix from every corner of the world, and every sub-genre in the rock family. This is one of those new fixes that will have you guys searching frantically for more music by this band; I know it. With a sound that's slick and rejuvenating, this group will wash you away in power chords and blast-off choruses like you haven't been in years.
Out of Kortrijk, West Flanders, Belgium, All I Know is Ward Dufraimont on lead vocals and guitar, Michaël Neyt on lead guitar and backing vocals, Amély Mondy on bass, and Bram Steemans live on drums. If these guys (and girl) have anything at all going for them, it's dynamically smooth vocals set atop blasting power chords and sparkling note progressions. Filling in the spaces between are hard-edged bass-lines and drums that will have you banging your head like you did the first time you heard "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Pour Some Sugar on Me." One thing I love about this group is their old-school approach to song structure. There's definitely something to be said for the two or three verses with choruses in between, and a sick solo over a rhythmic bridge. Today the classic guitar riff is underestimated, but there's a reason it's classic. For this kind of stadium rock, there's nothing better than the formula that these guys use to shoot me full of adrenaline and rock nostalgia.

All I Know's newest effort, Vanity Kills, was rereleased worldwide on October 29th, and I'm most certainly be one of the people trying to scrape together a few bucks to get it. If nothing else, the first track I hear from it is pure rock gold. There's nothing I can say about the track "Rain" other than it's just perfect. Starting with a sick dual guitar riff by Dufraimont and Neyt, "Rain" is something halfway in between a power-ballad and a full-out rock anthem. The building in the song is incredible, and the energy only gets higher as the pressure finally breaks free in a sonic firestorm of notes and Bon Jovi-esque vocals in the chorus. I particularly love the lyrics in this song, but one thing that can't be overstated is how Mondy uses her bass to drive everything higher and faster, and I'm sure that live Steemans just kills on the drums. The solo here is like something out of 1986, and I love it. A musical mix of Bon Jovi's guitars, Def Leppard's rhythm section, and Scorpions' sharpened vocals, "Rain" is, if nothing else, a killer song to have, and one that Vanity Kills certainly benefits from. This has to be the first song you listen to by AIK. Hearing it for the first time actually sent chills down my spine, so that should tell you all you need to know.

AIK keeps things at full blast with the next track, "Into Your Heart." Clearly inspired by Bon Jovi with perhaps a little vocal inspiration by Bruce Springsteen, The Boss himself, "Into Your Heart" has not only a great chorus that will stick in your heard all day and every night, but also an intro the likes of which I can honestly say I haven't heard since the first time I heard Bon Jovi's "Runaway." The keyboard intro is so retro it actually sounds like it belongs in an '80s teen movie. Dufraimont's vocals have a great rhythm and tone, and you can tell that Neyt is just itching to let go on his guitar, which he eventually does during the solo. Letting loose in a flurry of notes and chords, Neyt works well with Mondy and the drums to create an audio tapestry of color and emotion. The lyrics "never gonna stop until I break into your heart" are words every person can connect to and that's something that makes All I Know's sound accessible to any listener.

The last track for me, "All Night Long," is a mix of hair-metal glitz and hard-rock edge. Starting with a Poison-esque riff, All I Know quickly pick up the pace and already I can feel this one as the feel-good song of the album. The vocals and rhythm are curiously Va Halen in reminder and effect, but once the chorus comes up, it's everything Poison and Def Lep with a partying groove and great lyrics. The solo is as original as anything I've ever heard, and with clear influences by Zeppelin and Aerosmith, and maybe a little KISS too, All I Know strikes gold again. This would be a great track for any radio play, college or commercial, and is one that could definitely bring new listeners to the station. As for other uses, I'm thinking the soundtrack ending to a great teen movie or a camp slideshow, and of course a killer encore at any show. If All I Know did everything else wrong, "All Night Long" would certainly make up for it. Luckily, that's not the case at all.

I can't wait to see the reaction to Vanity Kills. This album is gonna sound like nothing we've heard in a very long time. For the people who grew up in and love the '80s, it's gonna be a nostalgic kickback to the glory days of high school, and for us younger people, it's gonna be a refreshing breath of melodic metal in a world where such albums have become few and far between. If there was ever a band to rekindle the love and interest in Def Leppard's working-metal sound, All I Know is it. Vanity Kills is just their first strike out, and from the sounds on this record, it's apparent that it won't be their last. Not by a long shot.

Sounds Like: Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Scorpions

Key Tracks from Vanity Kills: "Rain," "Into Your Heart," All Night Long"

Check out All I Know more at: http://www.alliknow.be/ and http://www.myspace.com/alliknow

Cut the Vains of Jenna

So I figured as long as I'm on a metal roll, I might as well let the news out about this new awesome band from Sweden. Riding on the same wave as other Scandinavian metal bands like Wig Wam and The Poodles, Vains of Jenna specializes in the revival of the L.A. metal sound.

But what's different about this band as opposed to other metal bands?Well unlike the cookie-cutter glam metal bands from the late '80s like Warrant and Great White, Vains of Jenna brings back to the table a very particular metal sound; namely that pioneered by Motley Crue and Guns N' Roses. That's right, Vains of Jenna is bringing back the Motley sound. Their debut album, Lit Up/Let Down, drips with sleaze and grit, exactly what we all loved on Shout at the Devil, and Appetite for Destruction. Commanded by Lizzy DeVine (vocals and guitar), Nicki Kin (guitar), Jacki Stone (drums), and JP White (bass), Vains of Jenna is bringing back the driving Slash-like guitar solo and the Sixx bass line, as well as an Axl Rose-like wail that will make you punch your fist in the air as the person next to you air-guitars like there's no tomorrow.  

They drip sleaze and grit, and I wouldn't have it any other way. For years I felt like I missed out on the metal craze because I missed Motley and Guns' heyday, but I was wrong. There's a whole new breed of sleaze rockers out there, and their from MY generation. If you like metal at all, I HIGHLY suggest going out and picking up this album, it's awesome. Also don't miss Vains of Jenna's new song "Enemy in Me" from the compilation album Viva la Bands, Volume 2.

Sounds Like: Guns N' Roses, Motley Crue

Key Tracks from Lit Up/Let Down: "Don't Give a Damn," "Hard to Be Vain," "Lit Up/Let Down," "No One's Gonna Do It for You"

Key Tracks from Viva la Bands, Volume 2: "Enemy in Me"

Check out Vains of Jenna at: http://www.myspace.com/vainsofjenna and http://www.vainsofjenna.com/ 

Come Pet The Poodles

So some may think that metal, true bone-crushing metal, died out with Tipper Gore and the PMRC in the '80s. WRONG! Metal is alive and well, it just needed...a vacation. And it seemed that Scandinavia looked like the ideal place to recharge. For a few years now, Scandinavian countries like Sweden and Norway have been cultivating their own breed of heavy metal, and it seems the new generation of L.A.-inspired metal has been born. Today's story? The Poodles. Making their international debut in 2006 with their debut album, Metal Will Stand Tall, these Swedish rockers know how to do it. Comprised of Jakob Samuel (vocals), Pontus Egberg (bass), Christian Lundqvist (drums), and Henrik Bergqvist (guitar), The Poodles revive the long-lost arena rock sound with driving guitar solos, gut-busting drum kicks and bass licks that would turn Flea's head. And above all of that, Samuel's soaring vocals like an eagle on wings of sharpened sound and precision.

But these guys can take it slow too. Their balled "Crying" is a testament to the heart and soul of the power-balled, paved by "I Remember You," "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," and "Don't Stop Believin'."

The Poodles released their sophomore and junior albums in 2007 and 2009, respectively, and both continue their legacy of AOR. Guess they were right: thanks to their efforts, The Poodles have ensured that metal will indeed stand tall.

Sounds Like: Winger, Cinderella, Ratt

Key Tracks from Metal Will Stand Tall: "Metal Will Stand Tall," "Echoes From the Past," "Night of Passion," "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes," "Rockstar"

Check out The Poodles at: http://www.poodles.se/