| Priestess Upstage The Bronx In Denver
It's hard to believe that only five months ago while visiting London and hearing a then little known band called Wolfmother, I never would have thought heavy rock music would be making such a come back, pummeling fans with sheer walls of sound and fury. I'm talking about music that simply wants to blast out your ears, and race through A/E/D chord progressions faster than MTV pop music gets tossed into the $1 CD bin at your local music store.
So when I heard Priestess, a four-piece rock band from Canada, I knew that Wolfmother was not a freak occurrence of the music world. I knew that Rock, with a capital "R" was back from the dead. Hard enough to be metal, but melodic enough to cater to those who lean toward pop tendencies, Priestess immediately found a place in my current musical rotation.
30 Seconds to Mars is more than a hobby for actor Leto
When 30 Seconds to Mars debuted in 2002 with its self-titled CD, more than a few people probably thought the band would turn into another Dogstar (fronted by Keanu Reeves), Juliette and the Licks (led by Juliette Lewis) or Bruce Willis and the Accelerators. Those bands featured notable actors, and none of them has established themselves enough musically to be seen as much more than side projects to the acting careers of their most famous members. But with the release of the latest 30 Seconds to Mars CD, "A Beautiful Lie," it's looking like the band will become a legitimate, long-term pursuit for Jared Leto, its frontman. Leto, whose acting credits include parts in such high-profile films as "Panic Room," "Fight Club" and "Alexander," is fully dedicated to the band and his acting career, according to drummer Shannon Leto, his brother and 30 Seconds to Mars bandmate.
July 2006
Guitarists Mike Keneally (right channel) and Rick Musallam (left channel) steer a high-impact progressive rock slugfest on this genuinely exciting live date, which is chock-full of knotty time signatures and propulsive rhythmic explosions; Keneally sweetens the boiling pot with heartwarming lead vocals. The quartet soars toward the heavens with aplomb, not looking back. Drummer Joe Travers is a force to be reckoned with, largely due to his often dazzling polyrhythmic technique alongside bassist Bryan Beller's fluid bottom end. The group conveys a comprehensive progressive rock viewpoint, going for the jugular on more than just a few occasions. Keneally's craft is well-versed, informed by his work with avant garde guitarist Henry Kaiser as well as a string of divergent solo outings and orchestral projects.
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