Femme-Metal Friday: Blame Zeus “Speechless”

Photo credit: João Fitas

As my musical discoveries take me across Europe, one place I had yet to visit: Portugal, the home of Blame Zeus, the featured band this Friday. With a heavy-hitting, hard-rocking sound, Blame Zeus has all the gritty, raw power of straightforward, classic rock and roll.

Originally forming in 2010, Blame Zeus took a few years to get up and running before breaking out on the Portuguese concert scene. Now with a second album under their belt, Blame Zeus has released a music video and is looking to expand their fanbase beyond Portugal.

In the video for their song “Speechless”, a plainly-dressed woman enters a dressing room where a bunch of scantily-clad, sexy women instantly give off an intimidating vibe. As the “mean girls” laugh and joke around, the plain girl looks through a bunch of skimpy outfits that do not appear to be her style at all! Finally, she finds an unadorned white dress on a hanger and decides to try it on. As she sits at the makeup table and begins her transformation, her confidence grows. Meanwhile, the other dancers are chatting it up onstage, completely unprepared for the unobtrusive little nobody in their midst. Once she hits the stage, she soon starts leading the others in a racy burlesque routine, proving that there is always more to what we see than just outer appearances!

For more information on Blame Zeus, visit their official website.

Hump Day Hot Ticket: We Love the Underground “Kids in the Park”

Band photo

If you are a regular visitor to this blog, you might notice that there are certain regional music scenes that I cover more than others. One of these is the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area, which fosters quite an abundant music scene: A Sound of Thunder, Thrillkiller (formed by ex-members of another Baltimore band, Aries), Master Sword, Omnislash, Iris Divine (who I will be reviewing next week!), and this week's feature, We Love the Underground.

I can't help that I keep featuring bands from this area, but there is truly something special going on out there that deserves notice. The amount of talent pouring out of that region is almost insane. Very much like the Seattle scene in the early ’90s, there hasn't been a band from Baltimore over the past several years that I've heard yet that I didn't like. 

While there is a certain sound that identifies this scene, each band is so different; none of them sound alike, yet they all play off each other in this big community of professional camaraderie. That is probably what I find most fascinating about these bands (outside of the music, of course): they are all friends, the bands constantly work together (guesting on each other's projects, filling in at gigs for injured bandmembers), and encourage one another in their success. I do not see any type of professional rivalry, jealousy, or competition. All of the bands build each other up and promote one another nearly as much as their own projects. While this is not a rarity among local music scenes, I have never seen it operate at such a level as with this region. Perhaps this is part of their appeal. Maybe it adds that extra flair to their music. As I am an outsider that lives far away, I would prefer that it remains a mystery to me.

So once again, while making my twice-a-week musical journey around the globe, I make yet another stop in Baltimore; this time to review the video for “Kids in the Park” from We Love the Underground. As soon as the video begins, we see one of the bandmembers representing hometown love by wearing a Baltimore t-shirt. The vocals remind me a little of the late Scott Weiland (this is a compliment, by the way!), but more aggressive. Just a straight-up rock band. I like it.

The video itself is not much more than the band jamming in some kind of empty garage or rehearsal space. Very straightforward, just like their music.

For more information on We Love the Underground, visit their official website.

Hump Day Hot Ticket: BadAss “Royal Chains”

Band photo

What is it about Italy that keeps producing some of the best music on the metal scene these days? Time and time again, my quest for new music always somehow brings me back there, and I am no closer to figuring out why than I was a year ago when I first started writing these weekly entries.

That being said, if you are going to name your band “BadAss”, you'd better have a good reason for it, or plenty of evidence to back your claim. In the case of this Italian heavy metal quartet, their individual résumés read like more like an elite VIP guest list, with all the impressive names these gentlemen have all worked with. From legends like Yngwie Malmsteen, Alan Parsons, and the Purple One himself, the late Prince; to current stars such as Babymetal, the members of BadAss are aptly named just by their musical pedigrees alone. It stands to reason that the collaborative efforts of such seasoned professionals would live up to its potential.

The band's combined talents are apparent in their video for “Royal Chains”. Within the first 30 seconds of the song, you hear a mix of groove metal, progressive rock, melodic metal, and straight-up hard rock. Visually, there is not much to the video besides the band playing in a darkened room with a single spotlight to illuminate them; and occasionally the screen will take on a glitchy look, similar to an old VHS tape that has been played too many times. In all honesty, the music speaks enough for itself to where it needs no elaborate visuals!

For more information on BadAss, or to pre-order their upcoming album More Pain, More Gain, visit the band's official website.

Special thanks to Alberto Rigoni.

Hump Day Hot Ticket: Hail Sagan “Dark Cloud”

Hail Sagan frontwoman Sagan Amery

Sometimes, when searching all over for new music to feature here every week, I come across a find that is close to home, and such is the case this week with Los Angeles-based band Hail Sagan, who consists of vocalist Sagan Amery (the band's namesake, I am guessing!), Powerman 5000 guitarist Nick Quijano, and a rhythm section called “The Nothing”.

Mixing sounds of gothic rock, punk, and alternative, the video for the song “Dark Cloud” is a rallying cry against abuse, harassment, and bullying. The video shows images of the band rocking out on the song while Sagan sits at her crystal ball, which invokes images of people screaming, crying, inflicting self-harm, and replaying incidents of abusive situations. At the end of the video, The Nothing is seen approaching the victims with the same dark skull masks that they wear, seeming to suggest that the people in the video are therefore empowered and are not alone anymore. On the band's YouTube and official website, information to contact various centers such as the National Suicide Hotline and the National Domestic Violence Hotline can be found.

To listen to more of the band's music or to purchase official merchandise, visit the official Hail Sagan website.

Special thanks to Demas Miller.