Scott Columbus: Traitor of Metal

"Strike while the iron's hot
Steel is strongest so say we all
And if we all were not brothers of metal would we fall?-No!
They tried to test our spirit
They tasted steel before they were done
Grinding their bones to the dust of the past
All blown away like a shot from a gun

We cast our lot together
Four still stand as one
And we'll remain forever
Till our kingdoms come

Brothers of Metal!"

These are the powerful words that open up Manowars's song "Brothers of Metal Pt.1" The lyrics describe a bond between band members which is thicker then blood: it's as thick as steel!

For nearly 30 years now, Manowar has been singing about virtues long forgotten or even taboo in contemporary society. Virtues like honor, fidelity, masculinity, bravery, and courage. Their appeal to the fans stems from the fact that they are able to put themselves above the different bands, bands willing to jump on any fad de jure. One of the ways that Manowar has exemplified such traits is by keeping a steady lineup. Throughout their entire career, they only had 8 official members. This is quite impressive for a band that has been together for as long as they have. Manowar sells their image as a virtuous band above petty squabbles and the current fashion trends. From the very first album in 1982, they made a pledge to their fans: they will never sell out, but forever fight for true metal and stand by each other.

This is why it broke my heart when I recently came across a blog post where Scott Columbus stated definitely that he has left Manowar, for the second and final time, in early 2008. He hinted that his decision to leave was not on the most amicable of terms. Though in the interview Columbus keep a calm and cool attitude, one can pick up little bits of spitefulness in his answers. According to him the split came after he had a conversation with Joey DeMaio after the "Gods of War" tour. When the interviewer asked him whether the conversation involved money, he admitted that "it was one of the topics discussed."


(Scott Columbus as a proud Metal warrior)

Columbus then went on to say that he was forced to lie in 1989 about the true reasons why he left Manowar the first time. According to Manowar's story, Columbus left to be with his son who was stricken with leukemia. "So you your son was never sick?" asked the interviewer. To which Columbus replied "No."

Columbus then proceeded to talk about his upcoming solo album where he wants to make "Metal elevator music." Apparently his solo project will not be so "overproduced" as Manowar, which is a style he apparently learned to dislike."I'm more of an analog guy," he stated proudly. I guess "analog guy" doesn't care that he will forever go down in history, since Manowar was one of the first bands to embrace digital recording. He also mentioned that he will reunite with former Manowar guitarist Ross the Boss (1982-1988) and they intend to play old Manowar songs together. Hey, just because you're no longer in Manowar, it doesn't mean you still can't make money from Manowar, right?


(Analog guy today rocking out to elevator metal. What happened to the mustache? did Joey make you grow it in the first place?)

What totally pisses me off about Columbus is his lack of gratitude. Joey DeMaio gave Columbus the opportunity of a lifetime: Fame, the chance to tour the world, the chance to be a role model. Now, Columbus is lashing out at the very institution that made him who he is today.

As a drummer, Columbus fulfilled his duties competently. He is able to play fast double kicks and fast rolls. However, he is not capable of doing anything more than that. The clearest evidence we have of this is in Columbus's "Elevator Metal" project (listen here). In it, Columbus does not stray too far from what he would usually play in Manowar: 2/4 beat with the occasional fast role. Also, as I mentioned earlier, he now will continue to make a living of Manowar by touring with Ross the Boss.

Columbus might have some chops; however, he is not a creative person. The best evidence of this could be heard in the following tracks (here, here) where his oversimplified playing is undermining good song writing. I remember when, with anticipation, I heard "Warriors of the World United" for the first time. Though I wanted to like the song very much, I could not; I could not get over the fact that the drums were so oversimplified. Ringo Starr could have done a better job. Even today, I can't listen to that song without losing attention half way through it. He butchered a song that could have become an anthem for the 2000's.

So let's recap: Columbus was given everything that an average rock drummer dreams of. In 1983, according to Wikipedia, he was able to quit his job beating aluminum at a foundry and play in one of the greatest metal bands of all time. He went down in history for being in the loudest band in the world; One of the first bands to embrace digital recording; The first and only band to record with Orson Welles; And, he was given a chance to be a role model for thousands of kids. Kids who, instead of embracing the destructive message of today's music (I cap yo ass, take your ho, ps. learning is gay) accepted a message of honor, chivalry and brotherhood. In addition, Manowar has inspired thousands of fans to learn about Richard Wagner, Mozart, Rimsky-Korsakov, Norse and Greek Mythology, by incorporating such themes in their music.

Columbus lashing out at Manowar could be compared to an average one trick pony at a carnival. Imagine this: a horse owner teaches a pony a cool trick; it's the only thick he knows. The pony goes on to travel the world, gets the best hay, along with world fame. People bring him the finest mares to stud with. Then, after making lots of money, the one-trick-pony lashes out against his owner because he only taught him one trick. That is who Scott Columbus is to me: an ungrateful one-trick-pony.

In a recent YouTube video (since removed) Joey announced that Manowar's original drummer Donnie Hamzik has rejoined the band. According to DeMaio, all the new tracks that they were preparing for the new album have been "scrapped, never to heard from again." Obviously Hamzik has brought new blood into Manowar and they are going to use the momentum to write a new album. The new album should be out in the next year or so. Hail Manowar!

The Droogie...Stripped of False Pride by AxMinister

Some Memorable Metal Of 2010

To name all the great metal albums of 2010 would take too long. However, two albums stick out above the rest: Sabaton's Coat of Arms and Enforcer's Diamonds.

In order for an album to be considered great, it should have enough good songs that you can listen to it in its entirety without skipping over any tracks. With the odd exception, the two albums mentioned safely fulfill that requirement.

For those not familiar with the band, Sabaton is a relatively new band from Sweden.They play traditional Power Metal with lyrics focusing on historical warfare. Coat of Arms is packed with tracks like Uprising (dealing with the Warsaw Uprising of 1944), Screaming Eagles( about the 101st Airborne Division) and The Final Solution.

Lyrically, they are capable of telling a good story that is historically factual and well versed. This is what attracted me to the band initially.

Musically, they are able to deliver a good punch without having to be over complicated. Their songs mostly consist of a formula: verse, chorus, verse, chorus, breakdown with a solo, chorus, chorus, which works very well for them. They are able to choose substance over style.

Enforcer is another relatively new metal band from Sweden; Diamonds is only their Second release. Many have labeled them as Old School Metal, which I don't believe does them justice. These guys have managed to take the best aspects of Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, Ozzy, Van Halen, and develop their own sound within that spectrum. Enforcer is able to pay tribute to the masters while still maintaining their own voice.

Looking at their pictures, its safe to assume that most of the members are in their twenties. All of them are quite skilled as musicians. I was especially impressed with the bass player who definitively graduated from the University of Steve Harris. He plays with his fingers and plays a major role in the music.

When you add all that to a formula of fast tempos, harmonized solos, and catchy choruses, Diamonds is definitely one of the stronger albums of the year.

AxMinister's Stripped of False Pride: Lessons from a Ten Year Journey

November 2010 will forever symbolize a great milestone: I finally pressed AxMinister's first full length album Stripped of False Pride. Now, as any musician will agree, realizing an album is always a thrill. Looking at the box full of your brand new Cd's ready to be distributed can feel quite good. However, Stripped of False Pride has a special place in my heart and marks a huge milestone, as I have dreamed of this moment for over 10 years. That's right, 10 years! I have a rough sketch of the lyrics to the opening track Empty Inside in a notebook that I started in the late 90's.

One might ask, what took so long ? After all, though recording an album is no simple mater, it's not an impossible task. Anyone with half a brain can pull it off as long as they are willing to commit the time and finances. And I absolutely agree. After all, while AxMinister was going through a hiatus between the years 2003-2007, I spend more then 3 years playing in a band called Grizzly Madams. During that short period we managed to put out a 3 song demo, a live album, and a full LP recoded professionally. So why did it take AxMinister 10 years? The blame could be placed in three main places: band infighting, the unwillingness to put a real financial investment in the band, and the believe that we could produce a better album by recording it ourselves. Though all the reasons have significantly hindered our process, I believe the biggest culprit was the third: believing that we could do a better job ourselves then in a studio.

Our misguided journey began in the winter of 1997 when Spire Cranes, a band that I have played in in high school, went to a studio to cut our first album ever. We found a studio in a flier. We knew very little about recording or music; we agreed to record 8 or 9 song album. We did not know much about the recording process and the studio was more then happy to take out money. In the end we released a album called Deaths and Entrances and pressed around 200 copies on tape. In total, the final cost was about $1500 which was split three ways. Looking back in hindsight we got a pretty good deal. Almost 15 years later, I still enjoy listening to that album as it has a real distinct sound reminiscent of the mid 90's. The songs have a real hint of maturity that surprises me even today. 15 years latter, the little imperfections, I believe, only add to its appeal. However, in 1997, we were quite critical of ourselves and soon I could not listen to that album without only hearing the out of tune drum set, the fluctuating tempos, the parts where the vocals go off tune, and the occasional misted note. It was then that we decided to start recording ourselves. Our reasoning was that we might spend more money in the starting stages, but our investment would pay off in the sense that we could keep recording for countless hours once we get all the equipment.

What we soon discovered was that recording is quite the complex task. You need countless equipment in order to get a professional recording. However, for many reasons we could not accept that. This soon evolved into a quagmire of endless second rate recordings and squandered money.

The problem with trying to record yourself is that you are constantly forced to compromise. The reasoning almost always went something like this "why go to a studio when this pirated computer program" or "this digital eight track can give you almost the same quality." The key word in that sentence is "almost." When you compromise just a little on the vocals , a little on the guitar, a little on the the drums and a little on the bass, all those "little compromises" in the end add up to a big piece of crap.

Old habits die hard. Even with this album we were destined to repeat the same mistake. We recorded the drums in a studio and recorded the guitars and bass ourselves using a downloaded computer program. We soon found ourselves reasoning that maybe we could do the rest by ourselves. Thankfully, sanity prevailed and we ended going back to the studio to do the vocals, mixing, and mastering.

In the end the whole project including the pressing of the Cd's ran us less then $2500, which is peanuts when you factor in the fact that you can enter a studio and leave with an album in 2 weeks, and the songs will last you a life time.

Another sub-lesson that I have learned from this is that when dealing with studios it is always better to negotiate a rate where the studio charges you per-song rather then by the hour. When a studio is charging by the hour, there is a big temptation to accept little compromises in the interest of keeping costs down. A recording lasts a life time and little imperfections that seam minute become big distractions down the road.

Naturally, I don't always take my own advice. Even though we tried to avoid past mistakes, we were destined to repeat at least some of them. However, I'm lucky that this album got made in the first place; and at this point I'm willing to live with the small imperfections. I'm hopeful that AxMinister can put out another album in a much sooner time frame then it took to release its debut and improve with each release that follows.

As for now, I can say that I'm proud of our debut and want to share it with people. If anyone reading this blog would like a copy of the disc, please e-mail me your mailing address to axminister31@hotmail.com and I'll mail you a Cd free of charge. You can also find the complete album posted on our myspace page. www.axminister.ca.

Are 3 Inches of Blood The New Angel Witch?

A few months ago I stumbled upon a band called 3 Inches of Blood while randomly surfing through bands on the web. Initially, they impressed me with their NWBHM guitar work and the falsetto vocals among modern growls and screams. I was impressed to the point that I decided to support them by going out and seeing them live at the Mode Club. They put on a high level energy performance. It is there that I decided to buy their latest Cd: Here Waits Thy Doom.

To bee honest, HWTD is not a bad album. It has some great songs like Battles and Brotherhood and Execution Tank. However, I couldn't help to think that something was missing. After doing some research, I found out what the problem might be: HWTD was the first album not to feature any original members. As a mater of fact, what I discovered is that 3IoB has had a revolving door policy since its inception. After some research I discovered that, since it's inception in 2000, they had over 14 members. HWTD is a transitional album where the band is slowly fazing out its scremo vocals in favor of a more NWBHM sound.

To the fan that has followed 3ioB from the beginning, the band's appeal consisted of the screaming vocals of Jamie Hopper fused with the falsetto vocal styling of Cam Pipes which trade off with of aggressive NWBHM guitar leads. Since the departure of Jamie Hopper for "medical reasons" the guitar player took over the screaming vocals on live shows and on some songs off the new album. However, you can tell that this is a band in transition.

Musicians need to realize that the make up of a band is a delicate ecology based on the interaction of 3-6 different musicians who are individual spirits. The sound that a the band produces is build on the contribution of each member. I am not solely talking about about writing credits either. Though a band with a sole composer is more likely to go through a line up change with minimal consequences, there will always be a steady lineup that will forever be considered a fan favorite. One example of that is Megadeth. Though they managed to release some good material in the last decade, their 1990-1997 line up will forever be looked upon as the highlight of their career.

Many bands like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Van Halen had to learn this the had way. When they tried to replace their vocalists with competent replacements, they started to loose old fans wile failing to attract a significant number of new fans. This resulted in lost revenue do to slumming album sales and concert attendance. Thankfully those bands decided to resolve their differences before totally ruining the empire that they have toiled over their entire lives. However many never manage to recover.

The most tragic example of a band who could not get their line up straight must be the story of Angel Witch. This is a band that was right on the forefront of the NWBHM movement. In 1980, they recoded a groundbreaking self titled debut album. However before the album was officially released, their lineup began crumbling. What pursued was an endless revolving door policy totaling 23 members. What I found most amusing about the Angel Witch saga was its short stint in the U.S. The story goes like this: at one point singer Kevin Heybourne, after many failed attempts at stabilizing the band in the U.K, tried transferring the band to America by getting American musicians. The American line up got off to a promising start. However, Kevin Heybourne managed to get deported "back across the pond" for failing to have the right paper work just days before their first gig. This is an interesting story and I encourage all to check out their Wikipedia page for the complete story.

The point is, when a band finds their sound, achieves a moderate level of success, but cannot keep their line up straight, the new members are stuck imitating the former members in order to remain honest to their sound. Or, on the flip side, the new members change the sound so dramatically that the music is no longer resonating with the original fans. The perfect example of that is Tony Iommi and his 80's and early 90's incarnations of "Black Sabbath."

3ioB need to do some major thinking about weather or not to continue under that name. A band is a delicate ecology build on human interaction. And just like we have been learning in school since grade school, the smallest disturbances can have great consequences down the road.

Fog of Leprosy and Spew Gore

On September 17th I had the pleasure of discovering two new thrash metal bands Fog of Leprosy and Spewgore.

I saw them at The Blue Moon, a venue that I have never been to or heard off. It is located just steps away from the Opera House on Queen Street West. I was impressed with the venue since it had a pretty decent stage. The place could easily hold 200 people, however, it is narrow, which only adds to its appeal. The place looks more packed then it really is, which makes you feel like you're part of something bigger. It also has an amazing deal on beer too; $20 gets you bucket with five bottles of beer with most domestic brands to choose from.

Fog of Leprosy opened the show. They are a four piece band hailing from Grimbsby, Ontario. This is a thrash band with one guitar player. They play straight-up riff-driven metal, best compared to Exodus and Annihilator. The singer rasps his voice but not past the point where the lyrics are incomprehensible; also, other members contribute to the vocals mosttly in a question-and-answer and narrative style. Their lyrical theme deals with imagery of goblins, cannibalism, and drunken debauchery, among other things. Part of their image is a smoke machine constantly spewing out "The Fog." They have been recording a new album for some time now, so stay tuned for upcoming news. This is a band worth checking out if you are into straight up, no bullshit, thrash.

Spewgore is a four piece out of Brampton. They also have only one guitar. They play mostly thrash metal, however, from time to time you can pick up elements of hard core. However, that does not make them a metal-core band by any means; they are a thrash band. They looked quite comfortable on stage. The drummer was very tight. The singer had a persona comparable to Henry Rollins. Their songs mostly dealt with violence, however, not in a dark way. More like the type you see in a mosh pit. This was their album release party and they were in top shape. They have a unique sound, this is a band worth checking our. I have a feeling that they might be getting picked up by a label soon.

There were two more bands on the bill Fatality and Redeemer. However, I did not watch their sets so I cant really say anything about them.

What was amazing to see is how metal has grown in Toronto, especially in the last 10 years. In 2000-2002 bands like Inflames and Nevermore were playing shows that size. However, ten years later a few regional bands can put on a hell of a metal show, and draw and decent crowd too.

A Review of Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir

Every one who knows me knows that I love Megadeth! Particularly, I'm fascinated by the life of Dave Mustaine. This is a person that pioneered two of the greatest metal bands: Megadeth and Metallica. This while high on drugs and living a life that earned him the nickname Dangerous Dave. For years me and my friend (a fellow Megadeth fanatic) would comb over each lyric and interview and piece things together in order to understand the genius behind Megadeth. That's why it shouldn't be a surprise that when Dave Mustaine decided to release his autobiography, my friend and I were one of the first people to go down town Toronto and purchase our copies, and meet our hero (for the third time now) at a book signing on July 28,2010. Over the next two days, I read that book cover to cover only occasional placing it down to wipe away a tear or to get lost in a daydream.

In the documentary Metal: A Headbangers Journey, Sam Dunn points out that metal heads are usually outcasts that seek comfort in heavy metal. The people that are isolated and ridiculed by the mainstream, instead of going postal on society, find comfort and empowerment in the aggressive yet uplifting message of Metal. The majority of my friends, including me, were born in other countries. This act alone made us the outsiders in a strange land with foreign customs. Not only that, but your average immigrant family moves disproportionally more then any one else, because they need to build capital starting from scratch. My friends and I had the displeasure of switching schools multiple times and never having a place where we could plant our roots. We are secretly longing for a return of the simpler times. That's is why I was able to identify with Dave Mustaine so much. Even though he was born in America, Mustaine suffered a lot of similar experiences as myself. His parents divorced early in his life which made the family poor. To make matters worse his father would stalk the family forcing them to move in the middle of the night and a moments notice. What added to Dave's isolation was that his mother converted to Jehovah Witness after the divorce. Her conversion isolated Dave even more since he was forced to be excluded from things like birthday parties, Christmas and pledging an allegiance to the flag. It was this isolation and life as an outcast that would be the driving force behind his music.

Dave Mustaine credits his sister's record collection as sparking his love of music. Though his sister was into folk, particularly Cat Stevens, he credits these times for developing his sense of melody. At the age of twelve he got a guitar and taught himself how to play. However, it wasn't until his teenage years that he got serious about music. In high school he discovered pot and heavy metal. He goes into detail about how he would find an escape by getting high and listening to the early metal records of Priests, Maiden, and Motor Head. Soon he would look at music as a way to escape mediocrity, as a way to be cool, and earn respect of his friends and the opposite sex. Through out high school he played in a band called Panic before eventually joining Metallica.

Dave describes his years in Metallica very fondly. For the first time in his life he felt accepted. He found a band of fellow misfits that shared his love of metal. He mentions that he and James Hetfield became close friends. This is not in the book, but I suspect that they had a lot in common since James also came from a broken home and his parents were heavily involved in Christian Science. Musiaine claims that he trusted those guys and considered them to be his first family. In retrospect, he recalls moments when warning bells should have gone off with regards to his eventual dismissal from the band. However, he could not phantom that his new so called family would ever betray him like that. When he was fired from Metallica he was forced to take a four day bus ride from New York to California without any money or food. He describes that period as a tragedy greater than when he watched his father die of a brain aneurysm. This bus ride was also the moment that he swore revenge and to recover better then ever. It was also at that moment that Mustaine decided that he would never abdicate control and power in a band like he did in Metallica

In the book, when talking about Megadeth, Dave mostly focuses on the years between 1984-1992. The years from 1984-1990 were a drug induced craze. His first band mates Gar Samuelson and Chris Poland introduced him to heroin. This addiction would plague his life until the present day. In 1992 he got sober for a significant period. However he would face another demon: the success of his previous band mates, Metallica. What bugged him most was the fact that on their first two albums they used material that he wrote while still in the band. These feelings of jealousy, resentment, and betrayal caused him to relapse and not fully enjoy his success. Reading about those years, you really see how lucky this guy is to be alive. Drugs, alcohol, and a violent temper never go together smoothly.

From 1992-2004 Dave talks about his inability to handle success and his continuous relapses into drugs. In the mid 90's he began to shoot heroin (until that time he only smoked it). Just when you thought he has conquered his demons, something would set him off and he would relapse, causing him to enter another rehab institution and start all over. In 2004 his wife filed to legally separate from him; this was also the year that he became a Christian. He has been free of hard drugs since 2004. He claims that he has found a balance in his life where he occasionally smokes a little weed and drinks a glass of red wine.

About 3\4 of the book deal with his early years until 1992. He goes into a lot of detail about his childhood, Metallica, and early Megadeth. From 1992-present he just barley mentions certain things like the arrival and departure of Marty Friedman, the The World Needs a Hero years, and his falling out with Dave Ellefson. He only briefly mentions any of the albums from Cryptic Writing to United Abomination. Which is too bad since I'm a big fan of his recent material.

Overall, I loved this book and would recommend it to any Megadeth fan. I learned some good lessons like don't do heroin, don't abdicate power in a band that you lead, follow your intuition, love God, and don't take no shit from no one. I think it's one of the better books I ever read. When I red the last page I was devastated that it's over and automatically started re-reading my favorite parts. It made me a better Megadeth fan and a better human being. I recommend that everyone reads it. It is written very well and captures the right emotions.