Pageant's

Title: Fast Times At Barrington High
Artist: The Academy Is…
Record Label: Fueled By Ramen 2008
Reviewer: Vicki Kinnaird

1. About A Girl
2. Summer Hair = Forever Young
3. His Girl Friday
4. The Test
5. Rumored Nights
6. Automatic Eyes
7. Crowded Room
8. Coppertone
9. After The Last Midtown Show
10. Beware Cougar
11. Paper Chase
12. One More Weekend

It must be hard being The Academy Is…. In the three-and-a-half years since the release of their debut album <i>Almost Here<i/>, they’ve been completely overshadowed by their more famous friends Fall Out Boy, Panic At The Disco, and Gym Class Heroes. However, they’ve been churning out new material steadily in that time and have just released their third full-length studio album, <i>Fast Times At Barrington High<i/>.

The album’s title is a play on the name of the 1982 coming-of-age movie <i>Fast Times At Ridgemont High<i/>, with the name of the school being swapped for the name of the Chicago high school which The Academy Is… front man and main lyricist William Beckett and bassist Adam Siska attended. The album itself seems to be preoccupied with the high school experience – a little odd considering the fact that Beckett graduated from Barrington High half a decade ago.

Dubious lyrical content plagues the vast majority of the album – constant references to hallways, sleeping in classes, tests, and the tangled love lives of high school students are littered carelessly throughout the tracks, and they wear thin very quickly. After a few songs, the high school talk seems like nothing more than a desperate attempt to appeal to the younger part of the TAI fan base. In fact, it’s fair to claim that some of Beckett’s lyrics are even cringe-worthy. “Beware Cougar” offers the almost embarrassing lyric: “Do you want to tie me up?/ Do you want to tie me down?” Hard to believe this is the same William Beckett who snarled, “Take a long walk off the shortest pier you can find,” on the band’s debut just three years ago.

There’s no disputing that the lyrics of <i>Fast Times At Barrington High<i/> are a step in a different direction for The Academy Is…. Lyrics from the band’s previous album, <i>Santi<i/> – which was released less than 18 months ago – were mostly scathing, and a lot more mature.

The band has also ditched the darker sounds of <i>Santi<i/> for a squeaky-clean production, and a dollop of audio UV rays so bright they’re enough to make you squint. Almost every song is infused with the sunshine and warmth of a long summer, and, although it’s nice to frolic in the sun for a bit, it gets very old, very fast. At times, the tracks seem to blur together like a sticky, summery mess, so that the album sounds like one long song that wouldn’t be out of place on a generic soundtrack to a show like <i>Laguna Beach<i/>.

Unfortunately, the shiny, pop-inspired production on <i>Fast Times At Barrington High<i/> is where it stumbles most. It’s so slick you could quite easily slip right off it into boredom and even apathy. It’s almost tailor-made for Beckett’s voice, allowing him to excel, and when he hits his stride, his vocals are outstanding. However, the production seems to gloss over the guitars and bass in the body of the songs, meaning only the guitar-led intros and solos stand out. Even then, they all start to sound similar, and the solos seem listless and almost lazy. On the other hand, the band’s drummer, Andy “The Butcher” Mrotek, is given a chance to shine, and his pounding drums stick out by a mile, providing beats perfect for dancing.

While none of the songs on the new album come close to matching the wit and biting sarcasm of TAI’s debut, there are a few standout tracks that cut through the seemingly endless nonsense to remind you that TAI is a band with incredible potential. The opening track, “About A Girl,” has a chorus that you’ll remember long after the rest of the album has been forgotten. The lyrics are clever and endearing, mixing a dose of denial with Beckett’s soaring vocals.

The longest song on the album, “After The Last Midtown Show,” features Jack’s Mannequin and Something Corporate’s front man Andrew McMahon on piano. The result is a dreamy track about teen romance that is easily one of the best songs on the album. The lyrics show Beckett’s maturity, and this song shows how good The Academy Is… could be, if the majority of their latest offering weren’t so mediocre.

“Automatic Eyes” is another song which stands out on the CD, again due to the fact that the high school lyrics are swapped for something a little more grown up. Once more, the chorus is insanely catchy, hinting at what this album could have been.

Decaydance kingpin and Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz claimed that the demos for <i>Fast Times At Barrington High<i/> were “mind blowing” and that The Academy Is… “were miles away from where they were.” It’s just a shame that they’ve traveled miles backwards.

<i>Fast Times At Barrington High<i/> may be TAI’s third album, but it cannot compete with the third albums of their peers. It’s strange to think that this is the best The Academy Is… could come up with, when <i>The Black Parade<i/> was My Chemical Romance’s third album, and Linkin Park’s third studio effort (remix and mash up albums aside) was the stunning <i>Minutes To Midnight<i/>. TAI’s friends and label-mates Fall Out Boy produced an instant classic and unparalleled success with their third album <i>From Under The Cork Tree<i/>, and <i>Fast Times At Barrington High<i/> seems almost pathetic in comparison. The Academy Is… have rushed through their career so far, releasing three albums in just four years, and while their debut release, <i>Almost Here<i/> had swagger, attitude and originality, their new release is sorely lacking. To put it harshly, the majority of the album is boring and even on the first listen the tracks blur together into a very disappointing effort. It’s maddening to know that The Academy Is… can do better. That being said, <i>Fast Times At Barrington High<i/> does have some brilliant moments – they just happen to be few and far between.

For more information in The Academy Is…, visit: http://www.theacademyis.com/
or go to their MySpace, at: www.myspace.com/theacademyis

Album: Indestructible
Artist: Disturbed (www.myspace.com/disturbed)
Record Label: Reprise, 2008
Reviewer: Shauna Brock

Track Listing
01 – Indestructible
02 – Inside the Fire
03 – Deceiver
04 – The Night
05 – Perfect Insanity
06 – Haunted
07 – Enough
08 – The Curse
09 – Torn
10 – Criminal
11 – Divide
12 – Façade

My introduction to the latest release from Disturbed came months ago, when, while listening to 94.9 here in Salt Lake City, I heard the unmistakable vocal of David Draiman and the thudding bass of John Moyer. Disturbed was back, and they were back with a frighteningly evil vengeance. Through the pitiful speakers of my car radio, a conversation between a man and the devil came to life. I remember thinking then that if the rest of the album was as gripping as “Inside the Fire” then the three years since 10,000 Fists would well be worth the wait.

The real question of course is does the rest of the album live up to the superiority of the first radio single? To answer the question – in my opinion, Indestructible may well be the best metal album to date in 2008. From the title track, “Indestructible,” all the way through to the finale of “Façade,” each song builds on the next, creating a cyclonic energy with each of the twelve tracks. It’s Dorothy’s tornado you’ve been dragged into and the world you visit is an alternative Oz where the wicked witch holds power and the wizard you must face is your own inner devil.

Building on the growth of their politically adept 10,000 Fists, Disturbed shows new rage in their range – keeping the sound clearly “disturbing” while exploring the pain of suicide, war, and loss of innocence that have always been the dark draw for the Heavy Metal crowd.

“Inside the Fire” is as catchy as Disturbed gets, but the radio-worthy effort does not compromise lyrics or theme. The video is so graphic that video channels and streaming websites have the freedom to edit as needed and it comes with a disclaimer from Draiman about the back story of the song – his own struggles with the loss of a loved one to suicide.

The album, of course, holds clear elements of the songwriting style of Disturbed – not the least of which is the demonic sound of Draiman’s voice. His dark tone adds power to the album’s conversation with our inner devils.

As with much of Disturbed’s work, the songs have a tendency to run together, which can act against the band. While the choices made do not bother me, and in fact, as I have stated, show clear growth in the band, it does have the risk of turning off potential listeners. I believe, however, that the choices and theme fit Disturbed well and the growth, especially in the lyrical quality of Indestructible, is clear.

Over and over, I hear lamentations about the state of music and how there is so much shit out there that to find the buried gems just isn’t worth it. This gem, born of fire and flame, is easily the best album this year. Indestructible pulls no punches and like every good metal album forces the listener deep into their own psyche. There is no forgiveness and your soul is your own to barter with the devil.

Show: Rockstar Mayhem Festival
Venue: Midwest Bank Amphitheater, Tinley Park, IL
Date: 8/10/2008
Reviewer: Tasha Schalk
Photograper: Tasha Schalk

Site: rockstarmayhemfest.com

I would like to begin this with a preface: in general, I am not a fan of metal music. I would like you, the reader, to keep this fact in mind, because I am going to try to convey how fantastic, exciting, and eye-opening Mayhem Fest was.

The Chicago-area stop of Mayhem Fest was at Midwest Bank Amphitheater in Tinley Park, IL on August 10, 2008. By some stroke of luck, the weather was perfect – approximately 80 degrees and sunny with little humidity.  This was the first sign that it was going to be a good day.

I started off the day with Miami-based band Black Tide. With a band average age of 17, Black Tide appeared older than their years. They came onstage with enough confidence to spare. While their performance paled slightly in comparison to some long-term performers, I think this is definitely a band to watch out for.

Next up was the classic Mastodon, for the first performance on the Rockstar Energy Main Stage. Mastodon has a list of accomplishments a mile long, and after seeing them perform, it is no wonder why. Despite being comprised of only four members, they filled the massive stage with a wall of sound. As a very visual person, I enjoyed their engaging performance as well as their music.

I happened to catch Walls of Jericho briefly between Mastodon’s and Underoath’s sets, but if I knew Candace Kucsulain was going to prove to be such a powerhouse, I would have made sure to see more than just the end of their set. Despite only seeing five minutes of the performance, I was blown away by the power of Candace’s stage presence as well as her dedication to fans. The highlight of the five minutes I saw of their set: seemingly half of the band climbing into a massive sea of happy fans to sing the last half of their closing song. Astounding.

Immediately after Walls of Jericho, Alternative Press (AP) darlings Underoath took the stage while the crowd chanted their name. This Christian band brought 35 minutes of high energy Christian metalcore, which their fans could not stop crowd-surfing to. Singer Spencer Chamberlain impressed me by spending the majority of the set on the bass amps, allowing for some great crowd interaction.

Machine Head was the headlining band on the Jagermeister stage, and for good reason. As one of the founding bands of the new era of American Heavy Metal back in 1992, Machine Head hit the stage hard and heavy. More so than any other band that day, the speakers were pounding, and some real, no-holds-barred metal graced the stage. Frontman Rob Flynn was astounding to watch; he was pure energy bundled up with a lot of hair.

But, the band of the day for me was the impeccable, hair-laden Dragonforce. After seeing pictures from previous Mayhem stops, I knew that they were an incredibly photogenic band but I was not prepared for the talent that poured off of them. Herman Li, lead guitarist, astounded me with the speed at which his fingers flew over the frets of his guitar. Bassist, Frederic Leclercq, was a powerhouse who navigated the stage with a purpose. Throw in some great vocals and keytar, as well as some drums and rhythm guitar, and a unique, but thrilling, sound is produced.

The interaction between the band members also made the set an enjoyable one for me. So often, band members seem to be confined to their own corner of the stage, lost in their own little world – this was definitely not the case with Dragonforce.

On the other hand, Disturbed, local Chicagoland boys, and the band I was most familiar with, proved to be a disappointment. Compared to the impressive riffage of Dragonforce and the visual spectacle of Slipknot, Disturbed paled in comparison. Fan favorites “Down With the Sickness” and the recent single “Inside The Fire” were played at strategic points throughout the set, but the vocals were slightly off and the performance lacked the energy that I had become accustomed to throughout the day.

Next to Dragonforce, Slipknot was the biggest surprise. When I began my concert photography career, Slipknot was not a band I ever imagined I would want to take pictures of.

They were fantastic.

Albeit slightly creepy, they put on a show that was unrivaled in visual simulation and creativity. With three different drum kits, all on hydraulics, and new masks for the tour, they were a band that definitely made a lasting impression. Frontman Corey Taylor, despite being hidden by a mask, was all energy. Vocals were spot on, and the drums, guitars, and basses provided a wall of sound that was exciting without being overpowering.

In addition to the high-energy music of the day, the festival was also very well organized, the staff was pleasant, and the PR contacts were very accommodating and helpful.  Overall, for a girl who had previously led a sheltered rock concert-filled life, the experience of Mayhem Fest could not have been better.