Reviews

Coinmonster: A look back at the monster

Published

8 years ago

August 23, 2016

Ian Sallese

Coinmonster: A look back at the monster

by Ian Sallese

Coinmonster: Jon Reider, Rick Stoner, David Galazia (2001 ish)

In 1996, the music scene was changing. Grunge was slowly declining in popularity. Seven string guitars and drop D tuning were on the rise. Band’s like Korn and Deftones were starting to develop a following and the turntable was being used prominently with this style of music. Even the metal pioneers Sepultura were taking this direction with their release at the time “Roots”. I was 19 and my older friend Matt was playing bass in a band, Chronic Groove, which was similar to all those above mentioned but incorporated rap and turntables. Being 19 and underage in the state of PA, I was unable to attend shows at bars. Matt suggested I tagged along to the now closed 31^st Street Pub. At this point I have never gone to a bar let alone an iconic bar in Pittsburgh known for their skull room and punk rock shows. He suggested I haul in equipment and seems to think no one will question me of my age. Matt was right. I rolled in speakers and carried guitar cases. I stood off to the side unnoticed and ready to see my Matt’s band. Little did I know that this show would change me and help mold my musical perspective.

I was already a fan of Matt’s band but wasn’t familiar with the opener, Coinmonster. They were setting up as I helped bring in equipment. Coinmonster only had 3 guys. This was odd to me considering the direction bands were heading at the time. Being a closed minded teenage punk didn’t help my initial assessment of the band. The drummer looked like he was still holding on to the 80’s Anthrax look as he adjusted his headset microphone. The bass player looked like normal guy you passed on the street. And the singer still had a slight grunge look with the short sleeve tee over the long sleeve tee and no over-sized Jnco jeans. At the time I was thinking “Where are the other members?”, “No turntables or rapper?”, “Why are the not wearing Adidas?”. I had zero interest and then they started to play…..

Coinmonster – Guido El Sorrio

The music pushed me a step back. The guitarist marched in one place as his beanie fell over his eyes. He played the guitar like Les Claypool played bass, slapping and strumming while singing and shouting melodies into the microphone. I have never seen anyone play the guitar like he did. Technical and fast but unorthodox. He strummed chords consistently with finger tapping parts mixed in as his head bobbed up and down. The drummer didn’t have an overly big kit but he utilized every piece. Adding as many fills as he could squeeze in through all the fast changes while singing into his headset that was reminiscent of a fast food worker or a pop star that couldn’t hold a microphone while getting through the choreography. Finally, the bass player kept pace with the guitarist and filled in all the gaps. Each song was better than the next. The music was heavy and the vocals were melodic. I wished I had known their music because I wanted to sing note for note and shout for shout. I was instantly hooked and obsessed that I immediately bought a CD, Guido El Sorrio and a shirt. The shirt was the Converse symbol but instead of it saying Converse, it said Coinmonster.

I couldn’t wait to get the disc out of the wrapper. I listened to it over and over. They didn’t sound like all the other locals. These guys were the next level. They even mixed in soundbites from classic movies such as Christmas Vacation, Caddyshack, and Meatballs. That disc didn’t leave the cd player for weeks. Everyone that rode with me had to listen to it. I told all my friends and tried to sway them to hear what I was hearing. Some of them became fans and most didn’t care. Why were these guys not the biggest thing on the planet? Why were they not selling millions of copies and selling out arenas? To this day I still listen to that CD and their 3 others asking the same question. Why? Why? Why? Why is Coinmonster not bigger than they are? Why did they never get signed? How can an amazing band that had such an impact on me not affect others like they did me? I’m not sure the answer to any of these nor do I need them answered anymore. I know what an impact they had on me. They showed me that you didn’t have to follow the script. It doesn’t matter where you come from, what walk of life you are, or what you look like, you come together with others and make great music. There was literally no one playing the way they played and it didn’t matter. They didn’t need to be like the others. Some bands get played out. Whether you play them out or radio plays them out, you get sick of them. Not this band! I think it says a lot for a local band to still be relevant to their fans 20 years later.

About Author

Ian Sallese

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Announcement/News

W.A.S.P. Album One Alive 2024 US Tour

Published

3 months ago

August 21, 2024

Josh Drespling

Hollywood, CA (August 20, 2024) — It is 2024, and W.A.S.P. is celebrating 1984! 40 years ago, the landmark debut album from W.A.S.P. was released on August 17, 1984, and the metal world was knocked on their ass!

The W.A.S.P. “Album ONE Alive” Tour celebrates the debut album by playing the album in its entirety, from start to finish.

To give the fans something every week to celebrate W.A.S.P. is giving away…

• 10 pairs of tickets a week for the length of the US tour.

• Silver Award – Blackie is also giving away each week of the tour two personal meet and greets in his dressing room. In HIS dressing room!

• Gold Award – One lucky fan will win Blackie’s personal certified RIAA award for the debut album.

• Platinum Award – And the Grand Prize, one fan and a guest will be provided airfare and a luxury Hollywood hotel to the final show in Los Angeles, meet the band and stay for the after show, end of tour party.

W.A.S.P. can only celebrate 1984 once and they want to do it big!

To enter all you have to do is visit and enter your email address:
https://forms.gle/WU5wE3K4BbmaBSQv9

It was recently announced that Armored Saint will be replacing Death Angel on the tour. W.A.S.P. issued the following statement: “W.A.S.P. is pleased to announce that Armored Saint will now be joining the “Album One Alive” Fall 2024 U.S. Tour. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Death Angel will no longer be able to be a part of this tour. We all wish them the best going forward.”

Tickets and VIP packages available at WASPnati on.com/tour

THE ALBUM ONE ALIVE WORLD TOUR 2024 DATES:

10/26/24 San Luis Obispo, CA @ Fremont Theater*

10/28/24 Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater

10/29/24 Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre

10/30/24 Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre

11/01/24 Calgary, AB The Palace Theatre

11/02/24 Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory

11/03/24 Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory

11/04/24 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot

11/05/24 Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre

11/07/24 Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore

11/08/24 St Charles, IL @ The Arcada Theatre

11/09/24 St Charles, IL @ The Arcada Theatre

11/10/24 Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre

11/11/24 Toronto, ON @ History

11/13/24 Montreal, QC @ MTELUS

11/14/24 Quebec City, QC @ Theatre Capitole

11/15/24 Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre

11/16/24 New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom At Manhattan Center

11/17/24 Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall

11/19/24 Cleveland, OH @ The Agora Theater

11/20/24 Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE

11/21/24 Stroudsburg, PA @ The Sherman Theater

11/22/24 Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore

11/23/24 Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore

11/24/24 Orlando, FL @ The Plaza Live

11/26/24 Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium

11/27/24 Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern

11/29/24 Houston, TX @ House Of Blues

11/30/24 San Antonio, TX @ Aztec Theatre

12/01/24 Dallas, TX @ The Factory in Deep Ellum

12/03/24 Little Rock, AR @ The Hall

12/04/24 Wichita, KS @ The Cotillion

12/06/24 Albuquerque, NM @ REVEL

12/07/24 Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee Theatre

12/09/24 Tucson, AZ @ The Rialto Theatre

12/10/24 San Diego, CA @ House Of Blues

12/11/24 Reno, NV @ Grand Sierra Resort and Casino

12/12/24 Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl

12/13/24 San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield

12/14/24 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium

* No support acts.

About W.A.S.P.

Few bands in the history of rock n roll have ever incited the love, the hate, and the raw emotional effect this band has had on the world. From the very beginning, in the small venues of Los Angeles, California, and later to the numerous countries worldwide that banned these Winged Assassins from performing live, the band’s unique style of shock and rock caused religious organizations, local city councils, parliaments, and the Washington D.C. Senate to hold hearings in an effort to bar this group from selling records and trashing stages everywhere they played.

The band’s founding member, frontman Blackie Lawless, has led the group as its lead vocalist and primary songwriter since its beginning. His unique brand of visual, social, and political comment took the group to worldwide heights and sold millions of records alongside a legacy of sold-out shows across the globe for 4 decades.

https://www.waspnation.co m

https://www.facebook.com/W.A.S.P.Nati on

https://www.facebook.com/groups/waspnationofficialgroup/
https://twitter.com/waspofficial
https://instagram.com/waspnationofficial

https://youtube.com/@WASPNationOfficial

@waspnationofficial

https://www.threads.net/@waspnationofficial
https://www.bandsintown.com/a/7553

About Author

Josh Drespling

Josh is the Publisher and creator of Empire Extreme and it’s sister publication Kingdom Extreme Magazine. He is an accomplished writer, photographer and graphic designer. He is always conjuring up new ideas and has a amazing passion for the music industry and all the things that surround it.

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CD Reviews

Them Damn Kings “Shown With A Fist”

Published

6 months ago

May 20, 2024

Ron

Them Damn Kings from NJ just released a new single “Shown With a Fist”.
If you like your music in your face with a touch of old school rock and roll this is the band for you. It’s got gritty vocals and pounding drums adding in some killer guitar shreds.
It’s a song that you listen to when you want to get into a bar fight or want to drive your car really fast down the highway.
It’s worth a listen, check out the lyric video below with a little bonus guitar mortal kombat shred off.

THIS IS A SPONSORED REVIEW BROUGHT TO YOU BY TAG PUBLICITY

About Author

Ron

Ron has keen eye for new talent, a love for the underground, and a tremendous passion for music of any genera. You’ll probably bump into him at a horror convention or some seedy club checking out the next need-to-know band.

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CD Reviews

Ashes to Omens “Feed Me More”

Published

6 months ago

May 8, 2024

Ron

Ashes To Omens are a band from Georgia who’s latest single “Feed Me More” has a great sound to it. It reminds me of bands around the mid to late 2000s. They have a good mixture of sound. The song is a perfect blend of hard rock and metal with the vocals very crisp and delivered with passion.

The song “Feed Me More” has a great melody and works well with the bands style and genre of music. It also is a great title to a song because after listening to it I wanted more of the band.

Some will say that it’s very radio rock/metal and sometimes I do have issues with that but I felt that this song even though it does have that feel to it, isn’t just a radio rock song for the sake of being a radio rock song. I think this single is worth a listen to and could possibly be a track that might make your playlist.

THIS IS A SPONSORED REVIEW BROUGHT TO YOU BY TAG PUBLICITY