Music Spectrum: The Sound of 12 Stones Taking the Ice in the Third Period on <em>Anthem for the Underdog</em>

The third period is about to begin, the teams charge onto the ice for their warm up skates, and the P.A. system blasts the AC/DC or Van Halen.

Growing up going to North Stars hockey games (yes, North Stars in Minnesota not whatever they’re called wherever they play now) is when I first experienced hard rock and heavy metal. Blades slashing, sticks slapping, fists flying, bodies checked, guitars wailing, men wailing like women, drums crashing all over the place. Power, adrenaline, sweat, speed, violence, loudness, all sanctioned by the National Hockey League and my dad who took me to the games.

I have no real business talking about the extreme end of the music spectrum, because this is about all I really know about heavy metal: it makes good ambience for certain situations. I can’t tell you what makes someone’s power chord different than another, why one screamed vocal is ten times better than another, or how bands really stack up against each other.

I can only tell you that I like hard rock in limited doses especially when the situation calls for it.

12 Stones charges onto the ice with their power play power chords, mid-ice checking heavy rock, and fret board solo tick handling. Their new album, Anthem for the Underdog, pulls out the classic 70’s and 80’s heavy metal playbooks, but as they set up each play, you realize this is a team of the 2000’s.

When 12 Stones comes on like a fist pumping, crowd jumping band moderating chaos (“Adrenaline”), they also take on plenty of band rock subtleties—the uplifting lyrics of Big Country and the heart-on-sleeve passion of Jimmy Eat World’s emo.

12 Stones has all of the raw energy, but they go beyond hot rods and hot chicks. That’s why even though they may not break a lot of new musical ground, I’ll keep listening.

Thanks to 12 Stones and Wind-up Records for the review CD.

Speaking of Having No Business Reviewing Heavy Metal. . .
After unearthing my high school newspaper article about Tony Powers, I decided to also check out my music reviews. I have no idea why I wrote about heavy metal—except for the fact that we needed to have a broad range of reviews. Enjoy my silly attempts at understanding these albums.

Cued Up: The Razor’s Edge by AC/DC
I was on the edge of my seat as the first chords became apparent. I was waiting for the thunder of AC/DC to strike me, but all that was there was just another heavy-rock beat song with its only uniqueness in the strange voice over it all. Brian Johnson’s voice has seen many years of abuse, and now on AC/DC’s latest album, The Razor’s Edge, it has begun to sound like a talking distorted guitar. With an uneventful ending of the first song on the album, “Thunderstruck,” the next song takes off with a faster beat which may be the thunder the first song spoke of in its chanting chorus. I waited, but still this song was not taking off with the energy I expected.

Then the album gives way to “Money Talks,” a good rocking song, but the potential of this album died right there. The song “Mistress for Christmas” seems almost sacrireligious, and after this, AC/DC is no longer blessed with anymore tuneful songs from The Razor’s Edge. Words of wisdom: Being stabbed by a dull knife is a slow, painful death.

Cued Up: Recycler by ZZ Top
Still going strong after their 1970’s beginning, ZZ Top recycles their old sounds in their latest album, Recycler. Even though each song seems to be a bit repetitive, the guitar sound is still more creative than some of the redundant rhythms coming from the techno-dance crowd. The second song, “Love Thing,” saves itself from this trap by adding breaks and different drum fills. Following the long flow of their beards, ZZ Top has that confident, consistent guitar sound that never lacks energy and drive.