Saturday
Mar262016
Toxicrose Release 'World Of Confusion' Video
Saturday, March 26, 2016 at 12:01AM
Toxicrose is a Swedish band. They are a cross between glam, sleaze and straight metal. I certainly would not put them in the clear glam lane. I wanted to share their video for "World Of Confusion" because of the optics: if you squint really hard, you'll think you're watching Shout! era Motley Crue. The costumes, the fire and the video are pretty good. I'm on the fence about the music.
Reader Comments (13)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjeM6pxImhQ
Love how 80's imagery is alive and well somewhere. Crazy spikes and leather too.
Gave the tune 40 seconds then quit.
If only we could get the right chemistry and vibe from the 80's. With all the GnR crap in news I've been thinking of them breaking nationally in '86/'87. They may have killed the prototypical "hair" genre more than grunge. I know Axl teased his hair etc, but they really changed the landscape from Jovi, Ratt, Crüe imagery to something they couldn't even hold on to because if they did most of the band would be dead today; they were so combustible and dangerous. That's why (I know I'll get slammed for this) even Illusion stuff is two steps down IMO from all material earlier.
I love European metal, especially Power Metal these days. Never heard of these guys before but I like them. I've been introduced to a lot of bands and artists over the last year from Germany, Sweden, Finland and Norway mostly, and can say I haven't bought so many new albums in one year that I've loved, maybe ever.
Glad I looked outside North America. There is so much great music across the pond.
I agree with you, Kix Chix and Bob regarding G'nR, however, try this -- Pick 10 to 15 of your favorite songs from "Use Your Illusion" and it makes for a pretty convincing 2nd album. Here's what I picked, including 2 cuts from "Gn'R Lies" figuring they could have blown off putting it out, instead adding those 2 cuts to create "Use Your Illusion" as a single disc.
The result would have been a more impactful sophomore effort of artistic integrity. Yes, I'm sure they made a mint with the double CD scheme, but this would have been more about making a statement rather than reducing it to a marketing stunt.
"Use Your Illusion"
1) "You Could Be Mine"
2) "Right Next Door to Hell"
3) "Pretty Tied Up (The Perils of Rock N' Roll Decadence"
4) "Yesterdays"
5) "Don't Cry"
6) "Back off Bitch"
7) "Double Talkin' Jive"
8) "Estranged"
9) "Used to Love Her"
10) "Bad Obsession"
11) "Don't Damn Me"
12) "Perfect Crime"
13) "Get in the Ring"
14) "Patience"
As you can see I left off a lot of crap, the most glaring omission being the overblown "November Rain", which I used to joke was the reason Izzy quit. However, one man's trash is another man's treasure, so it will be interesting to see how track lists for a single "Use Your Illusion" might differ should anyone else care to play.
Also, you'll notice I've got "Patience" closing out the album, my theory being any band wanting to imply they're the biggest thing to ever hit the planet would save the #1 hit single for last.
Great video. Great imagery. Flat music with grandma smashing pots together in the background. I was waiting for Tommy Lee to walk in and spit out some rice! The singer sounds like he would be a better fit with a much more straight-ahead melodic act, even if he looks like Nikki and Blackie had a lovechild. Nice to see 1980s Eric Brittingham playing the drums. But he looks angry and overly pancaked.
---------------------------
Second Part:
Awesome "what if" game, Metalboy! And a logical reply to Bob's understandable position.
Yup, Bob, GnR got a wee bit bloated and full of themselves (insert jokes here). But they still had some great music in them after that first album (as you do acknowledge, to be fair). I don't think every fan was just buying it because it had GnR on the cover. And nice shout out to Angry Anderson and the fellows too! Wouldn't he be a hoot stepping in to fill the vox slot for AC/DC? While I agree that cover isn't a stellar one, I still think their cover of "Hair of the Dog" is fabulous, capturing most of the spirit of the original (which has such a funny backstory to boot!).
There are even gems amidst the rubble of Chinese Democracy, gems that clearly point to the interests and influences that Axl was bring to the fore on UYI I&II. They aren't to everyone's tastes, granted. But he does have a gift with the soupy stuff that trends towards Elton John pomp and bombast (which has its place in rock: see Queen, Meatloaf, etc.).
For me the litmus test with GnR and what came after is this: has anything been mounted individually or with others that equals what they were able to create collectively? Not really. Slash seems rudderless to me, having fun and putting out music that speaks to him and his fans (no offense). But it is missing something. Izzy had some moments with the JuJus; but, again, that is him chasing his muse on his terms. VR just struck me as being another in a series of poor choices, a slightly more interesting version of the Audioslave formula: put two things together and see if it works. And it did, but just sorta'.
I won't say that Axl was the essential element. Nor will I push too hard on the combustible energy that Slash and Axl created. Because there was Duff, and Adler (then Sorum), and most importantly Izzy. It is that sum of the parts thing I think. That said, Axl is one of those front-men that can lead an audience (even still) and capture them. He does have LSD. But he deserves some of the prestige he demands.
This new tour will be a test of what they can do together. When I saw them in Vegas (GnR as it was then, not now), I saw Axl and Duff on stage. So I only missed out on seeing Slash. And I thought it was great. Add that extra element and I wonder how much better it will be. I really don't know. I just hope people have fun at the show and hope, as I did in Vegas, for nothing more or less than a great time.