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Probot cd corupts young minds

by: Les Lewellyn

When Dave Grohl joined Nirvana in 1990 I bet he didn't have a clue that he would go on to such a great career with the Foo Fighters and his latest groundbreaking side-project Probot. While the music is heavy metal, been there and done that, Dave Grohl has managed to put his own original twist on the genre. He gets lots of help from some very cool and famous vocalists including Lemmy from Motorhead and Max Cavalera from Soulfly and Sepultura. You might think these dudes are dinosaurs but it's quite obvious these old cats are still rocking out much harder than the crap on commercial radio!
Also joining the cast is Mike Dean from Corrosion of Comformity, Cronos from Venom, Kurt Brecht from D.R.I., Lee Dorrian from Napalm Death, Wino from the Hidden Hand, Tom G. Warrior form Celtic Frost, Snake from Voivod, Eric Wagner from Trouble and King Diamond from Mercyful Fate. Dave Grohl wrote and performed most of the music and the vocalists all wrote their own lyrics, sing, and in some cases play their respective instruments. Dave does join in occasionally on backup vocals and some of the vocalists helped write the music.
This year has been an unbelievable year for the resurrection of rock in a dead industry climate. Dave Grohl has produced a near perfect cd. I've listen to it almost daily since I purchased it and I do not grow tired of it. The production is top notch and each vocalist, some whom I wasn't a fan of until now, does a fantastic job singing their timely lyrics! The subject matter is war, hate, love, religion to name a few topics and the lyrics could not be much better. I totally recommend you buy this cd.
As a result of listening to Probot it sparked a interest in the music of some of the singers on the cd. I'd never heard of Soulfly..I know, that sounds lame, but it's true. If Dave Grohl had not put Max Cavalera on the Probot cd I'd had never known what a excellent band he has as a side project. If you visit the Soulfly site online you will learn that Max puts together a different band for each cd released. The ensemble he's put together for "Prophecy" is simply fantastic. The genres crossed on this cd are blended together seemlessly into one frontal lobe assault that never gets boring. My favorite song on the cd is "Moses". It's a reggae meets metal tune that sounds refreshing! The cd is very heavy but if you dig hard rock you will love it. I will warn you that it does have a religious overtone...but with a name like Soulfly that is not suprising. I deciphered the name and realized I should have known before I purchased it. However Max has put together a very spiritual cd that even if I had known I still would have bought it.
I had definitely heard of Motorhead but honestly thought they had split up. When I heard Lemmy sing on "Shake Your Blood" I realized how much I missed their sound! I visited their official site and learned they had a brand new cd release entitled "Inferno". The title should give you a clue of what to expect. This is the best Motorhead has ever sounded. It's flawless metal that doesn't sound dated or fake. Joining Lemmy are both original members Philip Campbell on Guitars and backing Vocals. Mikkey Dee pounds the drums like a maniac and is one of the best drummers in rock today. Also joining in on two tracks, "Terminal Show" and "Down On Me" is the virtuoso guitarist Mr. Steve Vai. Steve sounds like a member of the band and never overdoes his fantastic guitar licks! He keeps it toned down to where he sounds as if he belongs in Motorhead and the band sounds comfortable jamming with him. This is not the Steve Vai you are used to.
Ironically, while Steve Vai does a great job, Philip Cambell steals the show! His guitar playing is awesome. Tracks that really stand out are "In the Year of the Wolf", "Smiling Like a Killer", and the acoustic harp blues tune "Whorehouse Blues". If you thought rock was dead and your heart was breaking then I suggest you put all three of these cds in your collection. You'll find that rock is alive and well!

About the author:
Les Lewellyn has published music related articles both online and offline. You can find more of his work on his website

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