From Carps Mouth

Blue Honey - "Nine Days of Wonder"
This disc opens with an Alice-In-Chains-like stomp on "Lower." Over the next 12 tracks, Blue Honey grooves a hard-rock sound reminiscent of raw AIC, later-day Corrosion of Conformity, and even Skid Row. Straight-up hard rock and the occasional mellow cool-down with no questions asked or second glances for approval. But this Lexington-based band also shows its musicianship throughout its first full-length effort. Chugging guitar riffs balanced with timely solos, a solid bass anchor with elements of funk added for spice, precise and driving percussion, and hyper/melodic vocal hooks make "Nine Days Wonder" a testament to what guitar rock could do if all the mainstream bands would get back to actually writing decent songs. The songs take first priority with Blue Honey. Look for them to gather some national interest in coming months. Check em out at a nearby club, through their website, or download music at MP3.com!		Nine Days of Wonder
Blue Honey C/O Asgard Music Box 24323 Lexington, KY 40524 www.katweb.com/BH www.mp3.com/artists/13/blue_honey.html

Crone - "Psyclone"
Here’s the full-length release we hinted about in GNAP #1. With "Psyclone’s" driving, sludgy onslaught it’s evident why Crone has started to become a familiar face in Cincinnati and a variety of other Midwest cities. After roughly 10 years of musical breeding, Crone stomps, pounds, and growls their way through a 40-minute seething debut. Through all ten tracks the churning guitars, rumbling bass, throaty vocals, and furious drums mix with sampled dialog and sounds to form a consistently original feel. Here also is a rare band that manages to hold fast and proud to its own sound. While undeniably a metal outfit, the three-piece group strives against imitating any of its peers. Crone’s efforts have begun to pay off in the form of tour offers and even backing interest by Internet music oracle MP3.com. Crone is another Lexington-area band poised on the steps up to the national circuit. Grab this CD now and show em love next time they come around.		Psyclone
2259 B Winterberry - Lexington, KY 40504 http://.members.aol.com/CroneHQ http://www.mp3.com/crone
GoneMad - "Planet 9"

So far so good this month! GONEMAD are the only non-area band on the list, hailing from Florida. Fortunately for all of us they played at Top Cat’s in early September and plan to return around the New Year. Meanwhile "Planet 9" is a disc worth keeping on hand. Band after band wants to jump on the hip-hop/metal fusion bandwagon, but GONEMAD uses this style as only one element of its sound. Still heavy and funky, this disc showcases a variety of musical talents. Two- and three-part vocal harmonies are commonplace amongst spit-flying raps and hardcore-style chants. Frenetic and solid drumming reinforces driving guitar work and lockdown-rhythm bass playing. Sometimes the overall sound reminds me of Sevendust’s heavy melody groove. Sometimes its straight NY-style hardcore. And without fail GONEMAD will toss in contrary elements to keep the mix interesting. If you didn’t pick up their CD at Top Cat’s, get it now and prepare for GONEMAD’s return.		Planet 9
P.O. Box 5334 New York, NY 10185 http://www.gonemad.com
MSD – "Priapism"
A new offering from Louisville’s hard music scene, MSD call themselves a "spooky core" band. While they include that Gothic/moody vibe which the likes of Marilyn Manson and Coal Chamber have beaten into a meaningless heap, MSD realizes that they’re much better off staying true to their own likings. The root sound here is hardcore with added keyboard textures. The biggest fault with "Priapism" (if you don’t know what it means…look it up in the dictionary. I don’t see any relevance to their sound, so I won’t comment) is the disc’s production. While not horrible for a home-based effort, the flat sound takes away from the impact MSD want to have. This young but solid band needs to cut its teeth on the gigging circuit then cut a new CD to show what they’re made of. The pieces are here: solid playing and aggressive vocals. With time MSD will hone their songwriting craft. Look for them to make an appearance at Top Cat’s on October 8th with a solid representation of the bands our region has to offer.		Priapism
MSD(502) 241-7612
Jagged Doctrine – "I Wear the Mask"
Chuck at Skunk-A-Riffic suggested I check this band out. It’s always amazing how many Cincinnati bands people never hear of. Jagged Doctrine is a perfect example of solid musicianship gone undiscovered (by me, anyway). As far as the local industrial scene…if there is one…this band is worth a nod. Two people cover all the programming and playing on this disc. All the pieces are covered adequately, though none of it jumps out in my mind. One of the toughest tricks in electronic music is to keep alive an interesting sonic variety. "I Wear the Mask" has some great bits of harder-edge electronica, though by the end of the disc the riffing began to lose its grasp on me. The most unusual side to this band? They’re a Christian-core outfit. Don’t be frightened by this fact as they make their beliefs evident without becoming burdensome as some religiously based acts do. Stop in at Skunk-A-Riffic to check out this CD and other local music.		I Wear the Mask
5824 Lake Circle Dr. Fairfield, OH 45014 http://w3.one.net/~gbaker/jagdoc/
El Gigante – "The Official Guide to Loss"
Did you catch our glowing reviews of the EG demo or their live performances? Now there’s a full-length disc to be had as well. Check out their CD release bash at Sudsy Malone’s on October 23rd. This album is a must-have for anyone who enjoys melody, hooks, and raw power without caving in to pop frivolity. Far and away this disc is my favorite local release in ‘99. I’ve had the "…Guide to Loss" roughly two months and it hasn’t left my home CD rotation unless I’ve taken it with me in the car. Through all eleven songs El Gigante pound, fold, and caress their craft into a superb emo-based sound. This disc has gripping hooks, driving rhythms, and perfectly quotable lyrics that I want to scrawl in notebooks everywhere! Each instrument and element complement the others and keep enough variety in the mix to avoid becoming formulaic. I’ve said it before….check out El Gigante now while they’re relatively easy to spot around Cincinnati. With the release of "The Official Guide to Loss," they won’t stay here long.		The Official Guide to Loss
3869 Isabella Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45209 (513) 631-6432 http://www.El-gigante.com