Post-Tour Conversation with Jason Decay of Cauldron

Cauldron recently returned to their Toronto homeland, fresh from a month and a half long US tour with Virginia thrash provokers Municipal Waste. ACRN had the opportunity to chat with bassist and frontman Jason Decay about the current position of Cauldron in the metal world.

ACRN: Is it safe to say that Cauldron is what Goat Horn would have continued to do when you guys broke up, or did this allow you to take a different direction?

Jason Decay: Well as far as I’m concerned, we continued on with what Goat Horn was doing. But I think Ian brought a new element to the band, you know – his certain style of guitar playing, which is, I guess, more proficient. And it shows in the sound, but a couple of those songs were written back in the Goat Horn days and sort of never made it to the light of day.

Click here to read the rest of the interview. This article was published in ACRN.com on December 15, 2009.
Photo provided by the band's Myspace.

Album review: Lady Gaga "The Fame Monster"

Lady Gaga fascinates me. She has grown from what many initially perceived as a short-term pop star to the epitome of what a singer of pop should be. I was once a naysayer, thought of her as obnoxious, and lashed out at her - particularly at "Love Game" for being such a shallow song (though that's still the least listenable Gaga track in my opinion). But then "Paparazzi" grasped my attention and this 8-song released had me bowing down. I hope Gaga can forgive me for under-looking her ability to create and be a masterpiece.

In The Fame Monster she presents these fears in a conceptual format where each song represents a topic of fear (sex, death, addiction, etc.) almost as a paranoia adaptation to the seven deadly sins. With an exception to “Speechless,” each song is packaged within a broody, gothic techno-medley of sorts – some ironically uplifting, some haunting – to represent this mental turmoil between the soul and its outside enemies. Although drenched in some level of darkness, they are all equally danceable – but isn’t that sad that we’re dancing through the sound waves of her personal struggles?

Click here to read the rest of the review. This was published in ACRN.com on December 2, 2009.
Photo provided by Interscope records

Album review: Amish Electric Chair "Straight. No Chaser"

These five songs are more polished than your average punk tunes, and kudos to the band for composition. But as far as personal impact, it’s nowhere near groundbreaking. The constant style similarities to some of the biggest punk bands reminded me to revisit well-recognized tracks from The Bouncing Souls and Anti-Flag, instead of putting Straight. No Chaser for a second spin. But for big fans of anything Fat Wreck Chords and Epitaph puts out, this is the record for you.

Click here to read the rest of the review. This was published on ACRN.com on December 2, 2009.
Photo provided by the band's Myspace.