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REVIEWS: |
MCM:1900 'HARD TIMES' (LION
MUSIC)
Alex Masi - Guitar, Randy Coven - Bass and
John Macaluso - Drums are 3 well-respected musicians whom
together have played on many records, always showing their high
quality musicianship. Recently they played a bunch of live shows
throughout the USA and Central America, which were recorded and
now currently the best moments have been released as a live CD
through LION MUSIC. What we get to hear is musicianship of a
very high level, with as ALEX MASI comments, "The only written,
composed parts are pretty obvious, most intros, some outros and
occasionally some bit in the middle but each piece include at
least 80% of improvisation". In other words, this is something
for the instrumental (prog) fans to check out asap, because
there is so much diversity to be heard in here. Definitely a
must-have if you're a fan of one (or all) of these musicians.
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
Strutter
Zine, Netherlands
M.C.M - 1900:
Hard Times
Lion Music
Rating - 8/10
Review Al Hey
www.hardrockhouse.com
The band M.C.M is made up
of three of the worlds most respected and exciting musicians:
Alex Masi (guitars), John Macaluso (drums) and Randy Coven (bass).
If you are a practicing musician the thought of a recording
featuring these three musical masters just “going for it”
will probably have you positively salivating at the mouth.
“1900: Hard Times” is a
live album featuring twelve tracks recorded at different
shows throughout the USA and Central America. The album
could best be described as spontaneous theme elaboration
done on the spot. To get a grip on what this means it’s
worth quoting Alex Masi who says of the music “The only
written, composed parts are pretty obvious, most intros,
some outros and occasionally some bit in the middle, but
each piece includes at least 80% of improvisation”.
Another description comes
from John Macaluso who says, “M.C.M gives us an outlet for
our need to let go of all the do’s and don’ts associated
with the life of a professional musician. Sometimes the
level of synchronicity among us is downright mysterious…when
it happens it feels like something else is moving our hands
and fingers and all we have to do is get it out in our own
way and let things happen”.
Randy Coven also comments
“It’s absolute freedom from pre-fabricated structures and
disregard of general experiences and that’s exactly where we
are in M.C.M, listen with your mind wide open”.
From the opening track
“(1900) Hard Times” right to the final dying notes of “For
Every Colour You Know” this release is a thrill ride of
dazzling licks, melodies, rhythms, musical interplay and
creative vision. In fact it’s a mind blowing tour de force
of instrumental music played on the edge with musical ideas
being born right they’re in front of ones ears.
Stylistically the band
cover lots of ground, which is what one would expect in
heavy fusion music of this nature, but the sheer quantity of
moods and vibes on offer will knock “open eared “ listeners
for six. The songs are a melting pot of jazz, heavy rock,
Hindu, qawwali, drum n bass, carnatic and funk influences.
Believe me when I say there are even more ingredients if one
listens closely. The amazing thing is that each musician
seems to just inject these flavours at will, not self
consciously, but in a way that feels instinctive and natural.
The music at times is almost spiritual as chords hover in
and out and guitar lines are looped with heavy doses of
reverb and delay around which each player dances in and out
of the limelight. The music never sounds like one player is
the feature or focus of a song, instead the band have
accomplished the ultimate statement by sounding like one
cohesive unit.
For anyone struggling to
get their head round what this music sounds like I would say
imagine a huge jam session featuring Shawn Lane, Eric
Johnson, John McLaughlin and of course Alex Masi and you
will start to tap into the vibe. I am a huge fan of the
greatly missed Shawn Lane and for sometime have wondered if
a player would be brave enough to carry on the “spirit” that
was so inherent in his music. Well with this release Alex
has done just that. Anyone familiar with Shawn Lane's live
album will feel very comfortable with M.C.M’s live release
(and believe me when I say that is a huge compliment). For
lovers of guitar led instrumental music played by
individuals who are brave enough to musically “fall down
the stairs and land on their feet” this album is essential
listening.
L
Track Listing
(1900) Hard Times
Raw Extremities
River Offering
Emergency Poncho
Mutual Assured Distraction
The Ground Above
Them Ain't Us
30 Seconds Over Your Land
Esse'n'Emme
Unmatched Fragment
House of Deviants
For Every Color You Know
Line Up
Alex Masi – Guitar,
Loops.
Randy Coven - Bass
John Macaluso - Drums
MCM's Ritual
Factory featuring . . .
Alex Masi, Randy Coven & John
Macaluso
Hmm, echoes of Ohm, shades of Lane & Hellborg interplay but leaning
more mulit-ethnic-flavored instrumental rock with plenty of unique
fusion roads traveled and lotsa atmospherix. Masi is way into a
fusion thing and heavy like Chris Poland. This is the best Masi I
have heard being consistently "on target" in my heavy-fusion-axe
brain-maze. This is inspired stuff and not your typical shredfest and
whankery exposed. And all this in just the first 5 tracks!
Now about tracks 6-11 to see if they keep burning or crash
and burn-out . . . Well now, this is really good stuff, with track 7 having
Masi sounding very, very Shawn Lane! This CD made it through all 11 tracks
and still gets an EER-MUSIC.com fusion-axe junkie, know-it-all, no brag just
fact, no-filler, two thumbs up! Masi et al really tear it up nicely funked,
fused, fired up and fun rock! MCM, do this again and invite Derek Sherinian,
Lale Larson, and or Jens Johanssen to do fusion keys on your next release.
Thanks for the pleasure -- your fusion formula has worked perfectly.
~John W. Patterson, Editor
www.eer-music.com
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MCM: Ritual
Factory
Lion
Music has been churning out some
gems lately, and this debut from
MCM is no exception. Sort of a "shredder
supergroup", the project
involves guitarist Alex Masi,
Randy Coven (Steve Vai/Yngwie
Malmsteen/Leslie West) on bass,
and drummer John Macaluso (TNT/Riot/Yngwie
Malmsteen.) Together, the three
virtuosos create highly complex
music that fuses hard rock,
metal, classical, jazz, prog
rock, and funk, into a stormy
maelstrom of sounds that
surprisingly has lots of groove
and melody, regardless of the
intricate nature of the
individual songs.
Hearing Alex Masi ripping
some tasty jazz runs a-la Mike
Stern on the scorching title
track was a pleasant surprise,
and the bands cover of the
Weather Report classic "Black
Market" is spot on, with Coven
really hitting home on the
pulsating Jaco Pastorius bass
lines. "Red Quantum" is a metal
shred fest from hell, featuring
scorching solos and molten
rhythms, while "The Whole Life"
is highlighted by chunky guitar
riffs, blinding solos, and
acrobatic bass fills. Perhaps
one of the most creative tunes
here though is "Sadhu's Jewel" ,
a piece that features Indian
rhythms (check out Macaluso's
wonderful drum & percussion work),
popping bass grooves, and neat
sitar-like guitar passages from
Masi. Funk-meets-metal on the
bluesy "Brozo", while the band
goes for a progressive jazz vibe
on "Dream of Little Ground
Fire."
So if it sounds like this CD
surpised the hell out of me, it
did. More so than anthing, I was
extremely happy to hear Masi get
funky and kick up the jazz licks
a bit after all the
neo-classical stuff he has done
the last few years. The one
minor complaint I have is the
drum sound of Macaluso on some
of the songs, as he sounds very
tinny in spots, which is
something that probably could
have been cleaned up in
production. Other than that this
is a very enjoyable instrumental
fusion release, and I'll be
looking forward to more from
this formidable trio.
Track Listing
1) Ritual Factory
2) The Whole Life
3) Sadhu's Jewel
4) Ghost in My House
5) Dream of Little Ground Fire
6) Brozo
7) Dead Monkey Road
8) Black Market
9) Ray-Gun
10) Landings
11) Red Quantum
Added: May 24th 2004
Reviewer:
Pete Pardo
www.seaoftranqulity.org
Score:
MCM -
RITUAL FACTORY (A-) Lion
Music, 2004
11 tracks, RT: 56:36
[
http://www.alexmasi.net/ ]
[
http://www.randycovensite.com/ ]
[
http://www.johnmacaluso.com/ ]
[
http://www.lionmusic.com/ ]
MCM is a fusion supergroup
consisting of Alex Masi, Randy Coven
and
John Macaluso and what a stunning
debut they have released!
Instrumental CDs are often difficult
to keep interesting but MCM pull
it off with precision and finesse,
unleashing one of the best jazz-
rock fusion CDs in recent memory.
Imagine a cross between Al Di Meola,
Shawn Lane and Mahavishnu Orchestra
and you get some idea of the
impressive nature of the music
contained within; more than enough
ripping guitar to keep shred lovers
happy, with complex yet accessible
arrangements sure to put a smile on
the face of fusion connoisseurs
and discerning fans of instrumental
hard rock and metal. Just crank up
opener "Ritual Factory" for a blast
of improvisational virtuosity,
"Ghost In My House" for some
otherworldly atmospherics, "Dead
Monkey
Road" for an example of extreme
shred (by each instrument), and the
excellent cover of Weather Report's
"Black Market." John Macaluso is
incredibly fast, tight and right
in-the-pocket with his drumming,
Randy Coven is playing bass in a
manner that would make Jaco
Pastorius
and Stanley Clarke proud, and of
course Alex Masi is just on fire all
the way through. The only
shortcoming is the drum sound, which
is a
bit too raspy in places, but this is
a minor complaint. Even if you
don't consider yourself a fusion
fan, do yourself a favor and check
into this. Exceptional. - Neal
Woodall (MysticX10@msn.com)
=====
Detritus Rock/Metal e-zine
"Rock Hard With A Purpose"
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/detritus/
MCM - RITUAL FACTORY (Lion Music)
"Ritual Factory" is a jazzy/melodic/progressive
guitar record put together by Alex Masi, Randy Coven, John Macaulso
(MCM), an almost supergroup style project if you will and very good it
is too if your a fan of the guitar genre. The title of the album gives
away how the album sounds which is indeed like a ritual of musical jams,
it offers nothing that hasn't been done before but it is a good record that
shows a variety of ear pleasing styles that will take you a few spins to
fully appreciate as there is lots of music going down that you need to
play a few times to capture. It shows that the team work here between
Masi, Coven and Macaulso is one driven by passion rather than a trip of
egos, these guys have been around long enough and have gone way past the
egotistic phases and today its about feeling and creating their hearts
desire which shows throughout the album that opens up with the title
track 'Ritual Factory', this is jazzy and smokes, the bass playing is
typical of Coven's style whilst Masi pours out some of the best guitar
playing I have heard from the man in ages, the vibe is that of a jam but
it works very well. 'The Whole Life' is quite strange and progressive,
experimental stuff, it eventually gets into you and is a very cool
enjoyable track, it grows the more you play it and the playing is
superb, what I like about it is that it is genuine, it's not music
played to show off the styles of each individuals music, and even though
it does the important factors is that the music is genuine and played
with tons of feeling, a truly great instrumental jam.
'Sadhu's Jewel' is experimental and jazzy
with different forms of inspiration in the music, I'm reminding of Joe
Satriani's "Joe Satriani" album with this track which is just really
cool, I guess you have to be pretty open minded to enjoy the feel of
this track as it can be quite strange, but that's why I love it. 'Ghost
In My House' is where we hear some killer bass work from Coven, again
this smokey and jazzy but also quite melodic as Masi rips up the frets
where he needs to, good track.
'Dream Of Little Ground Fire' rolls in and
is the kinds of track you would find either Frank Gambale, Eric
Johnson or Steve Vai performing. Even better is the catchy Eric
Johnsonish 'Brozo' this is a faster track with cool funky vibes, there's
fantastic playing throughout this track. 'Dead Minkey Road' is another
heavier track, this is really catchy and experimental, very Steve Vai
aka "The Reaper". 'Black Market' is groovy, jazzy and melodic whereas
'Ray-Gun' just rips and is my favourite track, its funky, groovy and
really catchy with expert playing from all the cast, great stuff.
'Landing's' is progressive based, again this is quite melodic and dreamy
and is another favourite track, I love the weird guitar styles. Last
track 'Red Quantum' is also really cool with killer fast bass work from
Coven, its a very classy experimental track with ripping shredding from
Masi and very experimental vibes going down as the track builds, buts
its Coven's intense bass slabs that steals the shows on this track. This is an enjoyable record full of great
playing that any fan of the guitar genre will enjoy, it will be
interesting to see where this "supergroup" goes in the future as its
obvious that they enjoyed their team work.
Nicky Baldrian
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MCM – 1900: Hard
Times
2007 Lion
Music
1900:
Hard Times
is an album
that defines
how
spontaneous
musicianship
should be
played out,
and who
better than
Alex Masi
(guitar),
Randy Coven
(bass), and
John
Macaluso
(drums) to
flex their
chops
throughout
these
various live
performances.
This is how
it’s done,
musically
impulsive,
yet played
out with a
tight
groove,
performing
steadfast
compositions
that are
energetic,
raw, and
even
aggressive
at times.
1900:
Hard Times
redefines
the term
fusion metal
in its power
trio format;
for which,
thankfully,
there is no
campyness,
no
avant-garde
orientation,
or
experimentation
for that
matter –
this is a
balls-to-the-wall,
hard
driving, &
heavy
hitting
record. Sure
there are
jazz tinged
cuts
(“Unmatched
Fragment” &
“Them Ain’t
Us),
Satriani-esque
tracks
(“River
Offering” &
“The Ground
Above”), all
out metallic
jam sessions
(“Mutual
Assured
Destruction”
& the title
Track), and
blues
numbers (the
SRV tinged
“House of
Deviants”),
but these
guys keep
hard edged
musical
prowess
straightforward,
diversifying
their
melodic
approaches
wherever
necessary,
letting each
other shine
on their own
throughout
1900:
Hard Times.
This is a
record for
guitarists,
bassists,
and drummers
to enjoy
(well, all
musicians,
of course),
for which
Masi, Coven,
& Macaluso
share the
spotlight
here.
Added:
December 15th
2007
Reviewer:
Tommy Hash
www.ytsejam.com
Score:
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MCM / Ritual Factory / Lion
Music
by:
DAN SKIBA
www.metalexpress.com
MCM is the acronym for Alex Masi on guitar,
Randy Coven (Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen) on bass
guitar, and John Macaluso (TNT, Yngwie Malmsteen,
Riot) on drums. Together, they’ve put together 11 tracks
for the instrumental album entitled Ritual Factory,
released via Lion Music.
MCM has taken on an interesting style, which
essentially is a version of the old 1970’s Krautrock
genre, with the benefit of modern production technology.
For those who may not have had the privilege of being
exposed to music of the Krautrock era, a more current
description, in genre terms, would be a mixture of
Instrumental Metal (e.g., Joe Satriani) and
Guitar-Orientated Jazz (e.g., Pat Metheny). The musical
jams are often “way out there” as far as structure and
rhythm are concerned, and there’s plenty of sections
within most of the songs where each instrument just sort
of “takes off” at a fast pace and proceeds to go haywire.
The biggest drawback from the Krautrock era was the
“musical wadding” thrown into many of the recordings,
which made it difficult to keep your attention focused
on the music for extended periods of time when listening
to an entire album. Unfortunately, the same is
essentially the case with Ritual Factory. The
musicianship is generally excellent, but the songs
simply lack focus. Also, instrumental albums NEED to
tell a story or create a “feel” via the music to truly
be successful. There are plenty of cool song titles
within this CD, like the title track “Ritual Factory,”
“Dead Monkey Road,” and “Ghost In My House,” but it’s
awfully hard to get relevant ambiance from any of these
tracks as one might expect (or at least hope).
The production quality is also a bit skittish, with
the drums generally sounding great, except for the snare
drum, which is hollow and distant in sound, yet
over-amplified, giving the percussion an awkward feel
compared to the guitar and bass guitar. On the positive
side, Coven plays some really impressive bass riffs and
fills, especially when the music turns towards the
“haywire” variety noted above, and Masi shows his
diversity once again by delving into yet another musical
style (Masi has also recently released a
guitar-instrumental of several Mozart classics).
All in all, Ritual Factory is a good listen if
you’re conducting a “progressive” party of sorts, and
want to highlight the alternative nature of the event
with a relatively obscure musical style with solid
musicianship. As background conversational music for
that type of event, this CD would likely fill the role
admirably. Barring conducting festivities of the
progressive ilk, Ritual Factory likely won’t
float the boat for most Metalheadz …
REPORT CARD:
Guitars: B+
Bass: A-
Percussion: C+
Recording Quality: C
Originality: A
Overall Rating: C-
Release Date: 2nd Quarter 2004
Web Site: http://www.lionmusic.com
MCM - 1900 - HARD TIMES (A-) Lion Music,
2007
12 tracks, RT: 56:50
[
http://www.alexmasi.net/ ]
[
http://www.johnmacaluso.com/ ]
[
http://www.randycovensite.com/ ]
[
http://www.myspace.com/thealexmasiallaudiopage
]
[
http://www.myspace.com/johnmacaluso1 ]
[
http://www.myspace.com/alexmasi ]
[
http://www.myspace.com/randycoven ]
[
http://www.lionmusic.com/ ]
[
http://www.myspace.com/lionmusiclabel ]
Here's one for the heavy fusion fan on your
Christmas list: MCM, that
electrifying trio consisting of Alex Masi, Randy
Coven and John
Macaluso, have released one of the best fusion
albums of the year in
1900 - HARD TIMES. Now I know what's mesmerizing
to one is meandering
to another -- and this collection of largely
improvised live tunes is
not going to sit well on everyone's ears -- but
for those who love high
level musicianship played extemporaneously, this
one is sure to do the
trick. Check out the opening title track for a
teaser of what's to
come, all three of these accomplished artists
locking in for an eerie
excursion suggesting that some kind of
astonishing telepathy must be
responsible. Alex has asserted that 80% of the
album is improvised,
which is an incredible feat for any musician,
but these guys not only
make it up on the spot but manage to inject
interesting passages
frequently, keeping the listener's attention on
such pieces as the
heavy metal flavored "Raw Extremities," swingin'
groove-based workout
"Emergency Poncho," technical overdose marvel
"The Ground Above," and
'70s jam meets shred rocker "House Of Deviants."
MCM also know how to
back off effectively at times, ramping down the
intensity (just a bit)
on "30 Seconds Over Your Land." John Macaluso's
performance is as tight
and intuitive as it gets, with captivating fills
jumping out at you in
unexpected places. Randy Coven really comes into
his own here as well,
delivering what may be his most realized work on
record, a good example
being his turn on "Them Ain't Us." What can you
say about Alex Masi?
The guy's a certified guitar god, his extreme
picking and intervallic
runs soaring over the rhythmic complexities.
Often reminiscent of Shawn
Lane's collaborations with Jonas Hellborg and
Jeff Sipe, make no
mistake -- 1900 - HARD TIMES kills. Get it and
get slain.
- Neal Woodall (MysticX9@gmail.com)
Detritus Rock/Metal e-zine
"Rock Hard With A Purpose"
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Detritus/
http://www.myspace.com/detritusezine |
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