Matt Hall is a lucky dude, no doubt. The former military pilot had a water touch down during Redbull Air Race qualifying sessions on the Detroit river. Matt survived unharmed but the aircraft was damaged when the right wing and landing gear touched the water. In a post flight interview Matt stated that the right aileron was split but no major structural damage was done to the aircraft.

From http://www.redbullairrace.com

“Yoshi Muroya suffered a DNS due to his race plane being damaged earlier in the week and a suitable replacement unable to make it in time for the final training session on Friday. The Japanese team’s efforts to salvage something in Windsor were unfortunately in vain and Muroya could only watch the action from the ground during Qualifying.”

Soundgarden has maintained a special place in my musical heart for many years. I first discovered them while playing video games as a pre-teen in the mid 90’s. The Sony Playstation was the cream of the crop at the time and it wowed me for one simple fact, the CD quality audio. The switch from cartridge based games lurched my fragile mind into the multimedia orgy we are all familiar with today. Games now included quality music production and snazzy cinematic cut scenes in broadcast quality (the standard at the time). Bare with me, this was a time when most people still played cassette tapes and preferred them to the rather fragile compact disc. High definition anything was years into the future and videogames were still for “kids”.

My favorite game at the time was “Road Rash”. It was a brutal game of illegal motorcycle racing in which billy clubs and towing chains are used to persuade other riders to let you pass. The game provided hours of fun in itself, but i found myself engrossed in the music. Soundgarden , Swervedriver and Paw all had songs and videos on the ingame jukebox. Every since then i have been hooked on rock music in general but especially Soundgarden.

The original lineup from 1997 is still intact and sounds great. Matt Cameron is taking time away from Pearl jam to thrash with his old band mates. It remains in question if Matt will be around for any future album plans with SG while currently under obligation to Pearl Jam. Lead singer and guitarist
Chris Cornell has also remained fresh in the scene with a recent collaboration with hip-hop producer Timbaland. Bassist Ben Shepherd and lead guitarist Kim Thayil have remain active over the years, although with less pop chart attention.

“Below The Belt” is scheduled to drop sometime in mid May. The album was produced by Matt DeMatteo, who also produced We Sweat Blood and Sleep Is The Enemy.

The first single “Full Of Regret” is what i have come to expect from the group. Hard riffs and stories of heartbreak are the cornerstones of past albums. This album will probably ooze that exact same machismo. This is good or bad, depending on how “into” the band you are. I personally tolerate it because i appreciate the music and i know they produce consistant work.

I just hope they don’t fall the way of Rage Against The Machine. A great band that decided they would produce one album and sell it under different names for about seven years. Then decided to change the formula so late in the game….. no one cared.

The Deftones have never truly disappointed me over the years. The White Pony album stood as there best work until Saturday Night Wrist dropped  in 2006. The band has seemed to ride the fine line between unapproachable underground metal and popish mainstream rock drivel. The songs are catchy, well arranged and usually have enough bite to make the casual rock listener slightly uncomfortable. As my ex would say, “i like your style of music until you put on all that stuff with the screaming”.

I am in the process of reviewing the album in which i will return with a track by track overview