February 26, 2016

Published February 26, 2016 by all-music records with 0 comment

Probot - Probot (2004)

Probot was a heavy metal side project of ex-Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters rhythm guitarist and lead-singer Dave Grohl. Described by Grohl as "a death metal Supernatural", the album mixes instrumentals recorded by Grohl himself with various metal singers which the musician admired.

If you had to summarize drummer Dave Grohl's impact with only two words, they would be "grunge" and "alternative." Grohl played alongside the late Kurt Cobain in the grunge powerhouse Nirvana -- whose impact was truly enormous -- and he continued in a grunge-minded direction after forming the Foo Fighters in 1995.
The word "metal," however, doesn't immediately come to mind when Grohl's '90s contributions are discussed; while Nirvana and the Foo Fighters both had metal influences, they weren't metal bands in the strict sense -- they were more hard rock than metal.
Of course, there has often been a fine line between metal and hard rock, which are closely related even though they aren't exactly the same -- and given Grohl's fondness for metal, a straight-up metal project like Probot was long overdue. This CD is neither grunge nor post-grunge; a definite departure from Nirvana and the Foo Fighters, Probot is metal all the way and features well-known headbanger vocalists like King Diamond, Max Cavalera (of Sepultura and Soulfly fame), and Motörhead's Lemmy Kilmister. Grohl's idea was to feature different metalheads he has long admired, and by doing so, he ends up traveling all over the metal map.
The drummer's affection for thrash is evident when he joins forces with Kilmister on "Shake Your Blood" and Cronos (of Venom fame) on "Centuries of Sin"; meanwhile, Corrosion of Conformity icon Mike Dean's inspired performance on "Access Babylon" takes the album into hardcore territory. Equally memorable are "Red War" (the ferocious, Sepultura-like alt-metal offering that features Cavalera) and "Sweet Dreams," which features Diamond but is closer to the Black Sabbath worship of stoner rock than the Judas Priest-minded power metal that Diamond was known for in his '80s/early-'90s heyday.
And whatever the style of metal that he is embracing, Grohl's drumming is passionate throughout this fine album, which is as rewarding as it is unpredictable.

Track listing

01. "Centuries of Sin"  - 4:09
      (feat. Cronos of Venom)
02. "Red War"  - 3:30
      (feat. Max Cavalera of Sepultura)
03. "Shake Your Blood"  - 2:59
      (feat. Lemmy of Motörhead)
04. "Access Babylon"  - 1:24
      (feat. Mike Dean of Corrosion of Conformity)
05. "Silent Spring"  - 3:28
      (feat. Kurt Brecht of Dirty Rotten Imbeciles)
06. "Ice Cold Man"  - 5:53
      (feat. Lee Dorrian of Cathedral and Napalm Death, and Kim Thayil of Soundgarden)
07. "The Emerald Law" - 5:33
      (feat. Wino of Saint Vitus and The Obsessed)
08. "Big Sky"  - 4:51
      (feat. Tom G. Warrior of Celtic Frost)
09. "Dictatosaurus"  - 3:52
      (feat. Snake of Voivod)
10. "My Tortured Soul"  - 5:00
      (feat. Eric Wagner of Trouble)
11. "Sweet Dreams"  - 5:23
      (feat. King Diamond of King Diamond and Mercyful Fate, and Kim Thayil of Soundgarden)
12. "I Am the Warlock"  - 3:04
      (feat. Jack Black of Tenacious D) (hidden track)

Credits
Dave Grohl - lead guitar, drums, bass, lead vocals
Kim Thayil - additional guitar
Cronos - lead vocals, bass
Max Cavalera - lead vocals
Lemmy - lead vocals, bass
Mike Dean - lead vocals
Kurt Brecht - lead vocals
Lee Dorrian - lead vocals
Scott "Wino" Weinrich - lead vocals, guitar
Tom G. Warrior - lead vocals
Denis "Snake" Bélanger - lead vocals
Eric Wagner - lead vocals
King Diamond - lead vocals
Jack Black - lead vocals, guitar (hidden track)
Bubba Dupree (Void) - guitar
Erol Unala (Apollyon Sun, Celtic Frost) - guitar
Matt Sweeney - additional guitar
Stephen O'Malley - Design
Michel "Away" Langevin - Cover Art

Companies, etc.
Licensed To – The Shiny Corp.
Distributed By – Shock Records Pty. Ltd.
Manufactured By – Shock Records Pty. Ltd.
Pressed By – AAV Regency – 63402
Recorded At – Studio 606
Mixed At – Studio 606
Mixed At – Chalice Recording Studios
Mastered At – Bernie Grundman Mastering

Notes
"Sweet Dreams" ends at 5:25, then a hidden track that begins at 8:55.
Released:  February 10, 2004
Recorded At – Grandmaster Recorders 2000-2003
Genre:  Heavy metal, thrash metal, crossover thrash, doom metal
Length: 52:16
© 2004

Label - Southern Lord Records

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