MCM – Metal Express Radio

MCM (MASI / COVEN / MACALUSO) – 1900 – Hard Times

November 16, 2007 Scott Jeslis

It’s not unprecedented for bands to perform unannounced at small bars, clubs, and venues. A lot of times it’s under different monikers to allow them to “let their hair down” and perhaps get back to their roots. The whole scenario has a breath of being unscripted and allowing one’s self to let go. It’s under similar pretenses that the Jazz/Hard Rock power trio of MCM (Alex Masi/Randy Coven/John Macaluso) was formed. It’s even under looser pretenses that the trio has decided to release a live album as their second release. 1900 – Hard Times was recorded at different shows from around the USA and Central America. Perhaps it’s considered old fashioned to use the terms “jammin’,” “freestylin’,” or any other phrases that are loose musical interpretations of the word “spontaneity.” When these phrases are applied to Rock Music, it brings to mind one classic band that was a master at improvisation; that band being Led Zeppelin. Some of Led Zeppelin’s best live works are actually bootlegs full of live, off-the-cuff musical jams. It’s on the same plateau that this live MCM offering should be judged, considering spontaneity is indeed the key factor here. Guitarist Alex Masi himself concludes that 80% of the live material is improvisation. The music offered here is all instrumental and falls into the Hard Rock/Jazz/Funk category. All twelve tracks are full of musical finesse, intensity, and technique and will most certainly be hailed by the strictest of music connoisseurs. This isn’t music you’ll find playing at a Starbuck’s “java house” or anything you’d hear on USA FM radio. It’s the kind of intense music that can’t even be adequately listened to if in an inebriated state; every note demands one’s utmost attention. There’s a lot going on in each song and each of the three musicians …READ MORE

MCM – Ritual Factory

August 6, 2004 Dan Skiba

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 1970s 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 …READ MORE