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Hollywood ain’t what it used to be. Not more than a decade ago, the city resembled an open cesspool. Gangs ran the streets. Drive-bys were a regular occurrence. Hookers posted up on every corner. Drugs were everywhere. Tourists stayed away. However, in the last 10 years, it’s changed immensely. “Gentrification” doesn’t even begin to describe how the city has evolved. It’s a veritable haven for tourists, and the once bereft central spot of Hollywood and Highland now mimics Times Square. Other parts of the city have been Disneyified with malls such as The Grove sprouting up, and all seems to be well. However, Hollywood Undead have crawled up from the gutter to remind us of the bad ole days.

On their A&M/Octone debut, Swan Songs, the six-man masked militia Read the rest of this entry »

When you’ve made your name and fortune on fierce weirdness, the most drastic thing you can do is flaunt some restraint. In System of a Down, singer-guitarist Daron Malakian’s bright yelp was already the more normal voice next to Serj Tankian’s operatic harangue. But as Scars on Broadway, with System drummer John Dolmayan, Malakian shaves System’s punk-dervish and metallic-vengeance extremes into straight-on rock glazed with New Wave keyboards and impish-angel harmonies. It is a cleverly barbed normality. “Funny” is a catchy death wish that somehow evokes Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman” amid burbling Eighties synthesizer. “Insane” is steady, rolling darkness with a Who-ish Read the rest of this entry »