A SKYLIT DRIVE
WIRES AND THE CONCEPT OF BREATHING
TRAGIC HERO
Lodi, CA sextet, A Skylit Drive, champion the screamo dynamic on their 13-track release Wires And The Concept Of Breathing. While at times the disc treads the dreaded paint by numbers waters, there's some decent riffing and strong song structures beyond the surface of the uber-nascent Coheed-esque vocals and played to death breakdowns ("Eris and Dysnomia", "Knights of the Round") allowing this squad a chance to stand out somewhat in the vast sea of bands with bad haircuts wearing their girlfriend's jeans. ----Mike SOS
ALGHAZANTH
WREATH OF THEVETAT
WOODCUT
Symphonic black metal merchants Alghazanth
come blasting out of the gate with regal synth work and blistering guitar and
drum interlockings on their eight-track Wreath Of Thevetat. This Finnish
corpsepainted crew channel the evil into swirling movements of melodic death
metal majesty on cuts such as the eerie "The Kings to Come", "Twice-Born"
and the grab you by the throat immediacy heard on "The Phosphorescent".
While their style is unashamedly ripped from the clutches of Emperor and Dimmu
Borgir, this quintet's dead-on display of symphonic black metal emits an epic
vibe those entrenched in the darkside willl undoubtedly embrace. ----Mike SOS
.
ALL SHALL PERISH
AWAKEN THE DREAMERS
NUCLEAR BLAST
Spreading beyond the confines of the deathcore genre, California's All Shall Perish return with Awaken The Dreamers. This 12-track release demonstrates the merging of the quintet's savage brutality with a bevy of surprises which renders this offering as a well-textured entity that can still provide its share of crushing moshpit moments. While ardent supporters of the group will be relieved that the breakdown-heavy death metal style on scorchers like "Stabbing to Purge Dissimulation" and "Never...Again" is still a major part of the outfit's arsenal, tracks like the melodic instrumental "Until the End", the traditional metal-esque shred and scream tactics on "Black Gold Reign" and the melancholic Opeth-like "Memories of a Glass Sanctuary" display All Shall Perish's penchant for bold experimentation and disdain for complacency without compromising a shred of their dignity. Retaining their bludgeoning foundation while showcasing a slew of progressive tendencies, All Shall Perish have morphed into a monstrous metal hybrid geared for forward thinking fans of modern heavy music. ----Mike SOS
ANOTHER BIG MACHINE
ABM
RISING STORM
Louisiana quartet Another Big Machine take the well paved pop-rock route of Nickelback and Daughtry and mix it with dollops of country twang and Warped Tour edge on their latest offering ABM. Successfully soaring with lush instrumentation a la sellout-era Aerosmith should garnish a slew of pop-rock interest for this unit, but there's a side to them that can confidently cruise down the Sunset Strip displayed here as well, showing the band's rock versatility. And even though many will find ABM a bit on the sappy end of the spectrum, to the throngs of people who need a buffer between Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox 20 (and a few Kleenex), here's your go-to band. ----Mike SOS
ASCEND
AMPLE FIRE WARNING
SOUTHERN LORD
Drone and doom collide with a refreshingly regal tone reverberating throughout on the latest offering from the titanic tandem Ascend. Featuring no strangers to things that creep in the night (Greg Anderson and Gentry Densely), Ample Fire Warning is a five-track love affair with the slow and deliberate, meshing knee-buckling tempos, hefty guitars and left of center instrumental flourishes such as trombone and Wurlitzer (“Dark Matter”) with both obligatory and obscure textures rounding out its foreboding crush while unleashing the wrath of slithering cobras (“V.O.G.”). Aided by some interesting cameos (including Kim Thayil of Soundgarden) while boldly interjecting a broader musical scope into their weighty thump and thud, this well-decorated exercise in sheer excess provides lovers of massive ambience a shiny new toy to play with. ----Mike SOS
BLACKWINDS
FLESH INFERNO
REGAIN
Swedish black metal project Blackwinds rekindles the dark flames of the early '90s on their 10-track excursion Flesh Inferno. Bursting out of the gate with a bastardized barrage of tremolo picking and hellish vocals, tracks like “Plague Bringer” and “Enter the Pandemonium” conjure up evil spirits with a convincingly chilling tone while sheer velocity spins “Crimson Thirst” into another realm of being before the symphonic waves of keyboards catapult your ears back to hell. Blackwinds is far from groundbreaking, but does an ample job of striking a middle ground between well-produced and raw with an endless supply of wickedly nightmarish tones present to creep into your subconscious and disturb your state of mind. ----Mike SOS
CINEMUERTE
BORN FROM ASHES
RAGING PLANET
Portugal’s Cinemuerte is a noir-synth rock group that’s obviously taken a page or two from the early ‘80s Siousxie-era soundbook. Filled with driving pop beats and ambient textures, tunes like “Alive” and “Underwater” showcase the dynamic wailing as well as soft singing range of vocalist Sophia Vieira through the dark lyrics. Goths will definitely love this stuff. Born from Ashes is the group’s 8-song debut CD (from 2006--yes, I'm slow on getting this one up!), but metal audiences may recognize Sophia as the voice on Moonspell’s tune “Luna” from their 2006 release, Memorial. Check their website for the new CD, Aurora Core, that's out now. ----Christine Natanael
CRADLE TO GRAVE
TEXAS MEDICINE
YEAR OF THE SUN
Crushing Canadian crew Cradle to Grave cram a truckload of groove metal licks and unabashed aggression into their 11-track release Texas Medicine. There's enough Pantera worship here to last a lifetime, but there's more to this quartet than that, as this disc balances out the mix with shards of punk metal grit and thrash metal tempo blasts to make this Devin Townsend-produced affair a ballsy bruiser you'll be playing over and over. If you dig having to do with the Cowboys from Hell, Pissing Razors, Machine Head, or Sepultura, this disc will leave an indelible impression on you with its well-textured metal attack. ----Mike SOS
DARRYL READ &
RAY MANZAREK
BLEEDING PARADISE
BEATKAT
Bleeding Paradise is another entry into the ever-growing body of work put out by renaissance main Darryl Read. This CD finds him once again getting his highly descriptive Beat-influenced poetry out into spoken word while the legendary keyboardist from The Doors, Ray Manzarek, adds his own colorful inprovisations in the background. Recorded in July 2006 and released in early 2007, this is one that you probably haven’t heard about, but it’s one you definitely should pick up if you’re into Beat poets or collect anything having to do with The Doors. ----Christine Natanael
DEADBIRD
TWILIGHT RITUAL
AT A LOSS
Creepy and doomy, the sophomore six-track sojourn from Arkansas sludge metal quartet Deadbird is a viscous Southern-fried delight whose massive rhythmic rumblings give the band the sheer heft to properly obliterate all in their wake. From the menacing slow-churned intro on "Into the Clearing", this oppressive unit takes you through a grueling 47:23 journey steeped in sonic excess and draped with eerie vocal harmonies and dazzling acoustic interludes ("The Riverbed"), descending down through the deepest recesses to unearth the sleeping Southern rock giant ("Feral Flame") to unleash thick waves of metallic lava for tortured souls to bask in. If you dig Mastodon and love Crowbar, prepare to meet your new favorite band. ----Mike SOS
DIVE INDEX
MID/AIR
NEUTRAL
Compiling a chilled-out composite of songs from an array of electronica artists from across the globe, Will Thomas presents his latest project Dive Index with the 11-track release MID/AIR. Recommended for spinning at the lounge or for a quiet evening at home, this soothing mix of shifting vocal viewpoints, smooth digital beats, and electronically subdued rhythms is the proper wind-down music after a tough work week or as a soundtrack to the breakfast after an all-night dance club soiree. ----Mike SOS
EARLY GRAVES
WE: THE GULLITONE
IRONCLAD
Sometimes bad things happen for a greater good, and such is the case when referring to the plight and resurgence of Early Graves. Refreshingly injecting dollops of crusty Swedish metal into their chest-thumping Hatebreed meets vicious punk metal on acid formula, this San Francisco quartet convincingly sever the ties with its former identity Apiary and come out with their severely savage 11-track re-emergence We: The Guillotine. Produced by underground metal guru Steve Austin (who also lends musical and vocal support) and boasting a guest spot by Oxbow crazyman Eugene Robinson on the sinewy yet haunting “Here There Be Monsters, this ferocious yet focused affair emits bold-faced brutality as only a metal hybrid which counts Converge, Discharge, and Entombed as its influences could muster, as tracks such as “Ghosts Among Us” and “First Name:Porter” violently hurl shards of metal fury while “Safety Net Acrobats” keeps the inimitable spirit of d-beat beatdowns alive and well. Sparing no one in their assault, Early Graves have patched together an impressive composite of underground metal propelled by its own destructive tendencies and uncompromising array of sheer heaviness. ----Mike SOS
EDDY DYER
INTO DOVES OF GREY
ROOTSUCKER
A subdued and melancholic aura envelopes the 14-tracks contained on Eddy Dyer's latest offering Into Doves Of Grey. Consisting of mainly acoustic guitar and voice with some mandolin peeking through at times, this 14-track endeavor showcases traces of psychedelica on “Nthru Nbeon”, issues with spirituality on cuts like the not so subtle “Jesus Christ”, the protest-esque “Snakes out of Boston” and “Out at Night” and a glimpse at Dyer's personal relationships on “Song for Jamie” and the richly strummed “Jennifer”. Meshing the stark nuances of Jack Johnson with a rebellious streak poised at full strength, Eddy Dyer's unique subject matter and stark arrangements yield an unexpectedly hearty listening experience. ----Mike SOS
EKSER
PATTERNS OF REPRISAL
SHIVEN
Arizona extreme metal quartet Ekser demonstrate their firm handle of technical death metal intricacies on the 10-track Patterns Of Reprisal. This offering combines blinding percussive work and breakneck rhythms with clinical guitarwork on tracks like “Sinners Reflection” and “Cold Blooded Embrace”, much like the wares of bands like The Black Dahlia Murder and Arsis. Despite this outfit's undeniable talent though (just check out the Megadeth-esque instrumental “Redemption” as an example), this affair lacks that intangible spark to get them ahead of the curve. Even though Ekser boasts a sturdy front and solid compositions that can hold their own, there's still something distinct missing here that keeps them from clearing the hurdle. ----Mike SOS
GEVOLT
SIDUR
RENAISSANCE
Yiddish folk metal meets Rammstein on Sidur, the latest offering from Gevolt. This Sephardic septet's 11-track excursion meshes traditional styles of Israel with an industrial strain of metal chock full of effected keyboards that ultimately leaves an unearthly gothic aftertaste on cuts like "Liturgia" and the sinewy "Na More". Providing a dose of klezmer with dark intentions, Gevolt's latest release is laden with a dynamic drama that fans of Moonspell and Type O Negative can latch onto despite the language barrier. ----Mike SOS
GHOST BRIGADE
GUIDED BY FIRE
SEASON OF MIST
Season of Mist have been putting out a wide range of good, moody stuff lately, from the satirical, dark whimsy of Christian Death’s American Inquisition to a meditation on avoidance (and one of last year’s very best prog metal records), the Old Dead Tree’s The Water Fields. Jyväskylä, Finland’s Ghost Brigade add another notch to the belt for the label with the excellent and compelling Guided By Fire. A treat for the ears while simultaneously an emotional ordeal of warring light and darkness, this is a dark, yet uplifting gem of a disc. The easiest comparison Guided By Fire’s ambient and crushing counterpoints call to mind would be the debut Century Media disc Ashes To Embers that Matt Fisher’s post-Mindrot band Eyes of Fire released a few years ago. Talk about a package tour! The two bands have a lot in common, both being pretty criminally underrated and both possessing the ability to create ambient and moving melodic passages that contrast well with crushing Neurosis Through Silver In Blood-esque influences, while still retaining much more individual character than the groundswell of Neurosis clones currently dancing around the maypole hoping for a kiss.
The overall vibe of Ghost Brigade includes more straight forward rocking than one might expect, with more parts that are pure payoff than cerebral workout. Still, there’s also a lot for the brainiacs with cool tempo shifts, writhing guitar textures and massive chords. “Rails at the River” again reminds me of Eyes of Fire’s “The End Result of Falling” tune. “Rails…” seeps up out of ambient beauty and builds from amelodic refrain of longing to a Shellac/Neurosis hybrid heavy chorus riff that is scary in it’s coolness. “Autoemotive” is another album highlight, nearing Mastodon meets Chimaira levels of intensity and chug.
The music is captivating all throughout even when Ghost Brigade court accessibility. Rather, they seem to not mind some aspects of the band being more accessible while also being cerebral and bruising. This is dangerous territory, rocks upon which many lesser talented bands smash their ships, but results here are far from trite and very inspiring. Unlike, say, Demon Hunter, who I do actually like, there is no modern rock song thrown in with the heaviness, rather, the accessible side comes from just good songwriting and catchy, repetitive, melodic yet dirty riffs.
Guided By Fire also has some of the best recent cover art I’ve seen in awhile, a man standing in a corn field with hands cupping glowing water, like a stark, spiritual revelation buried in the belly of some Stephen King novel. It almost looks like a Solid State release.
Any way you shake it, this is a promising release and I highly recommend it. ----Morgan Y. Evans
GIDEON SMITH AND
THE DIXIE DAMNED
SOUTH SIDE OF THE MOON
SMALL STONE
Southern space rock? Hell yes, courtesy of Gideon Smith, whose swampy swagger goes galactic on South Side Of The Moon, this ecelctic artist's latest 13 track endeavor . Meshing down south jukin' with the trippy acumen of Hawkwind sounds daunting, yet Smith and his backing band, The Dixie Damned (consisting of members of Novadriver and Big Chief) get it right, tossing in some '60s psychedelia on tracks like "Shimmering Rain" for added texture. While this one time roadie for Antiseen's voice makes for an acquired taste (think Jim Morrison duking it out with David Allan Coe), the doom-laden blues jamming heard on "Black Cat Road" and the star-soaked Skynyrd gone skyward shuffle of "Feather's Shadow" fit the bill for a fun and futuristic boogie rock rocket ride. ----Mike SOS
GRAVE
DOMINION VIII
REGAIN
Veteran Swedish band Grave returns with another installment of sinewy death metal that blends high-speed velocity and doom-laden crunch on the nine-track Dominion VIII. This devastating affair demonstrates the band's ability to go from slow crawl to rapid-fire pace in the blink of an eye ("Annihilated Christ") in addition to displaying Grave's unwavering attachment to the darker side of the spectrum on cuts like "Stained By Hate". 20 years in and still as extreme as their early days, this truculent crew returns in fine fighting form, ready to go into metal combat with the vitriolic virtue and fortified firepower that has rendered them one of Swedish elite death metal's forces. ----Mike SOS
HEAD ON COLLISION
RITUAL SACRIFICE
BEER CITY
Personifying a true thrash metal throwback, Missouri outfit Head On Collision channel the early periods of heavyweights such as Kreator, Nuclear Assault, Exodus, and first few Slayer records for influence on the 11-track Ritual Sacrifice. These dudes are pretty well-versed in doling out hyper-speed riffs and blistering solos ("The Flames of Aggression") and while there's nary a sign of originality apparent (is that riff from the title cut lifted from Slayer or what?), the band's stone-faced delivery, spot-on precision (especially on the drums) and brash bravado propel tracks like the chuggingly good "Electrocutioner" and "Retaliate" away from the pack and into territories reserved for newer retro acts such as Municipal Waste. If you're a thrash enthusiast, picking this disc up is essential. ----Mike SOS
HEADHUNTER
PARASITE OF SOCIETY
CANDLELIGHT
Headhunter, the side project of Destruction's figurehead Schmier, returns after a 14-year absence with Parasite Of Society. This 11-track album alternates between power metal, thrash metal, and even toys with the mainstream with a cover of Skid Row's “18 & Life”, giving fans of vintage metal a kick in the ass. “Remission” features an ethreal effect slightly reminiscent of Alice in Chains, “Doomsday for the Prayer” conjures up some provocative powerhouse riffs and “Payback Time” provides a raw reprieve of balls to the wall metal. In short, there's little surprise to be found here, but this disc acts as a proper aid to soothe the classic metal craving. ----Mike SOS
KAMELOT
GHOST OPERA: THE SECOND COMING
SPV
For those that didn't get enough the first time around, prog metal masters Kamelot have repackaged their disc Ghost Opera with some bonus material, including videos, four new studio cuts, and 10 live tracks recorded from a very loud crowd in Serbia, calling the reissue Ghost Opera: The Second Coming. While the bonus material is a nice touch, is it really necessary to re-release an album 10 months after its initial release with added footage? That, record buyers and fans of stately metal acts such as this one, is for you to decide. ----Mike SOS
KATAKLYSM
PREVAIL
NUCLEAR BLAST
Canadian crushers Kataklysm return with their tried and true death metal assault set to destroy on Prevail. Faithfully following the punishing playbook this squad has executed since the early '90s, this extreme metal quartet's skull-cracking 10-track contribution meshes warmongering vocals with pounding rhythms and machine gun guitarwork on such smoldering tracks as “The Chains of Power” and the mid-tempo mauling audible on “Blood in Heaven”. Consistent in providing rumbling blasts of melodic death metal, Kataklysm's latest offering maintains the levels of ferocity while keeping their trademark simple yet effective approach fully intact. ----Mike SOS
KNIGHTS OF THE ABYSS
SHADES
FERRET
Using the maligned deathcore template as a foundation for their melodic death metal with tinges of Unearth-esque metalcore strewn in concoction ("Behold the Frigid Realm of Div"), Arizona quintet Knights of the Abyss return with a serviceable if unspectacular 12-track follow-up to Juggernaut. Shades continue along the same path with similarly sweeping Swedish metal guitar runs and venomous vocal vitriol buzzing through tracks like "Don't Feed the Heathens", "The Penalty of the Tyrant", and the Black Dahlia Murder-influenced "Dis Unveiled". While falling prey to a saturated market, Knights of the Abyss don't stand out as much as they survive the wreckage thanks to an impressive slash and burn start-stop thrash attack and their solid yet done to death majestic take on the deathcore style they choose to follow. ----Mike SOS
LAUREN HARRIS
CALM BEFORE THE STORM
DR2
Lauren Harris may be the daughter of Iron Maiden bassist Steve, but you'd never be able to tell by her musical debut. The 12-track offering titled Calm Before The Storm fits more along the likes of Avril Lavigne and Pat Benetar rather than her father's NWOBHM roots, giving songs like “From the Bottom to the Top”, “See Through” and “Get Over It” a pop-rock mainstream radio aura spit-shined to excess. Despite the album boasting solid musicianship on cuts like “Come On Over” and some tasty guitars throughout, the overall affair lacks that intangible spark and emotion, relegating this disc to the ranks of an above average bar band struggling to find its voice. ----Mike SOS
LEMURIA
GET BETTER
ASIAN MAN
http://www.asianmanrecords.com
Buffalo, NY trio Lemuria play a type of female lead/male response vocal rock that takes its cues from '90s indie rock. Get Better is a 12-track offering laden with a slight guitar crunch that rocks hard on "Mechanical" and follows the sticky sweet little girl melody on "Get Some Sleep", helping this band shed its innocuous nature just enough to give the group an edge. While at times Lemuria succumbs to Warped Tour-esque pandering reserved for the likes of Paramore ("Dogs"), there's enough of the Sunny Day Real Estate and Jawbreaker vibe permeating through cuts like "Wardrobe" and "Dog" for those who want to rekindle past glories. ----Mike SOS
LIFERUINER
TAKING BACK THE NIGHTLIFE
UPRISING
Straight-edge deathcore unit Liferuiner bring another seething slab of modern anger to life on their latest 11-track offering Taking Back The Nightlife. Injecting the similarly raucous rage of bands like Emmure, Bury Your Dead, and similarly-minded moshcore troupes into their bass drop and guitar chug heavy bag of tricks, songs like “Americant” and “Bad Rock Anthem” employ the aforementioned's crushing tactics before the breakdown breaks your neck. Ultimately, Liferuiner's solid sense of basic hardcore melodics and coarse musical output make them different than many in their own peer group, yet their senseless profanity and overwrought applications of the genre's cliches don't afford them enough momentum to break away from the crowded pack. ----Mike SOS
LIGEIA
BAD NEWS
FERRET
Beyond the hamfisted breakdown fest audible from Bad News, there lies a rock 'n roll record bursting at the seams exuding the same spirit of sex, drugs and rock 'n roll danger Guns 'N Roses mustered back in their Sunset Strip era. Massachusetts road dogs Ligeia set the excesses of the rock star vocation to a moshpit friendly soundtrack for the modern age on this succinct and subtle 11-track endeavor. Falling somewhere in between the unlikely triad of Emmure, Hinder, and Every Time I Die, songs like “Bombshell” and the surprising DJ-scratch cameo on “I've Been Drinking” convincingly convey the hard-nosed lifestyle of today's rock youth through lyrics laced with profanity-laden cliches, rebellious rantings and misogynistic musings while a bombastic nu-metal -esque metalcore foundation keeps the heaviness churning at the proper RPM on cuts like “Hot Mess” and “One Night Stand”. Despite their allegiance to the harder side of the spectrum, Ligeia employs a generic good cop/bad cop screamy singing formula and wheels out a barrage of inspiration more Motley Crue than Misery Signals, confounding the hooded sweatshirt contingent while making this band enigmatic for purists to even consider sitting through as they bash away with a bastardized combo of cock rock pretense and metalcore heft. ----Mike SOS
METALLICA
DEATH MAGNETIC
WARNER BROTHERS
I admit it. I bought St. Anger when it came out. I heard a few sections drunk on Guinness at my local mall in a fit of curiosity and was psyched because it seemed like Metallica were trying to be edgier again. In fact, as much as people shit on that album, and rightly so in some capacities, it also should be said, fairly, that there are some great riffs on that record. The problem with St. Anger besides bad band chemistry, was of course, Lars' weird ass snare sound that I don’t need to add a deplorable adjective to. (I was thinking about if the groundhog from Caddyshack shot golf balls out of its’ ass at Bill Murray it might sound like that…ughh.) Well, there were more problems than that. Hetfield’s lyrics seemed nervous and having Kirk Hammett, one of the best metal guitarists in history, act as a background singer more than an axe legend was one of the biggest mistakes the band ever made, (up there with mixing the bass out of …And Justice For All, which still is great anyway because the songs are so dope). Better production, guitar tones and solos and some lyrical tweaking and you probably wouldn’t hate St. Anger so much, although arrangements were unfocused. While …And Justice For All had long songs, as does the new, mostly pretty darn great record Death Magnetic, the difference is they seemed less about attaching any random cool riff and more about changes and cool riffs that worked better as a whole entity, not a cram fest.
Looking at the band picture on the new CD and certain marketing choices used to psyche up the old school fans, (like using predominantly gray and black photography a la Justice and the old logo), the overwhelming feeling is not of being manipulated as much as a return to coherence, because the record sort of bridges aspects of the band's whole career while leaning heaviest on the early days. People said they sold out when Ride The Lightning came out! If you hear "The Black Album", it has killer songwriting, better “songs” than some of the other older stuff which is more “metal”, not to make a value judgment on that. "Master Of Puppets" and a lot of older Metallica are work out sessions of stamina and brilliance and catharsis, with many amazing moments and tunes we all know and love. Kudos that on Death Magnetic the band somehow manages to recapture much more than just a shred of their early vitriol and merged it with mature anthemic wisdom a la the best moments of the brooding “The Day That Never Comes”. Still, it is impossible not to hear some of the Lars and James interplay on the locked up rolled snare “Shortest Straw”-esque brain twisting changes throughout the new record and feel a gleeful sense of excited, dorky “Awww yeah!”. If only Rick Rubin’s stuff with Weezer was as cool as this, The Blue Album and Pinkerton might not still be that band’s best records
“All Nightmare Long” is precociously aggressive, really hitting a stride for the record. At this point in the disc you feel comfortable with the album and are less distracted by the anticipation of what it was gonna be like and more just enjoying the tunes. Unlike some parts (very few!) here and there on the LP where you doubt the band’s sincerity playing this shit circa 2008 versus giving the fans what the overwhelming majority hoped for, “All Nightmare Long” sounds like the band just kicking ass and having fun. Ditto with “Cyanide” which, thankfully, does not forgo some of the great grooving basslines that made “Don’t Tread On Me” a standout Black Album track. Trujillo kills all over the album but the whole band plays like a band, not as egos. Let’s just hope “All Nightmare Long” isn’t used to kill too many people in military conflicts around the world, with a chorus that talks about hunting someone down. If it’s Osama, fine, but Bush should’ve caught his ass years ago in Afghanistan, which was always the real terror front.
Anyway, just fucking go grab this thing. A lot of it won’t disappoint. The problem with Metallica post Black Album is, oddly enough, when considering the sheer awesomeness of Live Shit: Binge And Purge, they got more conservative and seemed to have identity crisis. I liked some of their “weird” choices like the heavy ending of “Hero Of The Day” and the underrated and pretty outstanding “Bleeding Me”, plus covering Thin Lizzy (showing some classic rock roots!) the last few years, but if they had split the balance and kept more of their metal roots along with the “alternative” side they were cultivating, despite the climate of the ‘90s, diehards, it would’ve kept them in better standing all along than what happened. They never needed to be that nervous about it. They maybe got bad advice. Shit, they didn’t crash the mainstream by second guessing themselves so much. What if Testament hadn’t fought so much around the time of The Ritual?
My main gripe about the record is pretty trivial, mainly that I hate song titles like “The Unforgiven III”. That seems unnecessary, and a bit nervous, again. It doesn’t work when bands generally do sequels, unless you’re Iced Earth and they sometimes are on the same record or something and equally kick ass. There’s a reason Meatloaf fans didn’t flock to Bat Out Of Hell 3 as much as the first two. “The Unfogriven III” is a pretty great guitar track though and has a cool Cowboy-esque intro with Spaghetti Western horns that is more fitting for Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven, perhaps (though that was not quite a spaghetti western). Shit, Metallica did used to come out on stage to the music from The Good, The Bad And The Ugly if I remember right (as has Clutch, among others).
Anyway, I could go on and on, but the bottom line is, while “Suicide and Redemption” (the new instrumental track) is not as perfect as “To Live Is To Die” (my all time hangover anthem for motivating myself back to life), it will shake foundations. AND, Metallica pulled King Diamond out on stage at Ozzfest recently, which = awesome! If only they had written more stuff like this and we could’ve really seen Jason Newsted shine on some shit like this. So, until next time, until it sleeps, etc. STAY METAL, STAY WHATEVER, JUST STAY GOOD! ----Morgan Y. Evans
MOONSPELL
NIGHT ETERNAL
SPV
http://www.spv.de
Thanks in part to an exceptional production by metal guru Tue Madsen, Portuguese metal giants Moonspell have struck the perfect balance of clarity and brutality on their latest endeavor Night Eternal. This nine-track descent into darkness yields an intense ride chock full of dastardly black metal chord progressions, ethreal Gothic rock passages, and the authentic warmongering spirit of bands ranging from Celtic Frost to Dimmu Borgir on tracks such as "First Light" and "Shadow Sun". Add in the trademark venomous vocal delivery, whose scornful array of evil highlighted on tracks such as "Moon in Mercury" fits beautifully with the blackened melodies, and this veteran act's latest metallic maelstrom is a must have for those entrenched in the catacombs of despair. ----Mike SOS
MOTORHEAD
MOTORIZER
SPV
http://www.spv.de
Motorhead is not just a band anymore, they are an institution of all things rock. Unlike many bands in their direct peer group, Lemmy and company can still can kick your ass with explosive and raucous rock 'n roll, as their latest 11-track release Motorizer reassures in the usual pounding fashion we'd expect from this venerable trio. From the super-catchy "English Rose" to the grindhouse blues of "One Short Life" to the all guns blazing delivery of "Rock Out", Motorhead proudly present another fine slab of their patented tongue in cheek balls to the wall hard as nails rock, showing no signs of relenting. Long live Motorhead! ----Mike SOS
MY HERO IS ME
THE CRYWOLF BROADCAST
TRAGIC HERO
http://www.tragicherorecords.com
Fortified with a three-pronged guitar assault, North Carolina's My Hero is Me mesh rock, metal, and hardcore for that all too familiar sound countless bands employ on their 11-track endeavor The Crywolf Broadcast. Adorned with song titles that are clever (“When Peter North Goes South” In particular), this unit does manage to do a better job than most in rearranging parts to try and keep the sound fresh on cuts like the all over the map “I Studied Metal at Julliard”. Their Maylene and the Sons of Disaster meets The Autumn Offering by way of Protest the Hero style however comes off as a touch too contrived across much of the span of this excursion, making it hard for this unit to get a good jump from out of the starting block. ----Mike SOS
OPIATE FOR THE MASSES
MANIFESTO
CENTURY MEDIA
http://www.centurymedia.com
Opiate for the Masses is a veteran act whose current release Manifesto takes a number of elements from a metal smorgasbord to comprise its sound, with melodic industrial metal taking the reigns and being the most prevalent throughout the 11-track sojourn. Electronically charged with the machine-like manipulations not unlike the harder moments conceived by Linkin Park or Stabbing Westward, tracks like “Black Book” and “Lie” keep the dance floor rocking with heavy guitars and a dark throb while the darkwave-esque “Naked”, “The Habit” and the guitar-standout “Dead Underground” veer towards digitalized malaise of acts like NIN or Marilyn Manson. Despite this quartet's less than stellar concealing of the influences summoned here, the catchy hooks, familiar-sounding structures, and flashy production provides a radio-friendly escape into an alternate Hollywood-created world where slick-sounding dramatically dynamic metal blasts through the seedy clubs and soundtracks the action scenes. ----Mike SOS
PHARAOH
BE GONE
CRUZ DEL SUR MUSIC/THE END RECORDS (USA)
http://www.myspace.com/pharaohmetal
Though they have only just started playing live shows, appearing at the German Keep It True X festival and an upcoming one off in Chicago, Pharaoh have been around for three albums of engaging, progressive power metal. Featuring Tim Aymar (ex-Control Denied!) on soaring vocals, the new release Be Gone is sure to be one of the most concise and excellent, top notch genre examples of the year. Tight instrumentation, great vocals with harmonies that sometimes call to mind Jesus Christ Superstar on a dark, weekend binge and fluid Matt Johnson guitar solos aplenty that dip and weave into your ears, often seeming to defy possibility. The band sound so locked on the triumphant “Telepath” that they seem telepathic themselves. Some of the leads call to mind the creamier tones of Stratovarius or even newer King Diamond, somewhat streamlined. It makes me wonder if they play Fenders or Ibanez, or what? The production is pretty crisp, everything balanced and not too dirty overall but still packing a punch. Some tracks slightly blend together but you can still get a great fix from this record and definitely keep it on all the way through without ear fatigue or boredom. “Red Honor” starts out with some Maiden worthy march that maybe makes the name Pharaoh more logical, since really the only connection these guys have to Egypt seems to be a love for Powerslave. “Buried At Sea” takes some really interesting twists into medieval balladry.
The band sound energized and truly passionate and Tim rocks vocally and anchors this shit. The album cover portrays a sort of crystal kingdom in a lush forest that reminds me of reading Dragonlance D&D books, though sadly now the Elven Kingdom of Qualinesti has recently been submerged under a lake and populated by goblins or comparisons would be apt with the cover art. (Note: Christine, I’m sorry for talking about D+D but have no willpower when it comes to that stuff, please don’t fire me.)
The title track “Be Gone” features a finger work out in the beginning that you can easily imagine Guitar Center dudes warming up and practicing to nail for hours. All in all an impressive release that sounds new even while relishing in older forms. This would be a great band for young, teenage fans of Protest the Hero to learn to enjoy as a connecting thread to older styles, for example, if they want something else really musical but without emo links. Mark Reale and Mike Flyntz from Riot even make cameos on “Dark New Life”.
The only drawback is that my girlfriend dropped the CD when she saw their picture and said “ew, ew, ew,” cuz she doesn’t like older metal dudes, but these guys kick major ass anyway. I think they rule and that this will be one to beat in ’08. ----Morgan Y. Evans
POLYSICS
WE ATE THE MACHINE
MYSPACE
Yes, you read that right...MySpace Records. Japanese art punk rock troupe Polysics and their latest installment of Devo-inspired new wave, We Ate The Machine, is a weird but refreshing choice for such a mainstream outlet, but it works. Heavy beats, odd sounds, and tons of synth-rock give songs like “Kagayake” a Mr. Bungle-esque carnival feel, while “Digital Coffee” has all of the nuances to be considered for an Asian game show theme song. While singing occurs in Japanese, English, and gibberish, the electronic manipulations and pop-rock guitar and drums pretty much translate across the board for a stimulating listening experience for purveyors of video game robot rock. ----Mike SOS
REFLECTION
WHEN SHADOWS FALL
CRUZ DEL SUR
Greek troupe Reflection present a classic metal release with When Shadows Fall. Keyboard heavy and operatic, this 12-track's disc's tone falls somewhere between the epic strokes Blind Guardian uses and the sonic bombast of Fates Warning, even going so far to include a full-on orchestral version of "Mistress of Sea" complete with symphonic instrumentation. Calling themselves "Hellenic epic/doom metal" is pretty close to the mark, as this veteran act straddles the line between grandiose arrangements and crushing riffs with the righteous might necessary to get these songs off the ground. ----Mike SOS
ROCKETSHIP PARK
OFF & AWAY
SERIOUS BUSINESS
An ensemble of NYC musicians comprise the alternative Americana act Rocketship Park, whose latest 10-track release, Off & Away, is laden with a vast array of instrumentation from strings to horns, working together to add ush textures to the sad melodies heard on the weepy “Drinkin Buddy” and “Birthday Death Wish”. From the piano and tambourine led shuffle of “Loser's Lament” to pedal steel guitarwork on “Family Farm” to the handclaps and banjo plucks on “Because Two Candles” to the vibraphone on “Stuck in a Dream”, the stunning accoutrements added to this disc's melancholic acoustic guitar and vocal approach reveal lush dreamlike places lying past random Midwestern prarielands where Neil Young, My Morning Jacket, Wilco and Lucinda Williams frequently visit. ----Mike SOS
RUBY Q
FASHION FEVER MUSIC PITCH
RENAISSANCE
Most bands wait until they make it big before they start their own clothing line, but don't tell the shape-shifting quintet Ruby Q, as they've jumped the step and coincide their latest release with a line of new clothes.They also walk the musical tightrope with the grace necessary on the catwalk, letting everything hang loose on the 11-track Fashion Fever Music Pitch. Changing styles from track to track with a bold-faced cheekiness that makes it hard to tell if this collective is in on the joke or not, regardless how serious you take this shining example of hodgepodge, there's no denying how talented this unit is. From the lifted crunchy guitars and booming bass from QOTSA heard on "Fever Pitch" to a rebellious "Fuck 'N Roll" that single handedly offends every rock fan with its vitriolic lyrical roll call of rock 'n roll royalty and the piano and chanteuse-like vocals cooing on "Chocolate", this slickly-produced journey through pop music 101 has enough musical money moments to help this band go beyond the boutique circuit and into a subset as sizable as their grandiose musical output. ----Mike SOS
SECRET DAKOTA RING
CANTARELL
SERIOUS BUSINESS
Bursting with pop music pomp, the latest nine-track endeavor by Secret Dakota Ring finds mainman (and OK Go guitarist) Andy Ross and friends dabbling in giddy '60s rock motifs complete with Burt Bacharach-like compositions and instrumentations, rich vocal harmonies, well-placed string arrangements, and delicate melodies. Cantarell is a lighthearted affair that wouldn't sound out of place coming through the speakers of an upscale boutique's soundsystem, as cuts like "I Blew Myself Up Over You" and the cosmic "Sell Us A Spaceship" merge a whole lot of The Beatles, the quieter material of Smashing Pumpkins and Big Star to comprise a bevy of naturally sweet pop music treats easily digested and memorable long after the last organ note from the slightly melancholic shuffle of "Still Awake" is played. ----Mike SOS
STRAIGHT LINE STITCH
WHEN SKIES WASH ASHORE
KOCH
Female fronted aggro metal seems to be in fashion thanks to bands like In This Moment and of course Lacuna Coil, and you can add Tennessee quintet Straight Line Stitch to the list. This group's latest 10-track disc When Skies Wash Ashore juxtaposes the differences between Staind, DevilDriver, and Killswitch Engage, melding melodic hooks with blistering metalcore beats for a commercially viable yet undeniably heavy sound that seems perfect for an Ozzfest headlining slot. The real equalizer here though is singer Alexis Brown, who, much like Lajon from Sevendust, gives this band the leeway to glide from bruising to beautiful with relative ease thanks to her tantalizing vocal range. While there seem to be a few cuts on the disc that seem a bit forced to be different, songs like “Seneca Tragedy” is full-on radio friendly metal and “Adult Cinema” can stand up on its own as a truly crushing amalgamation of nu-metal and metalcore. The off-road antics of Straight Line Stitch provide mixed results, yet when this band fires with all guns blazing on songs like “Taste of Ashes” and the tender acoustic track “Yesterday's Gone”, Straight Line Stitch delivers their version of metal with a soulful force that demands attention. ----Mike SOS
SUIDAKRA
13 YEARS OF CELTIC WARTUNES
WACKEN
The German troupe Suidakara sound as if they could obliterate the whole cast of Riverdance in one fell swoop judging by the title of their latest disc. This clan's collection of songs is a compilation stemming from this veteran act's releases through the years, demonstrating the unit's blend of traditional folk on "An Dudlachd" and brazen melodic death metal on "Morrigan" and the vicious "A Vision's Demise". Meshing their pagan roots with meaty melodic death metal, if you're down for a frolic in the forest with some kick, then this disc delivers. ----Mike SOS
SUPAGROUP
FIRE FOR HIRE
FOODCHAIN
Channeling the charisma of early AC/DC, Supagroup return with a whiskey-fueled bluesy boogie-rock barrage of tunes that unapologetically kick your ass on Fire For Hire. This 12-track tour-de-force of titanic rock 'n roll is long on solos and short on fringes, making songs like “Long Live Rock” as concise as possible without feeling contrite. Hailing from New Orleans and falling prey to Hurricane Katrina has made Supagroup celebrate life much more as exhibited by tracks like the groovy DLR-era Van Halen feel on “Born in Exile” while “Promised Land” radiates both Thin Lizzy and Bon Scott at their most wistful. Supagroup will never be accused of being unique, but they cover their influences with a distinct swagger that almost makes you forgive them for rewriting half the AC/DC catalog. And even though many times this disc treads all too familiar waters, the overall verdict on Supagroup's latest carries two horned hands raised high in the air in homage to the fallen rock stars from the mid-'70s. ----Mike SOS
TED ROSEDALE
HOME
NESTEGG
There's a certain '90s slacker rock quality audible on Home that would remind you of J. Mascis or Rivers Cuomo at their most acerbic, as the latest endeavor by Ted Rosedale celebrates crunch-ridden malaise on cuts like "Green" and "619" quite a bit on this album. But for all the tasty guitar licks emulating everyone from David Gilmour to Tom Petty to Kurt Cobain to John Mayer ("Alright", "Ice Cream Man #5"), it's the 11-track outing's sharp and smart lyrical wistfulness, served with a shuffle on "Unforgettable", a barrage of nastiness on "619" and with swirling Beatle-esque melody on "Don't Be Long", that sets this disc miles apart from the sea of American Idol-influenced exercise in vanity solo records flooding the market. ----Mike SOS
THE BLACK GHOSTS
THE BLACK GHOSTS
IAMSOUND
UK electronic rock duo The Black Ghosts truly embody the spirit of the digital age, as these former members of Simian and Wiseguys initially met via the Internet and have only recently met face to face. Nonetheless, they put their best foot forward to place your booty on the dance floor with their hodgepodge eponymous 11-track release. Tracks like "It's Your Touch" and "Something New" take the sunshine '70s pop rock vibe radiated from bands like America and Bread and deck them out for today's hipster crowd while "Some Way Through This" busts out a big beat that wouldn't sound out of place on a hip-hop album. Nevertheless, this British tandem go for the gold with the nuances of projects like Hot Chip firmly intact, demonstrating their ability to rock the clubs. ----Mike SOS
THE BRIGGS
COME ALL YOU MADMEN
SIDEONEDUMMY
There's a wistful quality stamped on the latest 12-track endeavor by The Briggs usually reserved for the upper-echelon of the punk rock hierarchy. Whether it be the Social Distortion-like everyman lyrical approach or the Hot Water Music-esque choral glory heard on cuts such as "This is L.A." or "Not Alone", The Briggs manage to nail it every time, sometime even going so far to tap into the pub crawl melodies of Flogging Molly on cuts like the stomping "Mad Men". Whether you swinging a beer mug or getting down on the dancefloor, The Briggs bring enough firepower for everyone at the party to get their groove on the right way with an authentic punk rock punch that fits nicely alongside your Against Me and Bad Religion collection. ----Mike SOS
THE JOHN SULLIVAN BRIGADE
A SOUND OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUR LAST MUSIC PURCHASE
SOUTH TENTH
It's no surprise that Long Island native John Sullivan takes quite a few cues from a certain famous Long Island piano man on the 12-track album A Sound Opportunity For Your Last Music Purchase. However, the five piece The John Sullivan Brigade rounds out the obvious influence with a slew of other classic rock luminaries such as George Thorogood and Jackson Browne on cuts like the wistful "In Control" and the saxophone and guitar driven barroom rock of "Dead End", even going so far as laying down a ballad worthy for a Happy Days sock hop on "Praying For" and taking snippets of "19th Nervous Breakdown" to comprise the cool faded-out "Reflection #203". No frills rock 'n roll played without pretense best describes this unit whose latest offering fits snugly in between your Springsteen and Rolling Stones collection. ----Mike SOS
THE METHOD TO MY MEDIUM
THE SINCERITIES EP
THRIVING
White bread pop punk from five dudes from Indiana best describes The Sincerities EP from The Method to My Medium. This Indiana quintet sure know their New Found Glory and Starting Line catalog, as they regurgitate it back up across this annoyingly electronically manipulated 10-track affair whose vocoder-enhanced vocals and glitched beats come off as a desperate attempt to be different. There's little here to cheer about, especially if whiny guys singing heartfelt rock songs with the structures you've heard a million times at the mall truly sticks under your craw. ----Mike SOS
THE MICROPHONES
THE GLOW PT 2
K
The latest offering by Pacific Northwestern lo-fi one-man band The Microphones is actually a reissue from 2001. Nonetheless, it requires multiple listens for the baked-in subdued goodness to soak into your big musical brain. Containing hushed melodies and tranquil rhythms accentuated via simple yet elegant instrumentation, the folksy feel and organic aura of this 20-track affair emits an engaging charm and earthy feel that reverberates through your soul. If you dig tripped out yet mellow music injected with a sense of lovelorn melancholy, then this disc (which comes with a bonus disc chock full of alternative versions, other tracks, and assorted other goodies) will be a welcomed addition to your collection. ----Mike SOS
THIRD DEGREE
PUNK SUGAR
SELFMADEGOD
selfmadegod.com
Calling the latest offering by Polish powerhouse quartet Third Degree just a
grindcore album is a bit misleading despite the vicious velocity of tracks like
the Napalm Death-esque "Thoughts", as many other underground metal
sub-genres play a large role in making Punk Sugar such an enraged and
misanthropic monster. Adorned with hearty helpings of crust punk and death metal,
songs like the crunchy "Surrounded by Victims" and the sinewy "Dead
Will" are twisted into strange yet hulking forms whose sonic heft and snarling
delivery provide for an unsettling experience no matter how you classify it.
----Mike SOS
TOWARDS DARKNESS
SOLEMN
TWILIGHT FOUNDATION
Canadian doom metal mavens Towards Darkness were once called The Mass, who put out an album called Towards Darkness. Confused? Allow the slow crawl of "Continuity Errror" to seep through your pores long enough, and your befuddlement will be whisked away by the foreboding sonic heft brought on by this outfit. Strong keyboard work and well-measured tempos give this six-track affair a truly chilling effect, and when the roaring Isis-like vocals kick in, best brace yourself for a maelstrom to crush your soul. Funeral-like in its approach with shards of atmospheric post-hardcore thrown in for good measure ("Despair"), this 63-minute excursion pounds and plods its way through with all of the sloth-like nuances to make for a convincing slab of doom metal. ----Mike SOS
TRANSISTOR TRANSISTOR
RUINED LIVES
LEVEL PLANE
New Hampshire quartet Transistor
Transistor return with a stirring one-two punch of angular hardcore and menacing
punk rock with Ruined Lives. Armed with jagged riffs, malicious yowls,
and debilitating rhythms that give bands like The Bronx and Every Time I Die
a run for their money, this unit's motive to emote their innermost sensitivities
never gets in the way of the like of slash and burn hardcore presentations such
as "Pilar of Salt". Taking the avant-garde route paved by such bands
as Poison the Well on the twangy "The Ghost Hand", emulating a bastardized
hybrid of Snapcase and Modern Life is War on cuts such as "Diet of Worms"
and crustily scraping through an abrasive "Celluoid Rats", this squad's
latest bundle of sonic explosions grab you by the throat and scream for vengeance.
Summoning up the finest elements from hardcore punk's elite while maintaining
their own identity, Ruined Lives and the chaotic yet cathartic atmosphere running
throughout renders this disc a modern hardcore classic.
----Mike SOS
TRINACRIA
TRAVEL NOW JOURNEY INFINITELY
SEASON OF MIST
Featuring three members of Enslaved,
the septet known as Trinacria can definitely be lumped into the experimental
category, as their molten metal menagerie is sprinkled with dollops of oddball
noise rock and avant-garde aggression. Originally commissioned for a one-off
concert series, these musicians developed a strong bond and decided to forge
ahead and make this a running project. Tracks like "The Silence" break
in and out of contorted shards of white noise before settling on a rickety tremolo
guitar and pounding drum combo while the title track merges haunting female
singing with a pervasive percussive heartbeat, culminating into a frantic display
of chaos both musically and vocally. Definitely leaning on the progressive side
of the spectrum, approach Trinacria with the same freewheeling nature you would
a Neurosis or Cult of Luna release for maximum enjoyment.
----Mike SOS
VADER
XXV
REGAIN
To commemorate their 25-year run as the premiere Polish death metal band, Vader has released XXV, a twin-disc set which finds the band re-recording a slew of their songs from their humble beginnings to their later works. Adorned with liner notes explaining each track straight from mainman Peter as well benefiting from the technological advances of recording in a studio in 2008, Vader put their legacy to the test and once again show why they've been such a dominant force in the underground metal scene for all these years. The re-recordings of such death metal staples as “Sothis”, “Blood of Kings”, and “Dark Age” showcase a sharpened brutal edge complete with the troupe's trademark deathly growls, whammy-bar acrobatics, and pummeling rhythms coming across as powerful and enraged as ever. ----Mike SOS
VARIOUS ARTISTS
HEROES ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
Facetious lyrical themes, chilled-out vibe, and spare, subtle production unite all 18 tracks of this compilation into a perfect album that flows languorously through a variety of laidback moods, from spaced-out world music, breezy indie, and poised rock to ice-cool hip pop and dance grooves. The hauntingly beautiful opening theme by Wendy & Lisa is followed by their “Fire and Regeneration”, a dreamy track, whose singular, ominous feel is answered with deadpan detachment by Iggy Pop’s poker-face vocals set over a tickling minimalist groove on “He’s Frank”. “Jealousy Rides with Me” by Death Cab for Cutie, “Nine in the Afternoon” by Panic at the Disco, and Wilco’s “Glad It’s Over” highlight the indie leanings of this record with chilly reserve, while Yerba Buena’s “Maya’s Theme” suddenly transports you to a sonic carnival where African, Cuban and Latin romps circle in and out of each other to a rousing, spine-tingling effect.
One of the biggest standouts is “All Things Must Pass” by the Jesus and Mary Chain, their first new recording in over a decade. At once catchy and oblique, it is propelled by a hypnotic pulsating rhythm with infectious melody relaying elegant vacuity, their bona fide pop sensibility and calm, laconic style turning this finely wrought track into a little gem which is not only clever and stylish, but is impossible to forget.
Bob Dylan takes the atmosphere back into the shadows with a stripped-down story-song “Man in a Long Back Coat”, romantic but at the same hauntingly attractive, adding a dimension of real-life mystery to this eclectic collection of mood music. It is contrasted with “Keeping My Composure” by the Chemical Brothers featuring Spank Rock, which is another highlight, with hip-pop chants blending into the tightly wound pneumatic dance beat, the deliberate genre-bending of this collaboration managing to end up as a coherent, seductive track verging on invention of a new style.
David Bowie’s “Heroes” is a perfect closer, his lovably desperate vocals finishing the album on a yearning, strident note. Overall it’s an eclectic record where tunes each with its own distinctive sound are blending to create an atmosphere of mystery, elegance, and nonchalant cool. A dense hour of music, this is a great album not only for the fans of the series or soundtrack geeks but anyone who enjoys unpretentious and diverse music. ----Alissa Ordabai
VARIOUS ARTISTS
PAGAN FIRE
NUCLEAR BLAST
Those looking to become acquainted with the pagan, folk, and Viking strain of metal would be remiss to pass on picking up Pagan Fire, the 16-track compilation disc assembled by Nuclear Blast. Running the gamut both spatial and stylistically, this collection showcases pioneering squads such as Bathory to the latest acts ranging from Eluveitie to Thyrfing. A bevy of multi-layered metal assaults containing the genre's unique instrumentation, well-textured songwriting, and a flair for the fantastic in all of its glorious splendor is delivered here with a deserved pageantry and revelry leading the brigade. Providing a one stop shop for a place where tin whistles, thrash guitars, symphonic keyboards, and folksy overtones coexist, if your interest has been piqued by the likes of Turisas and Amon Amarth and you'd like to delve further, this is a great place to start. ----Mike SOS
WAR FROM A HARLOTS
MOUTH
TRANSMETROPOLITAN
LIFEFORCE
Berlin quintet War From A Harlots
Mouth wage a battle against your senses, beating the listener unmercilessly
with a bevy of metalcore breakdowns, squealing guitars, rabid vocals, and left
of center musicianship on Transmetropolitan. Mathematically sound and
technically crushing, tracks like "The District Attorneys Are Selling Your
Blood" cross-pollinate Between the Buried and Me and The Red Chord, while
the title track finds the troupe reaching into its bag of tricks, digging out
death metal devices and hardcore attitude. Decidedly dissonant and nearly impossible
to classify, this group even throws in a touch of jazz at times to make this
11-track disc a truly schizophrenic musical event. If you like your heavy music
with a spastic edge, check these cats out. ----Mike SOS
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