The Eyesore Times: Mini-Reviews

[Eyesore]

Let's give this a try! I listen to a ton of music outside of the whole metal realm so I'm often buying things that I'd like people to hear, but wouldn't fit well on a metal review website. This is what I did prior to reviewing there for real, I just did informal (i.e. cussing and whatnot) mini-reviews on the forum (and many other forums since about 1995). Some CDs are metal, but many are not. I've done a million of these over the years, but here are the seven I've done since joining the forum at http://www.metalreviews.com. Please comment on the music if you feel compelled, I could talk music 24/7, so pick my brain!

Note: Some of the MP3 links I personally uploaded at the time, so the links are likely dead now. If there's anything you'd like to hear please let me know.

This is Vol. 1:

PRONG - SCORPIO RISING (Quasi-Industrial Metal)

I just picked this up the other day in the used bin. I've heard bad things about it over the years so I never put it on my priority list, just the other day Aaron said it sucked, but it was cheap and well worth the money paid. It starts off strong, but kind of dips after track three, "Embrace The Depth." After that it's a mixed bag, sounds like a band struggling to figure out Prong's style, to be honest. It's not a complete snoozer, but nothing amazing, just mediocre with some good tunes mixed in. Hopefully their upcoming album will be much better, the demos suggest so.

Rating: 60/100
Website: http://www.prongmusic.com
Downloads: http://www.myspace.com/prong (Two New Demos Available)

FRANK HANNON - GUITARZ FROM MARZ (Southern-Flavored Hard Rock)

For those who're rock fans, this is Frank Hannon of Tesla's first full-length solo album, he released an EP on New Year's Eve last year. After Tesla broke up a few years back he started a southern rock band called Moon Dog Mane, it was very Lynyrd Skynyrd-ish. This CD has some of those elements, but there's a lot more hard rock involved. It's an excellent CD with a couple of misses, especially the ridiculous "Funk It Up!," which is like this half-retarded disco funk jam with somebody doing this terrible quasi-rap/talk thing. It's flat out terrible. The rest of the CD is pretty good, with some really standout tracks like "Eye Of The Mind," "Diamonds In The Sky," "RE-Evolution," "Chain Reaction" and "Stop The War." It's definitely worth checking out if you're into old school rock music, or a Tesla fan.

Rating: 80/100
Website: http://www.frankhannon.com
Downloads: CHAIN REACTION, RE-EVOLUTION, EYE OF THE MIND (MySpace Stream)

REBELLION: A TRIBUTE TO QUEENSRYCHE (Various Artists/Styles)

I heard clips from this CD ages ago and remember thinking they sounded really good. I always meant to keep an eye out for it, but never did find it. Then I just recently happened across a cover of "Take Hold Of The Flame" by Ion Vein and I noticed it came from this album, holy fuck was this cover awesome! Seriously, it was simply amazing. So I bought it on eBay for a couple bucks. The Ion Vein cover would have made this worth it alone, but for a tribute album this one has a lot of really cool covers. Black Symphony cover "Deliverance" and totally make it their own, it sounds like the same song, but it's very different. A little crunchier with more of a rock vocal approach, some synth work and a slightly different arrangement on some parts. Very cool tune. Then there's Darkside's male/female vocal doom-death cover of "Someone Else?." The Queensryche album version is just piano and vocals so this is pretty cool, it's a bit raw, but still pretty snazzy. Martina Hornbacher from Therion is in this band.

Shadowkeep do a nice cover of "Queen Of The Ryche," but the vocals are a little annoying. Some band named Mesmerize do a cool cover of "The Needle Lies." The only bad song is this ridiculous cover of "Jet City Woman" by a band called Rewind, the dude's vocals are just horrendous. The cover of "Operation Mindcrime" by Orange Moon is just weak, it falls flat on it face. And of course, there are those songs—good and bad—that completely fuck up the lyrics. Lyrics that are available in the album booklets, or correct at a million places online. That pisses me off. Anyway, it's good little tribute CD, one of the best I've heard.

Rating: 70/100
Website: ION VEIN, BLACK SYMPHONY (Under Construction), DARKSIDE
Downloads: N/A

OVERLOAD 2: A TRIBUTE TO METALLICA (Various Artists/Styles)

Unfortunately this album suffers from the typicality of most tribute CDs of this sort, especially those from Dwell Records who seem to release a new one every week. It's just not very good. The highlights here include a melodic death metal version of "Nothing Else Matters" by the death metal band Solarsis, it's a killer cover, heavy and totally different. Last Chapter, the doom band, do a nice cover of "Escape," but they stay pretty much true to the original, which is unfortunate since they're a fucking doom metal band. Some band called From The Depths does a nice version of "For Whom The Bell Tolls," but they would have served it better not singing in such a heavy vocal tone.

The rest of CD just isn't very good, most of the songs simply suffer from bad vocals. Why all these death metal bands try and cover non-death metal songs, or even songs that aren't remotely that heavy, is beyond me. Still, that Solarsis song is definitely worse seeking out.

Rating: 30/100
Website: SOLARSIS
Downloads: N/A

 

[Eyesore]

SLAVEMACHINE - SLAVEMACHINE (Industrial Nu-Metal)

As I've said before, in Boston there is a shop called Nuggets that has a kick ass $2 section. Occasionally when they find that room overflowing with CDs they will sell them at 50% off. It's not like $2 is much, but $1 is obviously even better. This CD cost me $1. I had no idea what to expect, I just bought it. Basically it's like a mix of White Zombie meets Static-X meets Alice In Chains. It's not amazing by any means, but there are a few really kick ass tunes, a couple of good songs and a few duds.

They had more, if anyone likes the songs below let me know and I'll snag a copy next time I'm in there (if they have any left).

Rating: 65/100
Website: Disbanded
Downloads: ANOTHER WAY TO DIE (01) and SHAMED (02) (yousendit)

THE SUICIDE MACHINES - WAR PROFITEERING IS KILLING US ALL (Punk/hardcore)

I absolutely love this band! They're always good. Each album finds them trying something a little new whether it's a more pop punk approach, more ska, traditional punk or, as with this album, hardcore. I was pretty shocked when I heard some of the really heavy songs. I don't own "A Match And Some Gasoline," I just never picked it up, so I don't know if that album was a prelude to this one, but I definitely didn't expect the hardcore aspect to some of these songs like the title track, "Rebellion Is On The Clearing Rack (And I Think I Like It)," "Red Flag" (the chorus), "All Systems Fail" and "Capsule"—which has some really heavy, almost metalcore moments towards the end.

Anyway, there are some more typical Suicide Machines tracks, traditional punk and ska punk, but the heavy songs do stand out and possibly detract from the overall flow of the album. Still very good, though, just unexpected I guess.

Rating: 75/100
Website: http://www.suicide-machines.com
Downloads: WAR PROFITEERING IS KILLING US ALL (Video) | ON MYSPACE

SEARING MEADOW - CORRODING FROM INSIDE (Melodic Death Metal)

Another unexpected find, I thought this was going to be metalcore emo-screamo shit, but they're actually a traditional melodic death metal band with vocals that lean more towards traditional death metal, more guttural than "screamy." NO CLEAN SINGING! The band members' short hair threw me off, but I'm glad this isn't what I expected. The songs are propelled by guitar leads instead of simply riffs, think Dark Tranquillity's The Gallery and The Mind's I. This one kicks ass. The vocals sounds a teeny-weeny bit too low in the mix, they're not the dominant sound, so that could have made it even better, but it's still a killer CD.

Rating: 87/100
Website: http://www.searingmeadow.com
Downloads: WASTED HEROES and THREE NAMES FOR DENIAL (Clips from their 2002 promo CD, Enduring Enchantment, both songs appear re-recorded in far superior form on Corroding From Inside)

BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME - ALASKA (Whatevercore)

People have suggested this band to me a million times and everything I'd heard from them failed to impress me. Well, last week or so I heard "Selkies: The Endless Obsession" and I thought the song kicked ass. I had a gift card to FYE with $11 still on it so I figured I'd go use it. I had the new Judas Priest in my hand for $11.99, but decided to get this album instead. I figured $4 (plus gift card) wasn't a bad price. Well, I can't help but be disappointed. I should have bought Angel Of Retribution.

I can appreciate what this band does with all the stylistic changes, but it sounds like they're doing it on purpose instead of naturally. I can imagine the band sitting around trying to figure out what style of music they could put in this part or that part instead of just letting it flow. And that's the problem with it, it doesn't flow. When they groove it's like technical-Kittie (that's right, vocals and all), when they go prog it's second rate and when they go death metal it's typical and generic. There are some great moments, and a few really good songs, "Selkies" being the best, in my opinion. I don't know, I'll give it more spins—maybe I don't get it yet?—but I really don't find this album to be special at the moment, not deserving of the hype. It's almost a chore to listen to. Oh well.

Rating: 55/100
Website: http://betweentheburiedandme.com
Downloads: MORDECAI and CAMILLA RHODES (from The Silent Circus, but you'll get the idea)

DARKBLACK - THE BARBARIAN'S HAMMER (EP) (Traditional Fantasy Metal)

Man, I saw the cover of this CD and thought, "This is going to kick all kinds of ass, or be so bad I'll have wished I bought a few tacos with this $4." Well, it's pretty bad, sort of in between what I was thinking, but more toward the suckage end of the scale. I did a little research on the band and this EP has actually gotten some good reviews saying things like "I’m betting we’ll be slathering over these guys a generation from now like we do unsung NWOBHM bands such as Arc, Requiem and Hell..." and "The US needs more bands of the genre DarkBlack have chosen - straight old-school, if you will, Metal...". Very strange. "Bracer's Of The Eagle's Talon" is actually pretty good once it gets going, best song on the EP.

The band is a three-piece, guitars, drums, bass/vocals, and they embrace the old school fashion of tight shirts and pants, sleeveless denim jackets, bandanas around the neck, porno-cop sunglasses and bullet belts with the feathered wolf hair styled haircut. While I won't completely slam this band, I did enjoy some parts, but overall they're not all that (though the EP does get better with more listens). And the vocalist/bassist is pretty inconsistent, and flat out terrible on "Wizardman," the first track, he's so out of tune and weak it's not even funny. SIKE! It is funny, actually. The production is lo-fi, the riffs are sloppy, the drumming is sloppy, and the lyrics are lame. I can't imagine myself listening to this often, but I can see the band improving with time and actually becoming a decent band, but if this is all they ever release I can't imagine this adding much of anything to the world of metal.

Rating: 45/100
Website: http://www.myspace.com/darkblack
Downloads: BRACER'S OF THE EAGLE'S TALON

STRATOVARIUS - STRATOVARIUS (Melodic Rock/Metal)

So I finally found this used ($8 ). It's not nearly as bad as I was expecting, in fact I find it to be quite good. Sure, it's not power metal or even close to that, but it is a solid melodic rock/metal album. "Maniac Dance" is still an OK song, and it still reminds me of Extreme, but it was definitely a bad choice for a single as there are far better tunes on the CD. "Fight!!!" totally sounds like Def Leppard's "Let's Get Rocked" at the beginning, hahaha, but it's a really good tune and would have been a better choice for a single.

Other standouts include "Just Carry On," "Back To Madness," "Leave The Tribe" and "United." The only song I didn't really care for was "Gypsy In Me"—the beginning of which totally reminds me of Helloween's "I Can" or "Mr. Torture," or maybe both. Anyway, this is definitely not a bad CD at all. It's amazing that after all the bullshit with the band they were able to churn out something even this good. It's on par with the same style change Edguy has shown us on Rocket Ride, more rock-oriented than power metal, but still very good. Rocket Ride is better, though.

Rating: 70/100
Website: http://www.stratovarius.com
Downloads: N/A

 

[Eyesore]

These are the old ones I posted on some other messageboards. You may not like a lot of this stuff, but some people might. No scores on these because I'm not going back and scoring all them. :wink: Nor are there song clips and website info. Sorry.

KARABOUDJAN - SBROUDJ (EP)

What the hell is wrong with Dan Swanö? I can't review this thing! I don't even know where to begin...and it's only three songs long! This EP is labeled by some as death metal, but with it being an instrumental album it's hard to agree with that label. The only words on this EP are random spoken word samples in Swedish. The music is a mixture between metal, sludge, and psychedelic rock with keyboards, electronic effects and noise, and the aforementioned sampling. With that said, I did quite enjoy this little EP. It just grooves in its own heavy-to-melodic weirdness, and the odd samples give it an eerie sort of feel. It is good, but only recommended for fans of all-things-Swanö because it offers little more than weird, grooving background music for others.

CATARACT - WITH TRIUMPH COMES LOSS

There's not much to be said about Cataract. They're a metalcore band from Switzerland and stylistically they're not much different than any of the other bands out there doing this style of music. But where most of those bands are pretty much unimpressive due to the corporate saturation of the genre, Cataract transcend due to their crafty songwriting skills. Instead of employing the standard scream-verse-melodic-chorus formula, they instead go for the throat for most of the album with crushing riffs, guttural vocals, and extremely heavy and catchy songs. This is not to say there is no melody, because there is, Cataract have just chosen to use it intelligently when it fits into the song instead of building the song around a predetermined template (i.e. scream-verse-melodic-chorus-repeat both-breakdown-possible solo, but doubtful-repeat chorus-repeat chorus again but with overlaying scream and melodic vocals) that so many other bands are clearly doing.

Cataract impressed me with great songwriting, which is far more important than originality, style, image, and every other aspect of music. Great songs rule the roost. So, simply put: This is one of the best metalcore albums I've ever heard. Buy it!

PAIN OF SALVATION - BE

The prog-rock/metal style has never been an easy one to swallow for some people and the reason is all of the over-pretentious, self-indulgent, and overtly demanding yet non-rewarding music within the genre. Unfortunately, Pain Of Salvation's Be falls into this category. I wanted to like this CD so bad—and I listened to this album at least 5 times to make it happen—but Daniel Gildenlöw's 9-years-in-the-making project is just too weak to conquer it's ultimate goal of connecting the listener to theories on creation, whether it be the human race or the universe itself. This CD is packed full of vocals, but most of them are spoken word vocals instead of singing, which makes it extremely difficult to get into because there is virtually no hook, nothing to suck you into the song. And, sadly, with the spoken words you forget about the music, it becomes background music and totally inconsequential. Of course, without following along with the CD booklet you're completely lost as to what the spoken bits are supposed to convey, and that's only if you can get past all the ridiculous Latin— which 99% of us will not understand—and contrived "lyrics." The song "Vocari Dei" features real messages to "God" left by fans on the band's own answering machine, this is interesting the first time you hear it, but gets annoying by the second spin because it's not involving you, the listener, it's just a bunch of people from around the world speaking to someone else.

As for the music, well it's not so much heavy and progressive as it is slow, meandering and unmemorable. It just sort of slowly plods on with the occasional bright spot sparking your attention only to be replaced too soon with more nonsensical spoken rambling. The musicianship, vocals, and CD packaging are top-notch, but it's hard to believe that anyone but the most patient and loyally blind Pain Of Salvation fans and Daniel Gildenlöw, himself, could enjoy this CD.

CONSPIRACY - THE UNKNOWN

A prog rock band featuring a member of the 70's prog band, Yes. Everything about this CD is great—from the cover to the musicians to the production—except the songs themselves. Unfortunately, like many a prog band, it becomes rather tedious and boring. There are some really good songs here, but the majority of them are just meandering prog rock jams with few memorable moments. If you like The Flower Kings, Enchant and Yes, you may enjoy this, though.

TWILIGHT OPHERA - THE END OF THE HALYCON AGE

Nordic black metal from Finland! The good thing about this CD is that the singer has more of a melodic death metal voice and not the standard higher register rasping of a lot of black metal bands, the music is also much more dynamic than your traditional black metal outfit utilizing a variety of musical styles, instrumentation and song structures to break up the monotony that plagues many bands in this genre. There are also clean male and female vocals interspersed throughout the CD and with elements of power metal, traditional metal and gothic rock this CD comes highly recommended! And I'm usually no fan of black metal.

NO WARNING - SUFFER, SURVIVE

You can't help but compare these guys to Sum 41! Anyone who has heard what Sum 41 are capable of when it comes to heavy metal (listen to "The Bitter End" from the album Chuck) then you can get an idea of what this band is like, just think heavier. This is very much a punk rock heavy metal band. On certain songs the singer sounds a lot like the singer from Sum 41, but at other times he sounds like the singer from Obituary, or both combined! The music is slightly heavier than the heaviest track the afformentioned Sum 41 have done, but the combination of punk and metal just mixes beautifully. If you want a quick glimpse as to what they sound like, combine Sum 41 with Metallica and Obituary, mix, and serve. This is No Warning. And it's excellent.

VIENNA TENG - WAKING HOUR

Think Tori Amos and Sarah Mclachlan and you'll be able to grasp where Teng's musical style resides. The songs range from quiet, solo piano ballads to more uptempo piano-driven rock tunes and they all showcase intellectual, poetic lyrics and great melodies and hooks, and strong, emotional vocals. This is her first CD, and from what I've read her sophomore CD—released this year—blows this one away, and this is a great CD.

STARWOOD - IF IT AIN'T BROKE, BREAK IT

The only thing that this band has going for them is that it is fronted by the legendary Lizzy Borden! This is what has garnered them the slight media attention they've gotten, it had to be because it sure isn't the music. Brides Of Destruction caused a buzz this year because Nikki Sixx was in the band, but Brides fell victim to the same problem that haunts Starwood: mediocre songs. Maybe in 1983 these songs would have been better accepted, but it's 2004 and songs like "all My Girlfriends Have Boyfriends" is just plain stupid, especially coming from men in their 40's! This isn't to say the album is bad, I feel that it was well worth my $2 spent, but much more than that and I would have been a little upset. It's nostalgic in it's style and that is great, but the songs get boring very quickly. That's the glaring problem with this album; it's just boring.

TONY C & THE TRUTH - DEMONOPHOBIC BLUES

For those of you who find yourself digging on Everlast, but are turned off by the I'm-still-a-rapper banter, then Tony C might be something you'd be interested in. This is funky, beat-oriented bluesy rock, but with more a live band feel. Tony C, the singer, even comes off as an Everlast clone, but less raspy and more singing ability. I was surprised at how good this CD was, it catchy as hell, and just a really good funky blues/rock album. The killer bluesy jam-fest cover of "Fight For Your Right (To Party)"—originally by the Beastie Boys (in case you're retarded and didn't know)—just puts the final stamp on this album of quality songs.

THE DISTILLERS - CORAL FANG

Gritty, hook-laden, early 80's style punk! Think Bad Religion with Cortney Love singing. Great CD, hot singer (not that it matters, but it's good to know).

BAD ACID TRIP - LYNCH THE WEIRDO

Take one ounce of Mr. Bungle insanity, one cup of Dog Fashion Disco romp, a few shavings of black metal, mix it all together, and you'll have a slight idea of what Bad Acid Trip sound like. I found myself listening to this CD going, "Man, this is crap...no wait...this is pretty kick ass...no...it definitely sucks...well, nah...this pretty fucking good...um...now it sucks...hmmm...pretty good" and so on and so on. I've listened to it since and it's the same thing, it's like each song is bi-polar! It's weird, but if you like unstructured insanity for music then you'll probably love this CD.

SKINLAB - REVOLTING ROOM

Once a promising band, but this CD is just too nu-metal for me. When they first came out I could hear a lot of "Burn My Eyes" era Machine Head in their music, but this CD is just too generic in scope compared to their earlier releases. Still OK for what it is, but nothing great.

TWELVE TRIBES - THE REBIRTH OF TRAGEDY

Metalcore! Nothing new here. Not bad, but aside from the sometimes rap-like vocal delivery this is your standard 2004 screamo-verse-melodic-chorus metalcore band.

HAZEN STREET - S/T

This band asked for it: What do you get when you combine Madball with H20 and some Fun Loving Criminals? Answer: A watered down CD that isn't fun and has no balls—mad, happy or indifferent. HA! I'm a journalistic genius! Anyway, I can live without the Fun Loving Criminals, and I love Madball and H20, but this CD is just pop punk with a darker, more inner city vibe. It's catchy, but it's nothing spectacular! Freddy Criecen (Madball) and Toby Morse (H20) trade off in the vocal department, Hoya (Madball) is on bass here, Mackie (Fun Loving Criminals) is found on drums and some other dudes round out the rest of the band. Combined there is a lot of talent in this band, but with the guys from Madball here I would expect some more of a hardcore edge mixed in with the punk rock of the band H20. Instead, it's just bland and typical.

LULLACRY - BE MY GOD

Lullacry are part of that overseas crop of female-fronted metal bands. They play a mixture of rock and metal; somewhat heavy, somewhat mellow, but mostly they're rooted somewhere in between. They've been around for quite a while, but they've only released two full length albums. Most recently they've put out an EP, and they have some singles floating around but they're only found through import shops. This particular album features their old singer, but not surprisingly she sounds almost identical to their latest singer. If you want a good idea to what this band sounds like, think Evanescence and Sinergy combined. Very catchy rock/metal mix. Definitely worth a listen if you like female fronted metal bands.

THE APEX THEORY - INTHATSKYISSOMETHINGWATCHING (EP)
[ Click Here For Image ]

The Apex Theory was a band that just blew me away when I first heard them. Their music defies categorization. It's rock, it's metal, it's punk, it's jazz, it's poetic, standard time signatures are a rarity, and it's 100% original. That's what drew me to them. No other band has their sound. Their old singer, Andy, was once the drummer for System Of A Down through their three years as an unsigned band playing on all three demos, so the subsequent success of System Of A Down surely helped get them more exposure; especially since the band is from LA and three members were Armenian (with one American) and the Armenian population there jumped on the bandwagon "just because." Regardless, the band deserved that exposure and though those factors may have helped them, I still think their talent and ability to craft great songs is what carried them. I can name quite a few Armenian bands from LA that simply suck and get almost zero exposure.

So, now the band returns after a little lay-off and they're without Andy as a singer (he's gone on to start to new projects, Vokee and Ontronik). Art has taken on double-duty as guitarist and vocalist and the choice was a good one considering he has the same vocal style as Andy had. Unfortunately, Andy's creativity is quite different from Art's, so the lyrics and melodies sound decidedly different. This EP is still a great EP, but if you expect the band to sound like the Apex of old, you'll be disappointed because it does not really sound like the old band. Musically not much has changed, though, so the foundation is still intact. It's the words and melodies that have changed. Not for the better, but not for the worst either. The Apex Theory are still on course to greatness.

 

[Eyesore]

THE MUSIC - WELCOME TO THE NORTH

I first heard The Music while in England. I remember the song "The People" came on the Kerrang! channel and from the other room I could hear this song just jamming! It was like Perry Ferrel joined this funky disco rock band, and I had to go out and see what it was. That was my favorite for song at least a month straight and then I started picking up their CDs, which were mainly three or four EPs at that point. Their full length later convinced me even more that this band was great. Surprisingly, they even got some exposure over here in the US, so I was pretty happy when their latest album was released here and I didn't have to pay $30 for it. Good thing, too, because I don't really like it as much as their last album and the EPs. This album is just missing those driving disco rock jams that were on their last album. Don't get me wrong, this is a good album, but it's more mellow. The first single "Freedom Fighters" is the sort of song that I expected more of, unfortunately there's not much more than this song on the album to wake me up when listening to it. The new album is a "chill" album, meaning I'll listen to it when I'm chillin', but I won't be kick-stepping in my red velvet underwear to this album any time soon. I'll have to continue doing that to their other releases.

PILLAR - WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE

Christian rapcore. Typical, but really good. Better than P.O.D., there's not much more to say on this one.

PROJECT 86 - SONGS TO BURN YOUR BRIDGES BY

I buy a lot of CDs by Christian bands considering I'm not religious! Is God trying to speak to me?? This is yet another Christian band. There are some rap influences here, some rock, some metal, some nu-metal, and I like it. Nothing special really, nothing we haven't heard before, but I like this band. They have some crap songs, don't get me wrong, but they do have some really catchy tunes for the most part.

SKINDRED - BABYLON

Have you heard the single "Nothing?" Wow! That song smokes!! Unfortunately, the rest of the album doesn't come close to the greatness of that song. Just like their first album, good but not great. It's unfortunate that the song "Nothing" set my expectations so high, if not maybe I wouldn't be so disappointed in this one.

SOCIAL DISTORTION - SEX, LOVE AND ROCK 'N' ROLL

Social D is one of my all-time favorite bands! Mike Ness can do no wrong! I even like his country-tinged rock-a-billy albums! But now Mike seems to have mellowed out quite a bit. This album is no sellout album, but it's definitely got a different vibe going on it and I think the word "love" in the title might give some insight into this. It seems that maybe Mike isn't angry anymore. This is still a CD I can enjoy, but it took some getting used to. The hard-edged punk of old is gone, and a new introspective, almost lulling, beauty is present. It's different, and it's been a long time coming, but I can't complain. Mike Ness and Social D still rule!

THERAPY? - NEVER APOLOGISE NEVER EXPLAIN

God, this band is so good!! I first started listening to Therapy? back in the early 90's when a manager of mine at a music store I worked at introduced me to their "Nurse" CD. At the time, I wasn't very impressed because back then I was still fairly close-minded about music. But then they released their "Troublegum" album and that CD blew me away. It was just too good to not take notice. After that, "Nurse" became more appealing. It's still not their greatest album, but aside from a track or two it's a killer CD. Since then Therapy? have consistently given us great music. They've release about 10 EPs and more singles, most of which having unreleased songs on them, and not to mention all the full length albums they've put out. They also continuously release live songs, demos and unreleased tracks via their website. This band owns!

Over the course of 10 studio albums the band has consistently given us greatness, but at the same time they've evolved their sound. No two albums sound alike, some sound similar, but on each their is something that makes it unique. "Troublegum" is very alt-rock oriented, "Shameless" is very punk rock, "Suicide Pact - You First" is experimental and noisy with longer songs, "Infernal Love" is almost poppy, "Semi-Detached" was a poppy alt-rock album, "High Anxiety" was a return to their "Troublegum" sound, but heavier and more mellow at the same time, and this new album is simply ferocious punk/metal album...and it's so good!

From first song to last, this album kicks ass. It's full of hooks and melodies and noisy heaviness that you just can't find in a band every day. Yet, after 15 years Therapy? continue to make great, amazing music. The one thing that is unfortunate about the band nowadays is their lack of singles. With no good record deal since their days with A&M (where they released about 20 singles) it is hard for them to release new singles because they're just can't afford it. They released two singles from "Shameless," one from last year's "High Anxiety" and so far nothing from this new album with no plans for one either. Truly sad, but by no fault of the band. Hopefully, we'll get a b-sides album someday so we can hear the unreleased songs they would have undoubtedly released on singles had there been anything remotely close to label support for these guys over the past few years. Anyway, iIf you haven't ever heard this band, I cannot recommend them enough. You won't be disappointed.

WAR AND PEACE - LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

War And Peace started as a side project for Dokken bass player Jeff Pilson in 1993. So far they have released four albums, this being the third and first where Jeff plays the role of primary songwriter and musician. The overpowering role he played in Dokken's sound over the years is clearly evident here. Jeff's vocal performance is very strong and his melodies sound almost indentical to how they sound on Dokken albums. The music is a mix of 80's rock and a more modern rock sound. The songs themselves are excellent and very catchy. And considering that this album came out after Jeff left Dokken I can't help but wonder how much better Dokken's latest two CDs would have been if Jeff had been in the band and contributed some of these songs to those albums. They were good albums, but this is a great album. Fans of Dokken, or those who crave an ode to the old school should try and find this album.

A bit of advice—something someone should have mentioned to the band—NEVER use the "Nightmare Before Christmas" font on ANYTHING!!

ABYDOS - A LITTLE BOY'S HEAVY METAL SHADOW OPERA ABOUT THE INHABITANTS OF HIS DIARY

This CDs cover caught my attention in the record store. It's on Inside Out Music so I knew it was some sort of prog rock/metal band, but I'd never heard of them, or him as it turns out. There is a prog metal band called Vanden Plas and this is that band's singer's first solo album. His name is Andy Kuntz, what a name! Imagine if his name was Randy! Anyway, the title is a little too long, if not odd, and it is clearly a concept album. Abydos, in Egypt, is reported to be the birthplace of theater, so with that in mind you can sort of see where this CD is going to take you before hearing it (and apparently this will someday be an actual musical).

Andy's vocals sound quite a bit like James Labrie, and often times he sounds identical, so he is quite a good vocalist, as you could imagine. The music varies from track to track, each one is unique and offers something a little different to keep it from becoming a boring prog metal album, which happens quite a bit in this genre that breeds too much self-indulgent wankery. The music ranges between hard melodic rock to full-blown prog metal, and while it is very good, it is not original, nor mind-blowing. But with a running time of 70.20 minutes of very solid music, you can't really complain about originality.

WHERE ANGELS FALL – DIES IRAE (EP)

Where Angels Fall are a gothic doom metal band. They play a style quite similar to Sirenia and Tristania, but without the male death metal vocals and slightly on the mellower side. The music is very atmospheric with a lot of keyboards and background chanting. Lead singer Eirin has a great voice that fits perfectly with the music. The songs are very well written and none of the four songs found on this EP are anything short of excellent. If I had to complain about anything it would simply be that it isn’t long enough. Hopefully this band will get a full-length out there soon. I’d recommend this EP to anyone who enjoys dark, gothic doom metal.

RHAPSODY - SYMPHONY OF ENCHANTED LANDS: I & II

I figured I'd finally check these guys out by buying their second album from 1998 and it's sequel that came out this year. Last year I purchased Luca Turilli's (Rhapsody's guitarist and one of two main songwriters) "Propheth Of The Last Eclipse" album and loved it from the second the first song kicked in. It was way over the top epic, symphonic power metal with what sounded like a choir of 2,000. I loved it. After picking up Luca's other album, and his two singles, I decided to check out Rhapsody. Simply put, Luca's solo stuff sounds EXACTLY like Rhapsody. The same style of songs are present here. This time, though, it's all about fantasy with warriors, dragons, castles and all things Tolkien-like. Cheese factor aside (which is very high, by the way), these two CDs are excellent! Very fast, very atmospheric, HUGE sounding songs. I'd recommend this band and Luca's solo CDs to any fan of this type of power metal. Luca's solo stuff is a bit better, though.

EMINEM - ENCORE

Still an extremely talented wordsmith, but is he getting a bit boring now? I mean, haven't we heard enough of his goofy songs like "Just Lose It" or songs about how he hates Kim, and loves Hailey and will murder anyone who mentions her name, or how he hates his Mom? I mean, in "Just Lose It" and "Mosh"—the albums first 2 singles—he even samples himself for crying out loud!! Now, there are some excellent songs on this album. It's rap, so it'll get boring real quick if I listen to it all day, but this album is no stinker by any means. I just feel that Eminem has dug himself a hole and he's sort of regurgitating old ideas. He is, however, seeming to play a bigger role in producing, which in the rap world means making beats, and occasionally he shows promise like on the song "Just Like Toy Soldiers" where he samples Martika's hit from the 80's "Toy Soldiers," but unfortunately the transition from rap verse to Martika's chorus doesn't seem to blend well, and on top of that there is this annoying drummer boy cadence that goes on throughout the song and is just a little annoying. Still, on the whole this is a good album. Not as good as his last two, but worthy nonetheless. I just think it's time for him up the ante a bit and try something a little different.

 

[Eyesore]

NONPOINT – TO THE PAIN (Rap Metal)

Let’s be honest, rap metal is a dead genre, which is for the best. Originally when bands like Fishbone, Downset (originally known as Social Justice) and Stuck Mojo began taking the Run DMC blueprint of fusing funk and rap into heavier music for entire albums it was a good thing. Like all newly explored areas of music there are great bands who pioneer those styles, but then comes the corporate mainstream that douses the entire genre in Insta-Semen® and next thing you know there are a million similar bands. Unfortunately 99% of them suck and they smother the good bands. Nonpoint are one of the good bands.

Believe it or not, they began in Puerto Rico as a thrash band known as Nonpoint Factor. This was 1991. A move to Florida brought about change and in 1997 the band re-emerged—this time as Nonpoint—with some new members and a decidedly different style. They were now a rap metal hybrid that blended funk, rap, and metal; clearly not an innovator of the genre, but one of the standouts. Mainly due to Elias Soriano’s vocal style and melodies, they sound like no other out there. This is their sixth full-length; their fourth on a major label and it’s worth noting that they’re still on a major label while most of the other bands of this genre have floated off into oblivion.

History lesson aside (you’ll likely not care anyway), this album is another killer slab of rap metal, not totally original in style, but definitely original in sound. Well worth checking out if you’ve ever like anything like this. If not, skip it.

Rating: 75/100
Website: http://www.nonpoint.com
Downloads: http://www.myspace.com/nonpoint

SKINLAB – DISEMBODY: THE NEW FLESH (Groove Metal)

This band started out promising. Their 1997 debut, Bound, Gagged And Blindfolded, was an album very much in the vein of Machine Head’s The More Things Change and Sepultura’s Chaos A.D., heavy and groovy, but with less thrash tendencies and a little more urban intonations. Still, it was very good debut. They released the Eyesore EP second (what a great fucking album title!), this EP showed even more promise for the future, especially with the killer cover of Brujeria’s “Raza Odiada (Pito Wilson).” Then they released this album (I lost it at some point, this is a used bin re-buy), and they actually improved on what made the first album and EP great. It was heavier, faster and just simply better in every aspect. This is a damn good album, too bad they sort of lost it on reVolting Room and took it to a more nu-metal level. Normally I wouldn’t mind if it was good, but sadly it wasn’t a very good album. They’ve since broken up, but did release a nice double-CD compilation called Nerve Damage—which I found sealed for $2! Good deal.

Rating: 80/100
Website: Disbanded
Downloads: KNOW YOUR ENEMIES (from DISEMBODY: The New Flesh) , DISSOLVE (from Bound, Gagged And Blindfolded) and SLAVE THE WAY (from reVolting Room, one of the better tunes on the album)

SAVIOURS – WARSHIP (EP) (Stoner Metal)

This is an odd band. Their album covers make them look like a black or death metal band, the song titles on this EP seemingly confirm it: “Circle Of Servants Bodies,” “Satanic Scriptures” and “Christ Hunt.” The lyrics offer even more credence to that notion, “View the wrath of the satanic scriptures with hatred, Bleed for no one but him, We join together, a quintity with blood in our hands in preparation for eternity…” But, oddly enough, they’re a dark, heavy stoner rock band! Musically there’s no black or death to be found! The vocals are borderline screamo, which is no surprise considering this band features members of the screamo hardcore band Yaphet Kotto—strangely named after the b-list actor of the same name—but somehow it suits the music well, music that is quite good. This is definitely a nice little EP, it’s got me looking forward to their upcoming debut, Crucifire, due in May.

Rating: 75/100
Website: http://www.level-plane.com/saviours
Downloads: CIRCLE OF SERVANTS BODIES and HOLY SLAUGHTER (from Crucifire)

NO INNOCENT VICTIM – TO BURN AGAIN (Christian Hardcore)

Once upon a time a hardcore fan could trust in Victory Records to release quality hardcore and punk. They had a vision and they were selective in who they signed, if you liked one album from a Victory band you could buy an album they released by a band you didn’t know and pretty much be guaranteed that you’d like it. The same could be said for the Christian hardcore label Tooth & Nail Records (at least their hardcore albums). T&N bands like Strongarm and The Blamed were killer, No Innocent Victim was just as good, if not better. I first began digging on T&N bands by way of a compilation CD that featured a bunch of their hardcore acts. The first No Innocent Victim song I heard was on this album and it was called “Strength (In Christ).” I fucking loved it! Kind of odd coming from someone that believes Christianity to be a complete joke, but I loved that song, still do, in fact. Eventually both T&N and Victory threw their vision out the window and began signing all kinds of bands—Victory have even signed a techno band, for fuck’s sake!—and you can’t find any info on their earlier bands on their sites, bands like Strongarm, Strife, Doughnuts, etc.! It’s annoying.

Anyswayze...No Innocent Victim eventually switched teams and signed with Victory and released Flesh & Blood and Tipping The Scales, both albums took on a faster, heavier and more metal sound and sort of came off as a second-rate Earth Crisis. Not bad, but not nearly as good as their first two albums. They’ve since left Victory for Facedown Records and I’m happy to say they’ve gotten back to their hardcore roots with To Burn Again, they even re-recorded “Open,” "Stand" and "Paid In Full" from their now out-of-print sophomore release No Compromise. This is what Hatebreed wish they were. This is an excellent traditional hardcore album. Who cares if they love Jesus?

Rating: 90/100
Website: http://www.noinnocentvictim.com
Downloads: http://www.purevolume.com/noinnocentvictim

 

[Eyesore]

LULLACRY – ALRIGHT TONIGHT (CD Single) (Heavy Pop-Metal/Rock)

Nothing much here, this is just a 2-track single. The title track is one of the best tracks on Crucify My Heart, very catchy, great song. The second track is a re-recording of “Sweet Desire” from their first full-length of the same name (now out-of-print). This new version is a better recording, but there’s not really anything very different about it. This is obviously a single for the completists.

Rating: 70/100
Website: http://www.lullacry.com
Downloads: ALRIGHT TONIGHT (Clip)

LULLACRY – DON’T TOUCH THE FLAME (CD Single) (Heavy Pop-Metal/Rock)

This is another 2-track single, the same thing basically applies, but this time the second track makes it a much better single to seek out. “Don’t Touch The Flame” is the standard fare for Lullacry, a very catchy, rock/metal anthem. A very cool tune. The second track is a killer cover of Nine Inch Nail’s “Head Like A Hole.” This version is very different from the original and sounds like it could be a Lullacry original. It’s a great song, definitely worth finding if you like this band.

Rating: 80/100
Website: http://www.lullacry.com
Downloads: DON’T TOUCH THE FLAME

BEN HARPER – BOTH SIDES OF THE GUN (3CD) (Bluesy Folk/Soul/Reggae)

What? Pffft! Ben Harper is excellent. This is his seventh studio album since 1994, there have been a bunch of singles, two EPs and three live albums thrown in, as well. He’s not as prolific as someone like Ani Difranco—who had released about thirteen albums in her first twelve years, including one double live CD—but he’s still releasing albums at a good rate, and they’ve been very good. Like Ani Difranco, one of the things that makes Ben Harper so good is that each album is slightly different from the previous. Styles have varied between funk, soul, rock, reggae, and many other styles, all still retaining an element that is undeniably Ben Harper.

This album features two main albums, one is a softer, more acoustic album and the second is a bit heavier (relatively speaking, of course) and groovier. Both CDs are excellent and offer up a range of different styles within the main sound of the CDs. There is also a bonus disc here that includes six songs, four are alternate mixes and two are live. The day this was released it cost me $13.99 on sale, which is a great price for a 3CD set, and while the bonus disc has some really cool takes on some songs, I wouldn’t suggest paying the normal price of like $23.99 just for the added bonus disc. Still, the main two CDs are well worth checking out (if you’re not too metal, of course).

Rating: 85/100
Website: http://www.benharper.net
Downloads: BETTER WAY (Streaming)

DADDY X – FAMILY TIES (Punk Rap)

I’m not a huge rap fan, though I do like some. I love the old shit like Run DMC, Eric B. & Rakim, the first two L.L. Cool J albums, etc., I also really dig on the early Nineties rap like House Of Pain, Cypress Hill and Funkdoobiest. Since then there have been very few rap groups that I have even remotely liked. I discovered Insane Clown Posse in high school and because I’m a clown—no pun intended—I found them to be hilarious, they lost it in the past few years when they got rid of their long-time producer, though. When the good beats are gone the retarded lyrics are no longer funny because the hooks and verses become weak. Anyway, then there is Kottonmouth Kings, formed out of the punk band Humble Gods, they mix acoustic music, reggae, rock, metal and punk with rap. It’s a very unique mix that never sounds like rapcore, it always maintains that rap element as the predominant sound. Kottonmouth Kings have released a lot of music, each CD usually contains around twenty tracks, many times more than that and unlike many rap albums there aren’t ten songs and ten stupid skits, these are mainly songs. Sometimes I feel like this is a good thing, and others not a good thing as some songs just aren’t all that great, but they’re not total crap so it’s not so bad.

Apparently the members do nothing but record music (and, according to the lyrics, smoke a lot of weed) because not only have Kottonmouth Kings released nine albums since 1998—the tenth coming June 6th—the individual members have also released some solo/side-project albums. This is Daddy X’s second solo album. Like Kottonmouth Kings his solo material is a variation of styles mixed in with a lot of rap, although his lyrics are more introspective and political than those of Kottonmouth Kings who rap more about partying and smoking weed. There are twenty-one songs here and again it sometimes feels like too many. There are a ton of kick ass songs, but there are some slight snoozers that just feel a little thrown together. The lyrics suffer sometimes, too. Have you ever written lyrics to a rap song? You have to write a fucking ton of lyrics! This is no six-line verse, four-line chorus. You have to write like forty-line verses, three of them! It’s ridiculous! Anyswayze, in order for rap lyrics to work they have to be well thought out and generally they are here, but sometimes they reek of laziness. Still, in the end this is another very good release from the Kottonmouth cam…err…kamp. Give it a chance, these dudes are white so it’s not your typical mainstream rap.

Rating: 75/100
Website: http://www.kottonmouthkings.com
Downloads: SAMPLER and MINDBENDER (Video featuring a legless break-dancer, freaky!)

LEPRECHAUN – THE ULTIMATE DANCE (DEMO EP) (Irish Folk Power Metal)

I was intending to review this on the main site, but decided against it for three reasons. One thing that pissed me off when I paid like $17 for this was the fact that when I got the CD it was in a cardboard slipcase. Strike one. Those things suck, but at least the glossy artwork and stuff was cool. Then I slide the CD out and it’s a fucking CDR!! Seriously…what the fuck? Strike two. I paid $17 for this? That’s extremely cheap if you ask me, and it’s just a 7-track EP and there’s not even any label on the CDR, it’s blank! The EP is very good, though. So I figured I’d still review it, support the band even though I felt slightly ripped off. Then just the other day I popped the CD in to give it some listens before I reviewed it and at 2:21 of the second track it fucking skips! The CD is scratch-free, but like many CDRs it degrades over time for a variety of reasons. Now the band can kiss my ass! Hahaha. Luckily it only skips a few times and then works its way past, the skip also didn’t translate to the MP3 when I ripped it, which is good. Still, I can’t in good conscience review this on the main site. It’s not worth the price.

As for the music, apparently it’s very much like Elvenking, whom I’ve never heard, but considering that this band is lead by Damnagoras from Elvenking it wouldn’t surprise me. Basically this is Irish folk/power metal and it’s excellent. And that’s all this band gets from me. Pffft!

Music Rating: 85/100 | Packaging: 25/100
Website: http://www.leprechaun.it
Downloads: ROOK BLACK CROW, THE ULTIMATE DANCE (Clip) and KNOCKGRAFTON (Clip)

 

[Eyesore]

I have a lot of new albums, so expect a few more of these in the coming days/weeks. As always they won't be very long or in-depth, just more of a general opinion slightly elaborated on, but I may go off on a tangent as I did below. :roll:

KEITH CAPUTO – HEARTS BLOOD ON YOUR DAWN (Soft, Melancholic Rock)

If you’ve not heard of Keith Caputo, he is the tremendous lead singer of Life Of Agony; definitely one of the most underrated vocalists out there. Life Of Agony has changed dramatically since River Runs Red, an album consisting of heavy, crushing hardcore tracks the band had been playing for about five years at that point. Today, there is nothing hardcore about them.

Keith’s solo material, though, makes Life Of Agony’s Soul Searching Sun seem like a brutal hardcore album in comparison when it’s essentially alternative rock. His solo work is very mellow, very introspective and sorrowful. And it’s brilliant.

Hearts Blood On Your Dawn is the follow-up to Perfect Little Monsters. This album is easily his best solo album to date. The songs are simply stronger in every facet, and considering he hasn’t released a bad solo album yet that’s saying a lot. Sadly you won’t find this album in stores; you’ll have to order it directly from Keith who is doing it the DIY way these days from Europe, but I suggest you pick it up. This is music that should be heard.

Rating: 90/100
Website: http://www.keithcaputo.com
Downloads: LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER and LIVIN’ THE BLUES

CANVAS SOLARIS – PENUMBRA DIFFUSE (Technical Instrumental Prog-Metal)

I am not a fan of instrumental music. I can handle an instrumental or two on an album, but I generally need some vocal melodies to keep things from getting monotonous. That’s why I basically closed the door on this band recently when people were suggesting them to me. Sure, the MP3 online sounded great, very Zero Hour-ish—one of my recent favorite bands—but I pretty much assumed an album’s worth would bore me.

Strangely enough, I came across this album in the used bin for $2. I couldn’t pass it up! It’s most definitely worth the $2, I thought. Sure enough, it was worth it, worth more, in fact. This is a damn good album! What I like about it is the fact that the band doesn’t get excessive with anything. There is nothing self-indulgent about the songs, no excessive solos or drumming to fill the space where vocals would normally be, no one musician shouting musically, "Look at me! Look at what I can do!" While some songs are heavy, others are mellow, acoustic with all manner of non-heavy instrumentation such as tabla, mandolin, clay drums and some light synthesizer work. It all flows seamlessly, melding metal with countless shapes and shifts that form a very solidly fused soundscape.

Surely not for everyone, but it won me over. I barely notice there aren’t any vocals, which is generally the biggest hurdle for me when it comes to instrumental work. This album is highly recommended, and currently their first two albums can be bought for a mere $10 plus $4 S&H at Tribunal Records. That's a great deal, I ordered my copies last week.

Rating: 80/100
Website: http://www.myspace.com/canvassolaris
Downloads: PANORAMIC LONG-RANGE VERTIGO

SOULS AT ZERO – SOULS AT ZERO (Heavy Post-Thrash)

A little known and very underrated band from the early Nineties. In the late Eighties they were known as Wrathchild America, but were originally known as Wrathchild until the record company added “America” to their debut without consulting the band (there was a UK band with the Wrathchild name, which prompted the label to make the change). Back then they played more of a traditional thrash style, though not exclusively. They released two albums, switched labels and changed their name to Souls At Zero. This era of the band was a slower, groovier version of their former self, and though the band was signed to two major labels they still never got the recognition they deserved. They got the fart in a tornado treatment.

Souls At Zero seems to be an angrier album than previous releases. The lyrics portrayed this and the music reflected it. Again, this isn’t a fast, aggressive album, but the vibe is enough to make it seem so. The dual guitar assault (riffs and solos), the raw, vitriolic vocals, and the overall “dark” nature of it all is a little different than that of the previous incarnation of the band. Standouts include “Never”, “Frustration”, “Lost”, “Grey World” and “Welcome To The 90’s.”

This album is no longer in print, so check your local used bins or jump on the eBay train and look for it. They released two albums, the Six-T-Six EP and A Taste For The Perverse, before calling it a day in the mid-Nineties. Both Souls At Zero and Wrathchild America are worth checking out. Shannon Larkin (once in Ugly Kid Joe, sadly now in Godsmack) was in this band.

Rating: 80/100
Website: http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=59476
Downloads: CLIMBING THE WALLS and DESERT GRINS (LIVE) (Two videos of Wrathchild America, the best I could do)

BETH HART – SCREAMIN’ FOR MY SUPPER (Soulful, Bluesy Rock)

If you ever find yourself yearning for the mirrored vocal reflection of the long since living Janis Joplin, then Beth Hart may be your girl. She’s a rootsy, bluesy rock vocalist playing piano-based rock music with a little blues, jazz, country and even gospel mixed in for good measure. The vocals are the standout here, they seethe with passion (seeing her live is a sight to behold!).

Janis Joplin is undoubtedly one the greatest vocalists from the Seventies, her power and passion is rarely matched, to this day. Beth Hart, when she lets it rip, could be mistaken for Janis Joplin by the unknowing ear. She has more of a trill to her voice that may throw some people off because it’s virtually ever-present, but if you can dig on it (and the music style), Screamin’ For My Supper should be on your list of albums to check out. In fact, all her albums are worth checking out. This chick simply rules!

Rating: 85/100
Website: http://www.bethhart.com
Downloads: DELICIOUS SURPRISE (I BELIEVE IT) (Video clip from the Live At The Paradiso DVD/CD)

BEYOND THE EMBRACE – INSECT SONG (Metalcore)

Being a fan of this band since their self-titled debut (they’re a local band for me) I was a little disappointed with this album. It’s only a recent purchase because when I first heard it—driving to Foxwoods with a friend after it came out—I was totally unimpressed. Nothing has changed now that I own it. They’ve always been borderline metalcore, but their previous albums are more aggressive and heavier, thus sort of negating that metalcore label and giving them a thrashier, more melodic death metal aura. Insect Song suffers from simply being more of the same. When this came out—and even more so now—there were simply too many bands playing this style of music. It may be great music, but it’s also old before you even listen to it. It’s like only having peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to eat everyday, they’re great and all, but come on…again? Only on the song “…Of Every Strain” do we get a full song glimpse of the old Beyond The Embrace.

The songs are all decent, but they go by without a whisper because there’s nothing new here. Shawn Gallagher has always reminded me of Elias from the rap metal band Nonpoint when he’s singing in a more melodic voice, but with the melodic vocals taking up a greater portion of the vocal slots on this album it’s almost like listening to a heavier, less rappy version of Nonpoint, which is weird (not an insult, I like Nonpoint, it's just weird). The production is also pretty bad, very hollow-sounding, like it was processed…inside a dumpster.

Not a bad album, but nothing amazing from a band that can clearly do better…and should.

Rating: 55/100
Website: http://www.beyondtheembrace.com
Downloads: http://www.myspace.com/beyondtheembrace

(HED)PE – BACK 2 BASE X (Rap Metal/Punk)

I like a lot of bands that fused rap and metal before it was cool to do so; Run DMC probably being the earliest, but also Downset (the band Rage Against The Machine ripped off) and Stuck Mojo, for example. I also like some bands that came later in the game like Nonpoint and Bionic Jive. (HED)pe are sort of a mid-era band, formed in the early Nineties, but never releasing anything until the mid-Nineties. They labeled their brand of music G-Punk, but there was essentially no punk to be found on their first EP and their three following major label full-lengths. They were essentially a rock/metal band with some serious hip hop influences, and they did it better than most.

Then after their third full-length there was a drastic change in personnel. Then came Only In Amerika, an album that was a drastic change in style. Gone was the groovy rock and metal, replaced by second-rate punk. There were a couple of old school moments like the killer “Represent,” but overall the album smacked of a confused band trying to shed their skin and not quite fitting into their new skin, a fat guy in a little coat. Plus, the lyrics were so ridiculously juvenile it felt like you were listening a group of 14-year olds that idolized those goofy clowns in the Insane Clown Posse. All I remember hearing through the whole album was punk this, punk that, pussy, fuck this, fuck you, fuck that, pussy, pussy, punk, fuck, shit, pussy, you’re a pussy, I love pussy, die pussy, fuck, fuck, pussy, pussy, die, and even more literary genius that I need not write out for you to get the point. It’s not like they were ever very poignant and mature, but this album was simply ridiculous.

So 2006 brings Back 2 Base X, the first album to be released on Suburban Noize, the label owned by the Kottonmouth Kings. Now, I can listen to some rap, not much, but the Kottonmouth Kings is a band that I love. I don’t smoke weed, never have, so lyrically I can't relate much since 80% of their songs are glorifying weed, but they have always mixed rap with punk and they do it in amazing fashion (relatively speaking), so I had high hopes for this new (HED)pe album. The first track on the album, “Listen,” almost had me convinced that this album was a step back on the right track, a Seventies-influenced rap/rock tune that was more typical of early (HED). But as soon as “Novus Ordos Clitorus” steps up to the plate you know things have changed, or stayed the same, rather. Once again the band thinks they’re a punk band, Jahred’s screaming vocals are simply painful to listen to, they're so unsteady “cringe-worthy” is something of an understatement at times, and his death metal chant of “fight!” is laughable. And it simply goes down this same path for most of the album. Some different elements show up, but for the most part it would appear that this band is confused stacked up against their back catalogue (not including the last album).

I don’t often find myself thinking, “Man, this needs an injection of a whole lotta hip hop!” but there is nothing else I can think of here that would help this band out. This album is better than the last album, and it’s not completely worthless, there are some good songs on it, but they don’t work as a punk band, it simple does not work, they fail time and time again when they try to add punk to the mix. And it’s unfortunate because they were once a forerunner in the rap rock/metal genre. The lyrics are better this time around, not that it matters, though.

This album should be fittingly renamed to Back To Gase X.

Rating: 40/100
Website: http://www.myspace.com/hedpe
Downloads: GET READY (Video) and REPRESENT (Video from Only In Amerika)

 

[Eyesore]

RINGWORM – JUSTICE REPLACED BY REVENGE (Hardcore)

Ringworm has been around for a long time. Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio they blend metal/thrash and hardcore like fellow Cleveland stalwarts Integrity. In fact, to the unknowing ear one would believe this to indeed be Integrity. They are that similar. And with Integrity’s demise after main man Dwid’s continued visits to his own world, this is not a bad thing. This is also not metalcore. This is some awesome old school hardcore with metal elements—not far removed, but far different from the crap out there today—and it’s brutal. They even have solos! Not every song works, but it’s pretty damn good.

Rating: 80 / 100
Website: http://www.ringworm13.com
Downloads: Justice Replaced By Revenge (Video) and MySpace

PHANTOM BLUE – BUILT TO PERFORM (Rock)

Phantom Blue first came onto the rock scene in the late-Eighties with their debut album dropping, and doing very well, in 1989. Like with most bands coming out at that time, right about when it came time for a follow-up the grunge phenomenon was in full swing. So it wasn’t until 1994, and a few modern upgrades, that Built To Perform was released.

The band boasted five females, something that undoubtedly overshadowed the music and the excellent musicianship from guitarists Michelle Meldrum and Karen Kreutzer (and original guitarist Nicole Couch), but they had much more substance than other all-female rock groups of the time. Those two could seriously shred! John Norum and Marty Friedman (who produced their debut) do guest solos on this album, as well. Built To Perform is like Drain STH meets Heart. A damn good album, though not flawless by any means, 1994 was simply too late in the game for this album.

Rating: 75 / 100
Website:
Downloads: TIME TO RUN (Video), WHY CALL IT LOVE? (Video) and INTERVIEW/CLIPS (Video)

PENNYWISE – THE FUSE (Punk)

This is Pennywise, one of the best punk bands since they dropped their debut in the early-Nineties, and they simply play high quality punk rock. There’s really nothing new here, The Fuse is just another great album in a long line of equally great albums. The problem, of course, is that if you’ve heard one album you’re not really going to find any new ground being broken here. However, I think it may be a bit mellower this time out, but not by much. It’s far less political than its predecessor, From The Ashes, but Pennywise have never shied away from political rhetoric in the past, so it’s nothing new, just not as blatant on this album. Standouts include “Knocked Down,” “Competition Song,” “Stand Up,” “Disconnect,” and “Lies.”

Rating: 85 / 100
Website: http://www.pennywisdom.com
Downloads: Knocked Down (Video) and MySpace

KORN – TAKE A LOOK IN THE MIRROR (Nu-Metal)

In 1994 I found Korn’s debut in a used bin for $2 and I loved it. It was a dark, twisted form of metal that was something I’d never heard before. Two years went by and Korn was nothing more than a used bin leftover. Then, seemingly overnight, they blew up! Somehow “Blind” found its way to radio and the band were declared the next big thing; and indeed, they were. Later that year they released Life Is Peachy, a festering pile of audio turd (aside from a few songs). Follow The Leader was much better, but at this point the band was pulling far too much hip hop into the mix. Issues, however, was an excellent change of pace; it was melodic and introspective (relatively speaking) and offered the best songwriting of the band’s career. On Untouchables it was more of that bouncy, hip hop nu-metal crap. Not my thing really, but not terrible. That was the last album I bought from the band, until now.

Korn has come full circle. I found this album in that very same used bin for $2. This is probably their darkest album since the debut, making for a decidedly good album. The best since Issues, and only surpassed by that album and the debut (or maybe the newest one, which I haven’t heard). The track “Play Me,” sadly, makes me want to the exact opposite. In fact, it makes me want to smack someone! Who the hell thought it would be cool to have Nas on the damn album? He’s one of the most overrated (c)rappers in the history of (c)rap! Terrible song. And “Ya’ll Want A Single” is equally retarded. There is a hidden track, their live cover of Metallica’s “One” from their MTV Icon performance, which is pretty bad. Jonathon Davis totally fucks up the “but can’t look forward to reveal” line, the words are there but they come out like he’s drunk and missing teeth.

Hate them all you want, for over thirteen years now Korn has been playing a style of metal that no one has been able to duplicate, though many have tried. And even though they don’t always find the right formula they’ve got a ton of great songs and a few great albums; this is not one of then, but it is very good.

Rating: 70 / 100
Website: http://www.korn.com (pretty cool website)
Downloads: N/A

HALESTORM – ONE AND DONE (EP) (Modern Rock)

Halestorm are one of those bands you love to discover. You find them in the used bin and take a chance on them and they turn out to be well worth the cash, and then some. I know little about this band, they’ve been around for a good while now (since 1997) and have released one independent album prior to this, their Atlantic Records debut EP, One And Done.

An odd release in that it’s a live recording. Vocalist/guitarist Lzzy (the rock ‘n’ roll spelling, apparently) is a fiery young lady with a good amount of Ann Wilson inflections layered with quite a bit of gruffness, making for a great vocal performance. Musically the band is purely a rock band with some modern touches, more Nineties rock than Eighties, occasionally reminding me of the Tori Amos-produced Pet (who came and went far too quickly with just one album in 1996).

One And Done is a solid slab of rock music, more impressive it is because it’s live and still manages to convey a sense of sonic energy that is lacking on a lot of live albums by bigger, more well-known bands. This is a great little EP, an excellent precursor to their next full-length that is hopefully just as good, if not better.

Rating: 85 / 100
Website: http://www.halestormrocks.com
Downloads: It’s Not You (Stream), Takes My Life (Stream), Show Me (Stream) and MySpace

BORN FROM PAIN – SANDS OF TIME (Metalcore)

Born From Pain are a typical metalcore band, leaning more toward the hardcore end of the measuring stick. There’s a lot of Hatebreed elements here, which isn’t necessarily bad when it’s on a Hatebreed album, but more than one Hatebreed is far too many (some would contend that one is too many).

For the price of $2, however, I can’t complain. Maybe someday when I’m in the mood for false bravado I’ll throw this on and love it, otherwise this will likely get one listen a year, if that.

Rating: 50 / 100
Website: http://www.bornfrompain.com
Downloads: Day Of The Scorpio, Never Return and Here Lies Civilization

WITCHKRIEG – DARK MY WAY (Witch Metal, also known as Shit)

Witch metal! A new genre? Apparently so, at least according to Australia’s Witchkrieg. I must admit, when I saw this in the bin I thought it was a kick ass band name; one I don’t think I’ve heard before, which is surprising as it seems like a band name that numerous bands would have thought up long ago. The band is actually into witchcraft and occultism and their lyrics reflect this, so that’s cool, I guess.

What of the music, though? The band plays metal that ranges from rock to NWOBHM to thrash with some death metal elements. However, if you can’t get past the horrendous production—trust me, you won’t—none of that matters. The very first demo I recorded in 1989 sounds better than this (I still have that song and it sucks…hard!…but it sounds better than everything on this album). The guitars are so high in the mix you can hardly hear anything else unless the guitars are silent. The drums sound like crap (a crappy drum machine or a crappy drummer with impeccable time?), but they sound better than they do on St. Anger, so, bonus points for that! Actually, sike! No bonus points. Barb, the vocalist, is as flat as Jon Nödtveidt’s pulse. She occasionally shows some power and depth, but she comes off more like a bored lounge singer who’s had too many in-between-song drinks. The riffs are weak and the songs are tepid and boring, though some feel as if they may be good under the surface (“Pentegram (Hexe),” “In This Heart”). A better production, something moderately professional, may have helped this album, but as it stands the production thoroughly negates all redeeming value Dark My Way might offer, if there is anything to actually offer.

Unless the band improves dramatically, this is one unforgivable waste of a great band name.

Rating: 10 / 100 (for the cool name)
Website: http://www.witchkrieg.com
Downloads: Roses Are Black, Pentagram (Hexe), Wrath and Fallen Angel (in their defense, these are low quality streams from CD Baby and sound a bit, a wee bit, worse than the CD versions)

THE SAMMUS THEORY – MAN WITHOUT EYES (Modern Prog-Alt-Rock)

Now this is a good find. I’d been seeing this album in the S section for months now, the cover looked extremely cool, but I wasn’t paying $10 for a band I’d never heard before. And, of course, I never remembered to check reviews or anything after I left the shop. The other day, however, the price was reduced to $4 and that I could handle, and justify if it sucked. They do not, thankfully.

The Sammus Theory mix modern alternative rock with progressive rock, and even some classic rock elements. I don’t know if the progressive rock tag is justified, however, as the band may just be bringing more to the table than most modern alt-rock bands. At times the band reminds me of Tool, and at others Alice In Chains and Godsmack, mainly due to the occasional vocal melodies. But most of all the band reminds me of a heavier version of Dredg, especially on songs like “Man Without Eyes, Pt I” and “Pt. 2,” “Leadfoot” and “You Choose.”
Man Without Eyes is a concept album, of what I can’t discern. A man without eyes perhaps? Whatever the story, the album is very, very good.

Rating: 75 / 100
Website: http://www.thesammustheory.net
Downloads: You Choose, Man Without Eyes, Pt. I and Pt. II, and Leadfoot (low quality CD Baby streams)

 

[Blue_Jay]

I was interested in the Stratovarius review. I think it was a good review and thanks for letting me know the CD wasn't as bad as others put it as. Elements Part 1 to me is highly underrated and it sickens me. I listen to it once every 5 days. Yet to listen to Elements Part 2 but I heard it's better, can't wait to hear it myself.

 

[Eyesore]

I was interested in the Stratovarius review. I think it was a good review and thanks for letting me know the CD wasn't as bad as others put it as. Elements Part 1 to me is highly underrated and it sickens me. I listen to it once every 5 days. Yet to listen to Elements Part 2 but I heard it's better, can't wait to hear it myself.

I love Elements 1 and 2, great CDs. Elements 2 has "Alpha & Omega," "Awaken The Giant" and "Dreamweaver," three of my favorite Strato songs. The self-titled is a good album, but it's different. It's more rock than the typical symphonic power metal. If you like rock music with some metal flare, then don't listen to the reviews and other people talking trash. For what style it is, the album is solid.

 

[Eyesore]

I guess I'll post this here, you guys might dig it. This was one of the reviews I did this week for metalreviews.com, but it's been done already! :Smug: Oh well, I got another one ready to go for this week, so here's the review (I can't let it go to waste):

NOVACT - TALES FROM THE SOUL (Progressive Rock/Metal)) - 95 / 100

Ken Golden is the man! For those unaware, he is the owner of three separate labels under one roof. The Laser’s Edge focuses on progressive rock (White Willow, A Triggering Myth, Wobbler), Sensory is for progressive metal (Zero Hour, Redemption, Wastefall) and Free Electric Sound is set aside for progressive fusion (At War With Self). I praise him solely because everything I’ve heard from either label has been excellent. Ken Golden knows good prog when he hears it, and he doesn’t simply go for bands that sound the same. He often signs bands that offer something a bit different within the prog field. Behind The Curtain for example, sounds like no other prog band I’ve heard before. The same can be said about A Triggering Myth and even Wobbler, to an extent. Even if similarities exist, such as with Zero Hour and the upcoming Twisted Into Form, the music is always killer. Recently I came upon novAct, a prog-rock/metal outfit out of the Netherlands. I ordered Tales From The Soul shortly thereafter and it’s been in heavy rotation for the past two months.

The band formed in 2001 under the name Morgana-X. They released a three song live rehearsal demo, then a follow-up promo EP called Misunderstood—which Roy (guitars) kindly sent me; thanks, dude!. They then changed their named to novAct, showcased two tracks on a split compilation called Arnhem Trolleymetaal, and finally in 2005 released this, their first full-length, Tales From The Soul.

“Sharply Condemned” kicks things off with a heavy, driving riff, melodic bridges and a lush, heavy prog-rock tapestry coolly painted by Eddy Borremans’s outstanding vocals. Truly, it’s only when vocalist Eddy Borremans begins to sing that you realize there is something special about novAct. To say that Borremans is a unique vocalist in the rock/metal world is almost an understatement. I’ve read that he compares to Queensrÿche’s Geoff Tate, Pain Of Salvation’s Daniel Gildenlow, and Andy Kuntz from Vanden Plas and Abydos, among others. None are accurate, if you ask me. If I had to pinpoint a similarity in vocal style it would a heavier version of Roland Gift of the Fine Young Cannibals—gasp!—and the clean tones of the legendary Otis Redding. Maybe this isn’t the sort of thing a metal fan wants to hear, but that’s what I hear.

Tales From The Soul is, simply put, an amazing album. From progressive rock/metal anthems like “Hope And Fear,” the Jeff Buckley tribute “The Eternal,” “Path Of Daggers” and the heaviest track on the album, “The Rider,” to the more melodic songs like the goth-influenced “Flower,” it is clear novAct rival the greatest prog-rock/metal bands out there today. The slight gothic touches reminiscent of To/Die/For adds yet another dynamic that makes this band stand out from the pack. The interwoven guitars and keyboards create space for Borremans’s stunning vocals; the solo work is precise and fits perfectly, beautifully. The bass and drum work don’t go on any proggy tantrums, but they hold it all together, creating a solid foundation for the stars of the show: the guitars, keyboards and vocals.

Everything about this album is brilliant. From the music to the production, lyrics and artwork; it’s all outstanding. I’ve had this album for quite a while now, I’ve listened to it virtually every day since and its quality has not diminished yet, it sparkles brighter after each listen. Not only is this one of the best prog-rock/metal albums I’ve ever heard, its undoubtedly one of the best albums I’ve ever heard overall. Nothing more needs to be said. Ken Golden couldn’t have a more appropriate last name (clearly his first name is great, too), novAct and Tales From The Soul are both simply that: Golden.

MP3: The Rider, Eternal Life (different version taken from the Morgana-X Misunderstood promo) and novAct on MySpace

VIDEO: Sharply Condemned (Live) and The Rider (Live)

Note: In time these links will likely becoming outdated.

This is the second time I've done this. I need to check before I review albums. Haha. Anyway, I contemplated giving this a 100 / 100. This is an amazing album from beginning to end.

Diggit!

 

[Eyesore]

STATIC-X - BENEATH…BETWEEN…BEYOND (Industrial Nu-Metal)

Static-X are one of the most original bands coming out of the nu-metal era. They came off like a White Zombie/Fear Factory hybrid with a nu-metal foundation; a striking contrast to the more standard nu-metal bands. Furthering that contrast was the powerful vocals—and ridiculously high hairdo—of vocalist Wayne Static. Originally simply called Static, they released two self-titled demos that lead them to a record deal. With a new name, their major label debut, Wisconsin Death Trip, was released in 1999 and quickly garnered them a large fan base. They’ve maintained that fan base, despite the decline of nu-metal’s popularity, over the course of three albums, and this, Beneath…Between…Beyond, a collection of unreleased tracks, covers, remixes, and rare demos.

Like with most albums of this nature, it’s a mixed bag. The album is split up in sections, which makes it a smoother listen. The first eight tracks are the meat and potatoes of this album; featuring unreleased studio tracks that span the bands career it gets the album off to a great start. Two remixes follow; both are forgettable, if not simply pointless. The cover tracks come next in the shape of the old Ministry classic “Burning Inside,” this one featuring Burton C. Bell from Fear Factory. Then there’s a cover of Black Sabbath’s “Behind The Wall Of Sleep” (originally featured on the Nativity In Black II tribute album) and the oft-covered “Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment” by The Ramones. The album is rounded out with five demo tracks.

This album is worth it simply for the eleven unreleased studio tracks and the covers. The two remixes will do nothing for you, and the demos are cool, but offer little in replay value because the studio versions are far superior. Beneath…Between…Beyond (great title for this type of album) is a solid odds-n-ends collection, but not without a few unnecessary dingleberries.

Rating: 60/100
Website: http://www.static-x.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/staticx
Downloads: Dirthouse (Video from Start A War), I’m The One (Video from Start A War), Push It (Video from Wisconsin Death Trip), and Bled For Days (Video from Wisconsin Death Trip)

EMM GRYNER – THE SUMMER OF HIGH HOPE (Acoustic/Piano Pop)

Last September Emm Gryner released a homemade album called The Great Lakes. It was “written, recorded, mixed, printed, hand-stamped, stapled, embossed, cut, burned, packaged, and signed” by Emm. Almost a year to the day she has released her latest album, The Summer Of High Hopes (although it was released in Ireland—of all places—in May).

Again this album is a mixture of piano- and acoustic-based tracks that range from upbeat, almost pop songs (“Girls Are Murder” and “Black-Eyed Blue Sky”) to melancholic tracks with piano and orchestration (“Blackwinged Bird” and “Star/Crossed”), and some with a mixture of both (“See The Sea” and “All-Time Low”).

The Summer Of High Hopes is a diverse album from a very dynamic and talented songwriter. She’s sung back-up on albums by Rob Zombie and David Bowie; she’s covered Def Leppard (“Pour Some Sugar On Me”), Ozzy (“Crazy Train”), Therapy? (“Nowhere”) and Fugazi (“Waiting Room”). And more importantly that diversity translates to her music; and she writes some great music. But due to her limited reach from Canada, Gryner is easily one of the most underrated female artists out there today. The Summer Of High Hopes is another great addition to her already excellent discography.

Rating: 85/100
Website: http://emmgryner.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/emmgryner (featuring songs from this new album)
Downloads: Case Of Tornadoes (Live video, awesome song from The Great Lakes) and Beat It (Live video, Michael Jackson cover)

PAPA ROACH – THE PARAMOUR SESSIONS (Modern Alternative Rock)

Papa Roach has evolved since their early days. Their first few albums are harsher, heavier and noisier, but on songs like “Orange Drive Palms” you got a glimpse of what was to come: full-blown rap-rock. They fully embraced the mix of rap and rock on their 5 Tracks Deep EP, a style later perfected on Infest. At the height of the rapcore movement—and in a move that went against mainstream logic—they abandoned virtually all of the rap aspects on the follow-up, lovehatetragedy, and went straight for a more modern rock sound. The result was excellent! Getting Away With Murder further solidified this band as a great rock band even if their departure from the style of Infest steered them from the mainstream spotlight somewhat.

Far-out-of-the-spotlight bassist Tobin Esperance, surprisingly, has always been the main songwriter in Papa Roach, and on The Paramour Sessions he has followed the same path of modern alternative rock found on the last two albums, but this time he’s added some new elements. “Forever” has, for possibly the first time, Jacoby Shaddix (who now looks like the mutant son of Nikki Sixx and Billie Joe Armstrong) truly singing, almost crooning, in a clean Jim Morrison-like vocal tone. He actually has a very good singing voice (he’s used it sparingly in the past, but not so strongly). “Reckless” is an acoustic rocker, while “The Fire” is like a 70’s rock track with a little Latin flavor. “Roses On My Grave” has Shaddix singing again and rockin’ out over an all-orchestral backdrop! A great song, indeed. Songs like the catchy-as-hell “I Devise My Own Demise,” “Alive (‘N Out Of Control),” the electronic-tinged “Crash,” and the lead-off single, “…To Be Loved” (featuring the album’s only rapped verse during the breakdown), will immediately please fans of the band’s previous two albums.

Rating: 90/100
Website: http://www.paparoach.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/paparoach (three clips, one full song from this new album)
Downloads: …To Be Loved (Video) and Roses On My Grave (Stupid YouTube fan video, but you get the song)

PILLAR - ABOVE (Christian Rapcore)

I first heard Pillar via the used bin at a local record store. I bought their original indie Fireproof album (their major label debut was also called Fireproof). I was impressed. The band was nothing special by any means, but they did the rapcore thing well. I’ve since picked up all their subsequent albums and have enjoyed them all. Above, however, was an album that always eluded me. I could never find it in the music shops, and I constantly got outbid on eBay. Because of this I thought it was going to be a great album.

Wrong!

This album is rather boring, vapid and trite. I’ve never understood how any band could write an entire album—every song—on the same exact subject. Christian bands do it all the time; always writing about Jesus. The problem is that some bands aren’t very poetic with their lyrics, and though Pillar later figured out how to properly write lyrics, they failed here on their debut: “He heals the sick / He saves the lost and died for you in case you forgot, man / He’ll jump a building in a single bound / I once was lost, but now I’m found.” Words about as lifeless as the man they’re writing about. And, as you could probably tell from those lyrics, the flow is pretty bad on most of the songs. I have a feeling that this album came out very soon after this band began writing music. There are some good songs here, indications of things to come, but Above is largely forgettable.

I’m not even remotely religious so I always find it funny when I rock out to Christian music! But when it’s good I can’t deny it—or is it Him? Ha! Either way, Above is far below average. Like I said, Pillar later became a very good band, but God should have intervened and kept this album from being released.

Rating: 30/100
Website: http://www.pillarmusic.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/pillar
Downloads: Open Your Eyes (Video from Above), Bring Me Down (Video from Fireproof) and Frontline (Video from Where Do We Go From Here)

SEEMLESS – WHAT HAVE WE BECOME (Hardcore Stoner Rock)

I always find it odd when a band finally hits “the big time” and key band members quit. Back in 1998 Kilgore, formerly known as Kilgore Smudge (and Stain, and Smudge before that), released A Search For Reason; the album took off, landing the band a slot on Ozzfest, giving them a quickly multiplying fan base. Then, after seven years, as the band was on the rise, vocalist Jay Berndt abruptly quit the band. Kilgore’s days were over.

Similarly, Jesse Leach of Killswitch Engage followed a similar path. After the band hit it big with Alive Or Just Breathing, he abruptly quit the band in 2002. Killswitch Engage carried on, tapping Howard Jones of Blood Has Been Shed to take up the (inferior) vocal slot. Jesse Leach resurfaced a few years later in Seemless, a band featuring ex-members of Shadows Fall, Overcast, and another ex-Killswitch Engage alum, singing on their self-titled debut album.

The band follows a similar path tread previously by Only Living Witness, a cited influence. They combine hardcore and groovy rock riffs that often border on stoner rock. Vocally, Jesse Leach only touches on his previous metalcore style, opting here for a soaring, cleaner tone. The debut was already written when Leach joined the band; What Have We Become is the band’s first collaborative effort with Leach. This album is heavier than the last, more raw, but still groovy as hell with a hardcore sensibility; evident on tracks like “In My Blood,” “Cast No Shadow,” and “Seven.” A good dose of melody accompanies “Eyes Of A Child,” “Parody” and the album closer, “…Things Fall Apart.”

What Have We Become is another great album that just falls short of the greatness showcased on the debut. However, there’s nary a reason to not check this one out.

Rating: 75/100
Website: http://www.seemlessband.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/seemless
Downloads: Cast No Shadow (from What Have We Become), Numb (from What Have We Become), Cast No Shadow (Video from What Have We Become) and Lay My Burden Down (Video from the self-titled debut)

SOULBENDER - SOULBENDER (Modern Rock)

Soulbender is a side-project of Queensryche’s Michael Wilton. In 2003, speaking on the subject of Queensryche’s upcoming Tribe album, Wilton stated in an interview, “I believe this album should be hard and intense, [but] what I have heard so far is not that,” Wilton said. “I have no desire to change Queensryche into an adult contemporary band. This should be a Queensryche album and not a Geoff Tate solo album.” Soulbender was, I think, Wilton’s way of releasing some of his heavier stuff that was cock-blocked by Geoff Tate, never making it onto a Queensryche album.

This is Soulbender’s self-titled debut full-length—after an industry-only EP release—that came out in 2004. This album is very much in the same vein of Queensryche’s Q2K and Tribe, but, strangely enough, this album is heavier and much better. Vocalist Nick Pollock (ex-My Sister’s Machine) is a better fit (read: not a better vocalist) for this kind of music than Geoff Tate is. Tate’s strong vocals often seem to overshadow the current Queensryche musical output, but Pollock fits right in with his darker, grittier rock style.

Very much a modern rock album, similar to Alice In Chains, Soulbender still has Michael Wilton pulling out some riffs and solos not seen since Queensryche’s Empire and earlier. Standouts include “Fix Me,” “Rabbit Hole,” “The American Dream,” “Samsara,” and the epic “Three Towers”—which could have been the best Queensryche song since Empire.

Rating: 85/100
Website: http://www.soulbender.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/soulbender
Downloads: Fix Me, Rabbit Hole, The American Dream, Samsara and Three Towers (low quality, 2-minute CD Baby streams)

 

[Eyesore]

MOWER – NOT FOR YOU (Hardcore/Punk Metal)

I first heard of Mower through the Kottonmouth Kings; they’re on Suburban Noize Records, a label owned by Kottonmouth Kings. Unlike a good number of bands on Suburban Noize, Mower are not a rap group, or even close to it. They’re a hardcore band with metal influences; think D.R.I. meets Pro-Pain with a more urban flare.

Not For You is their second album, following 2003’s self-titled debut. Not For You is simply the perfect soundtrack if you want to kick someone’s ass! The songs are, for the most part, straightforward, fast and heavy. The band boasts two vocalists, both screamers: one higher-pitched, the other of the more standard, heavier hardcore fare. The hardcore/punk influence is old school, the metal influence is minimal, but the pummeling assault of Not For You is excellent. Occasionally the band breaks out something a little different, like on the dark, brooding “Broken Hands,” that is more about melody than aggression; “The End” is a mid-paced groover that sounds more like White Zombie’s version of the Sabbath classic “Children Of The Grave” than anything hardcore. The album ends with a nice cover of 1966 hit, “California Dreamin’, originally by The Mama’s & The Papa’s. The core of the album, however, is just in-your-face hardcore/punk with some metal nods now and again. Solid stuff.

Rating: 75/100
Website: http://www.mowermusic.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/mower
Downloads: Road Rage, Road Rage (Video) and Wrestle With The Pig (Funny video from Mower)

WASTEFALL – FALLEN STARS AND RISING SCARS (Progressive Metal)

I first heard Greece’s Wastefall by way of their latest release, the excellent Self Exile. Fallen Stars And Rising Scars is the band’s first release from 2003. Had I heard this album then I would have likely deemed it a virtual masterpiece! However, I heard the far superior Self Exile first, so I was somewhat disappointed with this one. Not so much because this is a bad album—far from it!—but because I know how great this band can be now that I’ve heard it on Self Exile. But again, had I heard this in 2003 I’d have humped the jewelcase!

This album features lots of heavy guitar work, but tons of acoustics, piano and melodic vocal work. The mix of heavy prog-metal with the melancholic, often Latin-like, acoustics is what truly sets this band apart from other prog bands. The album begins—and ends—with a baby crying, then barrels into “Killing Of Wolves,” one of the heaviest tracks on the album. Heaviness aside, the song still features a ton of dynamics, acoustic interludes, clean and aggressive vocals, piano, and a rousing chorus (one that mentions that band name). There are some awkward moments in the song, but overall it’s a damn good introduction. “Fall Of Eva” and “Annabel Lee” are beautiful ballads, the latter having a big Latin—or is it Mediterranean?—flare. “Subroutine” is an odd track that doesn’t work too well with its electronic-based groove and some ill-placed falsetto, but it’s not terrible. “April’s Ruin” is a great prog-metal jam with a lot of AOR and 70’s rock quirkiness. A few other tracks and two instrumentals (it wouldn’t be a prog album without an instrumental or two, or three!) round out the album.

The album still features everything that made their latest so great, but a bit less realized, fleshed out. However, aside from “Subroutine” there isn’t a single song I strongly dislike. The instrumentals are typical filler material, but not negatively so. It is simply a debut that does what many debuts do: it shows potential in a great way; a great album that paints the future bright. And with Self Exile it, indeed, turned out very bright (I’ve heard Soulrain 21, their sophomore release, is equally great)!

Rating: 70/100
Website: http://www.wastefall.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/wastefall
Downloads: April’s Ruin (Clip) and Killing Of Wolves (Clip)

SOLACE - 13 (Sludge/Stoner Rock)

The price tag on this album was $1.99, brand new. The cover looked like it was definitely some type of stoner music, but the sticker on it read: “Fans of Down, Audioslave, Corrosion Of Conformity and Soundgarden must hear 13”. Confusing, to say the least, but I figured the price was worth giving it a shot. Good thing I did. Solace are, indeed, a stoner band. Very much a stoner rock band, but with a hefty dose of that Louisiana sludge heard in bands like Acid Bath, Eyehategod, and Crowbar.

13 kicks off with the two-in-one assault of “Loving Sickness/Burning Fuel,” the majority of the song a Sabbath-like rocker with a riff that smells like a heavy version of Led Zeppelin’s “Misty Mountain Hop,” a couple of harmonica-laced breakdowns and soulful solos set the head a’bangin’! The last minute, or so, is a doomy nod toward Corrosion Of Conformity country. Other standouts include “Indolence,” “King Alcohol,” “Forever My Queen,” and “Once Around The Sun (Deep Through Time).” The album continues to stomp along for a little over an hour, spitting out stoner rock anthem after epic sludge monster after stoner rock anthem. Some of the noisier, sludgier tunes, like “Rice Burner” and the hidden track, “Shit Kisser,” don’t really do it for me, but overall this is quite a find for $1.99. It comes highly recommended for fans of this kind of music.

Rating: 75/100
Website: http://www.diedrunk.com
MySpace: N/A
Downloads: In The Oven, Suspicious Tower (taken from the debut, Further) and Videos on YouTube

ANYONE – A LITTLE SIP… (EP) (Alternative Psychedelic Progressive Glam Rock)

Anyone is a damn unique band. They play a modern type of rock music that borders on alternative, but incorporates things psychedelic, progressive and even glam, the latter bolstered by the band’s extravagant, flamboyant image and stage show—like a rave with good music. Drugs also seem to be a big part of their music; hallucinogens seeming to be the drugs of choice. The main man behind Anyone is Riz Story, a musician (who composed a full-scale symphony at 15 years old), producer, poet, and movie writer/director of sorts; he’s published a poetry book called Love Letters To Humanity, and written and/or directed three movies (four, if you include directing the porn movie In Aphrodite), Togetherment, Goloka, and the upcoming Sip The Pleasure Of Days—which will also be the title of Anyone’s upcoming full-length album.

Anyone formed from the ashes of Sylvia, a band featuring Taylor Hawkins (who went on to join Alanis Morissette’s band, then Foo Fighters). Anyone’s first release was a live album called Live Acid! Limited to 1,000 copies, it quickly became an underground sensation and record labels came a’calling. The band signed with Roadrunner—idiots!—and released their self-titled major label debut. The album got rave reviews everywhere! Of course, a psychedelic, pro-hallucinogen, alternative prog-rock band isn’t an easy sell. But the band still managed to acquire quite a following.

A Little Sip… is pretty much what it suggests, a quick taste of what is to come on the full-length Sip The Pleasure Of Days. There are five songs total (not sure if any are exclusive to this EP). Three of the tracks, “Fly Away,” “Over Before It Begins,” and “Thought I Was,” are somewhat mellow, the latter two being all acoustic, while “Fly Away” is a slight rocker. “Lonely People” is a groovy prog rocker, and “Pass The Reality” is a pounding, riff-heavy anthem. Riz’s vocals are probably the biggest hurdle for some, there is nothing heavy about them, closer to Perry Farrell (Jane’s Addiction) than anything “heavy.” Lyrically, as per usual, Riz flaunts the poetic muse, translating into some great, intriguing lyrics; intelligent, if not a bit cryptic and eyebrow-raising.

If A Little Sip… is any indication, Sip The Pleasure Of Days is going to be one hell of an album!

Rating: 95/100
Website: http://www.anyoneden.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/anyone
Downloads: Whole World’s Insane (taken from Anyone), Don’t Wake Me (Video from Anyone) and EPK (Video)

 

[Eyesore]

AT WAR WITH SELF – TORN BETWEEN DIMENSIONS (Instrumental Progressive Metal)

At War With Self is an all-instrumental progressive rock/metal project consisting of Glenn Snelwar (ex-Gordian Knot), Mark Zonder (Warlord, ex-Fates Warning), and world-renowned studio musician Michael Manring. Normally not a fan of instrumental music, I found myself drawn to this album simply for the amazing cover art done by the always excellent Travis Smith. (I currently own eighty-four CDs with artwork designed by Smith.) Artwork aside, Torn Between Dimensions is actually a very solid album.

Musically the album covers a lot of ground, making the title, Torn Between Dimensions, paint a very accurate picture. The album sways from melodic passages filled with acoustics, piano, and Manring’s amazing fretless bass work—which is nothing short of brilliant!—to very heavy progressive metal à la Zero Hour and Canvas Solaris (another great instrumental prog-metal band). Standouts include “The God Interface,” the atmospheric “A Gap In The Stream Of Mind, Pt. 2,” “Run,” a shorter but heavier number, and the title track.

At War With Self is gearing up to release their sophomore release, Acts Of God, and from the demos posted online it would appear that this album will feature a vocalist; whether or not this will work is unknown, but the demos sound very good. Either way, Torn Between Dimensions is a great album not to be overlooked by fans of this style.

Rating: 70/100
Website: http://www.glennsnelwar.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/atwarwithself
Downloads: The God Interface, Torn Between Dimensions (Clip), A Gap In The Stream Of Mind – Part One (Clip), Coming Home (Clip) and Run (Clip)

GODSMACK – THE OTHER SIDE (Acoustic Modern Rock)

Godsmack is a guilty pleasure of mine. They’re a modern rock band started by former Meliah Rage/Strip Mind—thrash bands!—drummer Sully Erna. They got lumped in with the whole nu-metal scene, but where never really part of it. The band released All Wound Up in 1998 before being picked up by a Universal Records imprint label. All Wound Up featured a hidden track called “Whatever”—which, funnily enough, after re-releasing All Wound Up as Godsmack, would later become their breakthrough hit.

Sully Erna is a huge Alice In Chains fan, and was rumored—but not proven—to once be in an Alice In Chains tribute band; Erna, though he denies it, got the moniker “Godsmack” from an Alice In Chains song of a similar name: “God Smack.” So is it any surprise that after a string of highly successful full-lengths Godsmack released a stripped down acoustic album not unlike the Alice In Chains classic acoustic EPs, Sap and Jar Of Flies?

Surprisingly—or not so, if you’re a fan—The Other Side is just as good as those aforementioned EPs! The album starts with “Running Blind,” a very catchy tune with light acoustic and percussion work. “Re-Align” follows and makes clear the one difference between this EP and the Alice In Chains EPs. “Re-Align” is not a new tune, but an acoustic reworking of a song originally featured on their Faceless album. Out of the seven tracks here, only three of them are exclusive to this EP. That doesn’t affect the quality of the EP, however. “Touché,” and “Voices” are the other two exclusive tracks; both are very good. “Keep Away,” one of the band’s most famous songs, also gets the acoustic treatment here, as well as “Spiral,” but they both are essentially the same as the original versions, only now acoustic. The best of the reworked tracks is “Asleep,” an excellent, haunting rendition of “Awake” from the album of the same name.

A lot of hate is directed at Godsmack, but I don’t see the point. If you don’t like it, move on. Who cares? Personally, I find them to be perfect for those times when I just want to rock out to a good, catchy, solid modern rock album. I’ve always found the comparisons to Alice In Chains to be vague at best, at least musically. There’s no question that Alice In Chains were a big influence, but I’ve never found Godsmack to sound like Alice In Chains, nor have I ever thought Erna to sound like Layne Staley, like so many claim. To me, I’ve always found that to be an easy excuse to either vaguely write about the band or write them off. Alice In Chains were always a much more complex band; Godsmack are a simple modern rock band, and they do it very well. The Other Side is just further proof.

Rating: 80/100
Website: http://www.godsmack.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/godsmack

TRIXIE - SHELTER (Hard Rock/80s Rock)

Trixie is a band ahead of their time, by roughly twenty years or so. By this I mean that they’re an 80s rock band who’ve surfaced twenty years after their “time.” In 2003 Metal Mayhem Music released Trixie’s debut self-titled album—an album that was recorded between 1989 and 1990! The recordings have suffered over time with a lot of tape “warble” and “hiss.” However, the album is great even with those sound issues! A lost gem of the 80s, indeed. Trixie is the product of one Ronnie Borchert, a singer-songwriter-producer that decided to pursue his love of 80s rock just a little too late.

After Trixie’s seemingly ill-fated debut, Borchert went on to form Amsterdam in the 90s, and released four albums that did fairly well—at least well enough that I’d heard of them. In 2005 Borchert released Trixie’s sophomore album, Lift You Up. This is the album that I first heard, an album that blew me away. I’ve been a fan of 80s rock since my early teens and I’ve seen countless bands that were making music during that era try to reproduce that style in the 90s and 00s, and most fail miserably. Borchert is not trying to recreate that style with a modern rock mindset—which is what plagues most of those aforementioned bands. Borchert is still writing from an 80s perspective, and it kills! Shelter is the third Trixie album, and it’s awesome. If this came out in 1986 we’d consider Trixie to be a classic 80’s rock band today. To put the vocals and music into perspective think of Vince Neil singing for mid-period Def Leppard (Pyromania, Hysteria). That’s Trixie.

The album begins with a double-dose of “Hell Yeah” and “Day And Night,” both unmistakable rock monsters! “New Orleans Rain,” a blues-based rocker, not unlike early Aerosmith, follows. The brilliant “Lookin’ For Love” reminds me of Tesla’s “Changes” with Def Leppard harmonizing in “Tonight”. “Just Walk Away” is a driving 80s metal beast, fast, frenetic, fantastic. The album closes with yet another ode to Def Leppard with a killer cover of their early classic “Wasted”—easily the best Lep cover I’ve ever heard—and they’re my all-time favorite band, so I’m very cynical when it comes to Lep covers as most have sucked. Borchert does it justice!

If you’re a fan of the 80s rock greats, give Trixie a try. You won’t be disappointed. Ronnie Borchert has quickly become one of my favorite rock songwriters over the past year or two. If you dig Trixie check out Amsterdam and Miss Crazy (song links below), the latter of which Borchert goes by a pseudonym and at times sounds like Cinderella’s Tom Keifer. He’s also got a solo album, simply titled Ronnie—and sounding like Trixie from what I’ve heard—coming out in early 2007.

Rating: 90/100
Website: http://www.ronnieborchert.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/trixiemusic
Trixie Downloads: Day And Night, Hell Yeah!, Escape (taken from Lift You Up) and I’ll Take You (taken from Trixie)

Other Downloads: Amsterdam – Not The Only One (taken from B.U.R.S.T.), Miss Crazy – So Long (taken from Miss Crazy), Miss Crazy – Hide Island (taken from Miss Crazy) and Ronnie Borchert – My Malena (taken from Ronnie, due in 2007)


POWERMAN 5000 – DESTROY WHAT YOU ENJOY (Alternative Rock/Punk)

Powerman 5000 is another guilty pleasure of mine. Being a local band to me I’ve been listening to them since their early albums when they played more of a funky, industrial space rock style. Tonight The Stars Revolt! saw the band with a beefier, more streamlined sound—a sound that gave the band their greatest success to date—but not too far removed from their early albums. A follow-up by the name of Anyone For Doomsday? was recorded but subsequently shelved right before its scheduled release. Promos were released and a single, “Bombshell,” was sent to radio. Those that heard the “Bombshell” or Anyone For Doomsday? were hard-pressed to find a logical reason why it was shelved. It was the perfect follow-up to a highly successful album! With the announcement that the band hadn’t broken up, that they hadn’t been dropped from their label, and were recording an entirely new album without two longtime members, rumors and speculation was rampant.

Two years later the band returned with Transform, and upon reading that title and hearing the first single, “Free,” it was pretty apparent what the band, or most likely, the label, had in mind: a transformation. That’s as far as I got with the band back then. That single did nothing for me. It was more a simple punk style, rather than their earlier industrial rock sound. I was uninterested. Now, through Lala.com, I’ve picked up both Transform and this, their latest, Destroy What You Enjoy.

Both albums aren’t as bad as I expected, but neither are that great. Surprisingly, though different, Transform doesn’t completely abandon the old Powerman 5000 sound like I expected; and on songs like “Theme To A Fake Revolution” and “That’s Entertainment” there’s a bit of good nostalgia and disappointment at the same time. Both albums are definitely much simpler and straightforward with more of a punk rock influence, but sadly, those new elements that surfaced on Transform have all but taken over on Destroy What You Enjoy. The lead off single, “Wild World,” is a perfect example: a simple, mediocre, juvenile pop-punk song, something you’d expect from Blink-182, not from a band that was once the industrial cousin to White Zombie. The formula is repeated throughout Destroy What You Enjoy—an album title that, like Transform, seems to carry a more accurate message than most albums titles. It’s worth the $1.75 I paid for it, but not much more than that.

Rating: 55/100
Website: http://www.powerman5000.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/powerman5000
Downloads: City Of The Dead (MySpace download) and Wild World (Video)

MAHAVATAR – FROM THE SUN, THE PAIN, THE WIND, THE SOIL (Modern Alternative Prog-Metal)

One word: Wow!

That’s how I would describe From The Sun, The Pain, The Wind, The Soil, an album I picked up on a whim. Mahavatar is a New York based band that plays a progressive form of modern, alternative metal. The band incorporates crushing metal that ranges from down-tuned chuggers to old school thrash-influenced anthems, all the while incorporating quasi-death/hardcore and clean vocals along with quiet acoustic passages, Middle Eastern-influenced interludes, and killer solos!

One of the biggest surprises here is with the vocals. When I first heard the album I noted a male vocalist doing the heavy vocals, while a female vocalist did the clean vocals—vocals that sounded like a stronger, equally haunting version of Marianne Faithful. It wasn’t until flipping through the booklet that I found myself questioning who the vocalists really were. Karla Williams—which I assume is female, but I can’t tell from the pics I’ve seen—is the guitarist, but it doesn’t list “vocals” next to her/his name. That distinction rested solely with Lizza Hasan. A quick search on the internet quickly had me scooping up my jaw—which had fallen onto my nuts as I wrote this review naked. Lizza Hasan is female and the only vocalist in Mahavatar! This isn’t a case of a female vocalist doing heavy vocals but still sounding like a female doing heavy vocals, like Morgan Lander (Kittie), Karyn Crisis (Crisis) or Angela Gossow (Arch Enemy). Hasan truly has a hellacious, naturally guttural sound that doesn’t sound like its emanating from a female throat.

From The Sun, The Pain, The Wind, The Soil is the bands second full-length following Go With The No! and three demos. The first track, “Cult,” is one hell of a tune! The song begins with a piercing metal riff leading into a dark, twisted verse—“this is the message of my cult!”—and chorus. The mid-section features some clean singing and a Middle Eastern-tinged solo that leads into a mellow, introspective outro. “By The Numbers” and “Raw” are both crushing anthems, the latter being a dynamic piece that incorporates acoustic and cleanly-sung interludes. “Open Your Mind” is a catchy, mid-paced sing-along, while “The Prophecy” is a slow, doom-laden monster with a breakneck thrash chorus! “Deep Cobble” and “The Time Has Come” are both dark, haunting masterpieces: slowly rising and falling, grim throughout.

Mahavatar is a band that caught me by surprise; first with their music, then with the dynamic vocals of Lizza Hasan; even the intelligent, poetic and poignant lyrics caught me. Mahavatar is one killer band! Those not averse to modern metal, and want something quite unique within the genre, would do well to check out From The Sun, The Pain, The Wind, The Soil.

Rating: 90/100
Website: http://www.mahavatar.net
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/mahavatar
Downloads: Cult, Psychos, Cult (Video) and Deep Cobble (Video)

 

[Eyesore]

ANTHROPIA – THE EREYN CHRONICLES, PART I: THE JOURNEY OF BEGINNINGS (Progressive Power Metal)

Anthropia is a French progressive power metal band, the creation of a young man by the name of Hugues Lefebvre (Hugo, for short). The Ereyn Chronicles, Part I: The Journey Of Beginnings is, as one might assume, a fantasy-based concept album, the first of three installments. The story takes place in the fictional world of Ereyn, ruled by Queen Lunne. As with most fantastical concept albums, the land has fallen into chaos. The main character, Amryl, is on a mission to find the “all-knowing oracle” which will save his people. A disastrous shipwreck, however, sets him on a separate course; one that sees him searching for self-discovery, as he rose from that near-fatal shipwreck with amnesia. Amryl is a hero in the loosest sense; he’s naïve and not so much a warrior, the typical character trait for a story such as this. Of course, the story is secondary; what of the music?

Musically The Ereyn Chronicles is a very impressive album. Heavy progressive metal is the main course; but symphonic metal and classical are also on the table. The album starts with the typical atmospheric intro: orchestration, chanting, etc. “Question Of Honor” follows and immediately makes its presence known with heavy riffs, killer solos, keyboards, a great chorus, chanting, and the one thing that I feel plagues this album most: bum vocal notes.

I can’t hold much against Hugo, he’s done everything here but the drums; however, while his vocals sound excellent for the most part, he occasionally hits some notes in a higher-range that simply sound a bit off. I’d say the average music fan wouldn’t pick up on it; but one attuned to this sort of thing may find their face crinkling up a bit when he hits those notes. Luckily, it’s not a common thing throughout the album; and, aside from a few mediocre moments, Hugo consistently shows his skills and songwriting prowess on songs like “Lords Of A World,” the semi-acoustic “Forgotten,” “In The Maze Of A Nightmare,” and the epic prog-rock heavy closer, “The Desert Of Jewels.”

Anthropia, for me, was one of the biggest surprises of 2006. The Ereyn Chronicles, while not perfect, is a very good album that does much more than hint at great music to come when the inevitable parts two and three are released.

Rating: 75/100
Website: Anthropia
MySpace: www.myspace.com/anthropiachronicles
Downloads: Lords Of A World (Clip), The Maze Of A Nightmare (Clip), Where Secrets Lie, Question Of Honor (Video)

SONATA ARCTICA – DON’T SAY A WORD (EP) (Power Metal)

I picked up this little gem through lala.com for $1.75—you can’t beat that! Sonata Arctica, if you’re unaware, are a Finish power metal act; one of the best out there. Back in 2004, before releasing Reckoning Night, the band released a two-track single and a four-track EP for the song, “Don’t Say A Word.” The EP features the brilliant title track and another great one from Reckoning Night, “Ain’t Your Fairytale.” The bread and butter of this EP, though, is the two exclusive tracks: “World In My Eyes” and “Two Minds, One Soul,” both covers.

“World In My Eyes” was originally done by Depeche Mode. It would have been easy for them to cover “Personal Jesus” or “Enjoy The Silence,” which are the two standard Depeche Mode covers; but Sonata Arctica chose a more obscure track from the classic Violator album. Sonata’s version of “World In My Eyes” begins with a brutal scream from Tony Kakko and a heavy-as-hell riff—both, sadly, do not make return appearances without being subdued by electronic effects; the song, then, settles into a slight industrial, electronic heavy jam that unfortunately stays decent and nothing more.

“Two Minds, One Soul,” originally by the underrated Vanishing Point, from their Tangled In Dream album, is the better of the two covers. The song fits Sonata’s style much better; thus, wouldn’t be found out of place on any of their albums. It’s a mid- to fast-paced tune with a great, catchy—yet subtle—chorus. It stays true to the original, so, if you’ve heard the Sonata version, you should well know that Vanishing Point is a band you need to check out (if you’ve not already).

Obviously the EP isn’t readily available—at least for us in the US—so this one is more or less for the serious fans. If you can find it, however, definitely grab it; the two covers are worth it.

Rating: 70/100
Website: Official Sonata Arctica Website
MySpace: www.myspace.com/sonataarctica
Downloads: Don’t Say A Word (Video), Misplaced (Live video)

KOTTONMOUTH KINGS – HIDDEN STASH III (Hip Hop)

This year marks the ten year Kottonmouth Kings anniversary; and Hidden Stash III is the second KMK release this year after Koast II Koast, which was released in June. It’s been five years and six albums since Hidden Stash II. As one could imagine, with that many albums recorded, the outtakes, remixes and unreleased material can pile up inside the vaults; thus, Hidden Stash III comes equipped with thirty-six songs over two CDs, and a bonus DVD with twenty-three videos. Saint Dog, Judge D, Big B, and other Suburban Noize Records—KMKs self-owned label—stable mates also make appearances through the two CDs and DVD. And, as with most albums of this type, you can’t expect brilliance on every track; however, there are most definitely some brilliant songs here.

The disc one opener, “Gone Git High,” is typical of the KMK style: pro-marijuana prose laced over a bass-heavy beat, great verse flows, and a boisterous sing-along chorus. “The Underground” has Daddy X sounding like Eazy E, even borrowing from E’s verse flow from the NWA classic, “Boyz-N-The Hood;” a great chorus is provided by Big B. “That’s How It Goes” is an unreleased Kingspade—KMK members’ side-project—track, and showcases another side to KMK and their side-bands/projects: melody. The track is rife with piano, some orchestration, positive lyrics about life, and a melodic chorus that is so good it literally gives me goose bumps. Other standouts include “Still Smokin’,” “Police Story,” “One Life,” and “Hit That”—which, not surprisingly, is about alcohol and weed, not women.

Disc two is similar to the first disc, though it fares a bit worse due to some too-similar-to-the-original remixes (except the remix of “The Lottery”) and just a few more weaker tracks than on disc one. The aptly titled “Hidden Stash” kicks off this disc, and it’s a good tune, but a little weak for an opening track. The following track, “Keep A Lookout,” would have been a better, catchier opener. “Remember Me” incorporates some reggae into the mix, while “Losin’ Streak” has an electronic/industrial feel; very good tunes. “Flyin’ High,” “Lady Killer,” “Last Daze,” and “Rip N Tear” are also great tunes.

Fans of traditional mainstream hip hop would probably hate Kottonmouth Kings. The lyrics are generally very positive and intelligent, even when the songs about woman, and some about smoking weed, often seem to contradict that notion; but overall KMK are a very positive and talented band, and there’s no denying a good song regardless of what the lyrics are about. And, while this album isn’t without some mediocre material, it’s a gold mine for fans of the band.

Rating: 80/100
Website: Kottonmouth Kings Official Web Site
MySpace: www.myspace.com/kottonmouthkings
Downloads: Where’s The Weed At? (Video from Koast II Koast), Everybody Move (Video from Koast II Koast), Put It Down (feat. Cypress Hill) (from Kottonmouth Kings), King Klick (from Kottonmouth Kings), Bring It On (from Fire It Up)

AVALON – VISION EDEN (Melodic Progressive Power Metal)

Avalon is a new band for me. I recently read a great review on their Eurasia album, and after added them to my Want List on lala.com. This album came shortly thereafter. Chitral Somapala (current Domain vocalist) sings on this album; and a fine job he does, indeed. The music is similar to Circus Maximus, though a little less epic and progressive. The band formed in 1992, released four albums, the last, Eurasia, in 2000, and broke up sometime thereafter.

Upon hearing “They Are In Between Us,” the opener, a heavy and melodic metal masterpiece, I expected nothing but brilliance to follow. Unfortunately, the album couldn’t sustain that same level of excellence throughout the entire disc. It is, however, still a very good album. “Lord Of Dignity” is an awesome mid-paced gem with a great chorus, excellent piano work, and some killer vocals—which should be expected from Somapala. “Age Of Salvation,” “Children Of War,” and “Gene Genius” are three other great tunes; more outstanding hooks, and superb vocals and musicianship. All is not perfect, however; “Dancing With The Devil” is a song that reminds me of Nightwish’s “Devil & The Deep Dark Ocean” and “The Pharaoh Sails To Orion,” all of which are good songs but marred by laughable, processed guttural male vocals. “Road To Eden” is a light acoustic number that reeks Michael Kiske-like AOR—coming up with the same boring results.

While not perfect in any sense of the word, Vision Eden is a damn good progressive power metal album; well worth checking out.

Rating: 65/100
Website: The Official Chitral 'Chity' Somapala Homepage (Chitral Somapala)
Downloads: They Are In Between Us (Clip), Lord Of Dignity (Clip), Age Of Salvation (Clip)

TACERE – A VOICE IN THE DARK (EP) (Gothic Metal)

In the last few years gothic metal has been somewhat thrust into the mainstream spotlight with bands like Within Temptation, Lacuna Coil, Nightwish, and Evanescence. Yes, not all are traditional gothic metal bands, but they are enough for the mainstream to sink its talons into. Because of this we’ve been bombarded with more bands of this style than we normally would be. As per usual, the saturation is complete, and a long while ago the honeymoon was over. That, however, hasn’t stopped the onslaught.

So here we have Tacere, a new gothic metal band hailing from Finland—a making quite a name for themselves in the metal-friendly country. Stylistically, Tacere are very similar to Sirenia—excluding the pop-driven new album, Nine Destinies And A Downfall—and mid-era Tristania. Originality isn’t something you’re going to find on A Voice In The Dark, but I think their dynamic approach is a bit different and refreshing. The band likes to shift through unexpected musical landscapes, slightly progressive in nature; a typical verse-chorus-verse style is all but absent, at least in the sense of musical consistency.

A radio edit—why?—of “A Voice In The Dark” opens the EP. It begins with some acoustic work layered with a delicate female voice courtesy of the boner-inspiring—it’s a joke, folks; a joke!—Helena Haaparanta. The song shifts into a heavy, slow, pounding rhythm before sliding back in with the mellow acoustics for the verse; and, then, the pre-chorus hits with a brutal male growl, a big, hook-laden, chorus follows featuring both female and Ville Laihiala-like (Sentenced) male vocals. “Excursion” is listed as the “dramatic version,” which implies that it’ll be on their upcoming full-length, Beautiful Darkness, due February 2007. “Excursion” hits with a lot more weaponry than the opening track: heavy riffing, double bass, heavier male vocals, some death metal moments; all shifting seamlessly without appearing structured to do so. “Autum Rain, Part I: I Have No Soul” and “Autumn Rain, Part II: Another World” are up next. Part I starts with some rain and atmospherics before kicking into a slow- to mid-paced pattern, one that doesn’t find itself too heavy, but does manage to capture enough emotion to feel heavy. Part II starts off in a similar state, but with acoustics and clean singing, and ends up being very similar in style to Part I. The EP closes with a killer demo version of “Born Of The Ground,” a fast, brutal, and beautiful track, one that should prove to be outstanding in a finished studio form.

So why should you bother spending money on Tacere, importing this EP from Finland, when there are so many bands of this style already available? Perhaps you like great music? It’s true, Tacere are not doing something you haven’t heard before; but they are doing it better than most. That should count for something. In fact, that should count for everything. A Voice In The Dark is an outstanding EP, one that sits high upon the towering mountains of gothic metal bands.

Rating: 85/100
Website: Tacere.net
MySpace: www.myspace.com/tacere
Downloads: A Voice In The Dark EP Trailer, I Devour (from Beautiful Darkness), The Black Roses Have Died (Demo)

 

[Eyesore]

DEAD MAN IN RENO – DEAD MAN IN RENO (Metalcore/Mathcore)

Dead Man In Reno sounds like it could be one of those typical Hollywood cinematic turdfests that fails trying to be Pulp Fiction and The Usual Suspects with that M. Night Shyamalan twist (see Smokin’ Aces for enlightenment). But alas, Alabama-based Dead Man In Reno’s self-titled major label debut is just a typical metalcore album with a bit of that so-called math-metal thrown in just to seemingly disrupt the flow of certain songs that were doing fine without the interruption. Not quite a turdfest, but at this point the metalcore genre is rife with bands so similar to each other that there’s really nothing to hold on to with this album, it’s a sheer drop to a point that’s simply too close to the bottom of the barrel. Of course, good music is good music, even if it’s totally unoriginal, and Dead Man In Reno do manage to knock out few great tunes; but, unfortunately, they aren’t consistent enough. It took the band a mere ten days to record this album. At times, it sounds as if they may have written it in less.

Musically Dead Man In Reno are very tight, managing to create a very heavy sound and the occasional intriguing riff or passage; but for the most part it’s just more of the same, nothing new. The vocalist comes off sounding less natural with his screams and more like he’s got a vocal processor plugged directly into his throat; and the occasional death metal vocals are simply ridiculous. As one would assume, none of this adds to the album, but rather takes away from it in ways that will simply baffle the listener. Songs like “She's Tugging on My Heartstrings,” “The Devil Made Him Do It” and “Cursed” have some great breakdowns, quiet passages and solos, even some piano, orchestration and clean singing that focuses on melody—something lacking throughout most of the album—but it’s just not enough to propel this album beyond a middle-of-the-road rating. The band shines on “Cursed.” They show potential for greatness on that song, and for brief moments elsewhere. But, sadly, for most of the album they’re taking the path of least resistance, a path already tread by countless other bands. Dead Man In Reno float dead in the water. They show enough creativity and talent to stay afloat in a sea of sameness, but they’ll need a good dose of creativity and reinvention in the future if they ever intend to make that evolutional transition to more solid ground.

Rating: 45/100
Website: http://www.deadmaninreno.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/deadmaninreno
Downloads: From Here I Can See The Shore (Official video), Lovestainedrazorblades (Fan-made video)

TRENDKILL – NO LONGER BURIED (Metalcore)

With a name like Trendkill, I’d have expected this Swedish band to step outside of the box a bit more. The only trend the band doesn’t follow is the screamo verse/cleanly-sung chorus template that is followed by most bands of this style; and that surely doesn’t elevate the band to any level of originality. Trendkill approaches metalcore much in the same way as Germany’s Cataract—less cookie-cutter metal, and more of a modern death metal groove mixed with hardcore—only not as good. Going against the metalcore grain, like I mentioned, there is no clean singing; but there is also only one solo—on the song “Headshot”—and breakdowns aplenty, which is very, very typical of the genre.

No Longer Buried is the band’s debut full-length, following two demos. Despite the lack of originality, Trendkill comes out swinging with brutal intent. Songs like “Dedication,” “Judge Me Now,” “Break The Silence,” and “Headshot,” with its melodic mid-section, make this album something of a guilty pleasure. It’s an album perfect for getting the blood and adrenaline flowing. There really isn’t a bad song on the album; however, there also isn’t a great song in sight. Thus, No Longer Buried stands firm a little bit right of the middle of the road. Nothing mind-blowing and nothing vomit-inducing—No Longer Buried is just good; but very typical.

Rating: 60/100
Website: http://www.trendkill.se
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/trendkill1
Downloads: Walking Dead, Dedication, Break The Silence (Video)

STONEGARD - ARROWS (Extreme Alternative Metal)

Never judge a book by its cover, they say. Good advice. Upon first glance at Arrows by Norway’s Stonegard, one might me tempted to believe this is some sort of stoner-doom band. Quite the contrary; aside from the stoner rock-like album cover and seemingly apt band name, Stonegard is much more an alternative metal band than anything else, but with more of an extreme approach. They are called a stoner rock band, but I really don’t hear it. They do manage to pull in some contrasting styles to make something of a unique sound—black/death metal riffs, melodic passages, old school 70’s rock, traditional heavy metal, grunge, nu-metal, and even a little southern rock. But I think they’re versed in a more alternative metal style. Unfortunately, however, while Stonegard has managed to create quite a solid and competent menagerie of sounds which offers a nice dose of originality, Arrows simply lacks truly memorable songs.

Arrows starts out with “Ghost Circles,” a short instrumental, and then kicks off with the title track, a song that initially disguises itself as a melodic death metal track. However, the vocals and verse riffs betray that notion. This song is the prototypical Stonegard song. It’s dynamic and interesting, but lacking of a truly solid hook, something that warrants repeat, on-the-spot listens. Some tracks like “Resistance” and “Goldbar” offer a more melodic distraction from the monotony, but again, they lack that endearing quality that would make this a great album. All is not lost, though; Arrows is most definitely not a bad album. In fact, it’s quite good; but generally this is going to be a one-and-done album, something you’ll enjoy occasionally, but not wish to play over and over again. Stonegard definitely has a unique formula to work with here; they simply need to focus on creating something a bit more alluring next time out.

Rating: 70/100
Website: http://www.stonegard.org
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/stonegard
Downloads: Arrows (Live video), From Dusk Till Doom (Video from From Dusk Till Doom)

Note: “From Dusk Till Doom” is from their latest album of the same name and is not quite representative of anything written in this review; it is much heavier than anything Arrows.

 

[Eyesore]

TO-MERA - TRANSCENDENTAL (Thrash/Gothic-Influenced Progressive Metal)

As the years go by, I’ve become less and less impressed with new female-fronted metal bands; much in the same manner as power metal. That’s not to say I haven’t come across many great bands or albums, just that I’m not really surprised anymore. To-Mera, however, is a little different. To-Mera approach the female-fronted metal thing from a decidedly more progressive angle than most other metal bands boasting a female vocalist—bands that seem to mostly come from the gothic side of the spectrum. Gothic elements are present here, but like fellow newcomers Echoes of Eternity, with a few subtle changes—aggressive vocals replacing or accompanying the female vocals, less atmospheric musical passages, etc.—To-Mera would undoubtedly be labeled a progressive thrash band. Fronted by the beautiful Julie Kiss, former Without Face vocalist, she will undoubtedly be placed in the promotional forefront of the music and other band members, but there is much more to this band than a pretty face and cleavage. Vocally, Kiss is run-of-the-mill, but her sweet, sultry, and strong voice leaves no room for complaint. She is backed by a solid four-piece consisting of Lee Barrett (bass), Tom MacLean (guitars), Paul Westwood (drums), and Hugo Sheppard (keyboards).

Transcendental starts with “Traces”, an instrumental that begins with some vocal-only melodies that remind me of Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance), and, indeed, until the guitars and drums kick in, this could be a lost Dead Can Dance track. It’s not until the second track, “Blood,” that you’re really introduced to this band. The song goes for the throat with some frenetic thrash riffs that intermingle with soaring vocals, piano and orchestral flourishes. “Dreadful Angel” follows suit, but steps up the progressive element, with mid-song interludes that boast what seem like improvised jazz jams in between the progressive thrash assault, it’s like going in and out of the Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole. This formula is put to use throughout the entire eight-track, hour-long album, though things never get tedious or monotonous; the band manages to make each song unique. Some songs are faster, showcasing some almost-death metal riffs (“Phantoms,” “Born of Ashes”), while others are slower and more experimental (“Obscure Oblivion,” “Realm of Dreams”).

While I don’t think To-Mera completely live up to the pre-release hype they received, I also don’t think that hype was that far off the mark. Fans of more structured music will find Transcendental a little hard to digest, with its shifting stylistic sands; but those who’re fans of gothic metal and progressive metal, even oddball progressive bands like A Triggering Myth, will find a lot to offer here. The promo sheet says this album is “ambitious, epic, and forward-thinking”, and I can’t find any argument with that statement. Some of the more progressive and experimental moments can occasionally take away from that particular song, derailing it a bit, but those moments are few and far between, making To-Mera and Transcendental worthy of your attention, indeed.

Rating: 75/100
Website: http://www.to-mera.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/tomeraband
Downloads: Dreadful Angel, Born Of Ashes, Blood (Video)

 

[Eyesore]

LYCATHIA – WITHIN THE WALL (Doom-Death)

Lycathia is a band from—well, I’m not sure. I could find out, but one can only be so enthusiastic. Lycathia is a doom-death band: epic song structures, guttural male vocals alongside angelic female vocals, and a good dose of atmospherics—keyboards, piano, violin, etc. Within The Wall is possibly their most recent release, but it could be ten years old. I’m simply not sure. Like I mentioned, the band features a male and female vocalist; whether or not other members are involved here is up to speculation. Lycathia could be the Slipknot of doom-death, with nine members of questionable gender. Or they could be the WHAM! of doom-death. I’m simply not sure.

Within The Wall features four untitled tracks. Each has an average length of eight minutes. The songs follow a similar path of mid-paced doom with harsh death metal vocals interspersed with clean, melodic female vocals. The songs are broken up by quieter, orchestral passages, which give each song a little breathing room, creating just enough space and beauty for the listener to grasp onto. The songs are very well done, but they follow the same format, a predictability that detracts from any sense of song-to-song individuality. Fans of Slumber and Swallow The Sun would likely find something to sink their teeth into on Within The Wall (if you’re even able to purchase it; I don’t know if that’s possible).

Now, it should be noted that this band is actually called Lycanthia, not Lycathia, and the album title is Within The Walls, not Within The Wall. Unfortunately the band felt that reviewers should do all the legwork when it comes to reviewing their album and supporting their band. The EP came as a CDR with the band’s name and album title—incorrectly!—scrawled across the booklet. No other information was given—no tracklisting, no band biography, no discography, no band member information, no website URL—zilch, nada, nothing. So, tell me, why should a reviewer care to spend his personal time promoting a band that doesn’t seem to care themselves? Why should music fans care about supporting a band that seemingly isn’t interested in creating a product worthy of their hard-earned dollars and time?

When I was younger, I remember spending entire weekends pressing up homemade demo tapes. We spent hours upon hours designing the artwork, recording hundreds of demos to cassette via boomboxes, photocopying (double-sided) all the inserts for each tape, and then sending them out to magazines and fans worldwide (if the band was popular enough). Of course, with today’s technology a band doesn’t need to spend hundreds and hundreds of hours creating a product for their band. But Lycanthia could have spent more than five minutes creating theirs. I realize that the end “musical” product is what we review here, but bands/labels are what we support. And when the bands/labels seemingly don’t care, should anyone else?

Rating: 50/100
Website: N/A
MySpace: N/A
Downloads: N/A

ICED EARTH – OVERTURE OF THE WICKED (EP) (Power Metal)

So…the promo of the new Iced Earth EP has inevitably leaked. And, of course, the turds of the world have been tearing it to shreds. (Typical of the Blabbermouth generation.) So let me set things straight. People are slamming the production, saying it's terrible. Let's put it this way, the production is very good as it is, on a leaked version no less. It can only get better with an official release, but is fine as is. I realize the promo has been released, and leaked versions have likely been ripped from the promo, but one should never judge a final product on something that simply is not that. However, I do have the promo, and it is safe to say that these recordings lack that certain “punch,” that bottom end, as we first heard on The Glorious Burden. Most importantly, though, the production is still very good on this EP.

“Ten Thousand Strong” is a great opener. It’s a simple song—and I believe this version is an edited version of the one that’ll appear on Framing Armageddon—that gets straight to the point, goes right for the throat. It's a heavy song with great riffs, a great chorus, and great vocals from Owens. But while “Ten Thousand Strong” is a great appetizer for things to come, it’s safe to say that the spotlight will be shined brightest upon the re-recorded Something Wicked trilogy (originally on Something Wicked This Way Comes with Matt Barlow on vocals). This new version of the trilogy is excellent, but only after the initial shock of hearing all the changes—and changes are exactly what Jon should have made when re-recording these songs! If you’re expecting something like the original versions, go listen to the original versions. Now, as good as I think these new versions are, they’re very different, and I'm sure people—as you can already read across the net—will hate on them simply because they aren’t comparable to the originals. The changes are mostly of the subtle variety, but they still make a big difference. And again, without changing things these re-recordings would have been pointless.

The approach of this new version of the trilogy is like that on the Gettysburg trilogy from The Glorious Burden. It's very atmospheric, far more symphonic and orchestral—which is exactly what Jon promised, by the way. “Birth Of The Wicked” remains largely the same as the original, but “Prophecy” is where the immediate changes are noticed. The opening is much more atmospheric, and different in structure; the build-up in the beginning is more subtle, and when it finally kicks in the riffs don’t hit nearly as hard as one would expect (unless they’ve not heard the original); the solo has been changed a bit, and the ending is slightly different. After a few spins, though, everything seems very natural. The problem is trying to not compare it to the original. “The Coming Curse” is without the original piano intro here, which is unfortunate because that intro sets the song up very well. This new version just kicks right in without any build-up. Again, the main portion of the song is very similar to the original, with only slight changes. The mid-section and ending is where the most changes occur. Where the original had Gregorian-like chanting, this new version adds a prominent female voice to that mix. It changes the emotive aspects of the song drastically, but luckily not for the worse.

It is very important that one acknowledges that the original trilogy and this new version are both different enough to stand on their own merits. People will compare, and people will hate, but, like I said, once you get over the initial shock it gets better and better with each spin. These new versions lack a little a bit of that good old oomph! when it comes to guitar tone, even when compared to “Ten Thousand Strong,” but the re-recordings are very respectable. And they offer enough change musically and vocally to appease those that felt Jon was crazy for re-recording them, or that Owens could never match Barlow’s great vocal performance on the originals. The fact is, Owens made these new versions his own, and Jon took the songs to a new plateau. Whether better or worse is up to the listener, but if you look forward and not back you should find great satisfaction in the re-recordings. And in using the excellent “Ten Thousand Strong” as a measuring stick, one can expect great things from Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part 1) (scheduled for release later in the year).

Rating: 80/100
Website: http://www.icedearth.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/icedearthofficial
Downloads: Dracula (Live Video), Declaration Day (Video), When The Eagle Cries (Video), The Reckoning (Video)

 

[Vossyrus]

Great reviews, not exactly the kind of music I listen to but I definitely enjoy reading them. Keep up the good work

 

[Eyesore]

Great reviews, not exactly the kind of music I listen to but I definitely enjoy reading them. Keep up the good work

Awesome. Thanks! I didn't think anyone read these. Haha.