Top Albums of 2008 [column]

It’s hard to complain when, this year, there were pretty good releases almost every month. And as the year came to a close, I was actually surprised to find that as I tried to cull a best-of list down to ten, I was left with about 20 fantastic albums from which to chose. I did manage to come up with what I saw as the best of the best, but before we get to the main attraction, let's take a look at some of the year's near-misses...

"***"

Firewind - The Premonition
Basically, this is a classic power-metal album—soaring vocals, nothing too loud with plenty of melody, and enough riffs, solos and other various guitar mastery to satiate any metal lover's appetite.

Cradle to Grave - Texas Medicine
Chock-full of thick, meaty riffs, explosive drumming and antagonistic bass licks—not to mention some absolutely crushing groove—the band grabs the listener by the throat with the opening track and proceeds to toss them down eleven flights of stairs.

Seven Mary Three - Day&Nightdriving
The songwriting skills are exemplary: the lyrics are smart, the stories are captivating and the music casually drifts between solid rock and melodic dirges, all with a slight Southern twist.

Kate Voegele - Don‘t Look Away
This album shoots out of the gate with melody and catchy hooks, and never seems to let up. With a voice that betrays her 22 years, Voegele commands attention from the album opener and carries the rest of the album with authority through to the end.

Slipknot - All Hope Is Gone
From the meaty riffs to the thunderous drumming and accentuating added percussion, the turntable scratching to the gang vocals ... just put the title track on and crank the volume to 10 to see all these various elements seamlessly merge together into something no other band on the metal scene has done.

In Flames - A Sense of Purpose
Working within the confines of melodic metal, the band takes more than enough chances and manages to craft such hook-laden tracks that it's almost impossible to resist.

Marie Digby - Unfold
The singer/songwriter incorporates a variety of influences into her songs. There's the usual smattering of pop-rock throughout, but Digby takes a chance or two over the course of the album's journey.

With Dead Hands Rising - Expect Hell
The band sounds tight as hell, tearing through each track with a vengeance; drums and bass shake the listener to the core like a depth charge with a dueling guitar attack taking out anything left moving.

So, without further ado...

Best albums of 2008...

10.

Kingdom of Sorrow
Kingdom of Sorrow
(Relapse Records)

"I turned to stone, once I saw the reflection was my own."

Each track off this self-titled effort spills forth like a avalanche of sludgy, thick sonic turmoil. Jamie Jasta's (Hatebreed) guttural wails merge perfectly with Kirk Windstein's (Crowbar, Down) more mournful howls. From "Free the Fallen" to the one-two opening of "Hear This Prayer for Her" and "Grieve a Lifetime", whether the band tears through the songs or they unfold in a dirge, everything is a perfect melding of metal and mood, anger and harmony, and when they shift gears to a slower, more methodical and melodic approach, the results are equally as good.

9.

Taylor Swift
Fearless
(Big Machine Records)

"And we know it's never simple, never easy. / Never a clean break / No one here to save me You're the only thing I know, like the back of my hand."

Part country, part pop, and catchy as hell. Taylor Swift followed up her smash debut album with the best-selling country album of the year. Sure, the songs still reflect Swift's young mindset, but there's a certain timeless element to them, too. It's all the more impressive that Swift wrote more than half of the album, and co-wrote the rest, which not only puts her in a certain league in the country scene, but well above most of her teen brethren in the pop genre. Mostly love songs, or songs of lost love, there's a song to suit any mood on this album, which makes it one of my favorite on this list.

8.

Candlebox
Into the Sun
(Silent Majority)

"I‘m in the need, of someone to confide. / Surrendering / 'Cause I'm not as strong as you think."

Into the Sun reminds listeners how missed frontman Kevin Martin's soulful vocals have been in the rock scene. The album is immediately comfortable, and Candlebox manages to string together a collection of songs to rival its best effort. The band shifts from louder material ("Stand") to a more laid-back rock-blues approach ("Bitches Brewin'") but really shines the brightest when it gets melancholic ("Surrendering", "Miss You" and the title-track). Managing to channel the ghost of Mother Love Bone, the band just rocks out in every way imaginable. The best part of this entire album is that Candlebox never sounds dated, and the band was never so huge that the effort might reek of a nostalgia trip. Instead, the group puts forth one of this year’s strongest rock releases.

7.

Eyes Set to Kill
Reach
(Break Silence Records)

"Don‘t mind me, I'm only dying."

Eyes Set to Kill could easily draw comparisons to early Atreyu, From Autumn to Ashes or Avenged Sevenfold—but instead of hardcore vocals, the lead vocals are melodic and haunting. The band's dual guitars offer a thick wall of riffs to pull everything together with hooks galore. The drumming is thunderous without being overpowering. The piano or synthesizer pops up at the most unexpected times for a welcome, added dimension of melody. There's no screwing around on Reach, with the blistering metallic numbers ("Violent Kiss"), some epic tracks ("Young Blood Spills Tonight" and "Darling") with plenty of style shifts, and some catchy songs, too (the title track or "Song 2"). Nothing comes across as filler. A fantastic debut full-length from a band on the rise.

6.

Guns N' Roses
Chinese Democracy
(Geffen)

"So now I wander through my days / And try to find my ways / To the feelings that I felt / I saved for you and no one else / And though as long as this road seems / I know it's called the street of dreams / But that's not stardust on my feet / It leaves a taste that's bittersweet / That's called the blues."

Chinese Democracy isn’t a head-banger like Appetite for Destruction, but was that really what fans were expecting? Instead, the album plays out like a compendium of modern-rock, pulling in elements from all corners of the rock/metal genre and really turning everything on its end. The harder material—the title-track, "Riad N’ the Bedouins", "Better", "Catcher in the Rye", "Shackler’s Revenge"—is all heavy on the guitar. And there's plenty of slower, more mood-oriented material to juxtapose those songs ("This I Love", "Madagascar", "Sorry"). Everything is beautifully over-produced, but in a good way; from the slick, layered guitar attack, to the layers upon layers of vocals, it all just seems to work. In the end, Chinese Democracy is one hell of a journey, with musical peaks and valleys that I doubt anyone was expecting. The guitars sound great, and Axl's voice sounds fantastic; he truly has been one of rock's most-missed vocalists. This album becomes more impressive with each spin. Maybe it will never quite live up to the hype, but it doesn't have to.

5.

Trivium
Shogun
(Roadrunner Records)

"I will never be what they / Want me to / I live by my own path in life / No turning / Back now, I won't be held down / Forced into a shallow grave built upon their empty ways / There's no turning back."

It seems like any album by Trivium will find a place on one of my year-end lists. What's even more refreshing is that the band continues to grow and mature with each release. The band kicked off its career with a solid, straight-forward metal effort, followed it up with an even more intense release, then somehow managed to craft a follow-up to ...And Justice for All (even though the band wasn't named Metallica). With Shogun, Trivium crawled out from under the Metallica-wannabe label and crafted one hell of an epic. The songs are crushing and expansive, the lyrics and vocals stronger than any of the group's previous efforts. And the melody infused throughout is so punishing that you can’t help but bang your head and then shake it as the solos spill from your speakers.

4.

Byzantine
Oblivion Beckons
(Prosthetic Records)

"It’s a long road out of hell when you refuse to do the devil’s work."

With Oblivion Beckons, every aspect of Byzantine's sound has been ratcheted up a notch (or 10)—the riffs are thicker and more complex, the drumming more frenetic, the bass meatier and the vocals either grittier, more horrific or melodically haunting. Apart from the band's not-overly-progressive musical approach—there's a nice blend of metal and the nuances of prog without taking it to a limit that would alienate fans of either sub-genre—it's Chris "O.J." Ojeda's vocals that set Byzantine apart from similar acts in the metal scene. He can wail, he can sound like he's screaming from the bowels of hell, and he can also do some fantastic clean vocals (with just enough of a hint of a Southern accent) and somehow marry the two styles into a third monster. Heavy groove permeates every track, and the band’s straight-ahead metal approach harkens to Lamb of God’s delivery, albeit a little less abrasive. That the band is able to incorporate a variety of metal approaches (hints of thrash, an obvious nod to progressive material, the thunderous chug of speed and plenty of tech-inspired riffing) and work it into a cohesive piece, not to mention all of the other elements it throws in for good measure, is a true testament to the talent each member brought to the table.

3.

Children of Bodom
Blooddrunk
(Fontana Universal Records)

"In this shell of life you left me hanging dry / With a smile on my face I'll watch you cry."

This album spills out of the speakers like a wall of sound. Everything is thick, compact and foreboding. The band has incorporated more thrash elements to its repertoire, and it gives the material more of an edge than on its previous album. The rest is vintage Children of Bodom, with killer solos, mind-bending riffs, plenty of keyboards, choking double-bass drumming and a lot of melody to temper the breakneck pacing. With each subsequent spin, the various layers of each song expand before the listener. They like to blend these slower, more melodic elements with a crushing assault ("Tie My Rope" is a good example) to create soundscapes that border on the more accessible orchestrated metal genre.

2.

Metallica
Death Magnetic
(Warner Bros. Records)

"Cause we hunt you down without mercy / Hunt you down all nightmare long / Feel us breathe upon your face / Feel us shift, every move we trace."

This album has grown on me, spin after spin, since its release. Death Magnetic is a completely new monster, and die-hard fans can hear tiny elements from all of Metallica's previous efforts this time around. From the raw ("All Nightmare Long") to the thrash ("My Apocalypse") to the mid-tempo rocker ("The Judas Kiss"), each former album seems represented in some capacity this time out. When Metallica is able to pull pieces from its entire career into one song (like on "The Day That Never Comes") is not only a testament to the band and the album, but also producer Rick Rubin, who's made a name for himself for not only historically bringing the best out of bands, but also for pushing them to explore directions they might not regularly take. There are some really strong elements on Death Magnetic: Kirk Hammett unleashed for the entirety of the album; the crazy groove on the aforementioned "All Nightmare Long"; and check out the spotlight on Robert Trujillo with plenty of bass riffing taking center stage on "Cyanide". This is the "statement" album Metallica needed to make, and it shows why so many bands still point to them as a major influence. Sometimes there's nothing quite as good as a legend out to prove something.

1.

Amon Amarth
Twilight of the Thunder God
(Metal Blade)

"Standing firm against all odds / guarding the most sacred home / we protect the realm of gods / our destiny is carved in stone."

This album just came out of nowhere, grabbed me and just refused to let go. It's punishing metal at its finest; on this album Amon Amarth dialed down the death-metal edge and turned up the epic feel of each song. There's groove and melody and crushing solos... Sure, the title-track kills almost any other metal song to come out this year, but it's the fist-pounding nature of "Guardians of Asgaard" that really captured my attention. And then those moments of pure brilliance, most notably the cello-bridge on "Live for the Kill", that just blew my mind. Heavy metal detailing the life, trials and legends of the Vikings—it might sound ridiculous, but it results in my pick for album of the year.

Notable notables...

Most disappointing music news of the year: Marie Digby lays the foundation for her solo debut with a grassroots effort on YouTube, but after the album's release it is revealed that may have just been a clever marketing ploy by the record company, leaving a lot of fans feeling betrayed with a bitter taste in their mouths.

Most impressive debut album: She & Him's self-titled debut sees Zooey Deschanel's voice instantly capturing the listener as the band takes a musical journey inspired by pop music of the '50s and '60s.

Most underwhelming album: After such high hopes for Ultra Beatdown, Dragonforce somehow managed to craft a solid yet underwhelming retread of Inhuman Rampage.

Best song from a soundtrack (movie or television): The middle-eastern flavor of Guns N’ Roses' "If the World" was the perfect ending for Body of Lies.

Best cover song: Six Feet Under do a version of the Mötley Crüe classic "Bastard", that sounds like it was recorded at the gates of Hell.

Best guest appearance on a song: Colbie Caillat writes and sings with Taylor Swift on "Breathe".

Twisted Sister -- 'Live at the Astoria' CD/DVD [review]

Twisted Sister - Live at the Astoria [CD/DVD]
Demolition Records (11/18/08)
Hard rock / Metal (Glam)

While never the most prolific metal band out there, Twisted Sister has somehow become one of those bands from the '80s that is regarded as somewhat legendary on the strength of a handful of popular tracks.

Live at the Astoria plays out as a greatest-hits collection, with a solid sampling from the group's back catalogue. The recording is fairly crisp, with hardly any crowd interference (which you'll either like or dislike depending on what you're looking for in a live album).

And for the fans, there's little missing from this set. The band cranks out particularly rousing versions of "The Price", "Ride to Live (Live to Ride)" and "Under the Blade", closing out the festivities with a killer version of "I Wanna Rock" before a somewhat lackluster encore. Ending things with "S.M.F." is one thing, but the two-song set starts with the questionable "Come Out and Play" purely in an attempt to get the crowd to chant along with the Warriors-inspired "Twisted Sister ... Come out and play!", which, judging from the crowd noise, never quite takes off as the band might have hoped.

The rest of the set is pretty straight-forward. "The Fire Still Burns" ... "Like a Knife in the Back" ... "The Kids are Back" ... "Shoot ‘Em Down" ... the hits keep coming hard and heavy. The biggest surprise is that the band seems to sleepwalk through its biggest hit, "We're Not Gonna Take It", which lacks that certain spark that you'd expect from a live version.

This package includes a DVD of the same performance that, except for possible nuances, is pretty much a video translation of the concert—I say nuances because at least during "We're Not Gonna Take It" the band stops mid-song as Dee Snider goes off on a rant about an "unnamed" record executive that dismissed the song after it was recorded and prior to release. Post-rant, the band kicks back into the song for another minute for a crowd sing-along. You could appreciate the sentiment, except the audio is badly chopped (read: censored) to protect the identity of said executive Snider refers to by name. This entire exchange is happily missing from the CD.

The show was recorded back in 2004, but there's no clear reason as to the four-year delay in release since there are no bells and/or whistles to accompany the show. So, what you ultimately have is a bare-bones glimpse at a rock band doing what it does best—more than 20 years since its inception—rocking an audience into a frenzy.

Dir en grey -- 'Uroboros' [review]

Dir en grey - Uroboros
The End Records (11/11/08)
Metal (Melodic) / Rock

While perhaps not quite at the level of Opeth or Dream Theater, Dir en grey is Japan's answer to the aforementioned bands, proving it with a solid decade-long career and this, the band's seventh studio album.

Uroboros is a mixture of metal and progressive rock—a combination of beauty, bliss, horror and destruction. Dir en grey combines elements from all corners of the metal/rock genres to put forth a cacophony of pandemonium, all the while vocalist Kyo, singing almost exclusively in Japanese, wails, growls and grunts along like a frenzied madman.

Opening with the one-two punch of the instrumental "Sa Bir" and epic "Vinushka" (which clocks in at over nine minutes), it's clear the band is happy to take chances. While "Vinushka" may come across as bloated at moments, the song is a sonic journey, bouncing from acoustic beauty to peaks of power metal and depths of death metal, again and again.

The band takes its experimental approach even further with "Stuck Man", a head-banging blend of funk and death metal.

But it's those moments of tight musicianship when Dir en grey produces its best songs. Take the straight-forward "Red Soil", with its driving riffs and stutter-stop verses, or the blinding fury of "Doukoku to Sarinu", or the radio-friendly modern-rock feel of "Glass Skin". These 3- to 4-minute songs display a better sense of the best the band has to offer as opposed to, say, the self-indulgent 7-minute plus "Ware, Yami, Tote..." that aims for epic but hits overly-dramatic instead.

Two nice touches with the album: the liner notes contain all the lyrics translated into English, which shows the band weaving tales of reincarnation and guilt; and two versions of "Dozing Green" included on this set, one sung in English, the other in Japanese (which only shows that, with a frontman like Kyo, it matters not what language the songs are sung in).

Any fan of Opeth, Tool or any progressive metal outfits will find more than a few things to love on this album.

Various Artists -- 'Vans Warped Tour 2007' [DVD review]

Vans Warped Tour 2007 [DVD]
Image Entertainment (12/2/08)
Unrated
60 minutes

A year too late, this video compilation of live performances and artist interviews from the 2007 Warped Tour has finally hit shelves, and unfortunately does its best to underwhelm fans.

Sure, there's some good stuff on here, most notably killer performances from punk legends Bad Religion and Pennywise, as well as solid showings from Coheed and Cambria, and Killswitch Engage.

But for all that is good, there’s plenty of filler, with weak offerings from Pepper, Sum 41 and The Starting Line juxtaposed against unmemorable cuts from the likes of Chiodos and Fishbone.

The problem is, this collection really offers nothing more than a taste, featuring a single song from a broad mix of a scant collection from what the tour has to offer. Put aside the question of whether bands like Killswitch Engage or Avenged Sevenfold belong on the tour; the single-song offerings keep the running time to an hour at the expense of giving you anything of substance or even a real handle of what this tour was like. The producers could have doubled the running time to either offer more songs from the same acts, or at the very least more songs from more acts. Sure, a single song from 22 instead of 11 bands is still light on substance, but at least it gives us a bigger collection. For best effect, there probably should have been a single song from the lesser-known acts and then, for bands like Bad Religion, give at least three songs.

Then there's the choice of interview and performance footage. Why offer interviews with Paramore, The Almost or Meg & Dia but then no performance footage from those bands? Paramore is a particular quandary given the band's rise over the past year.

As for the nuts and bolts, the video is offered up in 1:33:1 with a nice Surround audio track, and there are a handful of bonus songs and interviews to be had as bonus footage.

So basically, what you have here is a perfectly suitable extended commercial for Warped Tour. And if the aim was to chronicle the tour's 13th anniversary, well ... see above for all the shortcomings. With over a year to compile and put this thing together, fans deserved a lot more, especially when you look at the superior audio sets the tour has put out over the years.

Filter -- 'Remixes for the Damned' [review]

Filter - Remixes for the Damned
Pulse Records (11/4/08)
Hard rock (Industrial rock) / Electronic

Hot on the heels of Anthems for the Damned, Richard Patrick has put together a Web-exclusive album of remixes offering what he calls a more industrial take on Filter’s first new album in five years.

Rather than sounding more industrial, however, most of the tracks have a "dance party remix" feel to them, if for no other real reason than the repetitive club beats and expanded tracks with little "edge."

Sure, there are moments, like the mid-way point of "I Keep the Flowers Around (Love's Labor's Lost)", which features a haunting, driving guitar playing over this expansive, spacey beat, but for the most part, these tracks feel ultimately forgettable.

But there are a few high points where the songs exceed their original counterparts. The mellower take on "Soldiers of Misfortune" (The Justin Eyerly Version), which focuses on a backing string section and acoustic guitar to accompany Patrick’s vocals, is a real gem. Stripping away the pop sheen gives the song an added dimension of complexity and seriousness that really works well with the subject matter.

This toned-down approach also works well on the stripped versions of "Only You" and "Lie After Lie", too, which aren't remixes as much as acoustic versions of the songs. Nonetheless, the simplistic approach works so well that you can't help but wonder if an acoustic album of Filter material is in the works.

For a different take on "Soldiers of Misfortune", the "Turning Blood into Oil" mix has a steady drum beat, which gives the song a militaristic feel, but during the choruses a haunting synth riff kicks in, adding an ethereal element to the track.

That particular tone is present on "Cold (Desert Sky)" as well. Once again, with the pop sheen stripped off, the song takes on a new dimension (though the programmed backing could have been toned down a little). The best part of the song is where the female backing vocals, which are hardly noticeable on the studio version, spring to the forefront this time around.

The multiple takes of "The Take" aren't too bad, either. The "Rumsfeld Torture Party" version is more frantic and high-energy, while the "Declanator" mix is a little more low-key but somehow manages to be more urgent as a result.

There are two versions of "What's Next", and both probably could have benefited from being combined into one track. And the third version of "Soldiers of Misfortune" (the "10 hits of X in Baghdad" mix) comes across as overkill. The version is a far cry from the other takes on the collection (much more aggressive and club-sounding) and adds nothing to the song or the album.

The weakest moments on the collection come about when the tracks just sort of meander with no direction. "Kill The Day (Gonzo in the Club)" or the aforementioned reworking of "Soldiers" could have been any song mixed for clubbing purposes, with layered, never-ending beats looping to no clear purpose.

This was supposed to be a return to Filter's industrial roots, but much like the proper studio version of Anthems for the Damned, nothing on this set touches the intensity of "Hey Man Nice Shot" or the Crystal Method collaboration "(Can’t You) Trip Like I Do".

In the end, Remixes for the Damned offers up a mixed bag of new takes on the songs. Ironically it's the quieter moments that really shine on here, but one wouldn't normally think "quiet" when thinking of industrial remixes. Of course, being a download exclusive, you're able to download your choice of tracks as opposed to the entire set, so feel free to create the best album you can.

Early Man -- 'Beware the Circling Fin' [review]

Early Man - Beware the Circling Fin [EP]
The End Records (10/14/08)
Metal (Thrash)

Throwing Early Man's latest EP onto the stereo is like activating a time machine. The band somehow manages to perfectly encapsulate the raw energy of Metallica's Kill 'Em All and other early thrash pioneers and, in doing so, they accomplish two things. First, Early Man refuse to fall into the trap of attempting to inject any modern element to the sound. But secondly, and more importantly, they do this without coming across as an homage or novelty act.

Instead, Early Man has basically constructed an album that should have come out in 1983 instead of 2008. From the catchy, thrash bliss of "Sinking the Knife" to the Priest-inspired wails on "Coiled Like a Snake", it's clear the band has a firm grasp on crafting a classic... well, something that sounds like a classic. But it's the title-track that most captures the best of what Early Man has to offer —driving riffs and cymbal-heavy drumming with soaring, lo-fi vocals crushing together into a mid-tempo, sludgy heap of metal. And just for kicks, the short set closes out with the punk-inspired, minute-and-a-half "Suck Me Dry".

It's clear this is just a taste of what this three-piece outfit has to offer. With another full-length on the horizon, fans may do better to wait for that. But for a nice, albeit brief, re-introduction to the band (it released an EP and full-length in 2005 as well), or for fans of classic thrash in general, you won't go wrong with Beware the Circling Fin.

A closer look at Chinese Democracy [opinion]

[Note to readers: Given the history of this album, combined with my own feelings on Guns N' Roses, Axl and this album, there was no way I could tackle Chinese Democracy as a straight-forward review, hence the column format. Enjoy...]




Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy
Geffen (11/23/08)
Rock

Close to a decade-and-a-half in the making, Guns N' Roses' latest effort, Chinese Democracy, finally hit shelves over the weekend. But even before its release, the album had managed to polarize a listening public.

First off, most of the album had been leaked in some capacity over the past handful of years. Demos or live versions of songs had been traded and posted all over the Internet.

People either loved the songs or hated them. Then again, people were either going to accept or dismiss this album either way, what with frontman Axl Rose being the only original, founding member of the band left, holding down the fort with keyboardist Dizzy Reed and a handful (or more?) of other musicians.

Six Feet Under -- 'Death Rituals' [review]

Six Feet Under - Death Rituals
Metal Blade Records (11/11/08)
Death metal

Fronted by the most prolific vocalist in death metal, Six Feet Under has crafted another killer album, chock-full of groove, and driven by Chris Barnes’ inhuman, guttural wails.

The band keeps its trademark, foreboding groove-riffs in full effect on songs like “Eulogy for the Undead” (which features some great, technical guitar breakdowns), “Seed of Filth” and “Death By Machete”.

And Barnes is an absolute beast on the microphone, having never sounded better than on tracks like “Involuntary Movement of Dead Flesh” and “None Will Escape”, with his trademark, low-toned growls and nuanced screams, effectively turning his voice into another instrument.

Leaving Cannibal Corpse was the best thing to ever happen to Barnes. While Corpse has begun to really spin its wheels over the past three or four albums, Six Feet Under has found a way to maintain its edge, crafting classic death metal and then throwing in just enough groove to keep things from becoming repetitive (check out the cover of the forgotten Motley Crue classic “Bastard”, not only for the groove but also for Barnes' unbelievably deep growls). The songs are more than just constant blast-beats, as Six Feet Under can do the straight-forward death-metal thing, and it can get pretty boring. This time around, the band throws plenty of metal riffs into the mix, giving the album a more dynamic sound.

This type of music isn’t for everyone. That said, Six Feet Under has definitely put together the album of its career. The sound is varied and dynamic, and Barnes, as always, is a gem in the genre, and the band is slowly affirming a spot as a death-metal legend. What Death Rituals shows is that the band could actually craft a solid cross-over metal album if it really wanted to.

The Answer -- 'Never Too Late' [review]

The Answer - Never Too Late EP
The End Records (11/11/08)
Hard rock

The Answer might not have the best name in rock, and this latest EP might not have quite enough material on it to form a full-fledged opinion. But there must be a reason the band is being touted as the next big thing coming out of the UK.

Mixing a blend of classic rock, blues and solid musical hooks, the group offers up a nice little taste of things to come with its recent EP, Never Too Late.

With deep roots in classic rock, some have been quick to label The Answer a “new Led Zeppelin,” a title that’s sort of lacking. If anything, The Answer sounds like a revamped Whitesnake, especially on the blistering “Highwater or Hell”.

The rest of the EP is a mixed bag of sorts. “The Doctor” is a slow-tempo blues anthem, with vocalist Cormac Neeson drawling over the deliberate guitar licks. (The song ultimately turns into a groovy little rock track, reminiscent of, say, Tesla.) Many bands have recently attempted the straight-up blues approach, but more often than not the effort falls short, becoming plodding or just plain boring. The Answer doesn’t blow the track out of the water, but does put forth an admirable effort.

Rounding out the effort are two straight-forward rock songs, “Never Too Late” and a live rendition of “Come Follow Me.” The former is a little too repetitive (with Neeson almost channeling Sammy Hagar for the opening wails), and takes too long to get to the hook (ironically) which is especially frustrating given that the hook is catchy, but not overly impressive. The latter, recorded live in Japan, is a little more fun. The hook is in the music as much as the chorus, and the song manages to leave the listener on a high note (ready to spin the album once again).

The set also includes a DVD with tour footage from the band, interviews and a couple other songs.

Overall, this is a nice little taste of things to come from The Answer. The band already has a full-length under its belt but has yet to debut in the States. I’m sure everyone will have a better sense of The Answer in ’09.

Dog Fashion Disco -- 'Beating a Dead Horse to Death ... Again' [review]

Dog Fashion Disco - Beating a Dead Horse to Death... Again
Rotten Records (10/28/08)
Metal

Dog Fashion Disco was a band a little too eclectic for its own good. The group managed to form quite the devoted fanbase over its eight-year existence, but there was always the feeling that, given the right direction, they could have easily hit the big time.

Never is that point more apparent than on their new, posthumous release, Beating a Dead Horse to Death... Again, which somehow manages to be the band's best album. The collection of rarities and other tracks of interest shows the band in a light its proper albums never seemed to convey. Take the re-recorded Day of the Dead EP, whose four tracks open this set. Each song is a steamroller of heavy, foreboding metal, that manages to invoke comparisons to Ministry combined with any keyboard-heavy horror-metal outfit. Even the slower, more melancholic “Gardenia”, with its piano accompaniment, has a noticeable metallic edge just under the surface. And the reason these songs are so strong is because they weren't cluttered up by tempo-shifts and multiple genre change-ups.

Then there’s the flipside of what DFD could do: “Devil’s Wife” and “Barely Breathing”, recorded after the band called it quits. The two tracks were part of a pre-Polkadot Cadaver demo, which shows the band had the ability to record more commercial material when it set out to do so. The punk-influenced tracks could have easily found a home on modern-rock radio and are pretty catchy to boot.

The gem of the set is “Satan’s March”, a song recorded for the movie Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist, which the band helped score. Also included on the set is a Melvins cover, “Anaconda”, which has a nice little DFD edge to it.

A set of live studio tracks are prototypical DFD material—that interesting blend of hardcore, metal, jazz and lounge fusion that fans grew to love over the years. Of particular note is the schizophrenic “Worm in a Dog’s Heart” and “9-5 at the Morgue”, both of which really capture the unique energy DFD could infuse into its music.

Rounding out the set are two “joke tracks” the band sent to its label rep during the recording sessions for the Adultery album to show off “a the new direction” the band wanted to take. “Turning Gay” sounds like a South Park outtake, and no words can really do justice to “Hank Steel the Real Queer Cowboy”.

This is a great collection of material that can appeal to diehards and non-fans alike. Even without the joke songs that you could take or leave, there are still 12 solid tracks that might not entirely represent the true DFD experience, but it's a nice representation of the best of what the band could accomplish. The only glaring omission would be more from the Dominion score (“Satan’s March” offers a nice taste, but only clocks in at 3:40). DFD was a band whose eccentricities made it stand out from the crowd, but on the other hand truly kept it from hitting the big time. Beating a Dead Horse... is a nice look back at one of the underground’s finest outfits.

Slipknot -- 'All Hope is Gone' [review]

Slipknot - All Hope Is Gone
Roadrunner Records (8/26/08)
Metal

With each release, Slipknot seems content to push the limits of its cacophonous, metallic assault with moments of blistering rage juxtaposed against haunting melody. The band (vocalist Corey Taylor, guitarists Mick Thompson and James Root, drummer Joey Jordison, bassist Paul Gray, percussionists Shawn Crahan and Chris Fehn along with Sid Wilson on turntables and sampler Craig Jones) continues to establish itself as a hard-hitting, anger-seething musical monstrosity with a thick, multi-layered sound courtesy of a nine-piece roster of talent.

Not quite as brutal as Iowa, not nearly as melodic as Vol. 3, with All Hope Is Gone the band still manages to push the envelope even further. There’s the pounding metal (“Gematria” with its chilling refrain of “what if God doesn’t care?”, “Sulfur” and “This Cold Black); there’s the haunting melodic (the epic “Gehenna” that chokes with melancholy … in a good way); there’s the threatening dirge (“Wherein Lies Continue” that incorporates more melody in the choruses); and the tracks that combine multiple elements (“Psychosocial” or the groove-laden “Dead Memories”). Even the album's slowest track, “Snuff,” manages to quietly unfold with this subtle urgency that lulls the listener in with acoustic guitar and Taylor’s vocals before it gradually expands as each member begins to add elements as the song progresses into this full-bore explosion of sound.

Much has been made of Taylor’s style in Stone Sour and how this has influenced Slipknot’s overall sound. As a singer, there’s not much you can do to change your voice except in style. Having Taylor doing clean melodies and softer material to mix in with the screams only adds to the overall Slipknot sound. Apart from the voice (only at times), this is by no means a Stone Sour album. Not only would the eight other members of the group never allow that, but the thick sound and various layers to every song … well, just scream Slipknot. From the meaty riffs to the thunderous drumming and accentuating added percussion, the turntable scratching to the gang vocals … just put the title track on and crank the volume to 10 to see all these various elements seamlessly merge together into something no other band on the metal scene has done.

All Hope Is Gone isn’t the best metal album of the year, but is easily one of Slipknot’s strongest outings. The band continues to grow and modify its sound with each album without completely turning into a new monster. It’s not clear how much longer the band will last, but it certainly manages to continuously surprise.

Alice Cooper -- 'Along Came a Spider' [review]

Alice Cooper - Along Came a Spider
SPV Records (7/29/08)
Rock

Thirty years into a career and Alice Cooper is still managing to crank out solid material. And much like his more metallic doppelganger, Ozzy Osbourne (if Ozzy’s the godfather of metal, there’s no reason Alice can’t hold the same title for rock), it’s as much about the talent you surround yourself with as it is about your own.

On Along Came a Spider, Cooper has his own little core (Kiss drummer Eric Singer and guitarist Danny Saber) for the most part, with a revolving door of musicians to fill in the missing pieces, most notably guitarist Slash adding an entire new dimension to “Vengeance is Mine.” Sharing songwriting credits is an equally eclectic bunch—from Keri Kelli to Jani Lane (Warrant) and Osbourne himself.

Musically, Cooper tries to take a page from the various touchstones in his career. The concept album, spinning a tale (no pun intended) of a serial killer named Spider that wraps his victims in silk and takes a leg, eventually killing eight to form his spider, features an interesting mix of material. “I Know Where You Live” and “I’m Hungry” harks back to 70s-era Cooper, with a low-key, garage-rock feel. “Catch Me If You Can” feels like an outtake from 1991’s Hey Stoopid, while “Wake the Dead” pulls from Cooper’s later experiments with industrial music (and ironically comes across like a cover of Beck covering Cooper). Cooper even goes for a Beatles homage with the ballad “Killed By Love” (probably one of the stronger ballads he’s crafted over a long career).

Cooper still sounds best when attempting balls-out rock, that’s why tracks like “Vengeance Is Mine” and “(In Touch With) Your Feminine Side” shine brightest. It doesn’t hurt that Singer puts forth such a strong outing behind the drum kit. And while the lyrics may be a little mundane or lacking most of the time, Cooper still manages to craft an engrossing tale (think of it like a horror comic brought to life through song). The lowest point on the album, “Salvation,” is being universally panned simply because is sounds out of place on the album (perhaps it could have been saved away for a Cooper attempt at musical theater instead).

In the end, you have a nice little concept album, which Cooper has proved he has a knack for, that ranks somewhere between Dragontown and Welcome to my Nightmare -- or, if you’re a diehard fan, much stronger than The Last Temptation. Speaking of diehard fans, you’ll probably want to stick around for the last couple of moments of Spider to catch up with an “old friend.”

Dragonforce -- 'Ultra Beatdown' [review]

DragonForce - Ultra Beatdown
Roadrunner Records (8/26/08)
Metal

If melodic, melodramatic power metal is what you crave, these days it seems no band is quite as over-the-top as DragonForce. Ultra Beatdown is a worthy follow-up to the goliath that was Inhuman Rampage, but while the band continues to put its technical prowess on full display, the songwriting this time around is a little too pedestrian.

Given the title and album art (including a pixelated group shot on the back of the case), one might look for some sort of overriding theme on the album, but apart from the keyboards being much better incorporated on most of the songs, and a slight electronic edge to a couple of moments, this is vintage DragonForce. Every song is completely epic—turgid with riffs and solos and manic drumming and glorious, overblown instrumentation. And every song clocks in around seven or eight minutes in length, apart from the token (albeit fairly forced on this outing) ballad “A Flame for Freedom” (at a little over five-minutes) and the bludgeoning six-minute “Reasons to Live”, which features some fantastically cheesy, inspirational group-sings and a nice keyboard solo.

That aforementioned electronic tinge rears its head on “The Fire Still Burns”, which features plenty of mind-bending guitar solos dancing around some impressive machine-gun drumming that somehow manages to never let up.

There’s no point to go through every track, as the basic DragonForce formula is to put together dramatic, epic power metal tracks with an overabundance of intricate guitar play. Add to that a wealth of drum work and top it all off with soaring, saccharine lyrics. What the band does manage to do better on this album is make total songs. For some reason a fair portion of Inhuman felt like three-minute songs with four-minutes of instrumentation tacked on for good measure. It’s still metal, but not so loud as to alienate fans of good music, either. In fact, if anything, it’s the length of the songs that will push non-metal fans away.

Sure, in the end it’s all cheesy as hell, and you’ll either love it or hate it, but if you like an epic scope to your metal and enjoy listening to musicians show-off their skills, then DragonForce is for you. Ultra Beatdown isn’t the band’s best, but you can’t go wrong with any of the catalogue.

Candlebox -- 'Alive in Seattle' [review]

Candlebox - Alive in Seattle
Image Entertainment (9/2/08)
Hard rock

Recorded in 2006, Alive in Seattle captures a band with something to prove. After more than a few years under the radar, Candlebox regrouped for this tour, and the ensuing energy is through the roof (no doubt aided by the hometown crowd).

The set opens with raucous versions of “Arrow” and “Simple Lessons”, and the electric atmosphere is tangible. Even when the band slows it down a little with “Change”, the crowd overpowers the band during the chorus in which you can’t help but smile for Candlebox, knowing so many fans are still out there.

The band tears through a bunch of hits and lesser-known tracks over the next hour. “A Stone’s Throw Away” and “Understanding” sound great, but the band really shines on the melancholic “Blossom” (the crowd is great on this track, too). And they just destroy “Best Friend”—already one of the group’s fastest, heaviest songs, bludgeoning the crowd with it (in a good way), with so much energy that Kevin Martin almost struggles to keep up with the vocals.

But it’s the hits that shine brightest here. The second the tell-tale opening riff of “You” hits, you can feel the energy shift in the room. The guitar work, which was always good on the studio version, is stellar toward the end of the song as everything starts to derail. Then, closing out the set, an intense rendition of “Far Behind” and a welcome surprise encore of “Cover Me”.

While a fair share of forgettable live albums have been released over the past decade or so, Alive in Seattle impresses in every way. The band sounds great, the set list has a nice mix from the band’s first three albums and the energy is phenomenal throughout. In addition, the release features a DVD of the set, including “Rain”, which doesn't appear on the CD.

First a fantastic new album (Into the Sun) and now a great live album—2008 is shaping up to be a great year for Candlebox.

Metallica -- 'Death Magnetic' [review]

Metallica - Death Magnetic
Warner Brothers (9/12/08)
Rock / Metal

Loved and despised. Overrated and underrated. Over a storied career Metallica has managed to both draw in and alienate fans. Once hailed as the masters of metal and one of the innovators of thrash, over the years the band has changed its sound and experimented with a variety of styles, and yet stills manages to be revered as a legend in the metal scene. However, Metallica's last few efforts have led many to question whether they really had anything left to offer the scene. After the critically panned St. Anger, the band must have surely felt the pressure to send some sort of message, or statement, to critics and fans. Or perhaps, just to prove something to itself. Enter: Death Magnetic.

This album is not vintage Metallica by any means, though the band has managed to re-create its Master of Puppets/...And Justice for All-era sounds very nicely. No, instead this is a completely new monster, and die-hard fans can hear tiny elements from all of the previous efforts. There’s a raw element, especially in the almost-tinny drumming, on “All Nightmare Long”, which is very reminiscent of St. Anger, surely killing some fans. There’s a thrash feel on “My Apocalypse”, a throwback to the closers of old (“Damage Inc.” and “Dyer’s Eve” specifically, though not quite as extreme, for lack of a better term, in nature). Mid-tempo rocker “The Judas Kiss” draws allusions to the Black Album or maybe, in some way, either of the Load discs.

Where the band is able to pull pieces from its entire career into one song, like on “The Day That Never Comes”, is not only a testament to the band and the album, but also producer Rick Rubin, who’s made a name for himself for not only historically bringing the best out of bands, but also for pushing them to explore directions they might not regularly take. It’s become clear that Metallica needs someone to oversee and guide the group. Ultimately, the biggest issue stemming from St. Anger was that Bob Rock, the man who should have been helming the ship, was really playing the role of the fifth bandmate on that record. Rubin, on the other hand, gives Metallica enough leash while still guiding the direction.

There are some really strong elements on Death Magnetic: Kirk Hammett unleashed for the entirety of the album; the crazy groove on the aforementioned “All Nightmare Long”; and check out the spotlight on Robert Trujillo with plenty of bass riffing taking center stage on “Cyanide”. While token instrumental “Suicide & Redemption” may sound a little bloated at times (clocking in around 10 minutes in length), it’s nice to see the band have a little fun and jam out for a while.

The only real weakness with this album would be the lyrical content, but James Hetfield practically wills his voice into another instrument most of the time, so it’s easy to overlook.

This is the “statement” album Metallica needed to make. Regardless of drummer Lars Ulrich's claim that the band is still the forefront of the metal scene, the fact of the matter is that an entire new generation has grown up since the release of ...And Justice for All. There was no reason for the band to sit back and live off those first handful of albums, and while later releases ran the gamut from pretty good to nondescript, there were always glimpses of Metallica’s brilliance. With Death Magnetic they show why so many bands still point to them as a major influence. Perhaps no longer the standard-bearers, Metallica can still crank out a kick-ass metal album when pushed to do so. Sometimes there's nothing quite as good as a legend out to prove something.

Sound and Fury -- 'Sound and Fury' [review]

Sound and Fury - Sound and Fury
Megaforce / Rebel Youth Records (6/24/08)
Hard rock / Punk

If you’re patient and willing to give the latest Sound and Fury album a couple of listens, the set might just grow on you, as the band melds straight-forward hard rock (think AC/DC) with an old-school punk approach (though I hate to say it, think the Misfits circa-1985), creating a bluesy party-rocker with a raw aesthetic.

The problem is, the lead vocals are pretty one-dimensional (a little too whiny) and the lyrics aren’t particularly creative. Instead, the band manages to win you over with its energy and dedication to grinding through each song, looking for anything to stick. And there are a least a handful of good songs on this self-titled effort.

The album kicks off with two very lukewarm tracks: “School’s Out” has enough energy but feels ultimately forgettable (except for the catchy chorus that will definitely get stuck in your head after a few spins), and “Teenage Rampage” suffers from weak lyrics more than anything else.

But then “Can’t Get Enough” comes along and just blows you away. The band seems to be hitting on all cylinders, letting the song unfold as a powerful dirge and throwing in plenty of solos mid-way through the track to change things up. They do a similarly good job with “Night of the Ghouls”, which feels like it could’ve been pulled off AC/DC’s Razor’s Edge. And album-closer “Hellhound” has a great, slow-burn riffing that gives way to a more explosive chorus. It’s too bad the band couldn’t capture this kind of magic three or four more times, as that may have actually saved the album.

Ultimately, Sound and Fury relies too much on its influences for its own good. Sure, a song like “Night of the Ghouls” might sound like an AC/DC castoff, but the band does a good job of making it its own. But the same can’t be said for songs like “Supercharged” or “Runaway Love” or “18” or even “Bad Touch” (except for the fantastic guitar work). If the lyrics were stronger or there were a twist to the music, or anything, that would be one thing. But when those things are lacking, and, to top it off, you essentially sound like nothing more than a bad cover band, well...

Sound and Fury shows a lot of potential, but just falls short on this outing. “Can’t Get Enough” and “Night of the Ghouls” are solid tracks, but the rest ends up being nothing more than filler.

In Flames -- 'A Sense of Purpose' [review]

In Flames - A Sense of Purpose
Koch Records (4/1/08)
Metal

Sure, the die-hard In Flames fans and metal elite will continue to bitch and moan that the band is creating the same album time and again (at least since the release of Reroute to Remain). The fact of the matter is that no band even comes close to In Flames when it comes to powerful, melodic death metal.

On A Sense of Purpose In Flames manages to ratchet up the melodies to amazing degrees, from Anders Friden’s vocal work (much less strained than previous outings) to the striking guitar play from Bjorn Gelotte and Jesper Stromblad.

And unlike, say, Soundtrack to Your Escape, which sounded very repetitive over time, A Sense of Purpose is constantly shifting direction. There’s the electronic bliss of “Sleepless Again” (chock-full of impressive solos), the urgent riffing on “I’m the Highway” (with some frantic drum work from Daniel Svensson and nice, intricate guitar back-and-forths mid-way through the song), and the one-two punch of “Sober and Irrelevant” (showcasing maniacal guitar riffs aplenty) and “Condemned” (featuring some of the best metal drumming of the year).

Even when they really slows things down (on the eight-minute plus “The Chosen Pessimist”), it’s like some sort of controlled explosion that showcases a very different side of the band. And the irresistible catchiness of “Disconnected” immediately gets under your skin and aches for repeated listens.

Working within the confines of melodic metal, the band takes more than enough chances and manages to craft such hook-laden tracks that it's almost impossible to resist. If there’s one thing you can count on with In Flames, it’s consistency. What you don’t expect is an out-of-left-field contender for album of the year. The band finally has a handle on its “new direction” and the results are astonishing.

Mötley Crüe -- 'Saints of Los Angeles' [review]

Mötley Crüe - Saints of Los Angeles
Eleven Seven Music (6/24/08)
Hard rock

It might have taken upwards of 19 years to do, but the original members of Mötley Crüe finally got together and crafted the album no one thought they had left in them—a proper follow-up to Dr. Feelgood.

Some are talking about the autobiographical nature of the album; the "concept" nature of proceedings. But truthfully, this is the album fans were waiting for back in '91 or '92. And that's not to say this is a retro album, or that it sounds out-of-place in today's musical landscape. It's quite the contrary. Crüe bassist and mastermind Nikki Sixx has always continued to grow and develop over the years, from his work with the Brides of Destruction to the Sixx A.M. project, and has strived to remain relevant over the years. If anything, it was that, coupled with the fact singer Vince Neil and drummer Tommy Lee stayed busy through the years, too, that made the band able to slip back into a comfortable situation. Mick Mars might have had his own problems (health, etc.), but it's not like the Crüe was lying dormant, either.

One Way Mirror -- 'One Way Mirror' [review]

One Way Mirror - One Way Mirror
Metal Blade Records (7/22/08)
Hard rock / Metal / Industrial rock

Side projects and super-groups are nothing new. It's usually just a bunch of friends drawn together by the desire to create a certain type of music that might not necessarily fit into what the individual members do in their respective bands. In this case, One Way Mirror looks to combine metal and rock into a fiery concoction, turgid with melody and anything else into which the band seems willing to sink its teeth.

A super-group of sorts, featuring members of Soilwork (drummer Dirk Verbeuren), Lyzanxia (guitarists David and Frank Potvin), Scarve (Loic Colin on bass) and Mnemic (frontman Guillaume), the band tackles this rock-metal goliath blending the best of both genres, leaning toward the heavier end of the spectrum.

Of course, it's not an entirely new approach, and throughout this self-titled album, One Way Mirror draws similarities to the likes of Atreyu or older Powerman 5000 (without the funk) and a bunch of turn-of-the-millennium one-hit wonders more than a few times while also throwing in hefty doses of industrial influence, heavy (as hell) metal and other melodic nuances for good measure.

There are plenty of killer guitar solos (check out the ending of "ReDream" or "Danger Calling"), and the band isn't afraid to let the bass work take center stage (opener "Destination Device" or "Sockracer"). One Way Mirror is happy to attempt to recast itself as an industrial beast, even if only for a few moments (check out the aforementioned opener or “Keeping Me Away”), though that usually means using distorted singing techniques more than anything else.

One Way Mirror also isn't afraid to infuse plenty of melody into the tracks, creating some truly catchy tunes in the process. The aforementioned "ReDream" is instantly infectious, and could probably find a home on plenty of modern-rock radio stations. The same goes for "21st Century", though it's refreshing to see a band take that approach without turning its back on what got it to the dance, so to speak—with plenty of screams, double-bass drumming and chunky riffs splattered throughout this album to keep metalheads happy.

In fact, the only misfire on the disc would have to be the questionable cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Relax". If ever there was a song that was not screaming for a do-over, it would be this one. And you can't even enjoy it from a "wow, that was unique" standpoint since Powerman 5000 did the same thing several years earlier. They try their damnedest, but the entire track falls way short.

Of course, one out of eleven ain't too bad—the other ten tracks are raucous affairs that are sure to satisfy plenty of metal and rock lovers out there. One Way Mirror isn't trying anything new, but you don't always have to reinvent the wheel to make a good album.

Candlebox -- 'Into the Sun' [review]

Candlebox - Into the Sun
Silent Majority (7/22/08)
Rock

Almost a decade to the day since its last release (Happy Pills, 7/21/98), Candlebox has risen again and produced an album to equal its self-titled debut album.

Bursting onto the scene in 1993, the band may have found itself in the middle of a win-lose situation; the right-place, right-time story was both a blessing and a curse. Hailing from Seattle, label mismanagement attempted to capitalize on this fact and the band found itself lumped in with the grunge scene. This may have garnered the group a little extra attention, but as the music landscape shifted in the mid-'90s, the band unfortunately got lost in the shuffle (releasing the overlooked-yet-superior Lucy in 1995 and the weaker Happy Pills three years later). As the world welcomed a new millennium, the band was pretty much forgotten.

Into the Sun reminds listeners how missed Kevin Martin's soulful vocals have been in the rock scene. The album is immediately comfortable, and the band manages to string together a collection of songs to rival its best effort. For a moment, the group seems to channel "You" in opener "Stand", the familiar riffs giving way to a more modern explosion of rock. Candlebox also channels the intensity of earlier tracks like "Simple Lessons", offering up a nice blend of riff-heavy rock and roll with just the right amount of blues influence. The band shifts from louder material (the aforementioned "Stand") to a more laid-back rock-blues approach ("Bitches Brewin'") but really shines the brightest when it gets melancholic ("Surrendering", "Miss You" and the title-track). Of note are the aforementioned and much-missed vocals from Martin and the fantastic guitar work from Peter Klett (check out the solos on "Bitches Brewin'", "Underneath it All" and especially "Surrendering").

Of particular note is the blues-heavy, eight-minute-plus "Breath Me In" (which, for some reason, is split into two separate tracks on the album—an intro and the actual song), but truth be told, there isn't a weak track on here. Managing to channel the ghost of Mother Love Bone, the band just rocks out in every way imaginable.

The best part of this entire album is that Candlebox never sounds dated, and the band was never so huge that the effort might reek of a nostalgia trip. Instead, the group puts forth one of this year's strongest rock releases. Longtime fans can rejoice, and those new to the table can enjoy the ride.

Austrian Death Machine -- 'Total Brutal' [review]

Austrian Death Machine - Total Brutal
Metal Blade Records (7/22/08)
Metal / Hardcore

"Joke" bands are a tough sell. They're usually a side project, a creative outlet for accomplished musicians. And they're nearly impossible to review. There's no way to be overly critical because, after all, it's just a joke (Don't you get the joke?). But in the same vein, you can't completely embrace the band and take it seriously because, well, it's a joke.

Austrian Death Machine is a metal band fronted by the Governator himself, Ahhnold (an homage to California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger); the band is actually the brainchild of As I Lay Dying founder and frontman Tim Lambesis (who, I presume, is pretty much the sole member of the band, though the album features plenty of guest appearances).

Total Brutal is your standard metal/hardcore hybrid album, with the joke being each song channels the brutality of Schwarzenegger's movies. All of the songs are based off movie roles—"If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It" (Predator), "Who Is Your Daddy, And What Does He Do?" (Kindergarten Cop), "You Have Just Been Erased" (Eraser) and "Come With Me If You Want to Live" (The Terminator), to name but a few—with a handful of skits thrown in to keep the joke rolling.

The thing is, while most of these songs are almost forgettable, some of them are actually pretty good. The band is at its best when the inspiration for a song is a springboard into a more elaborate idea. You can't help but chant along with the Terminator-inspired "I Am a Cybernetic Organism, Living Tissue Over Endoskeleton", and the guitar work on "Who Is Your Daddy..." is truly inspired. And you could probably take "Here Is Subzero, Now Plain Zero" off the disc and fit it onto any metal album, to be taken seriously. On the flip side, how can you not smile when head-banging along with "It's Not a Tumor"?

Basically, Lambesis is one hell of a musician, and has put together a brutal little album that is weighed down by the running joke. Total Brutal is worth a listen, but I can't imagine it finding a permanent home in anyone's rotation years from now. I get the joke, but I'm just not sure how long it will stay funny.

(hed) p.e. -- 'The DIY Guys' [review CD/DVD]

(hed)p.e. - The DIY Guys [CD/DVD]
Suburban Noize Records (7/8/08)
Punk / Metal / Hip-hop

It's nice to know the constraints that sometimes come with being signed to a major label never seemed to destroy the spirit that (hed)p.e. brought to its music.

On The DIY Guys, the group offers up a smattering of hits, new songs (in a live settling) and unreleased material, tearing through every song with abandon, and melding metal, hip-hop and punk in a way very few bands would even think of attempting.

The live songs, recorded at the Key Club in Hollywood, do a good job of translating what the band has to offer on stage. It's pretty raw, both in presentation (nothing appears to have been tweaked after the fact in the studio) and in product (the band has a sick energy on stage that it's had a difficult time capturing in the studio at times).

A couple of high points to look for: new tracks "War on the Middle Class" and "Niteclub in Bali" (recorded live) are fantastic little punk gems; "Ordo ab Chao" with its hints of reggae blended into the stereotypical (hed)p.e. attack; the extremity of "Bloodfire" that just oozes urgency; and the live version of "The Truth" (from 2005's Only in Amerika), one of the band's best songs that sounds 10 times better when coupled with the live energy of the club.

While it's supposed to be a CD/DVD combo, the DVD portion of the package is more of an added bonus. Featuring a mockumentary of life on the road (the vignettes look staged for the most part) that also features a handful of live tracks and a couple of music videos (for "Suffa", "Get Ready" and "Represent"), the disc is what it is, but is definitely not the meat and potatoes of the set.

That (hed)p.e. has been able to keep the intensity after over a decade of releasing albums, and survived despite a few missteps, The DIY Guys is a welcome little surprise. Nothing on here is groundbreaking, and a lot of it is raw (which is good, for the most part), so while this is a perfectly serviceable addition to the band's catalogue, it might not be the best album to win over new fans.

The Rotted -- 'Get Dead or Die Trying' [review]

The Rotted - Get Dead or Die Trying
Metal Blade Records (7/8/08)
Death metal

Witness the evolution of a band.

When Gorerotted charged onto the metal scene in 2002, the band was your typical death metal outfit (à la Cannibal Corpse), with its over-the-top imagery and offensive lyrics. But rather than languish in the underground, the band grew and changed with each effort. The punk aesthetic so prevalent in earlier material slowly gave way to more expansive musicianship. The dueling vocal attack was phased out. And now, with not only a name change (The Rotted), but also a change in lyrical content and presentation, the band has managed to position itself as one of metal's next big things.

Not bad for a six-year span.

With Get Dead or Die Trying, The Rotted have served up one choking, turgid mass of death metal, tempered with just the right amount of thrash, grind and extreme elements to position the group as one of the premier new-school death metal bands on the scene.

Every track is chock full of growls, snarls, machine-gun drumming and glorious riffs. In fact, every one comes across as a death metal masterpiece. More notable are the subtle moments the band works into some of the songs. Take the killer breakdown and guitar solo on "Angel of Meth", or the sick groove hiding just under the surface during the chorus on "The Howling", or the totally out-of-place instrumental "A Brief Moment of Regret" (obviously thrown on there to exploit the band's constantly improving musical chops). There are moments of thrash-inspired bliss to close out "The Body Tree", and in the straight-forward metallic assault of "It's Like There's a Party in My Mouth (And Everyone's Being Sick)".

And perhaps the best and potentially most overlooked offering on the disc would be the album closer, a cover of the theme music from 28 Days Later. Aside from being a simply fantastic take on the song, it works as a mission statement for the band. While earlier in its career they chose to pull inspiration from the goriest flicks imaginable, this new approach is finding horror in the mundane and every day elements of life—much like 28 Days Later relied more on story and human interaction as opposed to being a straight-ahead zombie movie brimming with gore. Very nice choice.

This is still an extreme album, so the fan base is only so big. But The Rotted have managed to craft a killer (no pun intended) death metal release, with enough other elements pulled in to have something to offer to most fans of the metal genre. Perhaps not yet one of metal's finest, with this effort The Rotted are surely proving the band at least deserves a spot in the conversation.

Kessler -- 'Know Your Voice' [review]

Kessler - I Know Your Voice
Adrenaline Records (7/8/08)
Rock

On first listen, Kessler basically comes across as Fall Out Boy Version 2.0. And if you were to base your opinion on the first handful of tracks off I Know Your Voice, you'd probably be right. But the band manages to have this slight edge on the melodic rock offerings that hark back to older Spitalfield material, or maybe a little bit of Something Corporate (bands that never hit the big time like the aforementioned Fall Out Boy).

"Love Is War" (with its overly cliché lyrics: "Love is war and you're worth every fight") ... "Bravo" (which happens to feature some nice, driving guitar work) ... "Outside Your Window" (featuring some nice melancholic riffs) ... every track just seems to pass by with little to note. It surely doesn't help that the vocals of lead singer Mike Mitchell sound so similar to those of Patrick Stump.

It's around the sixth track ("Perfect") where the band starts to get a footing and begins giving the music more of an air of originality. From the stinging urgency of the guitar work during the verses, to the desperation seething through the chorus, they finally seem to figure out what they want to do. And it doesn't hurt that the vocals change up enough to finally start sounding unique.

And they follow that up with the piano-driven "Where You Are". The anti-ballad (or should it be un-ballad?) slows everything down and gives the band a chance to shine with the melody instead of the rock (though the aggressive guitar work around the chorus adds a nice touch). The band continues that melody through "Run Away", a more rock-oriented track with underlying piano work. It would have been nice if the group chose to have the piano be the hook for the entire album, to set Kessler off from the umpteen other bands doing this type of music.

The rest of the set plays out using a mixture of the now-established methods of attack, though special mention should be made of the acoustic guitar work on "Dallas" (though much more would have been welcome).

In the end, I Know Your Voice is a good enough first effort, but the unique moments that crop up midway through the album, if incorporated more, could have made this a much better outing. Once the band embraced the piano, the album became much more interesting.

Whitechapel -- 'This Is Exile' [review]

Whitechapel - This Is Exile
Metal Blade Records (7/8/08)
Extreme metal

"Never underestimate immortality."
—"Eternal Refuge"

As much as you may want to shoehorn Whitechapel into the death metal genre, there's just too much going on with the band's sound to do so without regret.

On the surface, the band just tears through the 11 tracks on This Is Exile with abandon, and shoves in enough plodding riffs and double-bass drumming to fill a (sizable) graveyard. However, Phil Bozeman varies up his vocal delivery to such an extent—from growls to grunts to this really interesting stutter-chant (check out the closing moments of "Possession" and then again on "To All That Are Dead") or straight metal howls—and the band fully takes advantage of its triple-guitar attack to flesh out riffs (see "To All That Are Dead" again) and solos that, in the end, this music just has too many layers to be considered simply death metal.

Man Raze -- 'Surreal' [review]

Man Raze - Surreal
VH1 Classic Records (06/03/08)
Rock

While you wouldn’t necessarily call Surreal a vanity project, you might wonder if Man Raze would really be releasing albums if not for guitarist Phil Collen (Def Leppard) being the driving force behind the band. (It may also be a telling sign that the album is released on VH1 Classic label.)

The purpose for Man Raze, according to the band’s press material, is that Collen was looking for an outlet for the songs that didn’t fit the classic Def Leppard mold. Sadly, most of the material on Surreal, at least the stuff that doesn’t drastically deviate from the pop rock mold, sounds like Def Leppard light. And since Def Leppard itself sounds like Def Leppard light these days, well …

Man Raze presents pretty straightforward, uninspired pop rock. There’s other elements thrown in to the mix -- some punk (“This Is” and “Turning it Up”), reggae (“Runnin’ Me Up”), modern rock (“Low”) or heavier rock (“That’s Entertainment”).

The best the band has to offer sounds too much like some other band: “Skin Crawl” and “Spinning Out” would have had a perfectly suitable home on any Def Leppard release, while “Can’t Find My Own Way” plays out like an homage to The Police.

Surreal isn’t a complete waste of time, and fans of timid rock music will find something to enjoy, but there’s plenty of other, better bands out there that aren’t getting an opportunity because they don’t also have a “day job” in a bigger, better band.

Marié Digby -- 'Unfold' [review]

Marié Digby - Unfold
Hollywood Records (4/08/08)
Pop / Singer-songwriter

While the rumor mills may have turned Marié Digby from Internet sensation to manufactured pop queen of the moment, there's little to fault her on with this debut full-length. What came first, the record deal or the do-it-yourself YouTube videos? At this point, what does it matter?

Unlike the glut of other teen/early-20-somethings cranking out songs other people wrote, with little artistic merit to back up the attention, Digby has the following going for her:

1) She wrote all but one of the tracks on Unfold. The sole track in question is a re-working of Rhianna's "Umbrella", which ironically garnered Miss Digby all the attention pre-album release.

2) Digby obviously had a hand in composing most of the album. In addition to singing, she plays piano, synth, Rhodes and acoustic and electric guitar.

3) The lyrics, while staying a little on the safe side (tales of lost love, love, relationships, and emotional distress), are at least imaginative and show promise from a creativity standpoint.

4) And finally, Digby has the voice to back everything up.

The singer/songwriter incorporates a variety of influences into her songs. There's the usual smattering of pop-rock throughout, but Digby takes a chance or two over the course of the album's journey. There's a rock edge to "Girlfriend", a melancholic beauty to the piano-ballad "Spell" (which features some of Digby's best vocal performances of the set) and a very comfortable adult-contemporary feel to both "Beauty in Walking Away" and the title-track (which could draw strong comparisons to Michelle Branch's early work crossed with, say, Sarah McLachlan). And, of course, let's not forget the insanely hook-laden "Say It Again", which is getting Digby a bulk of the attention on radio and music television at the moment.

So despite the backlash on Digby's "humble" beginnings, Unfold does its damnedest to prove the naysayers wrong. In an ironic twist, it's one of the things that makes Digby stand out that is also the weakest part of this album. Songs like "Unfold", "Traffic" and "Voice on the Radio" really shine because of the lyrics, but a song like "Miss Invisible", which is so haunting and beautiful on first listen, loses a little of its luster once you really listen to the lyrics (at least for an adult male listening to the track, as the song is about a young, female, outcast forced to sit under the bleachers; there's not much to relate to). Even with occasionally questionable lyrics, however, Digby can still take a song like "Stupid for You" and do enough to make it work.

Unfold is a very solid first outing which sounds much better than any debut should; it will be interesting to see what Digby chooses to do for an encore.

Cryptopsy -- 'The Unspoken King' [review]

Cryptopsy - The Unspoken King
Century Media Records (6/24/08)
Technical death metal

While not completely rare, it's not every day you see the type of blowback like that which is plaguing Cryptopsy for its latest release. The band is getting negative reviews across the boards from longtime fans, who are accusing them of selling out to the metalcore scene to make money. Hell, the last time a furor like this was reached in metal circles was probably back in 2003 when Metallica released St. Anger.

So is all the hate really warranted?

Cryptopsy was upfront before the release of this album. The Unspoken King was going to mark a new direction and be more experimental for the band. Before hiring frontman Matt McGachy, the band said it was looking for someone who could sing clean as well as do the usual growls.

The Unspoken King opens inauspiciously enough. "Worship Your Demons" is a quick little kick in the teeth, an extreme helping of straight-up death metal, as McGachy immediately slides into the lead vocalist slot with vengeance, serving up guttural wails with little effort.

However, the following track, "The Headsmen" is much more dynamic in its assault. Flo Mounier absolutely destroys with his drumming, combining speed and precision in such a way few others seem able to do (never sounding completely out-of-control or taking over the track). The guitar work incorporates more technical aspects as well.

"Silence the Tyrants" marks the last of the typical Cryptopsy attack. The song has a lot of really interesting groove underlying the usual death-metal fare, but is otherwise nondescript.

And then this train just seems to derail.

On "Bemoan the Martyr", the band seems to be channeling the Deftones at one moment before sliding back into its usual approach. (The cleaner, wailing vocals bookend the song, which actually makes things sound forced in this case.)

And that's pretty much how the rest of the album plays out; the death-metal staples are tempered with cleaner singing and slower moments. There's some truly inspired, intricate guitar play on "Resurgence of an Empire", and McGachy has some great clean vocals on "The Plagued" and "Contemplate Regicide". Plus, there's a couple of breakdowns thrown in for good measure. And take a listen to the great bridge thrown in to the middle of "Leach", which is probably the best song on the album.

In the end, it would appear that fans may have overreacted with The Unspoken King. Death metal is not the most inventive or imaginative genre, and Cryptopsy isn't the first band to attempt to pull in different elements to shake things up a bit. The band actually doesn't do half-bad with this effort. In fact, the biggest issue to take with this album is actually due to something you can't even hear. The group went through the trouble to hire on a keyboard player (Maggy Durand, listed as a permanent band member), yet any elements she may add to the songs is either overpowered by everything else or nonexistent altogether.

The playlist was put together perfectly, as the new "sound" is incorporated a little at a time until the listener gets used to where the band was headed. And the cleaner moments really add an interesting dynamic to the band, especially on a song like "Bound Dead", where the vocals are multi-tracked at times with a subtle growl under the clean vocals. This is what Cryptopsy should be doing more of if this is truly the direction the band hopes to follow.

Unfortunately, a lot of times the cleaner material comes across as contrived, and the changes seem to be there just to exist, instead of making sense from a song structure standpoint. This makes most of the album seem torn in different directions for absolutely no reason.

In the end, you're left with an unfocused effort that has its moments and shows potential growth for the future. "Bound Dead" (which is phenomenal, by the way) and "Leach" are obvious high points. The rest is a mixed bag.

Terror -- 'The Damned, The Shamed' [review]

Terror - The Damned, The Shamed
Century Media (6/10/08)
Hardcore / Metalcore

There's nothing new or particularly inventive about Terror's latest skull-crushing offering, The Damned, The Shamed, and really, you wouldn't want it any other way. The band offers up a thunderous dose of straight-ahead hardcore mayhem, with thirteen tracks clocking in at just over a half-hour of old-school, anger-fueled brutality, full of the trademark hardcore staples which may not break any new ground, but will combine for one hell of an album.

Chunky rhythm, riffs galore, down-tuned guitars, breakdowns, the familiar growled vocals... you name it, the band does it with the aggression and volume turned up to 10.

And they're is able to connect all of the pieces phenomenally. Check out the intense groove on "Betrayer"—hands-down the best Terror has to offer this time out. The band even throws in a slower bridge that just makes the song seem to expand well beyond its two-and-a-half minutes.

Also of note: "What I Despise" (frantic drumming galore and some inspired riffing), "Rise of the Poisoned Youth" (with some terrific bass work) and "March to Redemption" (great lyrics and vocals, and probably the best guitar work on the entire album). There really aren't any weak points on this album, although the first half starts to blend together a little. The band seemed willing to switch it up more frequently on the latter half of the disc (check out the opening to "Lost Our Minds" or the distortion on "Still Believe?") . Of course, track after track of roughly two-minute songs can’t really get too boring.

If you love hardcore, this album is for you. It's a no-frills blow to the face that most newer bands of the genre seem to lack.

Children of Bodom -- 'Blooddrunk' [review]

Children of Bodom - Blooddrunk
Fontana Universal Records (4/15/08)
Metal

It would appear as if Children of Bodom likes taking a different approach with each new album, as seen with the evolution from 2003's Hate Crew Deathroll (an explosive assault) to 2005's Are You Dead Yet?, which was a little more raw and less expansive. And now, with Blooddrunk, the band have taken the aggressive approach one step further.

The album spills out of the speakers like a wall of sound, as everything is thick, compact and foreboding. The band has incorporated more thrash elements to its repertoire, and it gives the material more of an edge than on its previous album. The rest is vintage Children of Bodom, with killer solos, mind-bending riffs, plenty of keyboards, choking double-bass drumming and a lot of melody to temper the breakneck pacing.

Bret Michaels -- 'Rock My World' [review]

Bret Michaels - Rock My World
VH1 Classic Records (6/03/08)
Rock

Let's just get this over right up front: I've always had a soft spot for Poison. Those first four studio albums, right up to Native Tongue... there's some good stuff on those albums.

So of all people, I'd be a good choice as someone interested in a Bret Michaels solo album. So lo and behold, in 2008 Michaels releases Rock My World, and all would seem right with this review. But, I'll let you in on a little secret... Way back in 2003, Michaels released Songs of Life, to little or no fanfare. And half of the songs on this "latest" disc appeared on said album five years ago.

Synastry -- 'Blind Eyes Bleed' [review]

Synastry - Blind Eyes Bleed
Year of the Sun Records (05/13/08)
Death Metal

Urgency is the key word to describe Synastry’s latest offering. The band definitely has a firm foot in the death metal genre (most notably with the vocals and certain musical elements), but merges that core feel with a more ethereal overall sound. It sort of sounds like a blending of earlier Slipknot and Fear Factory material (circa mid- to late-’90s) fronted by a singer content on channeling the bowels of hell without completely blowing out the vocals (think Obituary on the World Demise album).

Not too many bands are attempting this type of music these days, so it has a nice, fresh feel to it. And being able to vary up the typical death metal attack with synths or sound effects (For example, there's some nice use of alarms on “As the Dust Settles.”) gives the band this very subtle industrial edge to it’s sound and leads to this multi-layed attack which rarely bores the listener. The band itself has even referred to its music as a combination of the brutality of old-school metal with a futuristic edge.

With Dead Hands Rising -- 'Expect Hell' [review]

With Dead Hands Rising - Expect Hell
Mediaskare Records (04/29/08)
Metal

When a band chooses to call its album Expect Hell, what would you expect?

How about the firm slap in the face that is “The Possession.” Indeed, the intense brutality of With Dead Hands Rising’s music married with absolutely horrifying vocals plays out exactly how you’d expect the soundtrack on your journey to hell would sound.

But the band is far from a one-trick pony. There’s this really subtle melody haunting “Beckoning the Glass Cased” that almost goes unnoticed, but once you do, you just shake your head at the brilliance of it all. The same could be said for “Ultima,” where the band keeps sneaking in these moments of melody among the madness of the metal.

The band sounds tight as hell, tearing through each track with a vengeance, drums and bass shake the listener to the core like a depth charge with a dueling guitar attack taking out anything left moving. It can do the up-tempo speed stuff, and slow everything down to a grinding dirge (just listen to the crushing bridges in “A Lurid Account of Murder”).

And the band does a great job of putting together really epic-sounding material, too. Of particular note is “Distress Patterns” and “Tourniquet Girl.” Both songs are simply relentless in their assault, but there’s plenty of tempo-shifting and incorporating of melodic rhythm that, even though each clocks in at just under five- and just over four-minutes respectively, they feel much fuller just from the broad scope of the music. (There's some really good blasts beats toward the end of "Tourniquet Girl" that you can't resist headbanging to.) Fantastic stuff all around.

There’s little dead space on here. In fact, the lowest point of the album is the instrumental “Hammer of the Gods,” and even then the only real problem with the track is that it clocks in at under a minute in length. The band can do sick instrumentals when it wants (the slower, melodic “Momentary Alphabetic Convergence” is proof of that, and the group even works a piano into the mix!).

Another huge surprise release on the metal scene this year. A must-listen for fans of brutal metal at its finest.

Story of the Year -- 'Our Time is Now' [DVD review]

Story of the Year - Our Time is Now
Image Entertainment (05/13/08)
Unrated
100 minutes

There’s really only one group of people who would be interested in the new Story of the Year DVD, Our Time is Now: fans of the band.

The disc, subtitled Two years in the life of …, is basically a collection of home video shot by the band over a two-year span of touring. It’s the usual montage of backstage antics and tour-related tomfoolery. And while there’s moments of live performances captured, apart from three or four songs sprinkled through the hour-and-a-half-plus on the main feature (with accompanying black and white grainy footage, for some reason), it’s pretty much a documentary of the band’s life off-stage.

The special features are the more interesting aspects of the disc: an hour-plus making of In the Wake of Determination, the band’s 2005 release; two “making the video” documentaries for “We Don’t Care Anymore” and “Take Me Back” (and the corresponding videos); some deleted scenes; and a unnecessary trailer for the DVD. It's neither groundbreaking nor cutting edge, but manages to do the job.

Since it’s all shot on a home video, the video quality is to be expected (read slightly grainy at times and not too polished), and is all presented in 1:33:1 aspect ratio. The sound is clear and crisp for the most part (there’s some hairy moments shot from the stage where the sound is completely blown out), and is presented in stereo (no need for surround).

This sort of stuff isn’t groundbreaking. For example, back in the early ’90s Skid Row released two similar videos, but instead of solely being a collection of home video footage, the band also offered up a hefty set of live songs from throughout the tour, and also a collection of music videos. For what it is, Our Time is Now is fine, but this wasn’t the most interesting time in the band’s history (making the sophomore album after years of touring). The more interesting video would have been shot prior to the band's major-label release, a video that would have told the story of a band struggling to get noticed, earning a record contract and then going out to prove itself. There’s no drama here, just a group of guys who already “made it” that now have the privilege to goof off and presume fans care. Well, fans will, but not too many others will.

Warbringer -- 'War Without End' [review]

Warbringer - War Without End
Century Media Records (02/05/08)
Metal

It’s 1985, and you, being the metal head that you are, pull out your box of tapes from the back of the closet, album after album of speed and thrash strewn before you . Look, it’s Slayer’s Hell Awaits. Hey, Megadeth’s Killing is My Business … and Exodus’ Bonded by Blood. There’s probably a copy of Anthrax’s Spreading the Disease and Overkill’s Feel the Fire in there, too. And no doubt a worn copy of Metallic’s Kill ’Em All (most probably a copy off a friend).

If any of those albums were in your collection, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see War bringer’s debut War Without End in there, too. Well, except for the fact the album was released in 2008.

But enough with the analogy. If you’re a fan of any of the abovementioned bands; If you’ve owned any of those albums or heard a song off of any of them, then you know what Warbringer sounds like.

Solos galore, crushing riffs that just tumble over one another and drumming that bears down on the listener like a freight train. And don’t forget those snarled vocals that are so pissed-off there’s no need for the singer to scream.

Warbringer seems more than willing to wear its influences on its sleeve, so much so that chunks of the album (moments in the songs) sound like they were lifted right out of 1985. It’s likely not thievery, more of an homage, but it stills hinders the band in that nothing on the album sounds particularly inspired or new.

Sure, “Hell on Earth” is a terror, the riffs on “Shoot to Kill” are inspired, and “At the Crack of Doom” just crushes, so the band is sure to earn plenty of new fans. But any die-hard fan out there would rather pick up any of the (at least) 20 classics that were released in the mid-’80s instead. And that’s a shame, because Warbringer has crafted one punished metal album in War Without End. A definite two thumbs up for this debut, so dig out your suitcase from ’85, put on your tight jeans and denim jacket, and prepare to bang your head. This album is great as a one-off. One just has to wonder what the group could possibly offer for an encore.

The Ghost Inside -- 'Fury and the Fallen Ones' [review]

The Ghost Inside - Fury and the Fallen Ones
Mediaskare Records (4/15/08)
Metal / Hardcore

The Ghost Inside is another one of those bands not necessarily doing anything new or inventive. On Fury and the Fallen Ones, its debut album, the band offers up this juggernaut of metal with a hardcore soul. There are the breakdowns and growled vocals, but everything else is expansive enough (more rhythm guitar and melody and so on) to make it more than hardcore.

And while it's nothing new, The Ghost Inside presents the set in such a powerful package, where every song just seems to have this edge and rawness, that you just can't help but nod along to every song.

Stick to Your Guns -- 'Comes From the Heart' [review]

Stick to Your Guns - Comes From the Heart
Century Media (5/13/08)
Hardcore / Metal

There's a time and place for everything. But sometimes, at some point, the "get in, kick ass, get out" approach becomes a cliché. And that was the obvious aim Stick to Your Guns was taking with Comes From the Heart (the album's ten tracks clock in at under a half-hour). So, let's consider that strike one.

Then there's the hardcore scene in general. Unless you're taking the brutal, old-school approach (take a listen to last year's Warriors album for a good example of this), or shifting toward the metal end of the spectrum (Hatebreed isn't reinventing the wheel every outing, but you can't dismiss any album that the band has released), you're pretty much stuck. Hell, Remembering Never was singing about beating a dead horse back in 2004. So for a band to try carrying that "core" movement, made famous by the likes of Atreyu or maybe From Autumn to Ashes (and I'm talking back around '01 or '02 here), it's unclear whether we're supposed to respect Stick to Your Guns for carrying the banner, or shake our heads for the group ... well, beating a dead horse. So there's strike two.

If it wasn't already clear, Stick to Your Guns has a fairly formulaic approach to its music. There are hardcore breakdowns, attacking riffs and this positive (albeit brutal) element to the music. The vocals oscillate between the typical hardcore howl and clean, sometimes melodic, singing.

But don't get me wrong; it's not all boring. "Tonight's Entertainment" is a nice little brutal slab of hardcore, while the drumming on "Driving Force" is pretty impressive, and there's some pretty good rhythm guitar work on there, too. And there are some nice solos sprinkled about the album, especially on "We Must Look Like Ants From Up There". And to throw listeners for a loop, there's "Interlude", which basically consists of sampling and acoustic work in a very laid-back, mellow vein. It's entirely out of place on the album, and doesn't really work, as a result; but it's a nice try nonetheless.

Comes From the Heart is a little too short, and not the most original album out there, but Stick to Your Guns doesn't do a terrible job producing this type of music. Not fantastic, and not horrendous, this album is just sort of there, and listeners will either love it or hate it.

Firewind -- 'The Premonition' [review]

Firewind - The Premonition
Century Media (4/8/08)
Metal

Just when you thought power metal was dead and gone...

Led by guitarist Gus G. (Nightrage, Arch Enemy, Dream Evil)—who is slowly proving himself a worthy addition to the shortlist of guitar gods—Firewind offers up a heaping helping of power metal in all its epic glory.

Hailing from Greece, the band's method of attack focuses around the driving force of Gus G.'s guitar work, offering up classic power metal with a European twist (there's plenty of keyboard work to accompany the solos). The band offers a nice change of pace in a scene where the lines between subgenres—death metal, industrial and hardcore, most notably—are becoming increasingly blurred, it sticks to its guns and shines as a result. While a bulk of the attention goes to U.S.-based outfits for the most part, at least stateside, there's this huge metal scene in Europe with exceptional bands cranking out album after album of killer material. Add Firewind to that list... and probably place the group somewhere near the top.