Nightrage -- 'A New Disease is Born' [review]

Nightrage
A New Disease is Born
(Lifeforce Records)

Nightrage seems to have made the transition from supergroup to "just a group" as smoothly as possible. While replacing a vocalist is never an easy task, replacing someone as renowned and respected as Tomas Lindberg could have been a deathknell. Instead, bassist Henric Carlsson recruited Jimmie Strimell for vocal duties and then built an entire new unit around the two (Marios Iliopouos on guitar and Alex Svenningson behind the drums).

So never was an album title more apropos: A New Disease is Born explodes out of the gate with the hammering "Spiral," and the new sound is immediately clear. The growls are less gutteral, the harmonies more melodic, the riffs less explosive. But the overall package is just as potent.

While similarities could be found, Strimell does anything but attempt to channel Lindberg. His dual vocal styles offer a great juxtaposition for the band's songs. He can tear up the mike on tracks like "Encircle" and "Death-Like Silence," but just as easily (actually) sing with the best of 'em on tracks like "Spiral" or "Reconcile."

The best part of Nightrage's sound is the driving melodies. There's subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) guitar riffs on a majority of the songs ("Scathing" and "A Condemned Club" especially) that come in unexpectedly to add that extra element to turn straight forward metal into sometime more ...

Rightly so, Nightrage was once at the forefront of the new European metal movement. But this is not the Nightrage of old. The fundamental sound of Nightrage (the soul, if you will) is alive and well in this new beast. While another album or two may be needed to see if this new incarnation of the band has staying power, A New Disease is Born is one hell of a re-debut. Any fan of the thrash/power/death metal blend European bands are perfect at crafting should pick up this album that will end up flying under the radar of most.

Machine Head -- 'The Blackening' [review]

Machine Head
The Blackening
(Roadrunner Records)


Front man Robert Flynn has been pretty vocal about his band's new effort being its "Master of Puppets, an allusion to what some consider Metallica's finest moment.

I'm not sure that's the best way to describe Machine Head's latest album, The Blackening. If 2004's Through the Ashes of Empires was a return-to-form, of sorts, for the band, then The Blackening is a realization of potential.

The one-two punch of the band's debut Burn My Eyes and follow-up The More Things Change all but cemented them as metal legends, but they were written off after a series of what many fans and metal journalists deemed musical mis-steps. Flynn and the boys were back on track with the Through the Ashes... album, and now they've crafted what will probably become one of the best releases of the decade when all is said and done.

Machine Head has finally reached a point in its career where it's ready to take chances and push the boundaries of its sound. Take the opener "Clenching the Fists of Dessent." The 10-minute plus epic veers through tempo-shifts and moods, from an unexpected acoustic opening to an assault of riffs that twist and spin, creating a layer of sound and moods that pull the listener through a meat grinder of emotion. Flynn and Phil Demmel (on lead guitar) are as tight as ever, trading solos and pushing each other's performance in something akin to a brotherly game of one-upmanship that keeps things from ever becoming boring. Adam Duce's bass work seethes with aggression on tracks like "Beautiful Mourning" and "Now I Lay Thee Down," while Dave McClain never misses a blast beat.

As a unit, Machine Head hasn't sounded this tight in a decade. The harmonies (from Flynn and Duce) have never soared so high; while the band maneuvers through a mine field of musical directions, mapping out a metallic journey that's hard to ignore.

Of particular note are the blistering "Aesthetics of Hate" (inspired by the murder of Dimebag Darrell) and album closer "A Farewell to Arms," a 10-minute cornucopia of style that seems to draw inspiration from every corner of metal.

When all is said and done, Machine Head's The Blackening will stand as a touchstone in the band's career. In this new, young millennium, the album is justification for Machine Head to stand toe-to-toe with the likes of Mastodon, Lamb of God and Killswitch Engage and consider itself one of the best metal has to offer. And what other metal band which debuted in the mid-'90s can do the same?

Linkin Park -- 'Minutes to Midnight' [review]

Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight
Warner Brothers (5/15/07)
Rock / Alternative


Minutes to Midnight is touted as the album that showcases Linkin Park's growth. Instead, it's an album which sees the band pushing the extremes of its sound further in each direction. Gone, for the most part, are the dueling vocals from Mike Shinoda (the rapping) and Chester Bennington (the singing), which used to anchor a majority of the band's sound in each song. It pops up once or twice, but is more the exception than the rule here. The music is tighter than ever and the band seems to continually meld together, which is something to be said for a six-piece.

"Given Up", the first song on the album (following a brief instrumental opener), is a nice page out of the screaming, hard-rocking Linkin Park playbook, while the melancholic "Leave Out All the Rest", is a complete 180 and it's here that the juxtaposition of the extremes becomes apparent.

The best part of Minutes to Midnight, though, is that the band is comfortable enough to not have to rely on its old standards. Sure, there are songs like "Given Up" and "No More Sorrow", which are chock-full of angst and intensity, but the greatest moments of the album are the slower tracks like "Shadow of the Day" (probably one of the best songs the band has ever recorded) and the politically charged "Hands Held High" (with some of the best lyrics the band has ever written). Then there's a song like "Valentine's Day" that does its best to merge the two ends of the spectrum.

The separating of the dual vocals has worked wonders for the band, as they've crafted a full, interesting album with plenty to prevent boredom. Even a track like "In Between" has enough melody in the background to keep it from being completely bland. Of course, there's also the up-tempo "Bleed It Out", which seems a little too forced and probably could have been cut in favor of something a little more fleshed out (the band does point out that this song was included for the "fun factor" it offers).

(As an aside, the accompanying booklet features brief explanations on the development of the album and each track, an excellent insight into the band for fans or the casual listener.)

Linkin Park's debut was a breath of fresh air back in 2000, and the band is only getting better with age and experience. It's clear the band took its time with this release, and it really shows with all the little nuances scattered throughout the album. Even if you were able to ignore all the hype and strip the Linkin Park name from this album, it would still be a contender for year-end best-of lists.

Dimmu Borgir -- 'In Sorte Diaboli' [review]

Dimmu Borgir
"In Sorte Diaboli"
(Nuclear Blast Records)


As much as Dimmu Borgir's Deathcult Armageddon put the band on the mainstream metal map, In Sorte Diaboli seeks to grab a stranglehold on the newfound fame and cling on for dear life.

That's not to say In Sorte Diaboli is a snapshot of a band "selling out," but more of a band seeing what worked on the last album and ratcheting up only the most successful of elements.

What Diaboli has to offer, it delivers in spades. The vocals are even more sinister, especially the screeching inflections littered throughout "The Conspiracy Unfolds"; the band is much tighter (if that was possible) than on Deathcult; the drumming, truly the highlight of Dimmu Borgir's sound, is off-the-charts -- the double-bass on "The Chosen Legacy" is especially noteworthy; the orchestration, while toned down, is even more "scene setting" in nature, and really adds a special dimension to Dimmu Borgir's attack. Of special note is the U.S.-only bonus track "The Heretic Hammer"; it does little to mess up the album setlist and would actually make for a perfect lead-off single, with some of the best rhythm guitar and orchestration of any Dimmu Borgir song.

The mis-steps, while few, are still impossible to miss. The harmonizing on "The Sacrilegious Scorn" seems way too forced; much of the album's piano interludes detract too much from the song at hand ("Sacrilegious Scorn" is once again most at fault here). The band also skipped any non-English tracks, which is shame given long-time fans' appreciation of DB's roots.

At the end of the day, the band's surprising success with Deathcult and stint on the Ozzfest mainstage obviously had an affect on the group's follow-up effort. Far from a swing and a miss, Diaboli still has that air of "not quite hitting the mark" given the steps taken over the past few albums in terms of the band tweaking and modifying its sound.

Ozzy Osbourne -- 'Black Rain' [review]

Ozzy Osbourne - Black Rain
Epic Records (5/22/07)
Rock / Metal

"You may see the mushroom, but you won't hear the blast."

-- from "Countdown's Begun"

Ozzy Osbourne has been pretty vocal about making sure that it's known that he thinks his latest album, Black Rain, should have been the album to follow-up 1991's No More Tears. While the two releases one would be forced to ignore in that case, Ozzmosis and Down to Earth, were largely commercial endeavors, there were more than a couple of songs that shouldn't be lost and/or forgotten. Black Rain does, however, return to that more raw, rocking, classic Ozzy feel.

It's near impossible to review an Ozzy Osbourne album, given his status as royalty to any rock/metal fan. As with any Ozzy release, what you see is what you get. Zakk Wylde riffs it up throughout the album, and Ozzy's digitally-distorted voice is front and center, but the rest is nothing but pure filler.

The album opener, "Not Going Away", acts as a mission statement of sorts ("I've got nothing to hide, I'm not guilty inside / I won't give up / After all I'm still crazy, I'm not going away") and basically sets the tone for the rest of the disc: riff-heavy rock music, hard-hitting drumming and Ozzy's trademark wail. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. "I Don't Wanna Stop" is catchy enough, even if the lyrics are a little hokey (then again, "Crazy Train" wasn't rocket science), and "Lay Your World on Me" is a sweet enough ballad, but it's no "Mama I'm Comin' Home". "Here for You" is a little too saccharine for the album, while the title track sees Ozzy go after politicians and the war, but it kind of makes you long for the days of Sabbath and "War Pigs" more than anything else.

Of particular note is "The Almighty Dollar", which, at almost seven minutes in length, is probably as close as we'll get to another "No More Tears" (the song, not the album), and Wylde is particularly blistering with the axe on "11 Silver". The album closer, "Trap Door", is the song of the album, grabbing the listener and refusing to let up, as Ozzy hasn't sounded so intense and insane in years.

In the end, with Black Rain you have your basic Ozzy Osbourne album. Fans will eat it up because, well, it's new material from Ozzy. Those not yet converted won't be. Sure, the lyrics may lack a little more than they used to, and there may be a couple more ballads than there were in the old days, but after 30 years I'm pretty sure Ozzy's earned the right to throw some stuff on there for the Missus every now and again. It's not his best, and it's certainly not the album of the year, but there's something comfortable about an Ozzy album that fans can still enjoy, and enjoy it they should while there's still new material to be had.

On a side note, re the packaging: The record company went with a "less is more" motif for Black Rain. I can appreciate that to an extent; however, it was clear other packaging was originally intended (the cover artwork used for the European release, as a specific example). In this day of digital downloads, a cardboard slipcase with no liner notes or notebook, this just doesn't cut it. Fans still into buying albums at a store want something tangible, something to look at, and something worth their money. This was a big misstep in marketing, and the biggest disappointment with the album, in general.

Hatebreed -- 'Perserverance' [classic review]

Hatebreed
"Perseverance"
(Universal)


Fans' usual fears when a band makes the move from an independent label to the big leagues ... especially a band with as loyal a following as Hatebreed. Such fears would prove to be completely unfounded. Sure, the band grew beyond the hardcore label, but hardcore can be a one-dimensional genre for the most part and implementing a metal style to its sound only helped bring Hatebreed to a place the band was surely headed in the long run.

Hatebreed took the core of the hardcore sound its had grown comfortable in and turned everything up to 10. The songs grew from one- to two-minute tastes into complete metal anthems. With notorious (at least in New England circles) producer Zeuss at the controls, the band was able to craft these slick, riff-heavy soundtracks of brutality. Every song has a nice little hook, crazy double-bass drum kicks, bass lines that strangle anything in their paths and riffs that tear through the speakers. Live, it's impossible to not jump into the pit when any of the album's tracks explode: "Proven," "You're Never Alone," "We Still Fight," the title-track, along with my personal favorites, "A Call for Blood" and "I Will Be Heard."

Almost every track has the requisite group sung chorus for added (anthem) effect. Kerry King even graces the band with an appearance.

Could I break down each and every track for the reader? Sure, each has a unique element to love. Is it necessary? Not at all. In short, this is a total package of no-nonsense, pedal-to-floor, heart-stopping metal.

Another Society -- 'Blood Wrong' [classic review]

Another Society
"Blood Wrong"
(PC Music)


Another Society wastes little time on "Blood Wrong," grinding off the starting line with the twisted, deliberate opening riffs of "Let Down." The triple guitar threat (Jason Huckaby and Jim Koster along with lead vocalist Luke John) gives the band a riff-heavy yet thick, murky sound. The down-tuned guitars are kept high in the mix. Add to that the under-produced vocals (not in a bad way -- they just aren't cleaned up to any extent), heavy bass and drumming and you're left with a heady sound you could cut with a knife (to steal an over used cliche).

The lyrics and choruses are as catchy as the (headbanging) music itself. "Let Down" devolves into a steamroller of bass riffs and drumming, building to the crescendo of the chorus. The band has a nice little way of putting together these driving bridges and verses that dissolve away to a hook-filled chorus of riffs and melody without it coming across as jarring or out of place. Every so often there's a tempo shift toward the later half of the song, but it usually used to make room for a solo.

The album chugs along in much the same fashion without becoming boring in any way. "No Time for Speech" seethes with anger and the music compliments the cutting lyrics perfectly. "Little Gypsy" is the catchiest song on the album and was probably the only track to make it out to commercial radio (the band was heavily played in a handful of markets including its hometown and northern New England).

The band slows down a couple of times, but for the most part is settled and comfortable in riding out the dirges.

Talk about a band ahead of its time. Another Society hit the scene at the worst time. The band was incorporating classic metal elements to its sound -- think Prong, Crowbar, Corrosion of Conformity, Life of Agony, early Pantera -- all essentially contemporaries of the group. Yet, as Another Society was toiling on the metal circuit, bands like Coal Chamber, Korn and Rage Against the Machine were dominating the airwaves. Add to that the grunge scene was pretty much sputtering to a halt around the time of the "Blood Wrong" release, and you can see why the audience at large may have overlooked a band that took slight elements from the sound but didn't fit into that category at all either.

Hardcore genre fans like bands across the boards, but the fans at large gravitated toward a more polished, hyper-produced sound at the time (these days it's a sound blended with hardcore and melody). While your Crowbars and Corrosions had a built-in fan-base to weather the down-cycle, Another Society's gritty brand of metal had a tough time catching on. If the band hit the scene today, there's no question it would have garnered far more attention and been better embraced. Instead, after two solid outings, the group just simply faded away.