Madisonprep,"Flammable in 5th Gear" (Indie Release)
Madisoprep describes their music as 'alternative', which really begs the question, "alernative to what?" Jesus! Just how many Blink 182-type clones does the world need? Its all been done before guys and you add absolutely nothing to the mix. The music of Madisonprep is about as stiff and formula as you get. If this was 1959, then Madisonprep would be called Fabian. But I'm sure they have a fine 'street team'.
www.madisonprep.com
Rating:

Review by Scott H. Platt

Graveyard Riot,"298,397,821 To Go..." (Indie Release)
Deja Vu - it's the 1980's all over. And I'm not talking 'hair bands', but the hardcore punk in the vein of Dead Kennedys or Naked Raygun. Although their style is nothing new, its great to hear that hardcore punks lives and Graveyard Riot does it RIGHT! This is the stuff the new generation of rockers should be listening to, not that 'alternative' swill. Graveyard Riot shows these so-called new "punks" what punk rock is all about. Its not about wearing your hair spiked; donning a Sex Pistols or Clash t-shirt; having spiked wristbands and showing off your tattoos - it IS about the fucking music.
www.graveyardriot.com
Rating:
and 1/2
Review by Scott H. Platt

Nelson Bragg,"Day Into Night" (SideBMusic)
When I first heard a few tracks from Nelson Bragg's album "Day Into Night" on his website, I knew this was going to be a very special CD. Upon first hearing the album, I couldn't believe my ears… what a treat! Nelson Bragg, originally from Massachusetts, has been working in Los Angeles with many bands and artists including The Now People, The Quarter After, The Mello Cads, Cosmo Topper, Cloud Eleven, The Mockers and Brian Wilson, just to name a few. He wears many hats, including drummer-percussionist, singer, songwriter, producer and arranger, and with every hat he wears, there's no doubt that he wears it well.

This album is a harmony-lover's delight. The overall feel is that of a folk-rock-pop combination. Smooth rhythm guitar beautifully carries the songs while the lush harmony vocals lift you to a higher place in this acoustic paradise. The melodies are beautiful and soulful, and evolve from a light perspective into a much deeper mood later in the album (hence, the sequence of tracks following the progression of day into night, light into dark). The lyrics speak of life's lessons and fall 'close to home' for many of us. Beautiful melodies and lush instrumentals aside, what really got my attention on this album were Nelson's perfect lead vocals, enriched with beautiful layers of his vocal harmonies. The complexities of these vocals really blew me away, being a fan of these harmony-rich pop sounds. Nelson has really excelled in creating these lush arrangements.

I'm unable to pick a favorite track on this album because in actuality, I love every track in different ways. Although it's hard to limit it to one choice, I'll describe a handful of the tracks that seem to stand out to this listener.

The opening track "Forever Days" immediately captures your attention with the bright jangly guitar intro and beautiful rhythm strumming accompaniment, then Nelson's vocals lead you on a journey in an almost bittersweet sentiment, yet the positive feel of the music carries you through with a feeling of warm optimism. "I Dare You (Show Me Love)" is song of bitter emotion, and has a real gutsy feel to it. It sounds as if a hard lesson has been learned and a newfound strength is carrying him through. But what really stands out in this song are the lush vocal arrangements of all sorts of wonderful harmonies, weaving in and out, intertwined around a beautiful melody. "Dark Sweet Lady" is one of the most beautiful tracks on the album, a cover of George Harrison's original, and it features some gorgeous acoustic instrumentals featuring ukelele, mandolin, lap steel guitar and a double bass. The sound is incredible in this track, and Nelson does a magnificent job of expressing the emotion in this song with his sweet vocals. (Dare I even say that I prefer this version over Harrison's original). "Every Minute of the Day" is one of the most interesting, and captivating songs on the album, whether it be the complex chord progressions, the sweet harmonies and contra vocal additions, or the classical feel due to the arrangement. I swear I hear some Mozart-like phrasings in the instrumentals, especially in the latter part of the song. The harpsichord, strings, and trumpet enhance this song beautifully. And if that isn't enough, the song has a very interesting rhythm pattern to it, pulling the listener into the song even more! Another jewel on this album is "Death of Caroline". It opens with some beautiful layered vocal harmonies of the chorus… then the verses take you into the story of Caroline. The perspective lies at a point where he has finally gotten over her, and although we don't really know if the death is literal, it possibly could serve as a metaphor for the hurt suffered as a result of a breakup. Musically this song has some wonderful chord progressions, as rich harmony vocals are interwoven, smooth as silk, through a soulful melody. All of these elements combined make for a brilliant sound.

These are but a few of the amazing songs on this wonderful album, and my writing doesn't nearly do justice to fully describe the beautiful music that Nelson has created. The bottom-line is that this album is a must-have for anyone who appreciates lush harmonies, soulful melodies, and beautiful instrumentals. You simply must hear it for yourself. It is undoubtedly the best album I have heard in a long, long time.
www.sidebmusic.com
Rating:

Review by Laurie Biagini

Ultra Dolphins,"MAR" (Robotic Empire)
Virginia may be for lovers, but for the eclectic trio Ultra Dolphins, it seems to be the place to drop a lot of drugs down your gullet and get busy with a multi-instrumental attack. Swirling the ghosts of '90s post-hardcore with bits and pieces of today's hardcore mad scientists like Blood Brothers and Daughters, MAR is a 12-track endeavor that reaches creative zeniths by fighting on many fronts, whether it be a Jesus Lizard-esque offensive found on "Workhorse" or "If You Will", a Mike Patton-like assault on "Lunge", or a Horse The Band meets drum 'n bass collaboration found on "The Great Neurathenic". Slight tone downs on the discord to highlight melody allow the band to reach new ears, while piano, keyboards, and other oddly placed instrumental elements invade tracks like "Winged Babbler", artfully beefing up MAR's fluid guitar-bass-drum set-up. On MAR, this group's lo-fi spastic shouts and queasy compositions have been upgraded from freakouts to full-level aural assaults, furthering Ultra Dolphins' musical madness to uncharted levels of indie rock bliss.
www.roboticempire.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

The Hope Conspiracy,"Death Knows Your Name" (Deathwish)
After a four-year hiatus, The Hope Conspiracy have returned with their bitterness as intact and harsh as their New England hometown's winter season, climbing back on to the rooftops to lash out against everything from the state of America to their opinion on the hardcore scene on DEATH KNOWS YOUR NAME. Taking lyrical inspiration from George Orwell's ANIMAL FARM as well as everyday life's enraging entities, this unapologetic 11-track affair takes you by the throat and haphazardly shakes the shit out of you until you're crying like a kid lost in the supermarket. Tracks like "Animal Farm" intertwine seething vocals with a no-nonsense musical assault, only to be followed by "Curse of the Oil Snakes" and its manic mid-paced molten riffs. In fact, the best thing about this disc is the flow of the album, as it rarely gets out of step to mercilessly pound you to the ground. Demonstrating an all-around ferocity encased with flurries of volatile punk rock and genuine bonecrushing hardcore, The Hope Conspiracy's anger is a gift tot hose looking for something to clobber stuff to.
www.deathwishinc.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

The Chelsea Smiles,"Thirty Six Hours Later" (Acetate Records)
When you pick up an album and you see that the band is fronted by Todd Youth then it's pretty much a given that the thing is gonna rock. Youth, whose enjoyed stints with legendary bands D-Generation, Danzig and Motorhead, yet again delivers with his latest "Thirty Six Hours Later". This band evokes the spirit of the New York Dolls without turning into some kind of copycat version of Thunders and his crew. Bringing the whole genre into the new millennium. Favorite track: "Nothing To Lose".
www.acetate.com
Rating:

Review by J.R. Oliver

The Corner Laughers,"Tomb Of Leopards" (Sandbox Records)
Girly girl powerpop that's so catchy and infectious that it'll probably give you cavities. Twelve lighthearted romps through love and loss, evolution, being trapped in a bathroom, ancient history and guys who are jerks. I guess I fall in that last category since I made the girly girl comment. Anyway, this is a very enjoyable cd full of girl group vocals with indie pop hooks and flashbacks to the sixties sprinkled throughout. The vocals fall somewhere between the Bangles and the Ronettes. Favorite track: "Star Power Lament".
www.sandboxrecords.com
Rating:
and 1/2
Review by J.R. Oliver

Opeth,"Ghost Reveries Special Edition" (Roadrunner)
When a band re-releases a CD these days with a few extras and bells and whistles, you can almost smell the greed come from the record company and their shameless ploy to exploit the fan and bilk them of their last shilling. Thankfully, that's not the case in the handling of the uber-fan friendly re-release of Opeth's GHOST REVERIES. This package includes a bonus track (Deep Purple's "Soldier of Fortune"), the entire album in 5.1 Surround Sound Mix (a real treat for the home stereo buff), and a DVD with both the music video of the grandiose "The Grand Conjuration" and a documentary covering the making of the album. Well worth the second purchase for the in-depth extras or the perfect place to start for the curious, this impressive collection of all things Opeth elicits the most bang for your buck while shedding some light on this mysterious yet captivating Swedish metal entity.
www.roadrunnerrecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Hands Down Eugene,"Madison" (XOXO)
Quirky alt-country collective Hands Down Eugene's drowsy 13-track offering MADISON is laden with the kind of rocking in a hammock on a Saturday vibe perfect for slacking off to. Pings from psychedelic keyboards, jangly guitar, nascent vocals, and country fried melodies adorn cuts like "I'm in the Way" and "Miss Madison", meshing drug-era Beatles, The Band, The Raconteurs, and the best and brightest from their current hometown of Nashville to whip up a smorgasbord of down home feel good back porch rock 'n roll.
www.xoxorecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

J. Forte,"Secret Pop" (Indie Release)
Former Ape House frontman J. Forte's debut album offers up a heaping helping of power pop. Twelve hook infested songs for the working stiff who dreams of a rock 'n' roll lifestyle. Forte' brings to mind other popsters like Redd Kross, Matthew Sweet, the Jesus and Mary Chain and the like. The opening riff of "Strum And Sustain" reminds me of a song by the Manic Street Preachers titled "Damn Dog". Some of you might remember it from the 1980 flick Times Square . Favorite track: "Strum and Sustain".
www.myspace.com/jfortesecretpop
Rating:
and 1/2
Review by J.R. Oliver

Monstrous,"Mother Nature's Slaves" (Howler Records)
This Rhode Island trio of brothers have been writing songs together since they were wee lads. It's sorta hard to describe them because they have so many sides to their music. They have the Nirvana style song "Think Ahead" and it's catchy but they offer quite a bit more. The next song up "The Bad Days Are Over" brings to mind the Beach Boys tasty harmonies only imagine them backed with a wall of distorted guitar and the rumbling thunder of drums. I think your going to see a lot more of these guys in the future. Favorite track: "Humble Headbanger".
www.howlerrecords.com
Rating:
and 1/2
Review by J.R. Oliver

Drats!!!,"Presents: Welcome To… New Granada" (Who The Hell Is Jim)
The Talking Heads, Primus, the Who's Tommy rock opera, The Jam, Gang Of Four, Star Trek's theme song, Alice Cooper's Billion Dollar Babies album, The Clash, the Grease soundtrack, the Times Square soundtrack, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc…etc…etc… Man, this collection of songs inspired by 1979's cult classic film Over The Edge has a little something for every rock fan. This is cool. Check it out. Favorite tracks: "Claude's Trip" and "Girls With Guns".
www.dratslive.com
Rating:
and 1/2
Review by J.R. Oliver

Full Blown Chaos,"Within the Grasp of Titans" (Stillborn)
The fury of NYC hardcore and extreme metal's savagery join forces on the latest endeavor by Queens, NY masters of disaster Full Blown Chaos. Fueled with crushing guitars a la Hatebreed on tracks like "Anchored Heart" and a determined spirit that illuminates their old school hardcore and metal roots on cuts like "The Burning Age", this quartet retains the legendary ferocity of their hometown with cuts such as the death gallop of "Trials of Triumph". Adding well-measured amounts of the golden age of thrash metal's nuances and topping it all off with dollops of genuinely felt sheer brutality, prepare for carnage courtesy of the Merauder meets Biohazard by way of Slayer "Rise & Fight" and the snappy yet neck-snapping chug of "Solemn Promise". If you like it precise, groovy, and uncompromisingly heavy, this 13-track disc delivers.
www.stillbornrecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Sunno))) & Boris,"Altar" (Southern Lord)
An experimental music fan's wet dream come true, two of the most prolific artists in ambient metal align for this collaborative effort. Sunn0))) and Boris are no strangers to those with a finger on the pulse of the underground individually, as they each have their own niches and nuances. The music they make together hits those targets, yet it isn't always what you'd expect, too. Take the melancholic piano number "The Sinking Belle" for starters. Easily the most accessible thing Sunn0))) has ever released, the ethereal vocals of guest Jesse Sykes lead the way for cautious yet hauntingly beautiful waves of sustain and softness. But don't stop reading yet, friends of the doom. There is noise rock here to be had, and plenty of it, with more guests to boot. Kim Thayill lends his hands on the album's closer, the suffocating and brooding "Blood Swamp", while Joe Preston puts his vocals through the vocoder on "Akuma No Kuma". Drone metal gone awry? You best believe it, as two of the pioneers of the movement combine wares, trade notes, and make an intriguing album in the process.
www.southernlord.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Philpot,"Hate Writes Better Than Love" (Applehead Records)
The guys are years beyond their age in talent. Love & Rockets, the Beatles, Social Distortion, Pearl Jam, the Yardbirds, Alice In Chains, REM and many, many more rock greats are channeled by this group of underage disciples. They can rock. Plain and simple. If you dig any of the bands mentioned in this review then you'll dig Philpot. Favorite track: "Got It In".
www.philpotmusic.com
Rating:
and 1/2
Review by J.R. Oliver

The Spares,"Beautiful And Treacherous Thing" (Tweed Records)
Jodee Lewis' singing voice falls somewhere inbetween Allison Krauss and Dolly Pardon. Now, I'm talking about Dolly's bluegrass side not her commercial "9 to 5" type songs. There's a few songs here where I can close my eyes and actually picture Krauss singing. So, in the words of Bill Murray's Caddyshack character Carl Spackler, she's got that going for her. The music is flawless and a bit more stripped down than say Union Station. This is a beautiful album. Favorite track: "Waiting For The Smoke To Clear".
www.tweedrecords.com
Rating:
and 1/2
Review by J.R. Oliver

Drugs of Faith,"Drugs of Faith" (Selfmadegod)
Crusty hardcore trio Drugs of Faith unleash an eight-track, 15-minute aural assault on their eponymous offering. Sounding as dissonant and genuinely angry as anything that came out before 1986, you can feel the hate ooze from every pore of this unit from the opening disjointed guitars over purposeful blasts of drums found on "Never Fail" to the sludgy buildup of "Burning". With unabashedly raw spirit from the early days of hardcore-influenced crossover metal propelling tracks like "The False War" and "An Ode to Those Unwed", Drugs of Faith meld the mindnumb of noise rock with bands like Black Flag and DRI's unfettered rage and the swampy (they are from Northern Virginia after all) gifts brought by acts like Soilent Green and Eyehategod. Creating quite a sinister piece of heavy music, tap into the vitriolic versatility of Drugs of Faith to reaffirm your belief in the underground.
www.selfmadegod.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Walls of Jericho,"With Devils Amongst Us All" (Trustkill)
Armed with a lesson in perserverance and stuffed to the gills with flashes of hardcore breakdown brilliance, the latest endeavor from Detroit's Walls of Jericho cuts to the quick with metallic guitars and face-splitting female vocals. On WITH DEVILS AMONGST US, this quintet stands beside acts like Sworn Enemy, Full Blown Chaos, and Hatebreed in the upper echelon by fusing the brutality of East Coast hardcore with intriguing metal nuances. Crushing skulls with layered twin guitar chuggings aplenty, tracks like "And Hope To Die" and "Try.Fail.Repeat." give the kids a multitude of moshpit fodder to kill themselves to, while the dueling Ozzfest jumpdafuckup versus throwing haymakers in the pit rhythms implemented on "Welcome Home" summon cues for those not participating to run for cover. Providing a solid mix of rousing metalcore anthems like "I Know Hollywood and You Ain't It" and "A Trigger Full of Promises", Walls of Jericho have stepped up their game tremendously, honing the songwriting methods connecting today's masses of misspent youth to their rage while retaining the integrity of their underground hardcore roots on this triumphant 11-track disc.
www.trustkill.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Julie Gribble,"Echoes In My Head" (Indie Release)
In my humble opinion our Miss Gribble shines brightest on a song nestled about mid way through the album titled "Damn Me". She has Lucinda Williams' qualities but she's not a carbon copy if you know what I mean. Singer /songwriter style songs from a beautiful lady with a beautiful voice. Favorite track: I think I mentioned this before, "Damn Me".
www.juliegribble.com
Rating:
and 1/2
Review by J.R. Oliver

The Steve Wilson Band,"Sideshows and Fairytales" (Pink Hedgehog Records)
Wilson is the latest in a long line of clever singer/songwriter's in the pop vein. Folks like Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, Burt Bacharach, Sir Paul McCartney, Billy Bragg, John Hiatt, etc… Wilson evens looks a bit like a young Nick Lowe. Wilson 's band pours a lot of soul into the mix which makes this a winning recipe in my book. Very relaxed and unhurried blue eyed soul with loads of pop sensibility. Favorite track: the very Costello-ish "Looking For An Idiot".
www.pinkhedgehog.com
Rating:
and 1/2
Review by J.R. Oliver

Alien Ant Farm,"Up in the Attic" (Universal)
Trying their dandiest to wipe away the stigma of being that Michael Jackson cover band or that band that had a tragic bus accident, Alien Ant Farm's latest release UP IN THE ATTIC doesn't do much musically to differentiate the band, even though a new guitarist and bassist have been employed. Containing remnants of their rejected Geffen album before being dropped by the label in a downsize shakedown with some new tracks, this 14-track offering stays the course, conveying the same alternative metal mix with a few twists and turns along the way to keep listeners on their toes. Tracks like "Around the Block" rocks whimsically with cowbell in tow, while "Lord Knows" demonstrates the band's comfort zone, sounding like the hits that were previously released on either of the band's albums. Wistful lyrics (a near death experience will do that to a person) and dominant fretwork are staples here, yet there's a all too east to digest redundancy hovering over UP IN THE ATTIC that plagues the disc from reaching the heights of neighboring acts like Incubus, despite highlights like the ska beat surprise adorning "Consti2tion" and the fancy eight-minute affair of "She's Only Evil".
www.universalchronicles.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

The Atomic Bitchwax,"Boxriff" (Meteor City)
Criminally underrated New Jersey trio The Atomic Bitchwax may have lost its most prolific member in Monster Magnet's Ed Mundell, but the band has never sounded leaner, meaner, and ultimately, better. Thanks to the addition of Core main man Finn Ryan, this juggernaut brings new meaning to the term power trio and it's all documented in a few different forms on BOXRIFF. For starters, a tasty four-song studio EP recorded by underground rock guru Jack Endino sets off this 17-track excursion the right way, as "STD" kicks it into high gear from the get-go. Rounded out by the Ryan's former outfit's trademark tune "Kiss The Sun" getting the 'Wax treatment, it'd be enough to stop right here and make this a kick-ass EP, but the group thankfully goes the extra mile. Throwing in 13 live cuts from their Seattle stop and the accompanying DVD of the aforementioned concert, BOXRIFF goes from being solid to essential, especially after hearing white-hot live versions of songs like "Ice Pick Freek" and "The Cloning Chamber". Meaty, gritty, down and dirty, and groovy, bring home this disc and crank it loud and your faith in the lost art of rock 'n roll will be reaffirmed.
www.meteorcity.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Dead Hearts,"Bitter Verses" (Ferret)
Buffalo NY's Dead Hearts are easily classified as hardcore if you're going on the premise of anthem-esque tracks like "Hollow" and "Cold", but there's a lot more going on within the 14-tracks which comprise BITTER VERSES that propels this quintet beyond the obvious genre tag. While there's no shortage of gang vocals or impassioned guitar throughout the course of the disc, as cuts like "Innocence" demonstrates the outfit's love of Sick of It All and Comeback Kid, the enchanting piano and effects-strewn interludes sprinkled about display the group's ability to reach past the confines of the genre and hit levels usually not reserved for bands of their stature. Meshing the meat and potatoes hardcore of bands Bane with an intriguing juxtaposition of modern rock ambiance and heartfelt furious punk, Dead Hearts will undoubtedly catch flak in the circles of narrow-minded purists. Yet the altered moods and unlikely atmospheres coupled with the genuine angst utilized on BITTER VERSES twist this album from run of the mill to a mature raging hardcore release.
www.ferretstyle.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Talia Segal,"Nonprophet" (Indie Release)
This is a surprising disc. I was expecting to hear another batch of mellow, folksy, singer / songwriter style songs when little Miss Segal hauled off and kicked me right in the… Well, you get the idea. I would compare Segal's high energy music and vibe to someone of the Shakira caliber. But the lyrics delve quite a bit deeper than her latin counterpart. This is well worth checking out if you've never heard of her before. Favorite track: Hands down it's got to be "Anna Joy".
www.taliasegal.com
Rating:
and 1/2
Review by J.R. Oliver

Everyday Atlas,"Your Move" (Indie Release)
Sickly sweet, American Idol style pop vocals backed with catchy but harmless rock and roll. Imagine Styx fronted by the Backstreet Boys. Lots of polished hooks for the radio guys and lots of good looks for the more than understanding little girls. This is not something I would buy but it's definitely something that would get stuck in my head for days. Favorite track: Well, "Radio Song" has got to be their push song for sure.
www.everydayatlas.com
Rating:
and 1/2
Review by J.R. Oliver

Terra Diablo,"Terra Diablo" (Nocturnal)
The eponymous debut by Scottish alt-rockers Terra Diablo is a 12-track melodic rock tour-de-force that many will easily draw comparisons to established acts that have trumped rock radio for the last 10 years. Somewhere along the way however, this band managed to carve out its own distinct style joining hard rock tenacity and alternative rock tenderness. While connections to bands like Snow Patrol (who now boasts an ex-member of Terra Diablo in its ranks) and Foo Fighters are commonplace, the quartet's brazenly smart compositions like "Satellites" and "My Heart is in My Hand" exhibit an act that work from a blueprint and expand on it with their own ideas rather than merely plagiarize. Creating bursts of sonic excellence such as the hook-laden "Can You Hear Them?" and the muscular pop-rock heard on "Control", Terra Diablo is capable of resonating a sense of familiarity yet have no trouble standing firm on its own ground. Terra Diablo's expansive repertoire and contorting style that lies between the spatial elegance of Radiohead and Muse and the gritty of acts like Open Hand, Feeder, and Filter is a pretty impressive debut album that begs for mass adulation.
www.noctrunal-records.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Bloodlined Calligraphy,"Ypsilanti" (Facedown)
In the vein of Otep and Walls of Jericho, Michigan's Bloodlined Calligraphy unleash its brutal female fronted offerings in the form of the 11-track YPSILANTI. Breaking faces comes easy for this quintet ("It Can't Rain All the Time", "Last Goodbye"), but when it comes to breaking ground, this act unfortunately gets lumped in the Unearth/ Terror category of chasing Hatebreed. Solid yet oh so familiar, if you like to move in the pit like Ralph Macchio circa 1984, this is your new soundtrack, uniform not included.
www.facedownrecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Blood Vessels,"Blood Vessels" (Teenage Heart)
Boston, MA punk rockers Blood Vessels play with the relentless spirit of the salad days of the genre on their eponymous 10-track debut. There's nothing too flashy or deceiving on this full-length debut folks, just some power chord stompers such as "Hell Rocket" and tracks brimming with attitude like "So Long" that reveal the Henry Rollins-era Black Flag seal of approval. If you find yourself yearning for the days when punk rock was still a pure commodity and the alternative to mainstream, Blood Vessels remember and feel your pain, too as they provide ample solace in the form of songs like "Not Funny".
www.teenageheartrecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Lokyata,"Purified By Anger" (Indianola)
Undoubtedly raging yet in need of a bit of self-editing, Jacksonville, FL quartet Lokyata straddle the line between scathing death metal and run of the mill metalcore trappings on the six-track PURIFIED BY ANGER. Abrasive vocals and furious fretwork flurries adorn cuts like "Solitude", while "What You Have Given Me" throws every moshpit trick in the book out with moderate success. Disturbing album artwork of a shirtless man dragging a seemingly dead woman in the woods with shovel in tow adds to the redneck mystique, yet ultimately Lokyata's crushingly pounding delivery on songs like the title track yield massive breakdowns that aren't new but still manage to raise hell.
www.indianolarecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Vice Squad,"Defiant" (SOS)
Punk infused cock rock with a raspy female vocal comes to you courtesy of Vice Squad, a U.K. veteran outfit whose sound has morphed considerably since the outfit's inception (from which lead singer Beki remains the only original member). A Motley Crue-esque candy coating played through Disturbed's equipment with Joan Jett fronting comes through the speakers on tracks like "Britain is Still Burning", while "You Can't Do That" sounds like Hammerfall covering Motorhead. Discernibly more metal than punk and laden with arena rock pretense, this album provides the perfect buffer for in-between inning banter or the pre-game tailgating pump-up, but it's a far cry from the early days of rebellion.
www.sosrecords.us
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

The Abuse,"Digging Your Own Grave" (Charged)
Oakland, CA punk rockers The Abuse release the dogs on their 12-track ode to '77 punk titled DIGGING YOUR OWN GRAVE. Packing heat on songs like "Violent Youth" and "March On", this female-fronted quartet keep the sneering spirit of loud 'n fast punk rock alive and well. Far removed from the glory days of the scene, The Abuse has compellingly captured a slice of the seminal days of punk rock yore with balls and gang vocals in check on cuts like "No Tomorrow".
www.chargedrecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Mercy Fall,"For the Taken" (Atlantic)
Sanitized for modern rock radio consumption, the 11-track endeavor by Arizona's Mercy Fall has got CW melodrama soundtrack written all over it, from the tearjerkingly mid-tempo feel of "Wake" to the undulating waves of light and dark found on "Hush". Going deeper than your average rock band, this quartet's love of '90s rock bursts through the speakers, as everything from STP to Jeff Buckley to Soundgarden to Pearl Jam turns up through the duration of FOR THE TAKEN, however these guys lose points for turning up the sap meter on pedestrian numbers like "Here I Am". Tapping the Creed and Finger Eleven vein with a smattering of alternative rock staple influences, if you like it passionate yet safe, Mercy Fall is a good choice.
www.atlanticrecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Jeff Walker Und Die Fluffers,"Welcome to Carcass Cuntry" (Fractured Transmitter)
Jeff Walker is a grindcore legend of the highest order thanks to his co-founding Carcass. So why the hell has he recorded and released a punkified country album covering tunes by such "drunks" as Hank Williams and Johnny Cash? Simply because he felt like it, and in his words, "if you don't get it, then tough". While it's hard to tell if this album is merely tongue in cheek sarcasm drawn out too far or a bunch of Swedish metal guys locked into a running joke, this 11-track disc definitely will give your attention span a do-si-do for good measure. Best served when loaded, WELCOME TO CARCASS CUNTRY falls somewhere between novelty country disc and outtakes from a Pogues recording session, translating to a cautious yet fun listen.
www.fracturedtransmitter.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Scissorfight,"Jaggernaut" (Tortuga)
New Hampshire's most volatile export Scissorfight return with their fifth full-length album JAGGERNAUT, a hellaciously belligerent yet big brained and bigger balled beast of a record. These backwoods boogie merchants continue to crank out some of the most twisted hard rock this side of Clutch, as tracks like the banjo-accentuated stoner groover "Appalachian Chain", the contagious alt-metal jam "Victory Over Horseshit", and the militaristic march-like anthem of "Backwoods" shakes your speakers while tripping your brain out hardcore. Displaying a love for social change, the inner workings of the brain, and their rural upbringing through fuzzy '70s riffs, mammoth grooves, and the art of getting fucked up, this 12-track affair offers the perfect soundtrack to a bare-knuckle barroom brawl.
www.tortugarecordings.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

False Alliance,"Fill the Void" (Felony)
Kicking around since 1997, the California punk quartet False Alliance displays a solid foundation of no frills melodic punk on the 11-track FILL THE VOID. Meshing the wares of NOFX, Bouncing Souls, The Unseen, and Sum 41 into high-energy tunes like the bass-driven "One Last Song" and the simple yet effective power chord barrage of "Repression of Thought", these guys, while far from reinventing the genre, sound like they're having a good time while they genuinely convey punk rock's unabashedly fast-paced rhythms and forked tongued lyrical stabs on cuts like the biting title cut and the garage rock-y "Time".
www.felonyrecords.org
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Giuntini Project,"III" (Locomotive)
Italian metal guitarist Aldo Giuntini's outfit, simply titled Giuntini Project, boasts ex-Black Sabbath vocalist Tony "The Forgotten Sabbath Singer" Martin on the microphone, complementing this seasoned vet's stunningly shredding fretwork. On the third release from this band, once again simply titled III, a progressive form of hard rock can be heard on the rousing "The Closest Thing to Heaven" and the very Dio-influenced rocker "Tarot Warrior". Cut from the same cloth of Yngwie, Satriani, and other musically proficient yet somewhat sterile musical offerings, this sturdy progressive rock vehicle is laden with all of the grandiose excess and hard rock histrionics you can stand in one sitting. If you are a guitar freak with a '80s metal fetish, this one delivers tenfold.
www.locomotiverecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Signal Home,"A Fragile Constitutional" (Carbon Copy)
Pennsylvania screamo troupe Signal Home's 12-track endeavor is a competent yet derivative smattering of things you hate and things you can't avoid from the last few years of what's been hot in the rock world. String arrangements over screaming vocals? Check. Passionate yet slightly overwrought guitar rock which simultaneously apes New Found Glory and Foo Fighters? Check. Ridiculously catchy choruses armed with cascading melodies? Check. In fact, if you dig Taking Back Sunday and The Used and remember Grade, then you'll have no problem getting into Signal Home's brand of tug at your heartstrings, ready for the Warped Tour rock.
www.carboncopymedia.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Across Tundras,"Dark Songs of the Prairie" (Crucial Blast)
Isis meets My Morning Jacket? Yup, courtesy of Denver's Across Tundras, whose eight-track excursion extracts its expansive noise quotient from ambient metal and infuses touches of twangy two-step. Sounding like Pelican at a hoedown on cuts like the title track while doling out a grounded version of space rock on "Ode to George, Parts 1 & 2", this act may take a few listens (and some hallucinogenics) to fully appreciate, but their frontier take on space rock is well worth the repeated listens. Highly acidic while capably emitting feelings of desolation, this tumbleweed obsessed trio whip up Dust Bowl-sized doom rock that would totally make a rocking soundtrack for a modern day cowboy flick.
www.crucialblast.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Rhapsody Of Fire,"Triumph Or Agony" (SPV)
After a legal battle forced a name change, the reinvigorated Italian act Rhapsody of Fire return with another barrage of over the top power metal that employs a full orchestra and a massive choir in addition to the outfit's usual instrumental arrangements. Make no mistake, TRIUMPH OR AGONY is fantasy metal at its finest, complete with domineeringly powerful vocals, huge guitars, leading keyboard melodies, and a slew of pomp and circumstance along the way which include narrative passages and guest vocals done by the characters of the interwoven storyline behind the music. While this style can be described as an absolute acquired taste, these compositions are masterfully crafted with the great care and the grandiose spirit that goes into a theater production, thankfully without sacrificing metallic elements like the guitar runs found on "Heart of the Darklands". Taking risks while staying true, this quintet's overall metallic majesty dramatically shines through TRIUMPH OR AGONY, making this disc that much more attractive to both patronizing metalheads and epic music lovers alike. You must hear Rhapsody of Fire's latest release if you are even remotely intrigued by the likes of Blind Guardian, Dream Theater, or Hammerfall.
www.spvusa.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Phathom,"Phathom" (Hardline)
Phathom is a quartet that you shouldn't judge by the way they look, as this California act may look all Hot Topic, but they play with a maturity and conviction of bands years ahead of them. Formerly known as Section 8, the foursome's latest offering with a new moniker finds the group constructing fine tuned and well-crafted alt rock songs that happen to discover a middle ground between Incubus, Trust Company, and their mentors Strung Out on cuts like "Succubi" and "Insidious". Unafraid to bash out with instrumental might or throw a catchy melody into its repertoire, this 10-track endeavor is laden with the kind of songs that assist bands in blowing up big on rock radio and putting them on big name tours to garnish more exposure. While they may be a bit light for the ardent punk fan, those who enjoy a touch of elegance in their heavy rock sound will have no problem digging this self-titled release.
www.phathomsound.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Fleshgore,"Killing Absorption" (This Dark Reign)
Ukranian nightmares Fleshgore's KILLING ABSORPTION gets a re-release courtesy of This Dark Reign, and chances are if you like depraved death metal with a slew of blast beats and a cavalcade of chaos, this disc is for you. Coming complete with Cookie Monster vocals of the growling and gurgling variety and a relentless beat per minute ratio that will undoubtedly raise your Stairmaster pulse rate tenfold, this quartet's previous works are worthy of a spin if you enjoy the sounds of Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, and Vader.
www.thisdarkreign.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Blade of the Ripper,"Blade of the Ripper" (Devil Doll)
Trashy NWOBHM-influenced metal with a fist in the gutter and a head full of drugs comes to us courtesy of Kentucky's Blade of the Ripper. This quintet, featuring a seminal member of rock acts Hookers and Nashville Pussy, play in the old school style of metal (think denim and white hi-tops), subbing sheer raw power for glossy production on such in your face tracks as "Speak No More Lies". Sloppy at times but never waning from the ultimate goal to rock, the twin guitars and booming rhythm section work best when emitting a doomy vibe on cuts such as "Castle Walls/ Trapped" and "Burning Black Candles". And while they aren't bashful while bashing your head with the tried and true method of three chords and balls as their main weapons, it's a safe bet to say this isn't for you if you can't get beyond the cult metal sounds and high camp factor of this album. BOTR have seemingly found the fine line between Blue Oyster Cult and Venom on this self-titled offering, and if you still own all your Maiden picture discs, these guys are worth a spin.
www.devildollrecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Bible of the Devil,"The Diagolic Procession" (Cruz Del Sur)
If Chicago's Bible of the Devil and their nine-track offering THE DIABOLIC PROCESSION suffer from anything, it's definitely a severe case of bad nomenclature. Off the bat, you'd expect a quartet with their name to be a hoard of corpsepainted cretins armed with medieval weaponry adorned in animal skin with outstretched hands held to the sky howling Satanic verse over blast beats. Not even close, as these pretty Midwestern metalhead-looking dudes shred a la Judas Priest circa 1978 on cuts like "Sepulchre" and the NWOBHM-soaked "Judas Ships". With nary an upside cross to be had and horned beasts replaced by durable twin guitar heroics, this nine-track ode to heavy metal's glory days is deceptive in moniker yet impressive to those that trump expert musicianship and solid composition instead of overwrought smoke and mirror metallics.
www.cruzdelsurmusic.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Every New Day,"Even in the Darkest Places" (Hand of Hope)
Canadian hardcore hopefuls Every New Day sound like a cross between countrymen Comeback Kid, Thrice, and Atreyu, as this trio's beefed up guitars, string arrangements, heartfelt choruses, and rapid punk rhythms are by no means unique, but they get the job done. Chunky guitars assist "Best Defenses", while a cookie cutter melody heard across Warped Tour stages anchors "Tomorrow". While at times Every New Day's impressive heaviness for a trio rivals that of As I Lay Dying ("Mark This Day"), the overall feel of EVEN IN THE DARKEST PLACES is one of coherent complacency.
www.handofhoperecords.net
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Pere Ubu,"Why I Hate Women" (Smog Veil)
Vanguard avant-garde alt rock act Pere Ubu return with their 15th studio effort WHY I HATE WOMEN. Retaining the band's trademark dissonance for another go-round, the odd instrumentation and angular riffs and rhythms that adorn cuts like "Texas Overture" and "Mona" flesh out the band's free-wheeling musical thought patterns, while the whimsical doom that the band projects rears its head across the entire disc, specifically on murky tunes like "Blue Velvet". Still pushing the didactic musical envelope while blurring the barriers between noise, sound, and music, this 11-track release is a challenging yet rewarding listen to those engrossed in the surreal world of the early days of punk, garage, psychedelic rock, and the first movement of new wave.
www.smogveil.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Protest The Hero,"Kezia" (Vagrant)
Canadian quintet Protest the Hero put forth a monstrously ambitious offering by releasing the glistening 10-track affair KEZIA. Demonstrating this youthful crew’s immense talents and crossover appeal, if you’ve ever wondered what the bastard child of Nevermore and Coheed and Cambria would sound like, here’s the proof. Cascading vocal melodies, massively metallic guitars, furious flurries of rhythmic bliss, and highly proficient technical prowess propel tracks like “Heretics and Killers”, “No Stars Over Bethlehem” and “Nautical” to heights usually reserved for the masters of art rock, while you’d be hard pressed to find a more rocking prog punk track than “The Divine Suicide of K.” anywhere out there. Oh yeah, KEZIA is also a concept album of sorts, taking perspectives of three character’s point of view regarding the execution of lead Kezia, but this only adds to the mystique of this startling outfit’s rock opera for the 21st Century and beyond. Making the kind of music that hardened musicians, hard to please rock fans, and moshpit dudes alike can find solace in, expect to hear a whole lot more from Protest the Hero and their brand of adroit underground metal.
www.vagrant.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Giant Squid,"Metridum Fields" (The End)
Giant Squid may sound like the title of a bad B-rated horror flick or a Gwar-like costumed cacophony instead of a breathtakingly dynamic underground rock sensation, yet there's enough murky undertones and grim in their groove to illicit the bestial moniker. Conjuring up a stoner rock stew of epic proportions, this Northern California unit that now calls Austin, TX home after a few major lineup shakeups get top marks for creating a dazzling display of dizzyingly dramatic atmosphere (and for re-enlisting producer Billy Anderson to engineer the mayhem) on their re-recorded affair METRIDIUM FIELDS. While Giant Squid's doom-laden guitars are mammoth, they don't crush the cranium as much as they chip ever so slowly, almost as if the axes and accompanying instrumental bliss alike was performed with Novocain needles rather than sticks and picks. These songs may play long but never get dull, revealing intriguingly ornate tapestries woven by a twin guitar attack that understands the art of restraint, masterfully moody male-female vocal tradeoffs, and a artisan's rhythm section that can dually jazz it out or rip it up a la Opeth. Chock full of simple yet effective percussion and a never overbearing organ which holds each sprawling beat with the utmost care, tracks like "Metridium Field", "Neonate", and Ampullae of Lorenzini" combine spooky savagery and haunting melodies to eerily engage the darker side of your brain.
www.theendrecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Agalloch,"Ashes Against The Grain" (The End)
Portland, OR black metal troupe Agalloch have always been oppressively heavy, but they've gotten a whole lot heavier on its latest eight-track offering, resulting in ASHES AGAINST THE GRAIN being the band's most exhilarating release to date. While the remnants of their acoustic alchemy from albums such as THE MANTLE are still very much apparent throughout the course of the disc, a bulk of the material is electric guitar driven, and heavy-handedly at that, showcasing the vibes usually set aside for acts like Katatonia and Daylight Dies. Tracks like the fist-pumping anthemic feel of "Not Unlike the Waves" glimmer with lead guitar brilliance, as the glistening "Fire Above, Ice Below" clock in at over 10 minutes and is laden with some of the most moving melancholic musical passages heard from a metal band, while the quartet's somberly-charged vitriol kicks in on "Limbs" and "Falling Snow", evoking a one-two punch that those on suicide watch should steer clear from. Raising the bar for black metal across the globe, this gem is a must have for adventurous avant-garde metal fans everywhere.
www.theendrecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Seemless,"What Have We Become" (Equal Vision)
Seemless continues its quest to bring back ballsy no frills hard rock to the forefront with WHAT HAVE WE BECOME, a raucous 10-track collection of barroom anthems and horn-handed ditties guaranteed to light a fire under your ass. Armed with vocalist Jesse Leach's monstrous pipes, a collective love of stoner rock gods Kyuss, and some of the best fuzzed-out riffs and percussive wizardry this side of Fu Manchu, tracks like the infectious "Jaded" and the ready for radio "Numb" (just check out the rattlesnake on this one) relentlessly rip through your speakers broadcasting an arena rock aura, while "The Deep Below" demonstrates the quartet's ability to kick out the jam and let it ride '70s style. While some may claim this Massachusetts band's meat and potato rock as merely a poor man's Soundgarden, tracks like "Maintain" tend to stray more towards the stoner grooves of Down and COC with a little more hip-shaking swagger added in, while the sludgy sojourn "Cast No Shadow" takes you on has more in common with Alice in Chains and Queens of the Stone Age. Regardless, these guys are doing their part to keep the highway to the superunknown relatively free of modern-day metallic clunk and clutter.
www.equalvision.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Torchbearer,"Warnaments" (Candlelight)
Most bands this dastardly and dark wouldn't opt to run with huge choruses like the one found on "Battlespawn", yet Swedish supergroup Torchbearer twists the Gothenburg sound to cater to today's metal realm quite well on WARNAMENTS. Featuring members of Scar Symmetry, Satariel, and Angel Blake, this band comprised of volatile metal vets crash the party with excessive force. Meshing the type of hooks that wouldn't sound out of place coming from Soilwork with a crusty crunch that evokes Testament, Hypocrisy, and Entombed, cuts like "Where Night is Total" and "Dark Clouds Gathering" are prime examples of how a band can successfully blur the lines between thrash, death and black metal while keeping the melody intact. By digging its nails way past the surface, Torchbearer conjures up a concoction that fans of Children of Bodom and Animosity will undoubtedly go ape over.
www.candlelightrecordsusa.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

OPM,"California Poppy" (Suburban Noize)
While the level of OPM's maturity and the outfit's glorification of misogyny, drugs, and pseudo OC thug life on the quintet's third release is suspect, their shameless Sublime ripoff routine is dead-on, so much in fact that they blatantly steal bits from Mr. Nowell and company's tunes on cuts like "Rock Me Slow". Whether it's a matter of showing no respect for the dead, or merely just a case of being too stoned to care, CALIFORNIA POPPY's watered-down reggae-rock and ska flavor, much like the eager freshmen at their first kegger, probably won't get past the frat house bathroom. Disposable yet groovy, if you can shut your brain off for a bit and skate around the half-pipe half in the bag, then this is your soundtrack.
www.suburbannoizerecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

XXX Maniak,"Harvesting The Cunt Nectar" (Selfmadegod)
Completely vile and revolting grindcore comes courtesy of XXX Maniak, who aim low and manage to produce some of the most ungregarious, gory grindcore heard to date. With the tact of a snuff film and the crude song titles and vomitory vocals to match, this 31-track endeavor is not for the squeamish or easily offended, as it truly caters to the most depraved of the lowest common denomination in the metal community. Which means it's a must have for your collection.
www.selfmadegod.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

On The Last Day,"Meaning In The Static" (Victory)
Seattle-based new school punkers On the Last Day ravaged the AFI, Ignite, and Boy Sets Fire catalogue to comprise their musical influence and Hot Topic for their fashion sense judging by the look and sound of the 11-track MEANING IN THE STATIC. Discovered by compatriots and fellow statesmen Aiden, this quintet play passably enough to make cuts like the title track and "The Rescue" palatable for the young and the trendy, but overall this is pretty standard fare for a band who are destined for a Warped Tour summer jaunt and a few dark emo videos.
www.victoryrecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Dead Man In Reno,"Dead Man In Reno" (Candlelight)
Alabama-based Dead Man in Reno's assaultive eponymous debut is a full-on metalcore attack, complete with jagged riffs, bruising breakdowns, and quirky instrumental breaks like the one of strings and piano found at the end of "Cursed" that assists this band in sticking out amongst the vast sea. Produced by Jamie King of the genre-leading Between the Buried and Me, this album displays a sometimes Killswitch ("Even in My Dreams"), sometimes Swedish ("He Said She Said"), sometimes math-y ("The Devil Made Him Do It") and sometimes DIY-style raw vibe ("From Here I Can See the Shore"), as this unit's mixed bag of mayhem will resound with the kids that love the downtuned chug as much as the metalheads who seek something beyond the norm.
www.candlelightrecordsusa.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Darkane,"Layers Of Lies" (Nuclear Blast)
Revel in the sinister symphonies via LAYERS OF LIES, the 12-track endeavor by Sweden's Darkane. This veteran act combine a spirited classical music influence shared by many of black metal's elite with some of the most progressively arranged songs (think Nevermore), rippingly heavy riffs, and an uncanny sense of melody for a band of their ilk, reminiscent of a merger of Soilwork, Fear Factory, Strapping Young Lad, At the Gates, and The Haunted. Despite this album being almost two years old, it still packs a mighty punch with the soaring highs and crushing lows encountered on hook-laden extreme metal anthems like "Vision of Degradation" and "Decadent Messiah".
www.nuclearblastusa.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Blind Guardian,"Fly" (Nuclear Blast)
German power metal troupe Blind Guardian's holdover three-track disc FLY contains a potpourri of textures for your ears to enjoy. From the massive-sounding power metal opus of the title track , to an acoustic rendition of "Skalds and Shadows" that the folksier side of the metal spectrum should clamor over, to a quirky cover of "In A Gadda Da Vida", this release is a tad scattershot yet satisfying for those on the watch for this veritable act's undoubtedly mighty next full-length.
www.nuclearblastusa.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Your Eyes My Dreams,"Weapons Are Useless" (Indianola)
Metalcore act Your Eyes My Dreams follow the template pretty accurately on this 11-track offering. Sing-along lyrics, twin guitar melees, drum acrobatics, and monstrous guitar chugs aplenty thrust songs such as "When the Going Gets Rough" and "Chasing the Clouds" into a pit where kids can happily beat the hell out of each other while singing inspirational lyrics like "I will never leave you if you don't leave me". If you dig As I Lay Dying as much as Scars of Tomorrow, then this Delaware quintet is for you.
www.indianolarecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Daughters,"Hell Songs" (Hydra Head)
Talk about spastic, the latest endeavor by Rhode Island's Daughters takes the cake. On the quintet's hard to swallow 10-track follow-up to CANADA SONGS, the risk-taking troupe delve deeper into the madness, melding Dillinger-esque blasts with Ministry-like vocals and some of the most jarring sounds to come from a six-stringed instrument on songs like "Providence by Gaslight" and "Fiesty Snakewoman". With obvious nods to Every Time I Die, The Mars Volta, Mr. Bungle, Melt Banana, and noise rock across the globe, HELL SONGS is hard to digest, and even at times unlistenable, yet much like a car accident on the side of the road, nearly impossible to divert your attention from.
www.hydrahead.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Silent Civilian,"Rebirth of Thr Temple" (Mediaskare)
Former Spineshank frontman Jonny Santos returns with new project Silent Civilian, demonstrating an updated style which contains a more streamlined sound with a discernible metalcore center. This quartet combines the Bay Area thrash riffs of Machine Head and Testament with the new wave of metal histrionics employed by Trivium and Shadows Fall on selections such as "The Song Remains Un-named" and "Lies in the House of Shame". Comprising a rhythmically dynamic riff and vocal dual that ranks amongst the best heard today, some may plead a severe case of bandwagon-itis, but thankfully skullcrushers like "Force Fed" and "Wrath" come complete with face-rippng solos and properly do the metalcore genre justice by adding ripe kindling to the smoldering fire instead of merely emptying its contents. If you dig the sound of today's metal, this one delivers in spades.
www.mediaskare.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Hammerfall,"Threshold" (Nuclear Blast)
Raise your sword and shield to the mighty Swedish troupe Hammerfall, whose latest 11-track endeavor THRESHOLD once again revisits the land where power metal reigns supreme. On the quintet's sixth release, there's no shortage of humungous guitars, tales of epic battles, and melodic metallic vocals that display both clarity and power, even if the material like "Howlin' with the 'Pac" and "Rebel Inside" are somewhat cringe-worthy, slightly cheesy, and lack that bite. Fret not, metal warriors, tracks like "Natural High" and "Reign of the Hammer" redeem the band in spades, reeling you back into the days where denim jackets and mullets were all the rage in fine form. Horns up for this one, children of the beast.
www.nuclearblastusa.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

From A Second Story Window,"Delenda" (Blackmarket/Metalblade)
As spacious as a brutal metal band gets without going completely Opeth, Ohio-vania (their term not mine) quintet From a Second Story Window display equal amounts of groove, grind, and gloom on the 10-track DELENDA to warrant repeated listens to dissect it all and let it all sink in. And even then, there's bound to be things you missed or skipped over, like the out of place piano-led pop punk ballad "Ghosts Over Japan" or some cool riff change throughout melees like "Dark Waters of Thought" or the Dillinger Escape Plan meets Between the Buried and Me choppiness of "A Piece of History Written in English". Regardless, FASSW is versatile, punishing, and above all, a bit too creative for those with attention span issues. But, for the adventurous crowd that enjoys a righteous mixed bag 'o underground metal at its most frantic, DELENDA is a good pickup.
www.metalblade.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

The Break In,"Unbowed" (Surprise Attack)
Tough guy straight edge metalcore from the UK, The Break In's brooding 10-track release is chock full of bitter screams of content, raging guitars, and no nonsense chugga-chugga breakdown hardcore. Tracks like "Iron Hammer" rips your face off with its Hatebreed head-nod rhythm, while "Give Them Hell" may be a bit stock, but is packed with pure passion. The best part about UNBOWED is unequivocally the vocals, boasting a snarl that transcends metal and hardcore and truly stands out amongst the musical pounding. The Break In are by far not the most unique band out there, but they follow the Hatebreed/Earth Crisis playbook well enough to get circle pits going.
www.surpriseattackrecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Threat Signal,"Under Reprisal" (Nuclear Blast)
Canadian quintet Threat Signal's debut was produced by Christian Olde Wolbers, a guy that knows a thing or two about crushing metal. Rest assured that this 11-track disc is laden with the kind of pulverizing polyrhythmics, brazen vocal and guitar batterings, and huge-sounding, synthesized choruses that we'd expect from a band under his wing, with a good smattering of Raunchy, Soilwork, In Flames, and Megadeth rounding out this outfit's sound. Armed with dynamic songwriting ("Counter Balance"), a twin guitar assault that stands up amongst metal's elite ("Rational Eyes"), and flashes of sheer brutality ("Now"), UNDER REPRISAL sound more Swedish than Canuck, yet they convincingly get the job done with an intriguing mix of modern metal.
www.nuclearblastusa.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Mitra,"All Gods Kill" (Idol)
Comprised of 3/4's of redneck metal act Speedealer, by adding a new vocalist to the fray they become Mitra, a quartet still hellbent on its brand of whiskey soaked, trucker hat heavy boogie. This 12-track disc showcases swampy metal riffs ("Your New God"), Motorhead-esque fast paced rockers ("The Cleaner"), and some simple yet effective headpounders ("Violence is Golden"). Providing meat and potatoes stoner metal that fans of old Clutch, Raging Speedhorn, and Sixty Watt Shaman can groove out to, ALL GODS KILL is a perfect accompaniment to a hellacious night of doing bad things.
www.idolrecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Sikth,"Death Of A New Day" (Bieler Bros)
Defiant UK metal merchants Sikth definitely play to their own beat judging by the 12-track DEATH OF A NEW DAY. Math-y chord progressions, hardcore breakdowns, speed metal excess, and nu-metal noisecore collide on tracks like "Another Sinking Ship", juxtaposing choppy power chords and crushing grooves that go above and beyond the call of duty. Artsy sans the pretense yet loaded with precision, this sextet's non-conformist songwriting recipes and masterful display of dynamics permit them to roam to a whimsical place where Faith No More, Mudvayne, Bullet for My Valentine, and Shadow Fall coexist and create insanely ornate metal gems. If you like controlled chaos, this is an album you need to own.
www.bielerbros.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Trendkill,"No Longer Buried" (Candlelight)
Swedish act Trendkill hits all the peaks that '90s metal stars Machine Head and Sepultura reach on their nine-track scream-a-thon NO LONGER BURIED. Meshing the power groove guitars of Pantera and relentless vocal wails with machine gun rhythms and dissonant riffs, at times like "Break the Silence" and "Nothing for Granted" they sound all VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER, while "Dedication" demonstrates the outfit's technically-sound Meshuggah approach. While Trendkill does nothing wrong, seldom you'll find a moment on this nine-track disc that transcends to the next level of metal supremacy, instead opting to play it safe, loud, and heavy with few sharp turns or unexpected twists built in their durable yet routine assault.
www.candlelightrecordsusa.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Various Artists,"Drum Nation" (Magna Carta)
Wow, a CD whose sole scope highlights the drummer...you know, that dude that hangs in the back of the stage and beats the hell out of things? Thanks to Magna Carta, exposure is given to some of metal's finest sticksmen who generally get overlooked on DRUM NATION. And while this CD tends to have quite the clinical vibe, if you're a drummer (or a musician for that matter) and want to hear guys like Kenneth Schalk, Chris Adler, Jason Bittner, and Chris Pennie throw down some vicious beats on top of an amalgamation of world beat, TV and film background music, jazz-rock, and metal, look no further. Just don't expect any annoying vocals or unnecessary melodic choruses to come into play here, just masters at their crafts giving the listener an exposition in excellence.
www.magnacarta.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

The Black Maria,"A Shared History Of Tragedy" (Victory)
Canada's The Black Maria underwent a lineup change, ditching its drummer and ex-Grade guitarist Kyle Bishop and come up sounding radio ready and prim and proper. Taking their schmaltzy somber rock somewhere between Staind and Finger Eleven, this 11-track disc should hit big with the set that digs rock songs you'll hear on the NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC compilations. Tracks like the shimmering” Van Gogh" and the uber-synthesized "Waking Up With Wolves" have been meticulously produced to bilk hard-earned dollars from the parent's of sensitive punk rocker's wallets everywhere, while the pedestrian rock stance displayed on "A Thief in the Ranks (Your Bike)" vies 30 Seconds to Mars for overwrought rock anthem of the year. Piano heavy, laden with cascading moodiness, and able to explode into a huge chorus at moment's notice, A SHARED HISTORY OF TRAGEDY fits right in with what's hip and happening for the MTV2 generation.
www.victoryrecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Desolate,"Obscurity Of The Fallen" (Indie Release)
Queens, NY quintet Desolate have been making noise in the thankless NYC heavy music underground for many years, culminating in the five-track uprising OBSCURITY OF THE FALLEN. If you're ready for concrete riffs, red-faced vocals churning with hate, and an abominable rhythm section that will stomp a mudhole in you, these guys bring the goods. Dropping down ferocious nuggets of metal-fueled rage, tracks like "Broken Concrete" hit you until it hurts, while "Through the Wall" is an assaultive showcase of simple yet effective NYC moshing groove. Meshing Pantera, DRI, and Sworn Enemy, Desolate leaves some impressive looking marks on this release.
www.desolatenyc.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Made Out Of Babies,"Coward" (Neurot)
Unsettling is the best way to describe NYC female fronted noise rockers Made Out of Babies' sophomore effort COWARD. From the unnerving cover photo of a beaten young boy to the ensuing eight tracks of atmospherically apocalyptic and menacing post-hardcore, this Brooklyn, NY quartet's love of the jagged and dissonant is well documented. Imagine Bjork, Helmet, PJ Harvey, Unsane, Jesus Lizard, and Diamanda Galas in the Royal Rumble to catch a whiff of what songs like "Proud to Drown" and "Fed" have in store for your ears. Lots of odd-signatures, spooky guitar licks, and thunderous claps of heaviness are woven into an admittedly irregular safe haven by way of musical tapestry, led by a startling vocal performance that summons howls, shrieks, whispers, and power from the depths of Julie Christmas' blackened soul. But buyer beware, this is not Fiona Apple. If you scare easily or get flustered at the thought of complex music that acts as a supplement to angst-ridden tirades and volatile episodes, then you can't handle Made Out of Babies.
www.neurotrecordings.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Endwell,"Homeland Insecurity" (Victory)
Queens, NY quintet Endwell puts together a spirited debut that melds an East Coast hardcore aesthetic with a helping of watered down emo rock to service the shopping malls across the land on HOMELAND INSECURITY. Slickly produced and cliche-ridden, tracks like "Single and Loving It" sound just like everything else dominating your high schooler's playlist, yet "Whine and Dine" takes a decisively more genuine approach, complete with gang vocals and fist-pumping verses. Endwell's innocuous version of poppy California punk rock with some hardcore infusions is reminiscent of Blindside at times, Hawthorne Heights at others, and Atreyu as well, which yields a sometimes clunky, yet sometimes passable form of Hot Topic rock for the kids to get off over. www.victoryrecords.com -Mike SOS
www.victoryrecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Death Before Disco,"Barricades" (Lifeforce)
Belgium's Death Before Disco are an unbridled quintet that displays a limitless musical scope on BARRICADES, allowing the 10 tracks ample room to explore territories carved out by Dredg, Thrice and The Mars Volta. Bands like Shift come to mind when listening to cuts like "Set the Minutes", as DBD do a stellar job of combining melody with lush soundscapes to create an exquisite listen, while harder edged tunes like "Barricades of Rumble" would elicit comparisons to Refused if they were on Drive-Thru Records. Unhinged and not afraid to wander off into jamland before returning to heavy punk hooks or even a Boysetsfire-esque fist-pumping chorus ("Pyramids on Mars"), this band's progressive and proud of it vibe isn't for everyone, yet if you can appreciate a band whose versatility bends genres and incorporates a dizzying array of musical styles, then this disc would be a smart pickup.
www.lifeforcerecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Hot One,"Hot One" (Modern Imperial)
Slutty rock 'n roll comes courtesy of Hot One, a band featuring ex-members of Shudder to Think and Guided By Voices amongst others whose 11-track endeavor has no shortage of sexually-charged, hand-clapped dance rock galore. Bringing the dirty to jangly ditties like "Get Your Priest On!", "Sexy Soldier", and the straightforward "Fuckin'", Hot One resides in a temple where Prince and U2 peacefully coexist. Silky sweet vocals a la Eagles of Death Metal meet schlock cock rock riffs and cowbells while stripped down melodies are given an indie rock colonic before tossing them in the gutter where lyrics to sultry numbers like "Pistol-Whip Me" come from. Imagine if a less double-entendre driven AC/DC made it with a more sensual version of Weezer for an idea of what smarmy arena rock like "Daddy Was a Pilot" sounds like. Yes, this is music to have a torrid affair to, as this 11-track disc will get you drunk, bang you hard, and lose your number. But, they'll leave you with great memories and some pretty damn catchy rock songs in the process.
www.hotone.org
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Generals And Majors,"Generals And Majors" (Indie Release)
Putting substance way ahead of style is a rarity in the pretentious NYC rock scene, yet the quintet Generals and Majors do their part to turn this trend around. Armed with a '70s rock shimmy and tricks straight out of the Phil Lynott handbook of how to be a cool rocker, tracks like "I Don't Care" and "Every Night's a Bust in NYC" reveal the underground's scruffy underbelly by unleashing a raw rock boogie best accompanied with a busty babe and a muscle car. Displaying a love for The Rolling Stones, MC5, T. Rex, and an era when rock music was truly raucous and rebellious, this eponymous disc convincingly runs its fingers right over the pulse of rock 'n roll. Bringing the heartfelt heartbreak beats of yesteryear, Generals and Majors are resurrecting the glam rock glories and four on the floor stompings of when NYC was the rock music tastemaker.
www.myspace.com/generalsampmajors
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Suffocation,"Suffocation" (Relapse)
The term legendary gets tossed around way too easily these days, but Suffocation is a band who unequivocally deserves the moniker. This NYC quintet single-handedly paved the way for modern day death metal as we know it, fusing unmatched brutality with painstaking precision way back in the ea, sounding like no other band. Now back in the full swing of things after reforming in 2004, and having been duplicated many times over the outfit's 11-track eponymous offering displays the excruciatingly punishing devastation that one would expect from these genre masters. From the frantic beats of "The End of Ends", the manic low end rumbling of "Prelude to Repulsion", and the guttural growling vocals that relentlessly rip through your speakers throughout the course of the album, Suffocation has finally, after 17 years of toil and turmoil, replicated the panic and terror of their live shows on disc with an album laden with the proper volatility, velocity, and ferocity. Young bucks take note; the masters have reclaimed their crowns.
www.relapse.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Set Your Goals,"Mutiny!" (Eulogy)
Bay Area pop punk act Set Your Goals have released their long awaited full-length disc MUTINY!, a sugary, spirited endeavor bursting with contagious melodies. Fusing the wares of Bouncing Souls, New Found Glory, H2O, and Taking Back Sunday, this sextet's dual vocal attack, bouncy punk rock outpouring, and seemingly endless levels of energy never let up through the duration of the 11-track affair, notably on the cleverly titled and utterly frantic "This Song is Definitely NOT About a Girl". "Echoes" and "Flight of the Navigator" find the unit crashing the gates of the mundane with soaring vocals, meaty riffs, and the right dash of pop sensibility that can easily overtake Good Charlotte and Simple Plan for teen rock band of the year. While the band's style manages cramps its substance somewhat, their infectious enthusiasm and pseudo-hardcore swagger make cuts like "Dead Men Tell No Tales" and "This Very Moment" can be the deal breakers for those unsure whether these guys make it or get cast aside. Harder than the usual suspects yet still packed with those singalongs to get the kids to the Warped Tour, MUTINY! could be the breakthrough for this group.
www.eulogyrecordings.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Rory Gallagher,"Live At Montreux" (Eagle)
Rory Gallagher is far from a household name in today's music scope, but if you asked Clapton, Page, Slash, or countless other famous players through the years, this Irish blues man’s name and legacy are unsurpassed. Taking performances from Gallagher's five appearances at the renowned Montreuz festival, this 12-track disc emanates the style, grace, and passion of a man who died before his time (at age 47 due to liver transplant complications) but left behind a wealth of his great rock and blues recordings such as this. Famous for his marathon concerts and soulful playing, tracks like "Tore Down" and "Last of the Independents" exemplify Gallagher's love of the blues and his musical exuberance, while "Philby" captures the man in his later years still going the extra mile. If you're looking for a musical history lesson about one of the unsung greats, LIVE AT MONTREUX does a fine job in illuminating Rory Gallagher's musical depth.
www.eaglerockent.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Drive By,"I Hate Everyday Without You Kid..." (Riot Squad)
Not even remotely as violent as their name (or their record label's for that matter), New Jersey quartet Drive By sound way more pedestrian than they let on. Falling somewhere in between Senses Fail and My Chemical Romance, this outfit relies on huge hooks ("You're Not Alone") and emotive compositions ("Maybe Someday", "The Hand That Cuts") that belong rocking arena-sized stages. A bit too innocuous for the harder side of the fence, this group plays as passionately as Jimmy Eat World with the musical acumen of The Used or Yellowcard turning up on "Rolling on the Vine" Sounding primed for mass consumption, Drive By's stellar songwriting sets them apart from the rest of the pack, making this 11-track disc something the MTV2 generation can sink their teeth into.
www.riotsquadrecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Tenebre,"Heart's Blood" (Candlelight)
On Swedish unit Tenebre's 10-track endeavor, this veteran act's knack for creating credibly creepy atmosphere while setting the dance floor ablaze like The Sisters of Mercy or Bauhaus shines through HEART'S BLOOD. With their blend of sullenly driven keyboard-laden gothic metal, engaging intros like "Silver Flame" showcase this act's immense dramatic flare, while cuts like the Cult-esque rocker "Nightmare" demonstrates the band at its most raw and stripped down and "Black Void Nirvana" finds the group at its most melancholic and introspective. Eerie vocals, cool live drumming (a virtual rarity in this genre), and the kind of block-rocking beats that anyone whose ever heard Evanescence or Type O Negative can get into, even those who hold memories of the past close to heart will dig on this disc for its authentic vibe. Hell, HEART'S BLOOD might even encourage you to break out the PVC pants and black everything else for another spin.
www.candlelightrecordsusa.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

1090 Club,"Shipwrecked On Shore" (Sidecho)
Montana-based quartet 1090 Club's eclectic grab bag of indie rock yields an exquisite listen. Thanks to their multi-vocal (male and female) strategy and captivating instrumentation including full-time violin and piano, the unorthodox style demonstrated on this disc reveals a clever change of pace. SHIPWRECKED ON SHORE's wide array of off-kilter harmonies that range from sullen to wistful ("Sunk", "Some Equals One", "Business End") and poppy yet intricate arrangements found on cuts like "Second Hander" and the perfect closer "Cheers to Us" capable of jarring your senses. Doing it mostly sans bass guitar and a solid yet unemphasized level of guitars, 1090 Club's vast soundscape and compact arrangements allow this band to stand out as something special above the average indie rock example. If you dig Modest Mouse, Talking Heads, and The Cure, there's something here for you.
www.sidecho.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Spiritual,"Pulse" (Sensory)
Darkseed vocalist Stefan Hertrich's solo project is a stab at joining bruising electronic metal a la Strapping Young Lad with ambient female vocals, world beat rhythms and instrumentation and woodwinds from across the nations. Calling it Spiritual, this eight-track affair supplies a fascinating display of atmosphere on cuts "Khundra" and "This Battle is Yours". And while the harder-edged pieces of this puzzle seem a bit forced at first, when songs like the epic title cut are fully revealed, a rich tapestry of cinematic metal is achieved. Hitting up the Goth and darkwave side of things, imagine Enya jamming with Soulfly for a bit of reference as to what Spiritual is aiming for on the ambitiously ethereal PULSE.
www.laserdcd.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Wired All Wrong,"Break Out The Battle Tapes" (Nitrus)
Featuring founding members of Self and God Lives Underwater who have also gone on to work with a list that reads like a who's who of what's hot in music (Paul Oakenfield, Beck), BREAK OUT THE BATTLE TAPES is an industrial rock flavored hodgepodge release that equally provides block rocking beats and toe tapping jams. Shifting between fantastic displays of danceable electronic rock like "Elevatin", nu-metal infusions like "Lost Angeles", mash-up melodies like "You're Freakin' Me Out Girl" and heavily programmed Brit-pop enchantment found on "Make a Fool", this 10-track disc finds two kindred spirits who've never worked in the same room together discovering a happy medium between lighting up the dancefloor and rocking live audiences. Slightly disposable if not accompanied with a few strong drinks and a bevy of flashing lights, this hybrid offering has the capability to keep the boys and girls that have both Linkin Park and Justin Timberlake in their disc collections shaking all night long.
www.nitrusrecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Iscariot,"Lifeless Design" (567)
Iscariot is a hulking metal quintet whose 10-track jaunt through the metal realm reaps a dastardly concoction of chugging riffs, frantic fretboard runs, and enough tortured screams and demonic growls to last until next Halloween. While chances are that you've heard all of this before if you dig heavy stuff, these cats play with a relentless intensity and a sonic viciousness that grabs you by the jugular and doesn't let go on cuts like "Reinventing the Ghost" and "Our Lifeless Design". Ferocious as a death metal act with enough Swedish melodicism mixed in to draw comparisons to any metalcore band you can think of, songs like "Hollowed Eyes" explode with pummeling drums, brutal riffs, and a volatile composition that sets these guys apart from the pack. If you want raw, uncompromising savagery a la Full Blown Chaos, The Red Chord, and Darkest Hour, look no further than Iscariot to feed the need.
www.567records.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Gatsbys American Dream,"Gatsbys American Dream" (Fearless)
Boldly proclaiming the woes of the music industry's while laying down supercharged yet genre-scattered pop-punk, the fourth full-length from Gatsbys American Dream may invoke comparisons to a lot of bands (Incubus, Panic at the Disco, The Starting Line), yet this act is head and shoulders above categorizations in so many ways. Fusing My Chemical Romance's dramatic flare with stark literary references and a bevy of musical influence simmering in the old cauldron, for starters, these guys play smarter than most bands could even muster. Progressively inclined yet infectiously melodic, tracks like "My Name is Ozymandas" and "Looks Like the Real Thing" are led by clever instrumentation and passionate vocals, while tracks like "You All Everybody" and "Me and Ed Loyce" reveal this sextet at its most groovy yet rhythmically jarring. With nary a chorus to be heard, it's a wonder how catchy these songs are and how they leave an indelible mark in your cranium after just a few listens, but that's yet another strength this Seattle-based unit possess. Find out for yourself what all the fuss is about if the current wave of screamo, emo, and stuff headed for the ump-teen Warped Tour stages has left you flat as of late, as Gatsbys American Dream's eponymous transcends the current movement as does so with a message to boot.
www.fearlessrecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Heavy Heavy Low Low,"Everyone's Watched, Everyone's Watching" (Ferret)
Decisively spastic, Heavy Heavy Low Low's manic deliveries and unorthodox juxtapositions of whiny woe is me-core with metal that sounds as if it came from Satan's spawn makes for a disjointed listen to say the least. Presenting 11 tracks in under 23 minutes, this album moves swiftly and lays down a smattering of chugging hardcore breakdowns, stream of consciousness screamo, and mathcore guitar and bass breakdowns to utterly confuse, confound, and throw your ears for a loop. If you dig Every Time I Die’s manic rants, chances are you’ll dig this succinctly manic release.
www.ferretstyle.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Fuck the Facts,"Stigmata High-Five" (Relapse)
Ridiculously punishing, Fuck the Facts play the kind of death metal infested grind that goes from zero to 100 in less than a second and maintains that maddening pace throughout. On this seven-track offering, this Canadian outfit toy with stop-start rhythm patterns, melodic solos, and a slew of non-metal noises like wind chimes within its heavy as Satan’s ball sack delivery of tracks like “The Wrecking”, all in the sake of detonating the largest bomb to produce the most explosive burst of devastation. And for the most part, this female-fronted act succeeds in ripping your ears to shreds and rendering your remaining senses useless for all except slaving to their form of menacing grind. If Arch Enemy, Napalm Death, and Candiria had a kid, not only would it be a complete terror on society, but it’d be named Fuck the Facts.
www.relapse.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Negative Reaction,"Under the Ancient Penalty" (This Dark Reign)
NYC sludge supremacists Negative Reaction recreate the musical accompaniment of what it feels like to live in a dank NYC subway tunnel on the eight-track UNDER THE ANCIENT PENALTY. No strangers to the crusty side of hardcore or the brooding side of metal, this outfit are decked out with song titles like “Loathing”, “Pain”, and “Alone”, and for the most part, these emotions are emulated perfectly, right down to the hypnotizing rhythms and gargle with broken glass singing on tracks like “Sorrow”. Highly depressive and downright doom-laden, yet never boring, Negative Reaction keeps the atmosphere somewhere between a car crash and a wake across the span of this endeavor, truly capturing the feelings of utter despair like a blend of Crowbar and Sheer Terror. Leave your attention span at the door and tracks like “Suffer” to be your harbinger of all things doom.
www.thisdarkreign.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

The Distance,"The Rise, The Fall, & Everything In Between" (Abacus)
Connecticut-based “hardcore” outfit The Distance is fronted by erstwhile singer from Voice of Reason, so why the hell does this CD sound like a New Found Glory release? One word: heartbreak. Reassessing his priorities while recovering from a difficult breakup, Reason and The Distance went from passionate hardcore troupe to run of the mill, my girlfriend dumped me punkcore drivel. Shame really, as Reason’s voice still has some resonance, but the haircuts, pink CD layout, and hot girl on the cover of the disc won’t appeal to anyone over 18 with any attachment to hardcore at all. But, if you dig mall punkcore with a trail of broken hearts behind it, this offering is right up your alley.
www.abacusrecordings.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Bury Your Dead,"Beauty and the Breakdown" (Victory)
Hardcore by way of nu-metal, the much maligned Massachusetts crew Bury Your Dead continues to gain momentum, as spots on the Family Values trek and their new 11-track disc BEAUTY AND THE BREAKDOWN suggest. This time around, it’s all about the nursery rhymes, not Tom Cruise flicks as the song titles attached to these electronica-induced chugga-chugga industrially heavy cacophonies, as tracks like “House of Straw”, “Mirror, Mirror”, and “House of Brick” actually mimic the aggro assault and technical prowess of Korn, if the freaks on a leash decided to garnish more street cred and hardcore it up, that is. The band has declared itself numerous times as a fun unit that would rather be goofy that gritty, and their slick replication of Fear Factory’s battering coupled with the aesthetic to wreak havoc like the decadent the hair metal era has captured the attention span of the new crop of kids. Perhaps the kids are on to something? Or is it because this disc is one gigantic 34-minute breakdown broken down into 11 songs? You decide.
www.victoryrecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Twin Method,"The Volume of Self" (Crash)
Putting a British spin on modern metal, the Logan Mader of Machine Head produced effort by the sextet Twin Method exhibits all of the nuances of Sevendust, Taproot, Linkin Park, and Lostprophets. Unveiling a keyboard driven downtuned assault packed with vocal melodies galore on tracks like the made for radio “Flawless”, these lads also tend to drone into the faceless techno metal slots a bit too often on tracks like “Pedegree”, diverting the strong points to expose a way done too much style that is five years behind the times. Despite the unoriginality, Twin Method’s screams are impressive, their riffs are tight, and they’ve nailed the sound of 2001 metal perfectly.
www.crashmusicinc.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Rojo Diablo,"Devil Red" (Indie Release)
Wisconsin-based Rojo Diablo’s DEVIL RED has a real fertile underground rock vibe creeping inside the 13-track collection. While much of the disc plods along with a burdensome (hopefully intended) doominess like a less-metallic Godsmack, when the band decides to kick up some dust and rock out, songs like “The Hard One” and “Jerrado” never quite hit the peaks that they should. Maybe the band needs some more time to mature, as their chops are pretty solid, displaying a Motorhead meets Badlands aura, and the vocals, while far from outstanding, provide the proper snarl necessary for this style. However, there’s a tightness missing from this mix that could truly elevate this outfit to the next level Rojo Diablo pulls off the basic stoner rock done with a lot of heart but ultimately falls a bit short.
www.rojodiablo.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Birds Of Prey,"Weight of the Wound" (Relapse)
Birds of Prey definitely get the award for stupidest song titles, as “Mangled by Mongoloids” and “Buttfucked with a Shotgun Barrel” are top contenders for the most crass and vile song names this side of grindcore. Thankfully, this outfit, which contains members of Alabama Thunderpussy, Municipal Waste, Burnt By the Sun, and Beaten Back to Pure, redeems itself and its buffoonery by writing some ballbusting, intense, self-professed “death and roll” that goes horribly right. Actually, they do a fine job of combining metalcore, southern rock, old school crossover punk, and stoner metal into a 10-track equivalent of sight gags and Benny Hill-esque humor done to an extreme metal beat. And despite being downright offensive on songs like “Murder of an Off Duty Cop”, the sludgy goodness of those riffs almost makes you forget how mind-numbingly moronic Birds of Prey are. Let’s hope these guys morph from joke band to monster side project, as they have the pedigree and musical talent to rival the likes of Down if they only allow the brains to at least come one-third closer to their impressive musical brawn.
www.relapse.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Les Aus,"Haranna Hanne" (Ozono Kids)
Hailing from Spain, the collective known as Les Aus throws some world beat into its hipster swirl, as sitars and guitars collide on tracks like “La Obaga Porta a Soril”. This punk-influenced unit turns in a rather colorful affair, complete with Moroccan folk musical backdrops adorning the spacey art rock of “El Guardia” and the acoustic hand clapping jamboree of “Fent Drecera”. Definitely falling into the something different category, HARANNA HANNE is a musical equivalent of a melting pot, incorporating many unique sounds into its sonic arsenal for people that enjoy left of center music to dig into.
www.ozonokids.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Keith Caputo,"Kearts Blood On Your Dawn" (Kill The Artist)
Life of Agony frontman Keith Caputo tones it down once again for another pensive, poignant solo offering with the 13-track HEARTS BLOOD ON YOUR DAWN. Deliberately more invasive and as intrinsically abrasive as a thunderous LOA riff, Caputo’s prolific musical hues are way more subdued than his other projects, yet still carry the imminent delivery that makes him one of the more engaging singers on the rock landscape. Songs like the floating “Livin’ the Blues” could pop up on Adult Alternative radio with its keyboard tinklings, while “Kill With God” meshes a busy bass line with tribal percussive crashings, coming closest to the LOA vibe musically. Lyrically, Caputo is at the top of his game, baring his soul with vivid imagery and clever wordplay on tracks like “I Wanna Fly” and “Monkey”. While not as overtly heavy as some fans may expect, the weight of Caputo’s words on tracks like “Lamb to the Slaughter”, coupled with the backing band’s spot-on heartfelt interpretations of cuts like “Mother”, allows HEARTS BLOOD ON YOUR DAWN to rival the heart string tuggings of other lead singers of band’s solo efforts like Mark Lanegan or Jonah Mantranga.
www.keithcaputo.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

War of Ages,"Pride of the Wicked" (Facedown)
Erie, PA quintet War of Ages concocts an East Coast hardcore meets West Coast fashioncore sound on the 10-track PRIDE OF THE WICKED. Trading off metal guitar runs and barking hardcore yells, cuts like the title track and the late ‘80s thrash meets metalcore structuring of “Aftermath” should illicit quite a few pile-ons and other violent expenditures of energy. Killswitch meets Atreyu is what War of Ages conquer, with shades of VFW beatdown hardcore thrown in to keep it rooted in the real.
www.facedownrecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Geisha Girls,"Geisha Girls" (Number 3)
Angular punk rock trio Geisha Girls sound like a weird mix of Devo, Flipper, and X, as their artsy approach on songs like “Traced Lines” blurs a lot of old school edges. This Orange County residing outfit are darker and slightly more dissonant than most, giving songs like “This is Novelty” and “Retaining Water” a retro sting that may urge you to stick that safety pin somewhere visible after all. This 10-track affair exudes the kind of robotic grooves that The Cars and Yeah Yeah Yeahs employ with touches of U.K. street punk sensibility, single-handedly bringing abrasive riffs like “Skinny Wrists” back from the archives.
www.number3records.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Murdered,"...And the Maggots Shall Inherit the Earth" (Tribunal)
Providing a hybrid of seething metalcore that borrows from Darkest Hour as much as it does As I Lay Dying at their heaviest, Atlanta mob Murdered also implement elements of chugging hardcore, thrashy guitars, and a high pitched wail that could cite Swedish metal as a foundation point on songs like “The Shadow Rises” and “The Darkness Unveiled”. Rolling out the heavy artillery in the form of thunderous drums and turret-gun guitars, this band unequivocally displays that the dirty south isn’t all about krunk and bling after all.
www.tribunalrecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Terrorizer,"Darker Days Ahead" (Century Media)
Unfortunately, this review is a posthumous one, as founding guitarist Jesse Pintado (Napalm Death, Terrorizer) passed away in early September, yet his legacy as a forefather of the grindcore scene lives thanks to his last studio recording, the 12-track DARKER DAYS AHEAD. Releasing a new album after a 17-year hiatus, the band is back (sort of, with two new to the fold) and crushing all in its path, taking a discernible death metal turn this time around on slabs of sonic bliss like “Victim of Greed” and the massively monstrous “Crematorium”. While fans of the first album will probably be disappointed in the direction the band has taken, the bottom line is that Terrorizer still had the chops to bludgeon all in its path. RIP Jesse.
www.centurymedia.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Dragonforce,"Inhuman Rampage" (Roadrunner)
Ridiculous in concept and demonstrating flashes of unreal metallic shred execution, Dragonforce's overamplified, warp-speed version of Euro power metal is chased down and caught long enough on the eight-track INHUMAN RAMPAGE to showcase this UK sensation's blazing chops and deliberate over the top style. And while this band hurdles guitar and keyboard solos at the listener at a blistering pace, there's enough melody in between instrument clinics posing as songs such as "Storming the Burning Fields" and "Through the Fire and Flames" to illicit horned hand salutes across the globe. Just be warned, this one is cheesy, but in a high grade, spread it on your cracker kind of way.
www.roadrunnerrecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Gojira,"From Mars to Sirius" (Listenable)
The bruising French outfit known as Gojira (named by a derivation from Godzilla), play a brand of technically proficient death metal whose crushing smorgasbord of sound encompasses everything from blistering death metal to ambient industrial to suffocating doom metal. 12 tracks that run over an hour long may make some listeners wary, however this quartet keep the intensity consistently flowing and the changes jaw-dropping and staggeringly brilliant until the last note of “Global Warming”. To top it all off, this band take on heady issues like environmental misuse to their credit, truly meshing heavy topics with extreme music. If you ever wished an amalgamation of Fear Factory, Morbid Angel, Death, Sepultura, and Meshuggah was to be created, FROM MARS TO SIRIUS is the closest thing that makes that fantasy a reality.
www.gojira-music.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Starkweather,"Croatoan" (Candlelight)
The seminal metal group Starkweather’s comeback CROATAN is an eight-track release that transcends the typical metalcore moniker placed on the band by integrating doom, death, prog, and sludge metal into its caustic concoction. This Philadelphia-based creature has been summoned out of an over a decade long slumber, and by the sounds of tracks like the lumbering “Slither” and the hauntingly colossal “Machine Rhythm Confessional”, Starkweather’s has awakened angry and lusting for blood. Thankfully, this underground metal sensation blows the dust off with relative ease, letting loose a juggernaut of an album whose massive depth and unquestionably menacing aura found on tracks like “Vespertilian” makes for an unsettlingly mystifying listening experience that fans of everything from Mastodon to Zao should absolutely make time for.
www.candlelightrecordsusa.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

The Bronx,"The Bronx" (Island)
Los Angeles quartet The Bronx have ascended from the underground, making a gritty, uncompromisingly raw punk album on a major label in the process. How the hell did they pull it off? By being real, not bucking to trends, and writing great songs, that's how. Tracks like "Around the Horn", "White Guilt" and "Dirty Leaves" are short, catchy, and above all, honest tunes that radiate the old school punk aesthetic without the frills and bullshit you can buy at the mall. If you dig dangerous rock 'n roll a la QOTSA meets AC/DC at a Stooges gig, then this one is a surefire winner.
www.islandrecords.com
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Review by Mike SOS

Mouth of the Architect,"The Ties That Bind" (Translation Loss)
With the shortest track on THE TIES THAT BIND clocking in at a sprawling 7:03, it's a safe assumption that Mouth of the Architect wants you undivided attention throughout the duration of this six-track offering. And this outfit richly deserves it. With skillful building techniques in place and an undercurrent of evil within its atmospheric layers of hypnotic groove, you won't even care that the vocals on "Carry On" start eight minutes in, because by that time, you're already engulfed and fully engaged. Yes, Isis and Neurosis fans, there's another band vying for the crown.
www.translationloss.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

The Motion,"Attack" (Nomad)
The Motion are an innocuous meat and potatoes melodic punk band with a little more harshness than Yellowcard but not quite as tough as Anti-Flag. Spirited, sloppy, and savvy songwriting found on tracks like "We've Got the Game on Lockdown" nails the vibe of a featured song from a teenage movie soundtrack, while "Red Wagon vs. Blue Blazer" displays some serious bite. But, The Motion needs to continue moving forward, as they need some more seasoning before they can take a gander at the pop-punk big leagues.
www.nomadrecs.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Sick on the Bus,"Go To Hell" (SOS)
Sick on the Bus is a real deal punk rock band that's old, ugly, British, and angry. Do you really need anything else? "Get yourself a credit card and buy yourself a life", singer Biff declares on "You're Fucked Again", as this Motorhead meets Discharge stomper is just one of the anthems you'll be out drunk and raging to on this 12-track cannonball blast of an album.
www.sosrecords.us
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Various Artists,"Go-Kart Vs. The Corporate Giant 4" (Go-Kart)
Go-Kart Records' fourth installment of their compilation series unleashes a smattering of some of the best the label has to offer, from the globally-conscience driven punk of Rifu to the ska-punk flavor of World Inferno Friendship Society to the atmospheric metal of Ira And, it's a steal, boasting 22 tracks at the amazing low price of $3.98. Surely if you're reading this reviews, there's bound to be something on this disc for you, so cough up the $4, keep the change, and rock out already you cheapskate!
www.gokartrecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

The Overdogs,"Pawnshop Masterpiece" (Zero Youth)
With bellies full of beer and heads ridden with angst, The Overdogs return with their fifth release laden with punk rock chords colliding with tactless lyrics that adorn songs like "Porn", "I Don't Give a Shit", and "Ugly People". Crass, rude, and snotty punk rock is served by this Missouri trio, who aren't breaking down barriers or doing anything particularly new, but seem like they're having a hell of a time being a drunk punk crew on tracks like "Conundrum" and "Bucket of Sweat".
www.zeroyouthrecords.com
Rating:

Review by Mike SOS

Narziss,"Solang Das Herz Schlagt" (Alveran)
Narziss is a German metalcore quintet that sings in their native tongue throughout the course of the group's 11-track endeavor. Not that you're able to tell though, as this As I Lay Dying meets Heaven Shall Burn influenced outfit are bludgeoning, brutal, and guttural when need be on tracks like "Das Tier", almost making the lyrics a bit of an afterthought. Emblazoned with a nice array of tempo changes and metallic gallops nestled in songs like "Veloren", Narziss is just another example of why German metal is so revered for its perfunctory precision and outright heaviness. Anyone down to learn another language and bang your head?
www.alveranrecords.com
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Review by Mike SOS

I Got Shot In The Face,"How Am I Not Myself" (Count It)
California sextet I Got Shot in the Face play a more cerebral version of Bury Your Dead style hardcore, throwing dollops of fun into its mix of caustic metal, riotous thrashings, and unorthodox switches on cuts like “Who Drowns a Lifeguard”. Manipulating technology as well as they can turn out a brutal breakdown a la Killwhitneydead, this Los Angeles-based collective squeals, chugs, and blisters its way into your head, extracting mammoth hunks of extreme musical entities and tying them together into clusters of chaos. If you like it unusual and vicious, these guys will not disappoint.
www.countitrecords.com
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Review by Mike SOS

Hammers Of Misfortune,"The Locust Years" (Cruz Del Sur)
Easily one of the most exhilarating bands to come down the pipe in a very long time, the San Francisco based quintet Hammers of Misfortune once again showcase why they are so rightfully critically acclaimed on THE LOCUST YEARS. This eight-track offering is a majestic metallic masterpiece from end to end, complete with sweeping melodies, lush atmospheric elements, and a hearty helping of progressive metal that ranges from hypnotic folksy-ness of “Election Day” to driving NWOBHM-influenced “Chastity Ride”. By throwing in some piano, female vocals, and other grandiose nuances, THE LOCUST YEARS truly embarks on a fantastic voyage that strays into a Pink Floyd-like domain without losing its teeth or turning soft on cuts like “Widow’s Wall”. Mighty, bold, operatic and hair-raising, this disc is truly one of the most comprehensive albums heard in quite some time and is surely worth your time if you pine for a truly epic metal experience.
www.cruzdelsurmusic.com
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Review by Mike SOS

Jucifer,"If Thine Enemy Hunger" (Relapse)
Heavy and dreamy rock music comes courtesy of Jucifer, a nomadic two-piece act that once called Athens, GA home. Now residing in a Winnebago and taking their doomy chanteuse sideshow act on the road in support of IF THINE ENEMY HUNGER, this dynamic duo round up the entire Am Rep back catalog and throw a alternative metal spin on it that sounds like Courtney Love fronting Sleep. Containing 15 tracks that run from bleak dirges like “Centralia”, unrelenting grrrl rock such as “Hennin Hardine”, angst-ridden simplicity in “Pontius of Palia”, and puffy clouded grunge like “The Plastic Museum”, there’s no way to categorize Jucifer except by stating the obvious. This unit is edgy, jadedly angelic, and above all, lays down a captivating listening experience to anyone that yearns for a collision of styles from everything from Mazzy Star to Queens of the Stone Age to Melvins.
www.relapse.com
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Review by Mike SOS

Verismo,"City of Kings" (Indie Release)
Brooklyn metal trio Verismo’s latest 10-track offering reveals a band whose stoner rock vibes and thrash metal licks work in conjunction to righteously kick you in the ass. Fat grooves like the one found on “Field Report” are commonplace when shuffling through this CD, as this unit really cranks out the COC meets Life of Agony aura while implementing its unique spin on NYC metal of past acts such as Circus of Power, Blitzspeer, and Warrior Soul. Spanning the metal realm for influences that range from Clutch to Scorpions, Verismo ceremoniously unfurls heavy hooks and galloping guitar runs like a crossover band a la Leeway on tracks like “Enemy”, while the super-tight rhythm section’s uncanny knack for consistently driving it home keeps CITY OF KINGS sturdy on cuts like “The Lorax” and “Moment of Clarity”. A veritable potpourri of great songs and a great overall sound is what CITY OF KINGS offers, so if you’re looking for a band that can groove, thrash, and leave a melody humming in your head, look to Verismo.
www.verismetal.com
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Review by Mike SOS

Los Natas,"El Hombre Montana" (Small Stone)
Stoner rock en espanol? Yup, courtesy of Argentina’s Los Natas, a trio whose latest 11-track Billy Anderson produced endeavor puts the pedal to the metal on cuts like the hammering groove on “Amanecer Blanco” without sacrificing the band’s typical spaciousness embedded in “Sigue, Sigue” and cranks out some hard-edged, smoke-friendly jams that sound like an amalgamation of Kyuss, Monster Magnet, and Nebula. In Spanish, of course. One listen of the sprawling seven-minute epic “El Ciervo” should hook you into this act’s hypnotically hazy hard rock, but even if you’re still not convinced, the band’s spacier elements found on “De las Cenizas, El hombre” should rope you in. Bring some good supply, an English-Spanish dictionary, and block out an hour to fully enjoy this one.
artist's web site
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Review by Mike SOS

Iron Maiden,"A Matter of Life and Death" (Sanctuary)
Iconic metal gods Iron Maiden return with A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, the group’s 14th studio album. Maiden may be grizzled and getting on in years, but none of that showed up on this 10-track tour de force. Instead, the fans are treated to the tried and true formula of majestic guitars, epic songwriting, and Bruce Dickinson’s signature wail roaring with the regal metallic firepower this band single-handedly damn near invented. “These Colours Don’t Run” employs the trademark Maiden time signatures and choir vocal mid-section with grace and precision, while “The Pilgrim” sounds like something from the POWERSLAVE era with its galloping guitars and swashbuckling sway firmly in tow. These songs are long (the shortest tracks in at 4:17, the longest at 9:24) yet aren’t weighed down, thanks to capturing the raw sounds of a live Maiden performance by recording live in the studio as opposed to previous offerings, a nuance that assists the overall flow and keeps the intensity meter on full-tilt throughout. Dispersing a bit more complex feel, tracks like “The Longest Day” combine the unit’s pomp and circumstance with a way darker atmosphere, while “For the Greater Good of God” juxtaposes that same ominous aura with some of Maiden’s staple devices (booming bass, virtuoso guitar work, dynamic time shifts) taking precedence and stealing the show. See what happens when you throw eggs at M