New Stuff This Week…9/7/15
Iron Maiden
The Book of Souls
BMG
Aside from the Blaze Bayley era, the Maiden catalog is fairly strong… and now their last couple of albums have been pretty decent, but a 5 year layoff since the last one was long enough! The new Maiden is upon us… and it’s well, 100% Iron Maiden. Really they are their own metal sub-genre. Great classic metal melodies, Bruce’s soaring siren-like vox and while I’m not sure I can break out all three guitars, I can tell something’s going on with a lot of guitars and of course… Steve Harris… the pulse of the band. It’s good!
Aftermath
Eyes of Tomorrow
self-released
This is a reissue of the 80’s/90’s Chicago thrash band Aftermath 1994. There was some record label drama with the recording of this album/demos back in 1990 to where it didn’t really get sort of released til 1994… Well, here it is again self-released… A good classic thrashy sound with some melodic stuff too.
Slayer
Repentless
Nuclear Blast USA
Well, judging by the three tracks that are online, I can say, that yeah, this is sSlayer, it’s good and the newest track that was released “You Against You” shreds like a mofo. Glad to see Slayer is still going at it and at a high level musically (you know, for Slayer… ie. they aren’t pussing out)
Seven Witches
The Way Of T he Wicked
The ILS Group
Classic metal… the music is great, Jack Frost has it going on… the vocalist is fairly new (since 2012) and he’s good, there’s just nothing really unique or special going on. It’s good classic metal though.
Masters Of Metal
From Worlds Beyond
Metalville Records
Kind of a classic thrash meets oh, maybe power metal a bit? But not that boop boop boop singalong power metal, the power metal with some balls.
Hemlock
Mouth Of The Swine
Blue Curb Music
This is thrashy, deathy and a bit groove metal too. I guess thrashy and groovin’ in the vein of Pro-Pain, but maybe a bit more heavy? Either way it’s pretty cool stuff.
Scale the Summit
V
Prosthetic Records
The instrumental proggers are at it again… good groovin’ (no vox) prog metal. Not too much different than their older stuff, but a new collection of laid back prog is always good.
JACKSON FIREBIRD
Shake The Breakdown
Napalm Records
A bit of a groovin’ stoner metal with a little bit of a southern fried glam metal thing going on too. (not bad for a couple of Aussies!) As I dig deeper, there’s a bit of a Monster Magnet feel too.
SHABDA
Pharmakon/Pharmakos
Argonauta Records
Two LONG (20+ mins!) of droney doom metal. They call it “ritual drone doom” I call it “no thank you.”
Kaiserreich
Cuore Nero
De Tenebrarum Principio
A doomy melodic black metal. A good black metal sound, enough of some melodic stuff to keep it interesting… not breaking any ground, but nothing really stale either. decent stuff.
HOWLS OF EBB
The Marrow Veil
I, Voidhanger Records
Some drony background music which gets into some raw black metal. MOstly drony long boring stuff. (3 tracks)
Pyramids On Mars
Echos Cosmic
Self-Release (Asher)
This is a one man proggy instrumental metal band. A good groove some great meedly guitar stuff and some spacy Rush-Like stuff going on too.
Speedtrap
Straight Shooter
Svart Records
Good driving classic sounding metal. A little bit of an edge, otherwise, your traditional old school-ish “metal”. A little Motorhead, a little Maiden, that sort of thing.
Sabbath Assembly
Sabbath Assembly
Svart Records
Kind of a classic doomy throwback metal with female vocals. A Good groove classic Sabbathy sound (probably has something to do with their name, eh? )
Human Desolation
Mind Grind Paradigm
Label: Self Released (distributed by Nordavind Records / Plastic Head)
Melodic death metal… the good stuff. A good deathy edge, music has a heavy black metal thing going on too… nice an brutal, but yet, some At The Gates type quality going on too.
Synapses
Devoutness
Cimmerian Shade Recordings
This is your basic brutal death metal… but yeah, not much basic about brutal death metal is there? Lots going on, cookie monster vox, grindy guitars, freight train drumming… all the good stuff.
ARES
“Divine Creation”
Seaszy Rider
Almost an industral blackened thrash with some casio-esque keyboards going on (in a few parts)… yeah, it’d normally be weird, but the music is so heavy you can’t deny that it’s pretty cool. Recap… heavy yet a bit catchy brutal metal with some black metal tendencies