Here are the goofy reviews of the new stuff this week….

Wednesday 13
Fang Bang
Rykodisc
45:48 – 13 Tracks
Well, they seem to have the modern day Alice Cooper thing goin’ on. The glam, halloween type metal. It’s not really mosh pit material, but if you are into this sort of thing, you may want to check it out!

Gojira
From Mars To Sirius
Prosthetic Records
66:58 – 12 Tracks
A bit spacey, maybe a bit like Neurosis, grungy, proggy, almost a bit stoner. There isn’t really an easy way to put a finger on these guys. They aren’t the normal New Wave of American Metal that Prosthetic seems to put out these days…. for one, they are French, two, they are just all over the place. Some songs are pretty straight ahead metal. Overall it’s pretty good, and you’ll probably hear it on the Mosh Pit.

Mercenary
The Hours That Remain
Century Media
62:17 – 10 Tracks
A new release from the progressive power thrash band… They sound like Evergrey with a bit more eurothrash melodic death mixed in. We like this sort of stuff on the Mosh Pit, so you’ll probably hear it!

Agalloch
Ashes Against the Grain
The End
59:51 – 8 Tracks
A bit doom metal, a bit black metal, I’d have to say they might fit in the same vein as Opeth or November’s Doom. A bit dark and gloomy, but definate metal elements at work. There isn’t as much catchy heavy stuff as Opeth, but some songs do get going. This is more of a listen all the way through type of album. You may hear this on the Mosh Pit.

Merendine Atomiche
Raw
Mausoleum Records
Yet another band that I can’t really describe. I can say it’s not death, black, or any of that extreme stuff. It’s more of a hard rock meets just plain ol metal. It almost has that glam sound with some of the vocals, but the music is much more chugga chugga metal. It’s pretty catchy and heavy in spots which really keeps a person interested in hearing more. You may hear this on the Mosh Pit!

Deicide
The Stench Of Redemption
Earache
41:22 – 10 Tracks
They’re back! The Hoffman Brothers are out and Deicide is no different! Getting Jack Owen formerly of Cannibal Corpse and Ralph Santolla (Iced Earth and others) really seemed to keep Deicide on track. Glen Benton’s vocals are up there with any other album he’s done, and it’s just flat out classic death metal. You’ll hear this on the Mosh Pit!

Poisonblack
Lust Stained Despair
Century Media
48:17 – 11 Tracks
Doomy poppy euro-metal! But wait… the former lead vocalist from Sentenced is now in Poisonblack, so they got that going for them. I’d have to say this album is a mix of Lacuna Coil and Amorphis. They’ve got big basslines with keyboards, and don’t ever seem to get super heavy. It’s still good and you’ll probably hear this on the Mosh Pit!

Legion Of The Damned
Malevolent Rapture
Locomotive Music
39:12 – 10 Tracks
This is pretty decent black/thrash metal. It’s too bad the production is a bit mushy. It’s not bad by any means, I think I just get spoiled by a lot of this stuff out there lately and when you get a little boomy bass drum, it stands out more. It’s good and heavy, it has that chugga chugga marchy sound going on on a few tracks. Overall it’s solid, they are a tight band, and you’ll hear this on the Mosh Pit!

Mastodon
Blood Mountain Sampler
Reprise Records
11:23 – 3 Tracks
Well folks, it’s new Mastodon! They keep doin’ what they’re doing. Solid stuff. It’s heavy, loud, fast, tight… all the stuff you expect. They are not breaking new ground, but the ground is good to hang out on with these guys. You’ll hear this on the Mosh Pit!

Lamb Of God
Sacrament
Epic Records
46:12 – 11 Tracks
With this release and the tours these guys are on this summer (Unholy Alliance and Gigantour), they are going to quickly fill the american metal void left by Pantera. While NO ONE can fill Pantera’s shoes, everyone (including myself) seem to try and compare bands and try to place them in the big picture. I have to say, with “Sacrament,” Lamb of God is getting right up there. Their live shows are crazy and this new album is 11 tracks of metal goodness. Playing this on the Mosh Pit is a no brainer.

Unearth
III: In The Eyes Of Fire
Metal Blade
43:59 – 11 Tracks
All that new wave of american metal stuff above? Well, it almost holds true about Unearth too. These guys have whipped up crowds at every show I’ve seen them play. They come from the metalcore end of the spectrum. They keep it heavy and fun at their shows. This new album shows a good progression from their last. Just balls out metal-hardcore-melodic-thrash. It’s got solid production by none other than Terry Date. You will hear this on the Mosh Pit.