Iron Maiden
En Vivo!
UME
http://www.ironmaiden.com/
Iron Maiden never disappoint… this is a show from Santiago Chile from 2011… filmed along with a DVD.   Setlist is a decent balance between old and newer stuff.   Mix is decent… crowd is super excited.   Even the old stuff is great to hear again.

Lonewolf
Army Of The Damned
Napalm Records
http://www.lonewolfdivision.com/
A fairly epic power metal thing going on here.  Almost Dragonforce-like in execution, but maybe a bit more gritty.

Municipal Waste
The Fatal Feast
Nuclear Blast USA
http://www.facethewaste.com/
A new album!  It’s been three years… lots of touring and partying too I assume… Probably the best band out there that has sort of taken over that original “Crossover” genre from DRI.  Yeah, DRI is still out there… but this is the new wave of DRI?  Good, catchy, heavy, fast  and thrashy riffs round out this album… all with a sense of humor.

Tenacious D
“Rize of the Fenix”
Columbia
http://rizeofthefenix.tenaciousd.com/
I didn’t even know this was coming out til a week ago… while not really metal, it’s “metal”  right?   It’s par for the course for these guys… kind of over the top anthemic catchy, funny and just really shows how well rounded and talented Jack Black is.

The Dogs Divine
Size Of The Fight
Mortal Music
http://www.facebook.com/thedogsdivine
A fairly straightforward hard rockin’ almost southern fueled metal-ish band. They have that almost hair-band sound, but with a bit more of an almost early Pantera heaviness.  it’s ok.

Wretched
Son Of Perdition
Victory Records
http://www.wretchedthrash.com/
Brutal, technical and melodic… It’s post-metalcore I guess… I would say, brutal core, right?   sure.  Some parts are outright death metal, others are just full on brutal, others are thrashy… just a good slab of modern brutal metal.

Job for a Cowboy
Demonocracy
Metal Blade
http://www.myspace.com/jobforacowboy
Actually a similar description to the Wretched above… it’s got technicality, brutality and catchiness.  While I can’t say they are breaking any ground here, I can say it’s a great brutal metal album from a band that is great at what they do.