Trivium
Shogun
Roadrunner
66:41 – 11 Tracks
Well, there was a lot of hype building into this album, about this being their make or break CD… The first track is pretty awesome and metal… but with that lil twinge of emo (clean but not whiney vocals) as Trivium will always have.   I guess it’s not really emo, but moreso “clean”   The rest of the album has a good mix of catchy hardrock/metal/metalcore anthems.  I don’t know if this is a breakthrough record, but it is a good progression in the line of albums.

Evergrey
Torn
SPV
53:40 – 11 Tracks
I was just googling these guys the other week, wondering when if anything new was coming out… and sure as hell… there was, and a few days later, the CD showed up!   Always one of the better prog/power metal bands, this new one follows the same formula… some great power metal with a little bit of an edge.   Almost like some classic AOR/Heavier Queensryche sound happening here, songs are catchy, make you want to sing along, play air guitar, drums, bass, karaoke!

Son of Sam
Into The Night
Horror High
32:50 – 9 Tracks
Side project from Danzig and Samhain guitarist… it sounds pretty similar to both.  A bit more metal, but a very similar style to Danzig.   “Horror Rock”  The music rocks pretty good, and manages to distract you from the whiney Danzig-ish vox.

Poisonblack
A Dead Heavy Day
Century Media
56:28 – 12 Tracks
They are considered a “gothic metal” band… I’d have to say they lean towards more traditional metal these days with some goth underlyings.   There’s some heaviness happening… along with some catchy choruses but listening to a few tracks, it does tend to all run together… Still good stuff though!

This or the Apocalypse
Monuments
Lifeforce
43:25 – 10 Tracks
A pretty neat metal-brutal core album.  The stopstart guitar stuff in the first track make it different than some other stuff out there, then it opens up into some brutal stuff mixing with an almost experimental mix of metal.  They mix so many styles around, they actually seem to make their own here.  It’s fairly chaotic, but somehow keeps it together.  I’ve been impressed with stuff on Lifeforce Records lately.

Underoath
Lost in the Sound of Separation
Tooth & Nail
41:41 – 11 Tracks
Another album from the Floridians… they seem to stick to the “cool” metalcore genre.   Huge aggressive breakdowns, some good abrasive vocals, but of course, they mix with some clean emo vocals here and there.   Nothing really new here, but nothing awful.

Agraceful
The Great I Am
Sumerian
31:56 – 10 Tracks
This is brutal-metalcore stuff… but usually the brutal core doesn’t get emo in choruses, and this does.   But the non-emo parts are pretty darn brutal!   I guess I’m on the fence on this one, the brutal stuff is decent, although not groundbreaking, but then to go full on into the emo singy chorus just hits a nerve with me.  It’s not bad, but it seems to be done already by lots of other bands.

Bison BC
Quiet Earth
Metal Blade
8 Tracks
One of those metal stoner bands… You know, like High on Fire, Mastodon… You almost can’t go wrong in this genre…  The songs are catchy, fun to listen to and yes, sludgey at times.   As I said, they’re in good company with their genre-mates, and bands like this have become fun to see at live shows!

Intronaut
Prehistoricisms
Century Media
8 Tracks
A bit like Isis/Neurosis (if you know me, you know I’m not a fan), but a smidge better.  Quite all over the map, heavy, interludey, melodic, etc.  Hard to put a finger on it…

Burst
Lazarus Bird
Relapse
8 Tracks
A bit stoner metal, a little bit experimental, wikipedia calls them progressive metal.  I guess they could be all of the above… I guess it’d mostly be like Kyuss if I had to compare… decent stuff!