Read on Metal Soliders…
Lamb Of God – Resolution (2012)
Seven studio albums later (6 as L.O.G. & 1 as Burn The Priest), Lamb Of God returns to their early roots with Resolution, though one could argue the newest effort is a newly charged version of the 5-piece from Richmond, Virginia. Either way to try to grind it, this album is extremely intense and well constructed. Chris Adler has made a strong case to be considered within the most elite of metal drummers and the tandem of Willie Adler and Mark Morton is as masterfully God-like as ever. Frontman Randy Blythe and his vocal chords still carry the swords forward while the highly underrated and rarely spoken of John Campbell keeps the molten core in check. The question is…does Resolution measure up to their 2004 masterpiece Ashes Of The Wake? This album opens with a brooding “Straight From The Sun” and by the time the first single “Ghost Walking” hits your in a complete visual understanding of what made L.O.G. one of the first bands of their genre to reach a plateau no one else has. Track #7, “Barbosa” is a completely unique effort and sets the bar at the halfway point. The closing, and quite epic, “King Me” integrates an ethereal orchestra and choir, stays on course, and doesn’t overdo the creative addition. Resolution hit #3 on the U.S. Billboard top 100, sending a clear message that borderline deathcore is a viable listening tool. Listen carefully…if you dare. -mrBlack
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Hopes Die Last – Trust No One (2012)
Review Coming Soon
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As I Lay Dying – Decas (2011)
Is it possible to mosh to dubstep? Who would dare combine dubstep and deathcore and make it kick ass and cool? As I Lay Dying went there and although skeptical at first, this album is nothing less than inventive and wicked! Even Whitechapel and Korn have followed suit with original and conceptually heavy efforts squeezing electronic waters from blood red wine. Decas is simply an EP but packs a Tyson-like uppercut that gives it a full-length smash to the face. I challenge any metal fan to not appreciate the genius within the track “The Blinding Of False Light”. This song is an open-minded dive right into what gate-lines should never be crossed, yet you step over the line with fire almost immediately. It doesn’t hurt when an EP also serves up a killer cover version of “The Hellion” and “Electric Eye” by Judas Priest. I think it’s safe to say that not only this record but the San Diego-born As I Lay Dying kicks ass again. I never really paid attention to this band for some reason until now and just like the television series Dexter, I am shaming myself for jumping into the game late. The Decas EP is a must own. -mrBlack
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Jungle Rot – Kill On Command (2011)
Not too many oldschool metal fans can say they still possess hand-written demos (Skin The Living) from existing metal bands. Key word…Existing! Back in 1994 we (then as SPAMM Magazine) received a cassette, Kinko’s flyers and all, from Kenosha, Wisconsin and the rest is (still) history! Forward nearly 20 years later, and a dozen releases since, and Jungle Rot finds themselves bigger and badder than ever with the Victory Records release of Kill On Command. Although vocalist/guitarist David Matrise is the only original member left in the band, Jungle Rot has survived the ultimate test by rising above adversity and the force of attrition. Patience would best describe the evolution of Jungle Rot having sifted thru 15 members since the mid-90′s. But what doesn’t make you rot…makes you stronger! So run, crawl, even march if you wish, because all 10 tracks from Kill… will salute you with what has been lost in metal for quite some time. Let me again return to why Jungle Rot has survived. They have evolved but they haven’t changed how much they kill it! I would give more brutal credit to Warzone (2006) but overall the new Victory Records release is a masterpiece of metal. -mrBlack
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Lacuna Coil – Dark Adrenaline (2012)
Gothic metal band Lacuna Coil’s newest release Dark Adrenaline is beautifully mixed and produced. Released in January, 2012 – the Milan metalers’ sixth release is solid and enjoyable. While the band is somewhat simplistic on this effort, the vocals are anything but. The songs on this album are thick, rich, and haunting, mostly due to the stand-out male/female harmonies provided by Christina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro. This album was put together well and is cohesive from start to finish. Stand outs on this album are “Fire,” Kill the Light,” “Intoxicated”, and “Trip the Darkness.” With 13 songs, and a running time of just over 45 minutes – “Losing My Religion” (REM cover) is the only song that I didn’t enjoy. If you are not a Lacuna Coil fan, listening to this album probably won’t make you a rabid fan – but it likely will make you a Christina fan. Dark Adrenaline shows a distinct shift between Lacuna Coil, and the often compared to Evanescence. At almost 40, Christina’s voice only gets better. -Suzi9mm
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Van Halen – A Different Kind Of Truth (2012)
A 14 year wait; was it worth it? We say yes. We aren’t sure releasing “Tattoo” as the first single was the best idea – but the rest of the album is good. For the first time ever recording, Van Halen is 75% real Van Halen blood. Eddie, brother Alex, and Eddie’s son, Wolfgang and musically it shows. The family Van Halen is extremely talented! Alex doesn’t miss a beat and seems ageless in his energy level. Eddie seems to play better with Roth in the band (check out the guitar solo on Big River) and even post hand surgery, still shreds. Wolfgang can hold his own both on bass and backing vocals. Dave – well, love him or hate him, he does help create that distinctive Van Halen sound. Most songs on A Different Kind of Truth are heavy, with a nice groove. Dave’s voice is appropriate. If you are a Van Halen fan, you’ll like it. It’s not a Women and Children First, 1984 or Diver Down, but it is a good overall Van Halen album. “Blood and Fire” and “You and Your Blues” are excellent track selections. -Suzi9mm
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Lay Down Rotten – Mask Of Malice (2012)
Any time you get the urge to march into a metal oblivion while harnessing a chrome-plated wrecking ball…that is a good day in metal. Lay Down Rotten provides the inspiration on their third Metal Blade Records (Sixth full-length overall) release Mask Of Malice. This feeling has been missing in metal of late and it certainly returns within the first :30 seconds of tracks such as “He Who Sews Hate”. The vocals of Jost Kleinert are masterful, guttural, and stand-out enough to place Lay Down Rotten on a pedestal for originality in sound. Who’s to say what is quality metal in these boring and saturated times of late but these cats from Germany hit hard, hit often, and lay proper bombs in the ears of starving metal fans. Just listen to “When All Becomes Nothing” and stake a claim that these guys don’t bring aggression to the surface instantaneously. Ain’t gonna happen. You want 40 pounds of c-4000 metal up your ass…here it is! I 5-star the hell outta this record, period. -mrBlack
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Goatwhore – Blood For The Master (2012)
When ex-members of Soilent Green and Crowbar got bored in 2000, they created something magnificent – Goatwhore. Blood for the Master easily stands up to Calling Out the Eyes of God, but in a different way. With this newest effort, Goatwhore manages to ride the full spectrum of metal. From classic-sounding songs that could have been done by Judas Priest or Motorehead, circa 1981 like “When Steel and Bone Meet” to excellently delivered death metal like “Parasitic Scriptures of the Sacred Word,” to the very different “In Deathless Tradition, the members of Goatwhore have produced a masterpiece. There is seriously something for everyone on this album. It’s like they captured the essence of ProPain, Celtic Frost, Immortal, Slayer, Priest, and Motorhead — without ripping them off. In a world of one singer per metal band, Falgoust II and Duet manage to trade-off vocals, and you don’t care that they did so. It works! Blood for the Master was definitely worth the three year wait. Standouts tracks are “Beyond the spell of Discontent,” “Death to the Architects of Heaven” (which Goatwhore should have written for Slayer), “In Deathless Tradition, and “Parasitic Scriptures of the Sacred Word.” Oh…”Embodiment of This Bitter Chaos” – I felt the hair stand up on the back of my neck. I was trying to place the sound that starts off the song….then someone yelled, “It sounds like someone is running their fingernails down a chalkboard”! That was it. -Suzi9mm
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You Me At Six – Sinners Never Sleep (2012)
Review Coming Soon
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In Dying Arms – Self-Titled (2011)
“I feel like I’ve just been smacked across the face”! That is the feeling I had after my first listen to, In Dying Arms’ 2011 self-titled release. The most notable thing about In Dying Arms is their unique ability to blends deathcore and hardcore in a most bizarre and ambitious way. This album provides enough heaviness to compete with bands such as In Flames and Trivium, but punches you square in the face with extreme death growls, then switches to impressive cat-like screams, then rips the carpet out from underneath you with clean melodic vocals — and they are totally unexpected. Sometimes feeling a little like three songs forced into one – sort of like the band itself (made up of a conglomeration of band members from different bands around the Baltimore area), In Dying Arms provides many excellent, heavy, head-banging moments. Sometimes the transitions within the song work beautifully; sometimes not. Overall, I felt a little confused in the end, but quite satisfied. Check out “Losing my Grip,” “Famous,” and “The Weight of Regret” – these were the stand out songs for me. -Suzi9mm
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