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Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Music Releases For February 26th, 2013

As I was coming this article last night, I realized that this week's releases were not anything that I was anticipating.  Some of the artists I have decided to sit down and take a listen to for the first or second time.  You get the hardcore metal releases from artists like Within The Ruins and Stratvarious, to the rock blend of Steve Wilson and onto the other side of the spectrum with Johnny Marr and The Mavericks.  I look forward though to checking a few of these out for my weekly fix.

So like I recall every week, head down to your local record store or your favourite online retailer to pick up a few of these album.  Show love to the community and buy great albums when you hear them!


The disc’s overall pleasantness and pasteurized charm are what save it from being wholly aggravating. There’s a breeziness to the upbeat yet atmospheric “European Me” that counteracts the plodding inconsequence of the title track, and one song, the slinky, textured “The Crack Up,” comes close to imagining what a truly inspired Marr solo album might sound like. -AV Club


Malo brings operatic drama to a voice that can soar with power or caress with romanticism. Original drummer Paul Deakin and bassist Robert Reynolds expertly handle grooves that perfectly set up guitarist Eddie Perez, keyboardist Jerry Dale McFadden and a smoking horn section. "In Time" is a welcome reminder of why the Mavericks have always been so special. -Winnipeg Free Press


Emboldened by the presence and powers of bassist Nick Beggs and woodwind maestro Theo Travis, Wilson's third solo album covers a bewildering amount of ground. Based on a series of self-penned ghost stories in the tradition of Edgar Allen Poe and Arthur Machen, The Raven That Refused to Sing explodes into life with a stripped-down art-rock thud before morphing seamlessly into all manner of wildly evocative soundscapes, melodic crescendos and mellotron-drenched fever dreams. Honed to peak fitness by recent touring, Wilson's band whip up an electrifying storm of amorphous vitality, their grasp of light and shade ensuring that something as elaborate and adventurous as The Watchmaker never loses focus or fire. -The Guardian


The most noticeable difference on this album is Johansson’s brilliant and refreshing key work. The album is filled with keyboard pops and over the top bombastic finger play shown in “One Must Fall,” “Fantasy,” and especially “Halcyon Days.” Many fans have been lulled into the prototypical Stratovarius sound from Johansson over many years, and now he has raised the bar. There is a jolt of excitement to every song, sort of an amalgamation of Olof Morck’s work in Amaranthe and a splash of “Rage for Order” era Queensryche. This shouldn’t scare away any longtime fans of the group, it’s the most upbeat and exciting that I have ever heard the band. -Metal Underground



Overall, Kunst is another exceptional album from Sonietzko and crew. While there are some meaningful, serious lyrics, generally I found this to be very fun album—this tone obviously set by the tongue in cheek opening track. The guitars (something more industrial bands need to hear the beauty of) are powerful, the percussion driving, the synths excellently placed for maximum effect and the vocals by Lucia, Sascha and guests are commanding. The production is equally exceptional as would be expected from artists who have perfected their craft with “29 Years of Conceptual Continuity”. Taking all of this together, Kunst is a must have album. -Coma Online


I have no direct criticisms of the record itself. It's a well written, intelligent contribution to metal. The only thing is they haven't expanded much on their sound. But to reiterate what has already been stated above, this is a good thing because Within The Ruins brings such an awesome sound to begin with.

And the not so surprising final verdict is... "Elite" makes for a great listening experience through and through. It's incredibly heavy, fun, and moshable to boot. Expectations were set and the band delivered. -The Circle Pit

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