A few albums I have been eager this week to listen to. Both HIM and Heaven Shall Burn albums are coming out today, and AFGM has been all over it. There are some other albums that of took me by surprise such as LL Cool J, Iggy + Stooges, and After The Burial (reissue). Not that I wasn't expecting them to come out, I just didn't realize that it was so soon! haha
Some great tracks from any of the albums below, so you will have no problem finding your way to your local record shop, online retailer or other legal source top grab some of these albums.
Be sure to also give my articles a read through if you are a fan of either HIM or Heaven Shall Burn. And always remember, this is just ONE review out of the hundreds that are out there. I pick these reviews because they generally reflect how I viewed the album as well (plus, all negative reviews are no fun...there has to be SOME positive attitudes). I invite any of you to also give your thoughts and comments about these albums. Do you agree with those reviews or did you hear something different in the process?
Cheers!
After two albums of increasingly big indie rock, the Airborne Toxic Event take a little time to wander with their third album, Such Hot Blood. Working this time with producer Jacquire King, who has worked with artists like Dawes, Of Monsters and Men, and Tom Waits, the band make full use of his versatility, stepping away from the rhapsodic, Arcade Fire-inflected rock of their previous albums to try something a little smaller and more personal. On the country-inflected "Bride & Groom," it feels as if the band is going for something a little more earnest, evoking emotion from the listener through the song's narrative rather than strapping it to a rocket of strings and synths and shooting for the stars. The problem is, shooting for the stars is really where the Airborne Toxic Event are at their best, so while songs like "Timeless" and "The Fifth Day" might feel like the band treading on old ground, it's when they have the time and space to really stretch out that they're able to get up to full speed. It's a tough thing for an artist to balance branching out with sticking to the tried and true formula, and while the band's excursions into uncharted waters provide listeners with some interesting findings, it breaks up the moodiness that bound their earlier work together. This makes Such Hot Blood an album that, while certainly containing some interesting moments, lacks the sense of atmosphere and cohesion possessed by their previous records. -All Music
(LL Cool J - Authentic)
Inevitably, that makes the disc more a series of gambles than bull’s-eyes. Some of those risks roll snake-eyes — especially the two faux-metal tracks with the distractingly showy Mr. Van Halen. A ballad, with Brad Paisley, is icky, if nowhere near as ham-fisted as the pair’s well-meaning bellyflop, “Accidental Racist.”
At the same time, several tracks manage to tap the energy of their genres. “Bartender Please” combines ’70s funk, via guest Bootsy Collins, with ’90s gangsta. “We Came to Party” uses an O.G. himself, Snoop Dogg, along with Fatman Scoop to mimic a Southern rap vibe. Meanwhile, the songs with Seal and Charlie Wilson have an R&B resilience. But best is “Whaddup,” which pairs LL with Tom Morello and Chuck D to recreate ’90s rock-rap at its most roiling. -NY Daily News
(Iggy & The Stooges - Ready To Die)
Blues has always been the fuel that’s made The Stooges’ musical machine run, but they’ve never played it this straight. It’s a square peg that doesn’t easily fit the round hole, but while the song is at odds with the rest of record’s nine tracks, it adds a traditional dimension to the band that’s long been caked under the muck and mire.
But that fleeting escape aside, Ready to Die is another torrid tour de force from a band built for speed, not comfort. Roughly half a lifetime after the band’s legendary 1967 debut, The Stooges still sound thrillingly vital, no small feat for a bunch of hardened rock vets jockeying for position against scores of up and comers roughly a third their age. But the band continues to earn its keep and then some. In the end, Ready to Die offers all the necessary proof that the band is sill alive and well. -Consequence of Sound
Overall, Now What?! is a worthy addition to the long Deep Purple catalogue. Fans of Purpendicular and the group’s last two albums will find several pleasing moments and the band should feel proud of the outcome too. After 45 years of creating music, this album is in all probability the best they could have offered. On the other hand, those who expect “Child in Time” screams, “Fireball” drum fills and “Burn” guitar harmonies will be disappointed. However, this is not the case for 2013 Deep Purple and the way one approaches this album will have an impact upon their impression. -Sputnik Music
And then there is Jello Biafra and The Melvins' take on Roxy Music's "In Every Dream Home a Heartache," which might be the greatest cover the band have ever done, giving composer Brian Ferry a real run for his money and maybe even leaving him gasping in the dust. The original features Ferry speaking in an emotionless meter, applying a paean to his blow up doll. But here, Jello steals the show for the first half and the Melvins steal it back for the second. Blowing the song up to a necessary nine minutes, the band open with a ghostly synth and distant clacking. Then Jello appears, but where Ferry was detached, Jello assumes an Oscar Wilde-ish, wavering, creeping voice. If voices were handshakes, this one would be wet and limp. Through his voice alone, Jello creates the image of that guy you see on the street that always wears stained sweatpants and and has a '70s mustache that creeps you out, but you're not sure why and you definitely don't want to learn why. Then, just as Jello creeps closer and closer through one of his greatest vocal takes, on the second half, the band snaps the song from a plodding, ghost creep to a parade of crushing riffs. Osborne and drummer Dale Crover strike back, meaner and harder with each measure, getting nastier while Biafra gets louder and more frantic screaming out "Oh those heartaches!" Without demeaning their fantastic original compositions, this is one of the finest Jelvins recordings, and even one of the greatest moments in both of their careers. Simply marvelous.
The title of the album is likely a bait to the old idiom that "you don't want to see the sausage being made." Only the Melvins could take a process that remains in the shadows for its grossness and then project light on it in order to show all the wonderful and interesting things going on in the slaughterhouse. -Punk News
(HIM - Tears On Tape)
So, in summary, this is a well crafted, well put-together record full of everything that you would come to expect from this band. They’ve been around for a long time now, and show no signs of giving up, which is truly admirable considering the state of the charts these days. They have written a 100% pure HIM album without straying from the beaten track but without sacrificing any of the energy or gusto you can come to expect from them these days. This album deserves to be listened to. After all, there’s enough energy in the guitar riffs, in the haunting bass, and in the frantic drums, as well as Valo’s baritone, romantic, yet tortured voice to keep this a handy mix of radio-friendly, yet still hardcore enough for the purists. A bruising, and at the same time, gentle album with a real purpose and soul.
In short, it’s not something to cry about. It’s something to enjoy. -Stereoboard
(Heaven Shall Burn - Veto)
Album opener “Godiva” serves up a barrage of metal goodness amidst medieval undertones. “Die Stürme Rufen Dich” is a thoroughly catchy modern metal anthem injected with a tad dose of industrial elements. The grandiose and fantastical are not left out with songs “Like Gods Among Mortals” and “Hunters will be Hunted”. Heck, there is even an (nearly) epic ballad in the album closer, “Beyond Redemption”. (Gasp! Clean vocals!)
Nearing two decades of rampage, HSB has certainly not lost any of it’s finesse and conviction; and I suppose with how the world is today and how it might be like going forward, they will definitely not be lacking inspiration or subject matter. -ZETALAMBMARY
(Amorphis - Circle)
After The Burial are streaming a special digital EP of three re-recorded tracks from their debut album, 2006's Forging A Future Self, with the vocal stylings of current frontman Anthony Notarmaso. -Alt Press
(The Ocean - Pelagial)
That's not to say it doesn't have standout moments. This is definitely the band's most accessible album in years, as it is immediately more engaging and exciting than much of what came out on 2010's Anthropocentric. In other words, its greatest strength as a progressive record is that it manages to be experimental while not requiring too much patience on the part of the listener to get interested. That said, I found the album much better on the second listen than on the first. That may sound like a criticism, but as some prog stuff can take up to 5 listens for me to really get, that's saying quite a lot. -Metal Injection
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