So you get a few weeks with a substantial amount of music coming out that you can't decide what to listen to first. Then you have those weeks where we got a select few decent albums coming out and now trying to find what to do with your time once you've sifted through those said albums (coughAFGMreleasescough). Six notable albums this week so try and space out your time with them. Hell, give some of them a second spin. Much like watching a movie for the second time, you may find something there you didn't beforehand.
Anyways, not much to go on here for this week's albums. I am personally looking forward to sitting down and hearing what the new A Perfect Circle live album has to offer. I might save my groovy rockin Clutch album till the weekend. Seems like a good time to press that album. Metallica seems like a Friday post-work album to celebrate the weekend arrival. Others will find their time throughout the week.
So as the old saying goes (or at least should be old by now), buy an album and save a band. Pick up some physical copies of these albums over at your local record store or online retailer. If physical isn't your thing, then there are always other legal streaming sources to access your tunes. Enjoy and check back next week for another batch of albums!
(Metallica - Through The Never)
For those trying to relive Through the Never, this soundtrack hits the spot, following the precise chronological usage of the songs in the film. For everyone else, it’s pretty pointless, as these versions fall short of the excellent ones included on 1993′s Live Shit: Binge & Purge, and sound especially redundant considering Metallica dropped live album Quebec Magnetic last year. It’s very much “your mileage may vary,” though the band can’t be faulted for releasing it, because honestly, who wouldn’t? It’s free money, and Through the Never will likely be remembered as the biggest (and certainly most expensive) heavy-metal film of all-time. -Consequence of Sound
(A Day To Remember - Common Courtesy)
*Please note that "Common Courtesy" was released digitally earlier in the year but today marks the availability of their physical CD release.
The balance of Common Courtesy—and arguably the least compelling tracks of this new batch—showcase the band’s current arena-rock status, with driving modern-rock numbers like “Best Of Me,” the ’90s alt-rockish acoustic cut “I’m Already Gone,” power ballad “I Surrender” and the mid-tempo radio rocker “End Of Me.” Here the band have never sounded more mature or refined in their individual performances, but unfortunately the songs themselves aren’t quite as convincing, and tend to drag. A few more pop-punk scorchers like the aforementioned or the dark-tinged cruncher “Life @ 11” would’ve been far more welcome in their place.
Is Common Courtesy ADTR’s best album? This reviewer would have to say no, but it’s a solid, honest effort nonetheless, and that’s worth something, too. After all the waiting and drama, there’s no question Common Courtesy will at least partially satisfy eager fans, because if nothing else, it’s a textbook A Day To Remember record. Whether or not that’s good or bad is entirely up to you. -Alt Press
(Clutch - Earth Rocker LIVE)
Earth Rocker is an apt title; this album rocks in a way that doesn’t require much dissection. This is a record meant to be played at maximum volume, an album that makes everyday tasks like standing still and obeying posted speed limits near impossible. It might not reach the heights of Blast Tyrant, but not much in the genre does. It’s certainly Clutch's most enjoyable album in a good number of years, and any fan of the group’s post-Pure Rock Fury era would do well to give Earth Rocker a spin. -Punk News
(A Perfect Circle - Stone and Echo: Live At Red Rocks)
The texture that A Perfect Circle demonstrate in Stone and Echo is something shocking for a live album. While it’s not necessarily better than the band’s original studio albums, Stone and Echo captures the signature tone and solitude the band has grown since its inception in the late 90’s in a refined and intelligent way. They’ve continuously distanced themselves from the heavier nature of Tool and moved toward a much calmer aesthetic. The storm has become quiet since Mer de Noms, but Stone and Echo’s best feature is its demonstration of the band’s epitomization of their ephemeral nature. The twenty tracks on Stone and Echo offer enough diversity from their studio counterparts to be interesting, while still being perfectly in tune with what A Perfect Circle has achieved in their short activity. If you’ve kept paces with A Perfect Circle for a long time, Stone and Echo is well worth including in your collection and if you’re new to Keenan and Howerdel’s brainchild, it’s a good way to understand what set them apart from their past projects. It’s startling how well Stone and Echo can stand on its own as a great recording and it’s easily a highlight in the band’s brief, but impressive discography. -Sputnik Music
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