Don't get me wrong, I am very happy with the diverse releases happening (I also think there are more releases resonating this month for myself). New work from Train, Slash, Obey The Brave, Sleepwave, Motionless In White, Texas In July, and The Contortionist all lead to a fun filled week to play catch up on.
So if you haven't gotten the message from me yet about helping out artists, then allow me to enlighten you (and again if need be). Bands nee money to survive, same as we all do. So going to your local record store shows love for both artist and store owner. Record shops generally mean anti-big box so not that big-box stores are bad. Well, I take that back, I don't necessarily feel I should be buying my music CDs in the same place as my groceries. I doubt the skill level is there to handle both my metal selections and my salad options.
If you are more of an online kind of person, then hit up someone such as Amazon, CD Baby, or HMV. And if you are an anti-hoarder, then you can always buy the album digitally. Whatever you have to do to make sure these artists get money in their pockets (merch sales and ticket purchases also go a long way). Cheers!
(The Cookers - Time and Time Again)
The very idea of The Cookers is something of a pleasing paradox. It's a band that's populated by some of the most impressive and seasoned veterans out there, but it plays like an anti-super group; it's a real deal band, not a big payday or business venture, and nobody's phoning it in, grandstanding, or letting any bullshit get in the way of the music.
Five of the seven players contribute music to the program here, everybody gets a chance to blow, the arrangements are rock solid but malleable enough, and musical rapport is evident throughout. A hard-edged sound underscores much of this work, and the music certainly has a hard-bop meets post-bop sound to it, but few of the songs are cut from the same cloth. -All About Jazz
(John Paesano - The Maze Runner OST)
Usually when a major film is scored by a composer I’ve never heard of, that composer turns out to be some guy who turned up to wash Hans Zimmer’s car or something and five minutes later ended up scoring something like Iron Man, but it turns out that Paesano is a proper composer, classically trained, who worked briefly with Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams and – yes – Hans Zimmer. In the press release for this album, he names a score by each of those three composers as an influence on The Maze Runner – Alien, Jurassic Park and The Thin Red Line, an eclectic collection but one which certainly left me intrigued to hear it.
The Maze Runner comes really close to being brilliant – almost all of it is well-composed and vibrant, there are interesting ideas and it’s refreshingly some distance away from the clueless Remote Control soundalikes that tend to dominate these films today. Paesano knows how to write real music and there’s a decent dramatic flow to the whole thing. I’ve mentioned a number of influences from other film scores but that’s not a problem for me – there’s nothing blatant and, considering this is the first music I’ve heard by this composer, it’s no surprise that I’m yet to discern his own musical voice. -Movie Wave
(VA - Dead Man's Town: A Tribute To Born In The U.S.A.)
When Bruce Springsteen's album Born in the U.S.A. was released in the summer of 1984, it became an immediate smash hit and confirmed Springsteen's status as one of the biggest and most important stars in American rock. But it was also a widely misunderstood work, especially the title song, embraced by many as a patriotic celebration of America when it was in fact a bitter condemnation by Springsteen of how his nation betrayed the soldiers who returned from Vietnam with few options and little hope. The messages of the songs were sometimes hard to hear through the bombast of the performances (Springsteen uses bombast to better advantage than practically any musician of his generation) and the polish of the production (especially the sharp report of the drums and the layers of keyboards), so producers Logan Rogers and Evan Schlansky decided to give the songs of Born in the U.S.A. a new spin by inviting a handful of contemporary roots rock artists to cover them in their own styles. -All Music
(the Earls of Leicester - the Earls of Leicester)
"I built this with the idea that it would be an event band, not a band that's gonna go out and hit the road for three years. I want to feel six years old every time I play this music, and it wouldn't feel that way if we had to do it every night. I want us to enjoy every time we do it, and I want us to remember why we enjoy it.
I believe this band has the potential to have its own evolution, beyond just doing Flatt and Scruggs tunes, but this record is very, very exciting for me. I'm hoping people will hear it and ask 'What's that?', then do some investigating and discover where this stuff came from. We have a younger audience for this kind of music now, and it is important to me that the listeners understand the origins of what they are hearing." -Douglas
(Train - Bulletproof Picasso)
The band relentlessly return now with their seventh effort, Bulletproof Picasso; the creative process began whilst they were touring California 37 and they state it’s been the hardest album to write compared to writing and recording their previous work.
Bulletproof Picasso proves to be yet another solid release by Train, they’re more recent years of success have seen them earn their place again in the mainstream music market. The group said they were working on this album to be on a more personal note, and you definitely feel that connection with much of the lyrics on the album (particularly I Will Remember, The Bridge and Baby, Happy Birthday). For those of you who haven’t boarded the Train express there is still plenty of time to do so, Bulletproof Picasso isn’t likely to disappoint too easily. -Renowned For Sound
(Flyleaf - Between The Stars)
It is quite apparent when listening to the new album that a lot of heart and soul went into its’ creation. Flyleaf truly let it all out with this album and out of the 12 songs that make up “Between The Stars” it was difficult to find one that wasn’t up to speed.
It is apparent when listening to the album that Flyleaf has had quite a bit on their minds these days and releasing an album like “Between The Stars” seems like the perfect way to air out those emotions and share their thoughts and feelings with the rest of the world. -PCM World
(Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators - World On Fire)
The combination of delicate, yet firm, guitar strums, and mellifluous vocals, ascending into higher octaves and then glistening downward, just to rebuild to the intensity where left off and then some. The key change is breathtaking, and then we have Slash’s solo to envelop us. A distorted almost psychedelic guitar, accompanied with trance-filled vocals, “Stone Blind” blows up into a mechanism that does not accept no for an answer. The lyrics speak to the emotional ramifications of being blinded by physical beauty. A great message inculcated into our psyche via a rock and roll infusion.
The question is: is it good? The answer is a resounding “hell yes it’s good!” The sound is incomparable. Myles and Slash are instantly discernible. If you love that, then you will set your body to blaze with World On Fire. -Rock Revolt
(Red Zone Rider - Red Zone Rider)
If you check out the cover of Red Zone Rider’s self-titled release and see the sci-fi-ish artwork – a motorcycle rider in the desert with a space-scene behind – the last thing you’d probably expect is a thick, juicy slab of heavy old-school blues rock, but that is precisely what you get.
Red Zone Rider’s debut will has broad appeal to fans of hard rock, classic rock or blues rock. Warmly engineered, Red Zone Rider will be a trip down memory lane for some, and perhaps a new experience for others – but no matter what side of the fence you are from, this album rocks! It is vintage rock inspired by the greats of the blues rock era done with a modern flair! -Hard Rock Haven
(Obey The Brave - Salvation)
I couldn't ask for more in a metalcore album than what ‘Salvation’ has to offer, it’s an energetic breath of fresh air in to a scene where the same album gets released every month by a different band. OBEY THE BRAVE dodged every pitfall of the genre to create a new standard for everyone else to rise to. I get that some people who know the band aren't fans simply because it’s not DESPISED ICON, but I think it’s very much time to get over that and appreciate it for what it is, a bloody masterpiece. -SF Media
(Cannibal Corpse - A Skeletal Domain)
In all seriousness, A Skeletal Domain is a great album. It’s everything that a Cannibal Corpse record should and needs to be. There’s nothing really new, no punches, or nothing else but Cannibal Corpse’s own brand of death metal. From top to bottom, the album is pure and focused dark and brutal energy.
A Skeletal Domain is yet another strong release for the Cannibal Corpse catalog. Honestly, have these guys ever put out a bad album? If any death metal fan exists who isn’t into Cannibal Corpse, (unbloody likely, but they could exist), this could definitely be that album that would turn them on. This is an absolute must have for any lover of anything brutal and Cannibal Corpse. -Metal Injection
New Model Army have really enabled fans to have a special experience with this new album. The original new tracks allow some creative venting, as well as new material for fans. But we truly believe adding alongside this the enhanced experience of the latest album live, fans can appreciate the band on two new levels. Not only do we get new music, but we get to witness the band on their current tour, singing their hearts out. -Hit The Floor
(Sleepwave - Broken Compass)
‘Broken Compass’ is an artfully constructed eleven track album that showcases Chamberlain’s evolution as a musician and kicks serious ass while doing so. Produced by David Bendeth (Paramore, Bring Me The Horizon), each track adds a new dimension, creating a Frankenstein’s monster of industrial, post-hardcore and melodic tracks that balance each other in an unimaginable way.
Somehow the pace of the album manages to stay high from start to finish through the unrivalled energy of Chamberlain and Bowman that’s made painfully obvious in each track. For any band, a debut album needs to say a whole lot, and ‘Broken Compass’ just doesn’t shut up. -Sound Shpere
(Philm - Fire From The Evening Sun)
The music of the three guys can't be pressed into any established form and pattern. They are combining different styles which leads to a highly creative output. As Dave Lombardo stated: "We tend to live on the heavy side, but we also touch on haunting, desolate, ambient sounds.“
One of the great thing with all the songs on "Fire from the evening sun" is the fact that all of them are very complex on the one hand but also come with a certain catchiness that makes it easy for the listener. You get into the album from the very first moment on by still discovering new elements and details with each round in your CD player. -Markus' Heavy Music Blog
AFGM: Motionless In White - Reincarnate
From the moment “Reincarnate” begins it becomes blatantly obvious that Motionless In White have truly created their own niche, and nailed it with this album. It seems as if musically everything has finally come full circle as “Reincarnate” showcases the true musical talent and diversity that is Motionless In White.
At the same time however it certainly leaves many fans wondering when the day will come that the Antichrist Superstar himself, Marilyn Manson, will begin to take notice and lend his world renowned voice and talents. It is seemingly only a matter of time before these two collaborate together and the sky is the limit at that point. -Another Hole In The Wall
(Otherwise - Peace At All Costs)
Otherwise hit the world by storm in 2006 with the release of their self-titled album consisting of heavy lead/rhythm guitars and a vocalist with a beautiful clean voice that overpowers most of the current generation of rock bands.
Peace at All Costs is an album which shows tremendous growth in Otherwise. They have managed to keep the same intensity of True Love Never Dies while diving into a new spectrum of in-depth concepts. The record is balanced and lyrically hopefully that will inevitably help Otherwise reach new heights. -Cryptic Rock
(Texas In July - Bloodwork)
...after two long and confusing years, a few major lineup changes, and a lot of metal, Texas In July is back with a vengeance. Bloodwork, their spanking new release, and first to feature vocalist J.T. Cavey and lead guitarist Cam Welsh, marks the beginning of a new chapter for this group; this release easily stands out high above the rest.
Bloodwork is an album about self-discovery, and with this release, it seems that Texas In July have really come into their own. They've grown into an immensely talented, capable, and innovative metal act, one which I am very happy to say, I no longer consider to be "basic bitches". -Pure Grain Audio
(The Contortionist - Language)
By incorporating the cinematic musicality of Dream Theater with the heavy rock beats of Between The Buried And Me; The Contortionist have done a sincerely epic job on this latest LP and created a sound that is uniquely their own, which is sure to catapult them to a status very much deserved. It’s just as well they are set to hit the road with Protest The Hero and The Faceless this autumn, we can’t wait to catch them in action. -Hit The Floor
CD/DVD/Blu-Ray:
(Anthrax - Chile On Hell)
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