Music Releases For March 10th, 2014

I'm in various moods today.  I am jumping from my morning bus ride with Alison Krauss, to the newest single(s) from Coal Chamber by the time work starts.  I am now streaming some Uli Jon Roth and eventually turning my sights to Celtic Thunder.  It seems this week's music releases have really got me all over the place.  While knowing your bread and butter genres (such as hard rock/metal for moi) is a must for trying to write a blog about music, having multiple genres spanning across your day can give you some time to appreciate other musical tastes and why fans (and elitists) indulge.

So give yourself a little bit of an open mind/ear today.  Check out some of these albums on YouTube or over at Facebook (or whatever social media site you use) to preview a sample.  If you like what you hear, then be sure to pick up a copy at your local record store, online retailer, or a trusted digital source.  Cheers and have a great week discovering music!


(Steven Turre - Spiritman)

Though the one song wherein Turre brings out the conch shells, his pairing of his original “Spirit Man” with Miles Davis’ “All Blues,” is interesting, the shell vibe stands out as a little incongruous within the more traditional spirit of the preceding nine cuts. That said, this is still a fine record, meticulously produced as we’ve come to expect from Smoke Sessions, another feather in their cap for certain and a most admirable effort from Mr. Turre. -About.com

(Madonna - Rebel Heart)

Dance pop tracks like Illuminati and Iconic reflect a contemporary trend for fast, furious and funny mash ups of conflicting ideas, constantly teetering on the edge of collapse but pulling out another beat or hook to keep things moving. Body Shop has a bubblegum lightness that harks back to True Blue, the epic synths of Wash All Over Me recall Ray of Light’s rich depths, while oral sex slow burner Holy Water manages to be sacrilegious and ear-burningly naughty. She may be chasing the pop zeitgeist rather than setting it these days but at least Madonna sounds like she’s in the game again. -Telegraph

(Celtic Thunder - The Very Best of Celtic Thunder)

*no reviews as of yet

(Uli Jon Roth - Scorpions Revisited)

At two discs, this set is almost a little too much to digest; it might have been better if Roth had opted to just release it as a single disc set with the best tracks here featured. Similarly, despite the goal of rerecording Scorpions classics here, there are some gaping omissions – He’s a Woman She’s a Man, Speedy’s Coming, and Suspender Love, to name a few. How can you rerecord Roth era Scorps classics and not redo these songs? Still, the flaws of this package are minor at most.

Any fan of Uli Jon Roth will definitely want to pick up this release and check out his new take on these old Scorps favorites. As a two disc set it is a bit more than we needed, and there are some disappointing omissions, but the package satisfies overall. Roth is still kicking ass on guitar and this is solid proof of that. Recommended for fans. -ZRockR

(Europe - War of Kings)

Produced by Dave Cobb (Rival Sons), “War of Kings” sounds incredible and brings to mind those heavy-hitting, no-frills hard rock albums of the 1970s but with a modern edge that gives each musician their chance to be heard, and when the band are in full flight on tracks like the mighty ‘Children of the Mind’ or the celebratory ‘Days of Rock n’ Roll’ there’s really not a finer sound to be heard anywhere. Any band over 30 years old and into double figures with their album releases can be forgiven for sounding like they are going through the motions at times but with “War of Kings” Europe still sound like a band with something to prove; of course, by this point in their career they haven’t but it warms the heart to know that they still care enough to put this much effort into crafting an album that, given a little bit of time to bed in amongst the established back catalogue (and that song), could be considered as possibly their finest work to date. -This Is Not A Scene

(Motor Sister - Ride)

At 12 tracks, the more scrutinizing of you Rockers out there may be a little skeptical of whether or not you'll get through such a lengthy endeavour and not feel it the least bit monotonous. However, since the tracks are combed and picked out of the band's entire past discography, the album is incredibly diverse, since moving onto "Get That Girl", we've moved onto a quasi-Glam, Pop-Rock vibe, with lyrics dripping with equal parts cheese and equal parts charm. By the time of of “Fork in the Road”, Punk seems to have taken over, it being possible the most upbeat and aggressive track on the album. -Metal Temple

(Cancer Bats - Searching For Zero)

There's a moment during the song "Devil's Blood" on Searching For Zero where the instruments drop out one by one, until just Mike Peters' snare drum is carrying the beat, at which point the band slams into a devastating half-time groove before ripping through the scream-along main refrain. It's unlike anything Cancer Bats have put to tape in their decade as a band, and perhaps their most adventurous combination of hooky hardcore and stoner metal weirdness. It's also a perfect distillation of why Searching for Zero is such a compelling record and a testament to the band's musical progress: Cancer Bats' most experimental album might also be their catchiest. -Exclaim

(The Answer- Raise A Little Hell)

Production wise, everything sounds pretty clear to me and the sound is just right for an album of this type and you can make out a lot of the details that make up this record including the heavy guitars and drums, the deep groovy bass lines and the vocal performance which for the most part is energetic and punchy and the singer clearly knows how to adjust his voice to match each song by sounding heavy one minute for a heavy song and sounding soft the next for a slower tune which is a trick a lot of singers are learning to use these days with a vast majority of them being able to pull it off perfectly. -Metal Temple

(Evil Invaders - Pulses of Pleasure)

Their Pulses of Pleasure debut is chock full of wild, frantic riffing with the NWoBHM/classic metal flavor that many speed metal acts had in spades in the early 80s. Their music is often inspired, energetic and memorable with an undeniable and infectious exuberance, but there’s a major glitch that throws a considerable wrench in the machinery.

Evil Invaders have talent and a lot of moxie, but they need to work on their editing and find a reliable sedative for Mr. Anüs before they can reach the next tier of retro glory. Definitely a fun band and one to watch, and I’m hoping a little muzzling goes a long way in the future. Grrrrwoof! -Angry Metal Guy

(Enslaved - In Times)

ENSLAVED have managed to surpass any and all expectations with seemingly effortless ease, and “In Times” is undoubtedly a strong candidate for best album of 2015, and definitely one I will have on repeat for a long while to come. The album doesn’t contain a single highlight in my mind: each song is exceptionally crafted and perfect in its own stead. All in all a definite must listen. And for American fans, there is even more good news, with ENSLAVED heading off on a North American tour in early March, so be sure to catch them live! -Metal Temple