I have been lucky enough to grab some play copies for at home and I can assure you that you will have a grand old time cranking tunes and comparing with previous releases (of some artists). Even though it can cost a few dollars, be sure to head to a local record store, online retailer, or trusted digital source to grab your favourite artists and albums. Cheers!
(The Prodigy - The Day Is My Enemy)
Exactly what’s fuelled this ill temper remains vague: unless they’ve been shaken down by dodgy accountants, the Prodge shouldn’t have too much to complain about at this stage, but The Day Is My Enemy scarcely flags in its fury across 14 high-intensity tunes. Indeed, were this your chosen soundtrack while driving through any given British conurbation, you’d surely be snapped for 200-odd speed violations in the 56-minute running time. -Mojo
(NF - Mansion)
This album is not for those who dig the simple radio-play kind of hip hop heard so often today. This twelve-track ensemble deals with NF's personal struggles through past and present circumstances and is extremely raw emotionally; you can't help but know what's going on inside of his head. The title track is ultra-personal, cleverly entering the different rooms in his house, with each carrying its own memory. "All I Have" comes up next, and those who grabbed last year's EP will recognize this incredibly amazing song along with "Wake Up" a little later. Both tracks are two wonderful additions to this year's release. Later on, you'll catch "Face It," "Notepad" and "Paralyzed," which offer more creative perspectives while touching on life's important matters, NF's detailed musical journey, and the walls of personal numbness that we sometimes hit. -Jesus Freak Hideout
(Ludacris - Ludaversal)
Luda’s come up story is a fitting conclusion to an album that seems to be more representative of not only himself but his artistry than any previous project to date. On the cover of the album is a portrait of his famed ’93 Acura parked next to a private plane. His seemingly unshakeable integrity and forthright spirit in music making shrouds Ludaversal in serious tones, marking a stark departure from the Georgia emcee’s status quo, making this one a novel and welcome addition to his catalog. -Hip Hop DX
(Boz Scaggs - A Fool To Care)
Even when Scaggs reaches back into the slick, satiny soul that yielded his biggest commercial boost in the mid-70s on a heartfelt version of the Spinners’ “Love Don’t Love Nobody,” the relatively stripped down arrangement keeps the session grounded. The atmosphere really gets hot on Scaggs’ lone original “Hell to Pay” where Bonnie Raitt both trades lead vocals and supercharges the rockabilly/blues with her distinctive, cutting slide guitar. -American Songwriter
(Darius Rucker - Southern Style)
If you like Darius Rucker, then you will definitely like ‘Southern Style’. It is interesting in the way that it is both similar in style to his discography, whilst at the same time changing his focus for more of a relaxed, care-free style of song, and I find this quite refreshing. I’m surprised, and impressed, by ‘Southern Style’, and judging by the amount of spins it’s already received, I can certainly recommend it! -For The Country Record
(Plain White T's - American Nights)
American Nights reignites Plain White T’s flame more than any of their work in recent years. The album still exists within a standard pop-rock framework with few surprises, but does so with a dynamic spark and enough personality to give American Nights a fighting chance at bringing Plain White T’s back into the limelight (even if they go too far, or not far enough from time to time). Regardless of American Nights’ commercial outcome, one thing is clear: Plain White T’s are back writing the music that they want, and they would be advised to keep it that way. -The Punk Site
(Death Cab For Cutie - Kintsugi)
In many ways, Kintsugi returns to the same territory that Death Cab has covered, with diminishing returns, since 2005’s Plans: now-routine, diet-U2 production (despite this being their first LP with an outsider, Rich Costey, at the helm); melodies caught between easy-listening and alt-pop marketed expressly for the Imagine Dragons crowd (“No Room in Frame,” “Black Sun”); and a stream of bummed-nice-guy lyrics (“And there’s a flaw in my heart’s design / For I keep trying to make you mine”) engineered to make a single tear fall. -Spin
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(Ringo Starr - Postcards From Paradise)
Postcards From Paradise suggests that there’s still a carefree vibe wafting through the Starkey household, with Ringo’s jet set lifestyle all but numbing him to any concerns occupying us poor peons living in the outside world. The album title itself speaks to his carefree indulgence, but it’s specific tracks like “Island in the Sun” and “You Bring the Party Down”—the latter suggesting that in Ringo’s world, a party-pooper makes for the biggest bummer possible – that further the happy-go-lucky notion. -Pop Matters
(Death Grips - The Powers That B)
Given that most of their career seemed to be pointing towards their ultimate implosion, getting back together is probably the most unexpected thing that they could have done. It’s another twist in a tale which has been by turns exhilarating, hilarious and exasperating. Regardless of what comes next, regardless of whether The Powers That B is the last Death Grips record, or just the last until the next, there’s no doubt the world is a more exciting place with Death Grips railing against it. -Music OMH
(Three Days Grace - Human)
Human is Three Days Grace’s sixth studio album, and I’ll say right now: I really like it. It sounds like a Three Days Grace album, which is either a huge accomplishment for a new singer or a deep flaw for a band that hasn’t really changed its sound up in…ever. I am equally relieved and annoyed at the same time when not listening to Human, but when the songs are playing, I hardly care. From start to finish, Human is a solid rock-n-roll album. -IGN
(Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts - Blaster)
If nothing else, Weiland gets props for perseverance. Overall, “Blaster” blows Velvet Revolver away, although it falls short of the glory of STP's heyday. I'd say that if the Wildabouts are as hard-hitting live as they are in the studio, they've gotta put on a good show; but with Jeremy Brown's untimely passing, I suppose Weiland is at least momentarily back in limbo. If nothing else—and if only for all the '90s children out there—“Blaster” is definitely worth a listen. -The Independent
(Harlot - We Are Harlot)
We Are Harlot does have several points of merit. For one, every track is rather catchy. Though they may all blend into one another, the bass line on “Flying Too Close To The Sun” will stick with you for days and the solo on “Never Turn Back” totally rips in the old school way We Are Harlot were aiming for. Where the album falls apart is its dependency to fit a mold that’s already been cracked because it’s been used so many times. You can’t write arena-worthy rock ballads like “I Tried” and “Denial” because Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Kiss, Van Halen, Guns ‘n’ Roses, and Poison have already beat you to it, and did it better. -New Noise Magazine
(Hollywood Undead - Day of the Dead)
Similar to a band like say Attila, Hollywood Undead have always touched a raw nerve with their lyrical content and Day Of The Dead is no different. Ignoring the gratuitous use of expletives (and there are plenty), Day Of The Dead is littered with references to bitches, bimbos, guns, drugs and cocaine. Songs like the title-track and "Dark Places" paint a picture of life in Hollywood Undead as being one long drug, sex and violence-fuelled nightmare. Whether that's true or not only the masked members of the band and their immediate circle can verify that but, as far as lyrical inspiration, it seems to flow from their mouths with terrifying ease. -Pure Grain Audio
(Nightwish - Endless Forms Most Beautiful)
Like other albums there's a theme to Endless Forms Most Beautiful. The springboard is Darwin's evolutionary theory expressed in The Origin of Species. Founder and main composer Tuomas Holopainen uses the lyrics and music to express and celebrate the ideas of evolution, science, and reason as it pertains to the origins and unity of the earth and mankind. However, oddly, Holopainen believes that the unity of mankind comes from our origins in bacteria: "...all living beings on earth are related with each other, own a common origin as bacteria and that’s why everybody is on the same level." Well, okay then. Seriously? He's probably been reading too much of that atheist blowhard Richard Dawkins. Speaking of Dawkins, Nightwish enlisted the famous English biologist and god-denier to narrate portions of the album. He's heard at the beginning within Shudder Before The Beautiful, yet largely the closing piece Greatest Show On Earth. The title comes from Dawkins' book of the same name where he sets forth his evidence for evolution. -Danger Dog
This album had me headbanging, crying, belting out choruses and everything in between. Don’t sleep on “Valley of Bones” because I guarantee that it will go down as one of the best albums of 2014! Pick up your copy now via their webstore (linked below) and be prepared to feel emotion from music like never before! Full Devil Jacket is back! You even get a few extra tracks including “Paper Crown (Acoustic)” for doing so! -New Transcendence
(Prong - Songs From The Black Hole)
As a project that seemed destined to be either fantastic or terrible, Songs From The Black Hole turns out to be a little bit of both. The record is a fascinating exercise in not knowing one’s limitations, but when it’s good, it’s pretty damn fun. I wish Tommy Victor could have found another way to show his admiration for these songs, like maybe a podcast or guest DJ set somewhere. However, the original versions, and the bands responsible for them, are all very much worth checking out if you’re not already familiar with them. -Angry Metal Guy
CD/DVD/Blu-Ray:
(Katatonia - Sanctitude)
The tracks on the CD and DVD are both the same, so you can have the new versions of the songs in your musical collection, but seeing the actual performance on the DVD is really the big draw here. There's a fantastic Gothic atmosphere with candles lined across the stage in front of the old European architecture of London's Union Chapel, and its a great chance to see what Katatonia does without having to actually fly across the globe. At the end of the show for the encore, Katatonia brings out Silve Wergerland of The Gathering for a surprise duet on “The One You Are Looking For Is Not Here.” Rounding out the DVD side of the release is an hour long bonus documentary clip featuring an extended interview segment with Jonas and Anders answering fan questions about the tour. -Metal Underground
Box Sets:
The sound is very raw and bare-bones, it doesn’t sound like it was overdubbed at all which is one of Tokyo Dome‘s best qualities. I think they were going for a bit of a bootleg sound, not too much as clearly this exceeds a bootleg, but Van Halen wanted a real raw, gritty and heavy feel. Now the audience is essentially nowhere to be found. I own lots of live albums and this has got to be one of the quietest crowds l’ve heard for Van Halen (and a rock concert for that matter). I can only assume they turned them down during the mixing. -Mike Ladano
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