Well, this is a prime example of me not looking at ANY releases for this week. Man was I blown away, and quite happy with the bands dropping new stuff today. Seriously... Lindemann, Pro-Pain, BMTH, and Breaking Benjamin all in one week?!
(Artwork by AFGM. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)
Enjoy the [delayed] choices of AFGM for this week's releases and be sure to pick em up from a local record store, online retailer, or trusted digital source. Cheers and enjoy discovering music!
(Asia - Axis XXX: Live in San Francisco MMXXII)
From an outsider looking in, the atmosphere of this performance is simply amazing and brings with it a sense of calming and the eventual toe-tapping that comes from involuntarily enjoying something with a palatable melody and catchy choral sense. If you’ve never heard Asia before, then this live concert setting should come as a real treat and displays them at a truly fine and memorable moment. It also demonstrates to me that there will never be a band like this one, ever again. -New Noise Magazine
(Skyzoo - Music For My Friends)
The beats are rooted in classic styles. Most everything has New York boom-bap flavor, save for the J Dilla sound on “See a Key (Ki’), and the synth-driven production of “Sweet Pursuit.” A recurring theme is trumpet instrumentation, which establishes ambiance and a certain vibe (“Suicide Doors”; “Civilized Leisure”). A mellow overtone prevails, and the mood is consistent.
Music For My Friends is an above-average effort from Skyzoo. Hip Hop purists will appreciate the framework in particular, but everyone can relate to the album as a whole for its universal sentiment, conveyed vis-a-vis storytelling and life lessons from the artist himself. -Hip Hop DX
(Audiomachine - Magnus)
*no reviews as of yet.
(Freedom Hawk - Into Your Mind)
Their second, self-titled full length is a personal favorite, also achieving album of the month accolades in many prominent European metal magazines. It’s been four years since their last studio album, so “Into Your Mind” as their fourth full-length strives to keep the band’s premiere songwriting and performances on par with the back catalog.
Keeping the sonic display at that same earthy platform as their stylistic base, “Into Your Mind” keeps FREEDOM HAWK at the top of their game – and should be essential listening for those who love organic records that reflect the roots of the Hard Rock/Metal genres. -Metal Temple
(Breaking Benjamin - Dark Before Dawn)
AFGM: Breaking Benjamin Returns In 2014/2015 - Dark Before Dawn
Dark Before Dawn, Breaking Benjamin’s fifth studio album produced by Burnley and released via Hollywood Records, features twelve tracks of a thought-provoking mixture of darkness and light. Beginning in tranquil fashion with the instrumental piece “Dark,” the track features a voice-over intro as guitars quietly begin, gaining their voice as the guys harmonize before tapering off to nothing. Next is the quintessential Breaking Benjamin sounding “Failure” with a riff-laden melody that maybe speaking of feeling like a failure after the original band broke up with lyrics such as, “Tired of feeling lost/tired of letting go/Tear the whole world down.” Keeping listeners on their toes, “Angels Fall” has a Pop-ish feel while Burnley sings, “When angels fall with broken wings/I can’t give up/I can’t give in.” Following is no-nonsense rocker “Breaking the Silence,” announcing itself with ripping riffs, and growling war cry vocals thrown into this piece of defeating phobias with the words, “I’m breaking the silence/I’m falling apart for you.” -Cryptic Rock
(Lindemann - Skills In Pills)
AFGM: Lindemann
Having in mind that Lindemann teamed-up with a genius like Tägtgren the result could have been much more surprising. It's a missed opportunity for adding a new thrilling chapter to the book of metal. Imagine a mean bastard that combines Rammstein's industrial metal with Swedish death metal.
"Skills in pills" is a predictable album that, due to the similarities, will be loved by Rammstein fans. If I have to choose between Lindemann and Kruspe's Emigrate releases I prefer the last mentioned ones, since those are more innovative. "Skills in pills" instead is playing safe. -Markus' Heavy Music Blog
Production-wise, this thing is a hammer. The mix is big, burly and bruising and the guitars have enough force to ruin your sheet rock and drive off even the most loyal girlfriend. Despite the low DR, it sounds surprisingly balanced and satisfying and exactly as this kind of music should.
Voice of Rebellion is a big, pugnacious slab of New York attitude, ready to climb off the disc and bully you into a corner. It’s pit-ready, parent unfriendly and has enough breakdowns to send Dr. Fisting into hiding for a month. -Angry Metal Guy
(Rosetta - Quintessential Ephemera)
The album is a harrowing listen, meeting at the intersection of hardcore intensity, sludge riffery, and post-rock’s sense of scope. What makes (and has made) Rosetta so endearingly awesome isn’t that they do anything particularly new or inventive. It’s that they take the existing post-metal formula and elevate it. At their best, Rosetta is a band whose music evokes a heavy metal astronaut’s trip through space, and that celestial beauty is on full display here as well. Quintessential Ephemera is mostly (sorry) quintessential post-metal, evoking the wonder of perfectly composed music and the chaos and ethos of devastatingly heavy hardcore and metal. It’s a fantastic return to form for a once forgotten band. -New Noise Magazine
CD/DVD/Blu-Ray:
(Bring Me The Horizon - Live At Wembley)
The set leans heavily upon material from the band’s past two records, both of which have seen internet sentiment towards the band change from loathing to loving – petitions and thinkpieces abounded after both records were left off the shortlist for their respective years’ Mercury Prize. But they still hark back to their early days with a touching on-stage reunion with former guitarist Curtis Ward and subsequent blast through ‘Pray For Plagues’, the opening track from debut album ‘Count Your Blessings’ and a fan-favourite excluded from setlists for the past three years. The crowd-pleasing gesture is met with the biggest wall of death of the night, the chasm in the centre crowd eventually giving way to a bubbling, surging maelstrom of bodies and airborne discarded clothing. -DIY Magazine
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