Category: Album Reviews

In This Moment is a very theatrical band, especially live. A collection of black-clad painted zombies rocking out behind a tall blonde screamer sporting multiple personalities and an outfit to match each of them. On Black Widow, they continue to evolve their unique, dramatic metal sound, with even more synth, samples and electronica setting the mood for twisted tales that drift from intense to ethereal and back again. This album continues where the last left off, and turns down even darker, stranger alleyways. There are elements of horror, science fiction and even Broadway spun into this web of character studies. Brent Smith of Shinedown duets on a song that is different than anything either band has done before. Overall, there are many stylistic trips taken, which may not please all, but there should be something for any fan of modern metal to gravitate towards.

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Black Veil Brides has emulated KISS in many ways, mostly with great results. On their fourth album, they turned to notorious/legendary savior/lightning rod producer Bob Rock who either helped or destroyed such bands as Motley Crue and Metallica, depending on your point of view. The output is similar to the Desmond Child / KISS collaborations – great pop hits or a horrible devolution of the band, depending on your perspective. The songs here are easily digestible, which is good if you are new to the band, but a bit disappointing if you have followed them from the beginning. The songs are short and most are fast paced, full of big background vocals and staccato riffs. There’s nothing quite wrong with this album, it is just not as emotionally captivating and memorable as their previous efforts. Perhaps this is an attempt to grab some more mainstream success. Hopefully BVB will be more inspired to return to their emotional roots on the next effort.

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Los Angeles-based producer DESTRUCTO’s new “WEST COAST” EP will be out Tuesday, November 24, 2012 on Insomniac Records/Interscope. It features tracks with artists such as Problem, YG, Too $hort, Kurupt, Ty Dolla $ign, and Warren G. The opening track entitled “West Coast” samples a few lines from the Dre and Snoop song called “The Next Episode” including “hold up”, “get my drink on”, and “my smoke on”. This is the type of song you would play really loud while riding your BMX with your crew. The next song, “Dare You 2 Move”, features Problem for a sick beat with quite possibly the explanation for why rappers keep telling their audiences to throw up their hands. Personally it’s my favorite song on the whole album, and it includes many references to old songs and some more recent ones, kinda like Family Guy does. “Party Up” is a track with the more famous YG, who has a few more lyrics than the last guy, but the drop is much more intense; probably because the second one didn’t really have one at all. “Bust Them Cheeks” featuring Too $hort uses many analogies to get his point across. It sounds like a good song for blasting in your car while mobbing. It’s just a mobbing type of song. Kurupt lays some lyrics on the song “Scuzzlebutt” which has a nasty meaning, which is probably why he talks about why she’s there after hours at the club. It is a great song for when you’re in the mood to just dance, or even if you want to learn some lyrics to a song that’s good, but you don’t really want to learn individual verses like the song “Rap God” by Eminem which has over 1,500 lyrics. “Nobody Else” with TY Dolla $ign and Warren G is the track to play for a girl when you two are alone in the car, or when your single friend is in the back and you want to make him jealous. The verses have a steady pace, but the chorus is just a bit too slow for me.

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Nothing More has released their self-titled major label debut album and it promises to launch the band towards a lengthy career. The band has been gaining steam and popularity over the past year with their dynamic live festival appearances and lead single ‘This Is The Time (Ballast)’. Now the full spectrum of their fresh, chaotic sound and deep, clever lyrics can be heard by all. If all you care about is the music, brace yourself for a roller coaster ride full of sonic twists and turns, slow builds and frenetic payoffs. If you’re into lyrics, you won’t get much deeper than the philosophy and social commentary found here. ‘Nothing More’ is an album that leaps out of your speakers, grabs you by the lapels and pleads with you to feel the intensity of emotion barely contained within. If you have been looking for something different to listen to, this is something different. You really need to hear it to understand..

‘Transmissions’ is the debut album from avant-garde artists Starset. ‘Transmissions’ plays like a science fiction soundtrack, with sweeping electronics and dramatic shifts in pace and tone on top of the more typical rock sound. Vocalist Dustin Bates blends his singing in perfectly with the ever-changing sonic landscape, drawing the listener into the drama, just as a top actor would. ‘My Demons’ is one of the top 10 singles of the year and a fine example of the entire album. Let yourself go and take a journey across the universe with Starset..

It’s 2014 and the Priest is back, with a vengeance! Redeemer Of Souls is everything a Judas Priest fan would want – an endless onslaught of catchy riffs, thunderous rhythm, screaming solos and soaring vocals. Think British Steel songwriting skill with Painkiller production quality. When a band reaches legend status, new material is usually disappointing and makes you want to listen to the back catalog. This is not the case with Redeemer Of Souls. This album makes you want to hear every single track over and over again, and maybe even pick up a guitar and try to learn the riffs. The title track and first single is not even in my top 5 favorite songs, which is the best indication of an album that will remain in your playlist for a long time. These metal masters are not content to go quietly into the good night – in fact, they are hitting the road and you do not want to miss this renaissance..