Album Reviews



Review: SAMSARA BLUES EXPERIMENT – ‘One With The Universe’ [Album Stream]

In less than two weeks, Samsara Blue Experiment‘s fourth full length album officially releases. The trio formed in Germany in 2007 and is well praised in the stoner/doom/psychedelic rock community. ‘One With The Universe’ will be released via Electric Magic Records, the band’s second album on the label. The artwork you see above was created by French artist Michel Bassot. Samsara Blues Experiment lives up to their name by experimenting a little bit more with synthesizers than they have on past records. They still manage to maintain the focus of putting forth heavy material while also adding in new elements to open more doors for the band. Although it doesn’t drop physically until May 12th, you can already stream the album online. The band worked with largely popular YouTube channel Stoned Meadow of Doom and you can actually listen to it below right now. If you like what you hear be sure to support the artists by pre-ordering the record here. Continue reading

Review of 3 Kisses June 3rd Release of “Read ‘Em & Weep”

3 Kisses is:

Tish Meeks – Vocals, guitar

Drew Owens – Lead guitar, backing vocals

Dale Payne – Drums

Zach Adams – Bass

Born in the fiery heat of Central Texas and then transplanted to Wasilla, Alaska comes Punk/Rock/Hard Rock/Alternative/Pop sensation, 3 Kisses. Fronted by wild woman Tish Meeks, 3 Kisses was originally formed in January 2004 as an Alternative Punk Rock outfit focused on good times aligned with unprecedented energy. True to form, Tish quickly garnering the title of “A Little Ball of Fire”, and with the rest of the band, began their dominant rampage across the Southern United States. Once their momentum overcame the region, 3 Kisses was able to expand their influence all over the country and earned them sponsorship from Jagermeister, Paul Reed Smith Guitars, Dirtbag Clothing, Daisy Rock Guitars, Miller Lite, Dunlop, Coffin Case, GoGirls Music, Texas Independent Musicians, Music Gorilla, Old Dog Products and Powered by Sam Ash. The amalgamation of fun, energetic and radio-friendly music full sarcastic angst resonated deeply with fans and catapulted 3 Kisses to enviable heights. With influences ranging from Frank Zappa and Led Zeppelin, to Joan Jett and the GoGos, to The Cranberries and Blondie all the way to Korn, Tool and Marilyn Manson, 3 Kisses have an enormous range of loyal music fans as well. Think hard hitting Rock acts like that that of Pat Benetar, Joan Jett, Green Day and the Ramones with the sarcastic playfulness of Pink and Avril Lavigne. This winning combination has worked brilliantly and since 2004, 3 Kisses has performed thousands of shows, been in an endless number of music magazine and radio features, been on ABC’sWife Swap”, had their very own reality program, been involved in numerous commercial campaigns, video games, movies and television shows (including the “2014 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards”, “Restaurant Impossible”, “Diners, Drive Ins & Dives”, “Dallas Card Sharks”, “Disaster Decks”, “Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare”, “Sonic Boom”, Lifetime movies, and “Hot Wheelsspots”), has had multiple singles land on the Top 15 by Rock Solid Pressure, is a heavy supporter of breast cancer research through the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and the American Cancer Society, been inducted into the Independent Artist Registry, holds the #1 spot for Alaskan Alternative Music on ReverbNation and has nine studio albums to their credit. Their most recent release, Angels Bleed Black, turned the page on the next chapter of this long-standing band; serving as a fitting segue into an edgier, more Metal oriented sound that is permeated with more serious subject matter while staying true to their trademark grooves, passionate lyrical themes and top-shelf musicianship. Singer and guitarist Tish Meeks, lead guitarist and backing vocalist Drew Owens, bassist Zach Adams and drummer extraordinaire Dale Payne continue to up their heavier game with Read ‘Em & Weep! After releasing the single “Dead Man’s Hand” to much critical and fan acclaim, there is no doubt that 2017 will be hotter than ever for 3 Kisses!

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Review: CHAOS – ‘All Against All’ [Official Video Stream]

Over the years, thrash metal has had quite a mixed bag of a journey, sometimes mostly deviating from the core of thrash metal itself to a more mass appealing sound even if hovering around in the metal boundaries. Some bands have changed the sound “to break the monotony” or in the name of “experimentation” so much that thrash metal kind of gets a bad rep once in a while especially these days. While this may excite some fans to the new sound approach, it may also lead the old school thrash lovers to much dismay, to an extent where some fans have questioned the genre’s long term existence. But as they as say “the grass is greener on the other side”, likewise there are a plethora of bands that don’t really compromise on their thrash sound. As thrash as it can be, they know how to deliver it. They couldn’t care less how mainstream the band next door allures itself or your fans into. All they know is to deliver thrash ever so gritty, fueled with anger and velocity. Such bands make sure you get what you want every time they deliver a single or one hell of a juggernaut of an album. Continue reading

Review: LIFE OF AGONY – ‘A Place Where There’s No More Pain’ [Official Videos]

Life Of Agony has been around for over 20 years but they still surprise to this date . They managed to keep their routs intact while changing things up big time, They are from New York and best known for their debut album ‘River Runs Red’ from 1993. This and their album ‘Ugly’ (1995) built their staircase into the hardcore scene. They toured all over the place with many great and influential bands like Metallica, Black Sabbath, Foo Fighters, Ozzy Osbourne and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers. And I have to tell you, you don’t get that spot for sitting around a table playing poker. After this incredible start they released another album in 1997 ‘Soul Searching Sun’, 2 years later the band decided to split up and all walk their own directions. After this devastating news the band managed to surprise everyone by coming back together in 2003. They finally found their love for the band again and decided to make an album, ‘Broken Valley’. This album got them right on track and showcased their intense love for the band.  After long waiting we finally got it, a new album from Life Of Agony. It’s called ‘A Place Where There’s No More Pain’ and wow what a great album it is people. They produced it themselves with a helping hand of Mat Brown. The bands label is one of the best around Napalm Records and Ted Jensen mastered it. He is well known for his work for Alice In Chains, Machine Head and Deftones so we are in for a good one.

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Review: LABYRINTH – ‘Architecture of a God’ [Official Videos]

Labyrinth is one of those bands that doesn’t need an introduction. They quickly became one of the kings in Powermetal in the late 90’s – early 2000’s. They were founded all the way back in 1991 in Tuscany, Italy. They have been through some lineup changes but this lineup is stronger than ever! On the lead vocals we have Roberto Tiranti, Olaf Thorsen & Andrea Cantarelli are both lead guitarists, Nik Mazzuccuni is the bass player, on the keyboard we have Oleg Smirnoff and on the drums we have John Macaluso. If this isn’t the perfect lineup then I don’t know what is, they complete each other like no one else can. They started out with their EP ‘Midnight Resistance’, after this they released 2 more EP’s we know as ‘Piece Of Time’ & ‘Timeless Crime’. In 1998 the band released their signature album called ‘Return To Heaven Denied’. This album moved the whole Italian metal scene and also created a big push for the band’s career. Up to this date it’s still classified as a classic piece of work in the genre. They released more albums after that such as ‘No Limits’, ‘Sons Of Thunder’, ‘Labyrinth’, ‘Freeman’, ‘6 Days To Nowhere’ and ‘Return to Heaven Denied Pt. II: A Midnight Autumn’s Dream’. ‘Sons Of Thunder’ for example is a concept album written about King Louis XIV’s obsession with a woman named Kathryn. Last year the band members received a call from Frontiers asking the founding members Cantarelli and Thorsen to discuss with Roberto the possibilities of a return to form comeback from the band. After a lot of talking the band finally agreed to make an album and also make a special appearance at the first annual Frontiers Metal Festival, where they performed the album ‘Return To Heaven Denied’ for a future home video release. This year they finally released a new album, ‘Architecture Of A God’. The supreme quality of the album doesn’t come as a surprise to me. It’s beautifully written and it only makes you want more. And to make it even better it’s mixed by DGM’s Simone Mularoni and labeled by Frontiers Records s.r.l. Continue reading

Review: GLOOM – ‘Solaris’ [Official Videos]

Gloom creates a style you have never seen or heard before. It’s hard to point down but the combination is truly remarkable. Bill Calomiris does vocals, Dante Dalton is the guitarist, Jason Sayell is the bassist and on drums we have Albert Born. They are signed to the label eOne Music/Lifeblood inc and about to release their debut album ‘Solaris’. Their EP ‘Gloom’ got out in 2014 and got produced by Wretched drummer Marshall Wieczorek. It got instantly sucked up by one of the biggest metal sources on the internet Metal Injection. This created a path for the band to walk and also a swing in the right direction. They are even on the list of the Best Metal Songs of 2014 on Loudwire. Right next to big names like Eyehategod and Mastodon.

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Review: FLOATING WIDGET – ‘The Sounds Of Earth’ [Album Stream]

Floating Widget hail from the great north of Montreal, Canada. The band first made waves in 2004 with their debut ‘Praises To The Riff Monolith’. The debut was a tribute to the early days of riff heavy stoner rock. Even the title conjures up religious symbolism revolving around the beauty of the riff. By now I think you can grasp that Floating Widget truly are riff’tastic. The band has just dropped their sophomore release in the form of a 5 track EP titled ‘The Sounds Of Earth’. Yes, you heard that right, this EP is the first release from the band in 13 years. The album released March 2, 2017. ‘The Sounds Of Earth’ was recorded, mixed & mastered by Jef Fortin (Anonymus) at Bad Ass Studio. There is also a special treat on this album as well. The concluding track “Spiderzilla” features guest vocals from none other than Voivod’s Snake. Floating Widget is also playing the prestigious Montebello Rockfest alongside veteran acts like Queens Of The Stone Age, Rammstein, Iggy Pop, Megadeth, A.F.I. and a ton more. If you have the opportunity to catch this show make sure not to miss the heavy stoner riffs of Floating Widget. Continue reading

Review: SATAN TAKES A HOLIDAY – ‘Aliens’ [Official Videos]

Photo by Bisse Bengtsson

SATAN TAKES A HOLIDAY are the incredibly addictive, blunt rock band your ears have always craved. The Stockholm based trio formed in May of 2006. They released their self-titled debut album late 2009. A week later they were nominated in the Best Rock category at the Swedish P3 Guld Awards, and the singles “Missy” and “Heartbreaker” were played regularly on the radio. The now award winning band went on to release ‘Who Do You VooDoo’ in 2012 which included the single “Karma Babe” which was voted into the national radio station’s hall of fame by listeners. By this time the fans were flocking to the unique sounds of SATAN TAKES A HOLIDAY. Their third release again was on the up and up. ‘Animal Man Woman’ hit stores in 2014. The album took the band back to their energetic style which was showcased on their debut. SATAN TAKES A HOLIDAY mixes rock n roll, 60’s garage rock, and 70’s groove into their own unique blend of sounds. They have also been a must see for festival and concert goers as well. Opening up for various bands like Mustasch, Juliette Lewis and Nicke Andersson’s Imperial State Electric. The list doesn’t stop there. In 2013 they supported living legends KISS at Sweden’s new national arena in front of an audience of 30 000 people. Following the release of ‘Animal Man Woman’ Svante Nordström (drums) left the band and was replaced by Danne McKenzie (Truckfighters, Mustasch). Danne’s natural high energy level and stage charisma helped to further elevate the already amazing live performances. High on the inspiration stemming from this new line-up, work on new material started and in September of 2015 production got underway on what would ultimately become Satan Takes A Holiday’s fourth album – ‘Aliens’. In August of 2016 the band signed to Despotz Records. ‘Aliens’ is essentially an album that deals with alienation, anxiety and powerlessness – feeling out of place in contemporary culture, in social contexts as well as in oneself. To be standing in the center of the present only to be asking oneself: ’how the hell did this happen!?’ ‘Aliens’ was released on February 23, 2017. Continue reading

Review of Night Demon’s Killer, Band Defining “Darkness Remains”

Night Demon is:

Jarvis Leatherby: vocals and bass guitar

Armand John Anthony: guitar

Dusty Squires: drums

Night Demon has been a universal favorite among our staff members for quite some time now. When I was fortunate to see them for the first time with Anvil and Graveshadow last month (Review), I was simply blown away. I loved their music before, but after seeing them, Night Demon has damned near become an obsession that eventually landed us a copy of Darkness Remains, to be released April 21st, 2017 on the Century Media record label. Needless to say, this CD has been worn… the… hell… out!

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Review of the Incredible “Building Castles in Air” by Lucid Fly

Lucid Fly is:

Nikki Layne – vocals
Doug Mecca – guitar

Aaron Ficca – drums

Often described as a dark and epic cross between Evanescence and A Perfect Circle, Lucid Fly has been together since 2001. Founded by vocalist Nikki Layne and guitarist Doug Mecca in Orlando, FL, the band found its name, interestingly, from a headline in the paper, reading: “Lucid Flies Into The Record Books” that documented the record breaking time in space by astronaut Shannon Lucid. Once cementing their staying power in the Orlando music scene and growing their fan base, Lucid Fly released their debut LP entitled Adapting to Gravity in 2005. With almost universal acceptance and mounting acclaim, Lucid Fly continued to play in and around FL, but they had their sights set on a bigger prize and moved to the West Coast. Once landing in L.A., drummer Aaron Fica, who had been touring with Macy Gray, was given an honorary spot behind the kit. As a follow up to their 2009 release of The Escape Stage, a three song EP entitled Stasis was released in 2015. As their fan base has continuously expanded and critical acclaim has come in droves, demand for new music thrust the band, once again, into the studio. Once their successful crowdfunding campaign that raised in upwards of $13K for what would become Building Castles in Air, Lucid Fly, were one of only seventeen bands invited by Mike Portnoy to play at the 2014 Progressive Nation at Sea event along with other noteworthy bands including Periphery, Haken, Riverside and many others. After great care and thoughtful songwriting, Building Castles in Air was recently released in November, 2016 and is deserving a prominent spot in any music fans’ collection. Continue reading