Most known for their 2006 record ‘The Fall Of Ideals’ are metalcore legends All That Remains. Even though they have changed their style from time to time most of their fans decided to keep on supporting them. And that isn’t without good reason. Regardless of style they have always managed to be kick ass at it and I got a feeling that the up and coming album ‘Victim Of The New Disease’ will go down in metalcore history as one of the best releases from at least the year 2018 if not more!
JAKE E. LEE is one of the most mysterious rock stars to ever walk the planet. Between living half of his life in exile and the other half melting faces of rock fans all over the world, he has lived an interesting life to say the least. Now he is back with ‘PATINA,’ the second album released from his latest project RED DRAGON CARTEL available November 9th from Frontiers Music SRL. The effort features DARREN JAMES SMITH on Vocals, ANTHONY ESPOSITO on bass, PHIL VARONE on drums, and of course JAKE E. LEE on guitar. ‘PATINA’ is extremely different from RED DRAGON CARTEL’S self-titled release in 2013, as it is more of a band effort. The first album featured many different guests and musicians making cameo appearances from song to song. With ‘PATINA,’ the foursome got in a room and hashed it out together, giving it a much more fluid listen than its predecessor.
Cancer was formed in 1988 by drummer Carl Stokes, guitarist John Walker and bassist Ian Buchanan. Not long after forming, the band released 2 demos (‘No Fuckin Cover’ and ‘Demo 2’) and toured with a variety of bands including Bolt Thrower and Charged GBH. During the 90’s, Cancer released the most material, however, it would be the first two of these albums that really gave the band a name in the Death Metal scene. ‘To the Gory End’ (1990) and ‘Death Shall Rise’ (1991) are relatively obscure releases even to many Metal fans, however, for those of us who have heard them we know they are classics of the genre! After being absent since 2005’s ‘Spirit in Flames’ Cancer have returned in 2018 with a new album! Available now via Peaceville Records ‘Shadow Gripped’ is an album that harkens back to the glory days of Death Metal! Continue reading
The band comprised of several hard hitting late 90’s early 2000’s bands known as Audiotopsy has released the first taste of what we can expect from their forthcoming album entitled ‘Natural Causes’. The album will be released via Napalm Records on August 28th. The members of the band are guitarist Greg Tribbet formerly of Mudvayne and Hellyeah, ex-Skrape vocalist Billy Keeton, Matt McDonough former drummer of Mudvayne and bassist Perry Stern. The album was self-produced by the band at The Porch Studio in Orlando. The band is planning an extensive debut tour which should coincide with the album release. Audiotopsy are now releasing their second full-length release, ‘The Real Now’, on November 2, 2018 via Megaforce Records. Self-produced with vocal production and mixing completed by Dave Fortman (Evanescence, Slipknot, Mudvayne). According to the band, ‘The Real Now’ explores the journey of life. Guitarist Greg Tribbett states, “This album deals with life – from addiction to depression to death. Life is a journey of unforeseen experiences.”
‘The Real Now’ is available for pre-order now via Amazon, and will be available via more digital retailers very soon.
‘The Real Now’ kicks things off with the heavy yet melodic track “War”. If you recall the way in which Billy sang with his previous band Skrape his vocals here are somewhat similar. You get these harsh screams followed by a melodic clean singing. It’s an amazing mixture of both. The guitar licks laid down by Greg are thick, heavy and exactly what we have been wanting from this band. After the first track this album is already super promising. The very next track “Hologram” chimes in immediately showing off Matt’s incredible drumming skills. His heavy pounding behind the kit is the heartbeat of this track and it goes from a thundering stampede of drumming to a more subtle beat during the chorus. The song also has this incredible chorus that I just can’t get out of my head after hearing it for the first time. The portion of the chorus starts out with Billy’s clean vocal style “Hologram… mirror mirror on the WALL” and when he gets to “Wall” he just lets out this gut wrenching scream that is just bone chilling. You can’t really say enough about Greg’s guitar tone, and Billy on rhythm guitar and how they perfectly fit those riffs into the song. On the track “Hurt Down” the band slows things down a bit. The song showcases an amazing vocal harmony. Near the two minute mark the vocals become a little more harsh while still including a harmony. “Hurt Down” is what we would consider a ballad for Audiotopsy, it still has some heavier qualities but it does mellow out in comparison to the other tracks on the record. It’s still a good song and it changes the tempo of the record and keeps the album from being repetitive with heaviness. The album ends with the track “A Death Benefit”. The song has a heavy groove and Billy’s vocals anchor the song alongside the chugging riffs Greg lays down. This is probably one of the most complex songs on the album and it incorporates a lot of different styles. Billy has various vocal tones and on this track we hear each and every one of those and it works.
‘The Real Now’ is a huge step forward for Audiotopsy. I enjoyed the bands debut album ‘Natural Causes’ but felt like it was missing something. I think the band has now gelled and probably spent more time composing songs this time around and it shows. The album from open to close keeps you on your toes with the way the band can take their sound in various directions and it keeps you eager to hear the next track. No matter if you are a fan of their previous bands this is a killer record, that carries a new refreshing sound and pushes the limits of creativity.
Doom Metal band Spirit Division have returned after two years with a new album : ‘Forgotten Planet.’ With this new release, Spirit Division have shown their growth as musicians as they incorporate psychedelic and progressive elements that were unseen on the bands past releases. Continue reading
Dopethrone are a Canadian Sludge/ Doom Metal band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Active since 2008, they are known for their abrasive mix of sludge, stoner and doom with lyrics based in murder, cannabis and sleazy drug abuse. 2018 brings us ‘Transcanadian Anger’ – The fifth release from the band. This is a terrifying, massively fuzzed out slab of Sludge perfection! Continue reading
Ace Frehley
Spaceman
Entertainment One
No matter the status of his endlessly fluctuating relationship with his former bandmates/business partners, and no matter who’s stage left working his suit and wearing his makeup, Ace Frehley will always be the lead guitar player for KISS. One of the most influential axemen in rock and roll history (haters and naysayers be damned), Frehley has spent a large swath of the sixteen-plus years since his last public appearance with the band firmly cementing his reputation as the once-and-forever Space Ace, touring and releasing a string of albums that show off his singular talents and find inspiration in his formidable legacy. His newest release, Spaceman, plays up the KISS connections and corollaries more than any other project in his solo catalog, which should give longtime fans and followers plenty to sink their teeth into.
By now Greta Van Fleet should be a household name to anyone that even remotely listens to rock and metal. If the band has somehow not made it on your radar let us catch you up. Greta Van Fleet– which took its name from one of the close-knit community’s town elders – is a hard rocking quartet whose creative ambitions and achievements reach far beyond the ages of the four band members, not all of them old enough to have voted in last November’s election. The band includes brothers Josh (vocals), Jake (guitar) and Sam Kiszka (bass, keyboards) and best friend drummer Danny Wagner (Who I also must add is an accomplished golfer) – are dedicated to bringing real rock’n’roll back to the mainstream. The band delivers high-energy, sweaty, rock’n’roll loaded with attitude and bravado that exemplifies each band member’s killer musical chops and Josh’s simply jaw-dropping voice. Greta Van Fleet bring back a throwback kind of sound that most old school metal heads thought was gone forever. The band has been kicking down doors of venues all over the country and gracing stages at dives and renowned venues. Their four-song debut EP ‘Black Smoke Rising’ was released on April 21, 2017 then followed by another EP ‘From The Fires’ on November, 17th 2017. The group deftly straddles the line between timeless and future, sounding at once like many things you’ve heard before and also something you’ve never heard before. Some have even referred to the band as America’s next greatest rock band. The band doesn’t have an intense history or discography to tell you about as of right now. Greta Van Fleet is currently making their own history and you can be a part of the crowd when they take the stage in your area, if its not sold out. ‘Anthem Of The Peaceful Army’ releases October 19th, make sure you pick up a copy. Continue reading
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats
Wasteland
Rise Above Records
In addition to having a keenly honed knack for riff-driven/pop-tinged sugar-and-sludge psychedelia, Kevin Starrs does atmosphere better than anybody working in heavy music today. As creative force and sole constant member of Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats, his albums play like 70mm cult horror classics bootlegged onto well-worn VHS cassettes, casting their cathode ray glow over otherwise darkened bedrooms. The colors are vibrant but washed-out, it’s warbly and more than a little distorted, the on-screen movements leave tracers, and the whole thing has just enough fuzz and static on it to seem genuinely creepy. Acid-steeped, with a heavy dose of psychopaths, brainwashers, and a ready steady flow of that red red kroovy, the Uncle Acid canon is a grindhouse marathon for the mind’s eye. The latest opus from Starrs and Co., Wasteland, brings the “post-apocalyptic dystopia” genre into the oeuvre, a tale of walled cities, mindless masses, piped-in propaganda, and hidden computer discs filled with long-forgotten memories and perhaps the keys to freedom. The premise may sound prog, but the execution is blessedly pure classic rock hesh.
“Everything we do causes a ripple or a wake…It can be positive and good, or it can be fucked up and horrible. However, we are the masters of our own destiny. We want to leave something good behind.”
This statement is a perfect representation of the theme for the newest release entitled ‘In Our Wake’ from metal veterans Atreyu. We all want to leave behind some sort of legacy, but few are unsure of how we will be remembered when we are gone. The SoCal quintet has made it a point to direct attention to such uncertainties.
Drummer Brandon Saller elaborates:
“What are you going to leave behind?” asks Brandon. “We named the album ‘In Our Wake’ because a lot of the concepts address this question. There are lyrics about dealing with your own personal demons and darkness. Some of it is about our children, which is who we leave directly in our wake. Others are about the general public and the outpouring of hate and fear — especially in our country. We created something of a concept record without even trying.” Continue reading
