THE CULTChoice Of Weapon Cooking Vinyl (2012)Rating: 8/10 I have to say, that ever since the Americanized gloss of Sonic Temple (1989) I’ve been disillusioned with The Cult. To say they’ve been inconsistent is an understatement. The last time I felt entertained by the band was on the heavier Beyond Good And Evil platter in […]
GREAT WHITE – Feelin’ So Much Better Anthony Morgan May 2012 Great White (l-r): Michael Lardie, Audie Desbrow (seated), Terry Ilous, Mark Kendall and Scott Snyder Veteran Los Angeles, California-based hard rock outfit Great White performed at the My Waterloo Days festival in Waterloo, Iowa on May 30th, 2009 with XYZ’s Terry Ilous behind the […]
MALICENew Breed Of Godz Steamhammer (2012)Rating: 8/10 It seems light years ago that I purchased Malice’s License To Kill (1987) album, and yet all these years later the Los Angeles-based band are still cranking up the volume and enveloping the listener with their pulsating brand of power metal. If you’re not familiar with Malice, who, […]
SIX FEET UNDERUndead Metal Blade (2012)Rating: 6/10 A lot of Six Feet Under fans are heralding this as the band’s best, but as we all know it’s a matter of opinion. I was a big fan of the Florida band’s 1995 debut, Haunted, and some nine albums down the line Six Feet Under are still […]
ROYAL THUNDERCVI Relapse (2012)Rating: 8/10 Atlanta thunder gods Royal Thunder make their label debut with the blistering CVI. While their label home may be best known for bands that display crushing brutality and its speed denizens, Royal Thunder break the mould with their own brand of down-tuned rock’n’roll that is equal parts 70s Heart and […]
CHILDREN OF BODOM – Shipping Up To Espoo Anthony Morgan May 2012 Children Of Bodom (l-r): Janne Wirman, Roope Latvala, Jaska Raatikainen, Alexi Laiho and Henkka Seppälä Espoo, Finland-based extreme metal outfit Children Of Bodom formed in 1993 under the moniker Inearthed, guitarist Alexi Laiho and drummer Jaska Raatikainen roughly 13-14 years old at the […]
HEADSPACE – No Longer Anonymous Anthony Morgan May 2012 Headspace (l-r): Pete Rinaldi, Richard Brook, Damian Wilson (seated), Adam Wakeman and Lee Pomeroy (seated) United Kingdom-based progressive metal outfit Headspace formed in 2006. Consisting of five musician friends mainly known for their session work, the group was an avenue by which they could reconnect. The […]
AFFECTOR – Rise Of The Beast Anthony Morgan May 2012 Affector (l-r): Mike LePond, Collin Leijenaar, Daniel Fries and Ted Leonard International progressive metal outfit Affector formed during 2006, Dutch drummer Collin Leijenaar acting as the touring drummer for Neal Morse (ex-Spock’s Beard / Transatlantic / Flying Colors) at the time. Following the conclusion of […]
ALLEGAEON – From The Stars Metal Came Anthony Morgan May 2012 Allegaeon (l-r): Ezra Haynes, Corey Archuleta, Greg Burgess and Ryan Glisan Fort Collins, Colorado-based death metal outfit Allegaeon formed in 2008, guitarist Ryan Glisan its founding member. Ryan graduated from college, deciding he would attempt to gain employment as well as pursue a musical […]
SONATA ARCTICAStones Grow Her Name Nuclear Blast (2012)Rating: 9/10 Longtime fans of Finnish hard music veterans Sonata Arctica will be well pleased with Stones Grow Her Name. While the band started out with a bang, their forays into more and more progressive styles of hard music have made them increasingly inaccessible to broader audiences over […]
