Label: Metal Heaven Released: October 26, 2007 Time changes some things, but not all. This is certainly true of Steve Grimmett. The music hasn’t taken any great strides, but time has tempered his once distinctive voice. Other than an occasional hint of modern metal (and I do mean hint), Personal Crisis doesn’t explore any new territory. It is a fine… Read more »
Irritant are an up and coming metal band from the UK. For their age (late teens/early 20s), they’re amazing players. They’ve already come to the attention of some big names (Bruce Dickinson for one) and things are looking up for them. Bassist/vocalist Niall answered a few questions for me about the band’s past, present and future. RnRnMN: You’re all in… Read more »
Label: Warner Bros. Released: October 30, 2007 Avenged Sevenfold are one of those bands that makes me wonder what all the hype is about. It’s not that they’re bad, just that they don’t seem to really separate themselves from the pack so to speak. Their self-titled follow-up to their major label break-though, City of Evil, both justifies my question about… Read more »
Label: Facedown Records Released: October 16, 2007 Unlike most of the Facedown stable, Remove the Veil takes it’s cues from gritty hard rock, grunge and stoner rock rather than more technical metal. Interestingly enough, the album still fits well with the label’s catalog. Their ability to use this in a powerful hardcore format sets them apart from their peers. The… Read more »
Label: Eleven Seven Music Released: October 23, 2007 With the possible exception of Dr Feelgood (and that’s even pretty questionable), Motley Crue hasn’t done anything meaningful since 1983’s Shout at the Devil, so it is quite beyond me why anyone would waste their time and money to see them. That being said, Carnival of Sin turned out to be a… Read more »
Label: Acerbic Noise Development Released: 2004 Hematovore is what you’d get if really heavy, technical bands scored movies. Untitled is a constantly changing landscape, yet the songs flow together into a single piece of work. The band combines layers of the technical thrash of Prong and difficult to nail down avant-garde experimentalism with the melodic theatrics of Queen and Maiden… Read more »
Label: Rhino Released: October 2, 2007 The trouble with this four CD box set is that it splits the difference between serious and cursory metal fans, probably only half-pleasing each camp. The serious metal fan is less likely to be interested, but may find a few gems over the course of the four discs. Certainly Tygers of Pan Tang or… Read more »
Label: Rainman Records Released: August 21, 2007 Most people probably fall into one of two camps regarding their expectations for Blue Cheer’s latest album, What Doesn’t Kill You: One group expects this album, featuring 2/3 of the Vincebus Eruptum lineup, to be an amazing return to past form, proving that Blue Cheer is as vital today amongst their stoner rock… Read more »
Label: Image Entertainment Released: September 4, 2007 Live albums often fail to walk the fine line between “so live that I can’t hear it” and “so clean that it sounds like the studio.” Megadeth’s That One Night, recorded in Buenos Aires in 2005, is not one of them. It is the rare live album that walks that line almost perfectly…. Read more »
Label: Underdogma Records Released: November 28, 2006 With a name like Wooly Mammoth, this band has a lot to live up to. They either have to live up to the name literally as the heaviest of the heavy or ironically as light and fluffy pop. Few will be displeased that they opt for the former even if they don’t fully… Read more »