Richard Cheese – Back In Black Tie (2012)

I’m sucker for this guy!! If I have a bad day, and dam it, I have my share of bad days, Richard Cheese can make the s*it go away. He’s first four albums – “Lounge Against the Machine” (2000), “Tuxicity” (2002), “I’d Like a Virgin” (2004), and “Aperitif for Destruction” (2005) – re absolutely murderous releases, Richard (Mark Jonathan Davis, age 46) fronts Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine, a Los Angeles based cover band and comedy act, performing popular songs in a lounge/swing style reminiscent of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Tony Bennett. They are specialize in playing lounge-style arrangements of recent popular rock, metal, rap and hip hop songs, sung in a croony traditional swing vocal style, contrasting an elegant jazz treatment of the music with often profane and ribald lyrics to create a humorous dissonance. The band gained exposure after their cover of Disturbed’s “Down with the Sickness” was featured in the 2004 remake (directed by Snyder), Dawn of the Dead. They have some absolutely killer covers of some famous songs such as “Creep”, “Only Happy When It Rains”, “Nookie”, “Bullet the Blue Sky”, “Fight for Your Right”, “Smack My Bitch Up”, “She Hates Me”, “Chop Suey!”, “Material Girl”, “Me So Horny”, “People = Shit”, “Welcome to the Jungle”, “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, “Enter Sandman”, etc.
Last year I wrote about two of his latest releases, “A Lounge Supreme”  and “Live At The Royal Wedding” , now it’s the turn of this most recent “Back In Black Tie”. Read more Richard Cheese – Back In Black Tie (2012)

Monks of Mellonwah – Neurogenesis, EP (2012)

Hailing from Sydney, Australia, Monks of Mellonwah are a four-piece Alternative Rock band, and their latest, second, ad deadly EP, “Neurogenesis”, was released on 24th May, 2012. MoM reminds me mostly of the British band Bush, they are selling on the same dark shaded seas of Post-Grunge/Alternative Rock, building-up their unique sound by blending different elements, having strong roots back to Classic Blues & Rock, to artists such as Hendrix, Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd, but also incorporating influences from Red Hot Chili Peppers and more recently from Muse.
Their first E.P., “Stars Are Out”, has been highly praised since its release in 2010.
Thei are winner of the award for “Best Indie Rock Band” at the 2012 Artists In Music Awards and nominated for Best International Act at the LA Music Awards, the Monks of Mellonwah are entering some very exciting times. Dean Cramer of the influential blog Kings of A & R recently listed the Monks in his “Top 8 Emerging Artists”, and CMJ featured their track “Neverending Spirit” on their trendsetting mixtape series.

Read more Monks of Mellonwah – Neurogenesis, EP (2012)

Blood God – No Brain, But Balls! (2012)

Huge fan of AC/DC? Blood God will knock your balls out!! 😆 This is the newborn monster of  Thomas Gurrath of Debauchery. Their last year released debut album, “Germany’s Next Death Metal” made it to my list of favorite albums of 2011 with it’s explosive mixture of good old fashioned Rock grooves and Death Metal rawness. Now Thomas chose the more conventional path of AC/DC to set on fire your little headbanger parties and make the girls to take off – at least – their shirts. This is more AC/DC then AC/DC. Still, bonus for the Death Metal community, the second CD contains the whole album with „Debauchery style“ grunts, pretty strange and fun that blood spitting kind of vocals on those 101% AC/DC riffs, but taste is not an issue to discuss now. I prefer the first CD, but “No Brain, But Balls!” it’s the record you need for a murderous party, and this is the only thing which really matters! Read more Blood God – No Brain, But Balls! (2012)

Testament – The Dark Roots of Earth (2012)

Testament was formed in 1983, in Berkeley, California and they are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s Thrash Metal scene. Singer Chuck Billy replaced former singer Steve Souza – also of another Thrash legend, Exodus – in 1986, prior to the recording of their first studio album, “The Legacy”, and while guitarist Eric Peterson has been credited as the only constant member since foundation and the band had numerous lineup changes, the current line-up includes two other original members, guitarist Alex Skolnick and bassist Greg Christian, while behind the drums we’ve got Gene Hoglan (associated with artists such as Devin Townsend, Dark Angel, Death, Dethklok, Strapping Young Lad, Pitch Black Forecast, and most recently Fear Factory) who initially joined the band back in ’96 and replaced Paul Bostaph during the recording session.
To date, Testament has released nine studio albums, four live albums, six compilation albums, and six singles, and they were one of the first Thrash Metal bands to sign to a major label, to Atlantic Records, in 1986. They achieved their biggest success with their 1992 released, fifth album, “The Ritual”, which debuted at #55 on the Billboard 200 charts, the band’s highest ever chart position in the United States. The band also has two Top 40 albums and one Top 50 album to its credit in the UK. Their previous, ninth studio album, “The Formation of Damnation” (2008) entered the Top 20 in Germany at #15.
Released on July 27, 2012 in Europe, the 50 minutes of their tenth studio album, “The Dark Roots of Earth” it’s the perfect refreshment for all the true metallers and headbangers fueled by the nostalgia of the 80’s raw Thrash slaughters. Read more Testament – The Dark Roots of Earth (2012)

Jet Plane – All The Static Stars (2012)

“Disappearance At Sea” starting with the sound of breaking waves at the sea-side and the smoothly glowing instruments creates a mood which slowly suck you in, imprisoning you.
Max – guitar, Serge – guitar, Dima – drums, and Kostya -bass are from Bryansk, Russia and they formed Jet Plane back in 2009, while “All The Static Stars” it’s their third installment so far, selling on the sonar seas of bands such as Mogwai, Sigur Rós, Rain Tongue, dEUS, Sonic Youth, Malkovic, Jeniferever, Explosions In The Sky, etc. Minimalist, stripped-down to the bone sound, but filled with emotions instead of convenience, colored with soul-flare instead predictability and burning creativity instead fancy cliches, Jet Plane delivering quality (Post) Rock with gentle, but edge cutting experimental taste, focusing on expression of feelings and reveling of emotions by sound, rather then delivering 3 minute long Pop emptiness. Read more Jet Plane – All The Static Stars (2012)

Emilie Autumn – Fight Like A Girl (2012)

World-class violinist. Fashion icon. Famously bipolar. Vegetarian turned vegan. Identifies herself as asexual, freak for some, idol for others, Emilie Autumn is one artist you may love or you may hate, but definitively hard to stay indifferent. And even further, listing – and living – through “F.L.A.G.” – her third installment – you may love one song and hate the next one while this is another tumultuous journey from glossy cabaret to Industrial chaos, from burlesque to Glam Rock and back to psychotic Steampunk, while she often labels her music and style as “Victoriandustrial”.
Her vocal work has been compared to Tori Amos and Kate Bush, while her music encompasses a wide range of styles, it was labeled “new age chamber music, trip-hop baroque, and experimental space pop”, as well as “cabaret, electronic, symphonic, new age, and rock & roll”. Things did not changed with “F.L.A.G.”, Emilie cry one moment and laugh the next one and the music follows her ever changing flow of mood. Not an easy walk through a sunny park Sunday at the noon, but a dark, fractured, fever burned trip on the wild side. For real and for delusion. Read more Emilie Autumn – Fight Like A Girl (2012)

Feuerzeug – Dead Wahines and Tsunamis (2012)

A band called “Lighter”? C’mon!! But digging into it, they sounds much interesting then most of the nowadays delivered, fancy-labeled, “post” whatever, obligatory Metalcore bands. Feuerzeug reminds me mostly of the Ricky Warwick leaded Scottish The Almighty, band formed in the late 1980’s and rose to fame mostly in the mid 1990’s with albums such “Powertrippin'” and “Crank”. True, probably Rick was most famous because he was formerly married to MTV’s Headbangers Ball presenter Vanessa Warwick.
So, Feuerzeug sounds pretty much like The Almighty, eventually more contemporarily, but still classy and with roots back to the American Stoner Rock tradition and adding some tasty post-Grunge. But this isn’t an American band, but another stainless delivery from Switzerland. Imagine Godsmack crashing into the tour bus of Kyuss, merging Grunge energy with Stoner Rock hardness and we’ve get pretty close to what Feuerzeug sounds like. And actually this is a pretty groovy and addictive material, classy and quality Rock. Read more Feuerzeug – Dead Wahines and Tsunamis (2012)

Soul Sacrifice – Carpe Mortem (2012)

I’m not a regular Death Metal consumer, but I spotted out Soul Sacrifice because they are a Turkish band and on one hand I enjoyed my time spent in Turkey, just as I love several extremely creative Turkish bands such as maNga and Duman. So, I expected that Soul Sacrifice will introduce more Oriental/Turkish inflections, aromas, at least on the level of Nervecell, or even more. Unfortunately, it’s not the case, “Cape Mortem” is a honest, heavy, but almost classical Metal album with solid Death Metal roots and a groovy mixture of complex and melodious, brutal and technical elements.
If you like the modern Swedish Death Metal sound trademarked by bands such as In Flames and Soilwork, Soul Sacrifice it’s definitively speaking your language.
Soul Sacrifice is a four-piece Turkish Metal band from Istanbul and it was formed back in 1997. In 2003 they solidify their current line up and two years later they record and release their full length debut album, “Stranded Hate”. Read more Soul Sacrifice – Carpe Mortem (2012)

Hellyeah – Band Of Brothers (2012)

Hellyeah it’s not a copy and probably not even a replacement, but still, it’s the best and most genuine substitute for Pantera we can ever get, a true and hard-ass band of brothers! We have here the former Pantera and Damageplan drummer Vinnie Paul, the Damageplan bassist Bob Zilla, the Nothingface guitarist Tom Maxwell, and from Mudvayne we’ve got lead vocalist Chad Gray and guitarist Greg Tribbett. If this isn’t a Heavy Metal supergroup, don’t know what might be. This is their third installment and probably their most ass-kicker, headbanger delivery so far. Read more Hellyeah – Band Of Brothers (2012)

Alex Manfuso – Days, new single

Summer time needs summer hits!
Alex Manfuso is one of Italy’s most sought-after young DJs and after his last single “Glad I’m Free” hammered the download charts in early 2012, expectations are huge. With shows for 10k+ people coming up this summer, he is now dropping his sickest single yet: ‘Days’, in time for the summer parties.
This is a pumping, uplifting, catch and groovy track which gonna bring everybody to the dance floor! Read more Alex Manfuso – Days, new single