If ever breaks of hell were on the loose, I guess it was all beginning with “Hell Awaits”. If the doors of hell were unlocked, it happened 26 year ago and the key was this 37:11 minutes of no mercy and reign in blood ( 😀 ). Seven tracks of brutality and aggression as only Tom Araya, Jeff Hanneman, Kerry King and Dave Lombardo knows to deliver since and forever. No weakness, no hesitation, no second thought, only killer riffs, fast and furious drums and deadly howls and screams. Araya spit his killer thoughts like no other, Hanneman and King have the most murderous solos and some of the most cutting riffs ever bring to this Earth while Lombardo is not only deadly precise, but fast and colorful simultaneously. Read more Slayer – Hell Awaits (1985)
Tori Amos – Night Of Hunters (2011)
Twisted and dark, Tori Amos is back. Hard or impossible to describe her gloomy universe, “Night Of Hunters” pays tribute to such renowned composers as Bach, Chopin, Debussy, Granados, Satie and Schubert and taking inspiration from their original compositions to create a new, independent work. She revealed that the work on the album began after Deutsche Grammophon approached her to write a 21st Century song cycle under the condition that it be centered around classical music themes. Regarding the album’s concept, she has described it as the exploration of “the hunter and the hunted and how both exist within us” through the story of “a woman who finds herself in the dying embers of a relationship.”
Beautiful and troubled, Tori Amos returned to her darker roots and delivered a dense and thrilling opera. Read more Tori Amos – Night Of Hunters (2011)
Marilyn Manson – Mechanical Animals (1998)
The world was frightened by Marilyn Manson back in 1996 after the release of the (in)famous “Antichrist Superstar” and expectation was set high for their next release. “Mechanical Animals” showed a different face of Marilyn Manson and take the world by surprise once again. Marilyn Manson had “sold out”? Some old-time fans were dissapointed by the more glam rock oriented sound and less aggressive approach of the album, some consider it even radio-friendly, still, “Mechanical Animals” contains music far more complex than most of his work. Inspired by 1970s style, Bowie-esque glam rock and borrowing both from Roxy Music and T. Rex, Manson delivered a rock opera concept album and the second installment in a trilogy that was started with “Antichrist Superstar” and was closed by “Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)” and as it was later explained, it was released backward. Read more Marilyn Manson – Mechanical Animals (1998)
dEUS – Keep You Close (2011)
(Ain’t) “Living in a movie, but a franchise” – sing Tom Barman on the brand new dEUS album and once again, I’m thrilled by this Belgian band while I love them since I heard for the very first time “Suds & Soda” back in 1994. This music is not so complicated, but subtle and smoothly sophisticated, maybe they lost something from the biting wildness of their first period, but dEUS remains really alternative, truly indie – although singed to multinationals, and the same original outfit. Juggling between – and through – twisted blues, free jazz skronk, post-grunge dissonances and gloomy art rock explorations, dEUS delivered an unique blend of music. Perhaps “Vantage Point” back in 2008 was their smoothest release up to date, but still they have the magic power to hypnotize us.
Read more dEUS – Keep You Close (2011)
Bad Brains – Quickness (1989)
Although “Quickness” is the fourth studio album by Bad Brains, it was the first I had listen at the beginning of the 90’s and several songs from it still echoing in my mind. “The Messengers”, “Sheba”, “No Conditions”, “Silent Tears”, “The Prophet’s Eye” are only a few of the 11 (plus outro) killer tracks of the album.
“Quickness” is 34 minutes of pure essence of Bad Brains delivering the best of their unique hybrid of raggae-punk and hardcore-funk. Released on 14th September, 1989, 22 years ago, these songs sounds still fresh and… quickening. Who said white man can’t jump and black guys can’t rock? Read more Bad Brains – Quickness (1989)
Mediocracy – Asoma (2011)
“Humanity may be closing in on it’s end but for now we are still here and we resist as much as possible…and Mediocracy is only at the beginning!” – they said one year ago and the guys from Mediocracy are strikes again. Their second installment, “Asoma” it’s been released today, lucky 13 😀 , 13th September, 2011, and it’s available for free download just like their previous effort at Asiluum.com , the web site which promote most of the uprising Romanian artists.
“Mediocracy is a situation in the society in which mediocre people prevail. The society is subordinated to a quasi-egalitarian ideology in which words and ideas are redefined to be convenient for the average people. Other symptoms include dumbing, jargonism, infantilisation, vacuity, phoney democratisation and authoritarianism.”
Read more Mediocracy – Asoma (2011)
Kiss – Animalize (1984)
Kiss officially appeared in public without makeup for the first time on a September 18, 1983 on MTV for the release of the band’s album “Lick It Up.” “Lick It Up” became Kiss’ first gold record in three years, but guitarist Vinnie Vincent who replaced Ace Frehley in 1982 did not get along with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, and left the band at the conclusion of the tour in March 1984. Vincent’s replacement was Mark St. John. Before joining Kiss, St. John (Mark Leslie Norton, February 7, 1956 – April 5, 2007) was a well known and respected teacher and guitarist for the Southern California cover band Front Page and after leaving Kiss, he formed a band called White Tiger.
“Animalize”, the 12th studio album by Kiss and the second album of the “unmasked” period, was the biggest-selling Kiss album since 1977’s “Alive II” and it was certified platinum only in four months.
When asked what “Animalize” meant, Stanley said that people were starting to become more like computers – and that “making music by pressing buttons” was no fun. Read more Kiss – Animalize (1984)
Angelspit – Hello My Name Is (2011)
This is the fourth installment from the Australian cyber-punkrockers Angelspit scheduled to be released on October 11, 2011. The band lately were enforced by addition of three new members: guitarist Valerie Gentile (Black Tape for a Blue Girl, The Crüxshadows), drummer Chris Kling (Hanzel und Gretyl, Mortiis) and video-jammer The Liar, and “Hello My Name Is” bring to the surface the same angry, noisy and ravishing electro-punk rock, eventually even more furious and viciously distorted.
And actually “Hello My Name Is” is fresh, groovy, noisy, but still melodious, catchy, full of tasty cyber punk themes, excellent, killer tracks.
Read more Angelspit – Hello My Name Is (2011)
Evanescence – Evanescence (2011)
The self-titled third studio album scheduled for release on October 11, 2011, through Wind-up Records comes after a five years gap and after the critically acclaimed and commercial success of the album “The Open Door” which was certified platinum in the United States just over a month after its release, and has since sold more than six million copies worldwide. Although, their debut album, “Fallen”, spent 43 weeks on the Billboard Top 10, was certified 7x Platinum in the United States, sold more than 15 million copies worldwide, including 7 million in the US.
Formed by singer/pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody back in 1995 in Little Rock, Arkansas, Evanescence is about Amy Lee, she’s the only former member of the group while Ben Moody left the band during the European tour for Fallen in 2003, reportedly because of creative differences.
The band started the writing process for the album on June 2009, but the release of the album was changed several times. Lee stated that the music would be an evolution of previous works and be “better, stronger, and more interesting”. Read more Evanescence – Evanescence (2011)
Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1975)
“The band is just fantastic,/That is really what I think./Oh by the way, which one’s Pink?” (“Have a Cigar”)
44.28 minutes of magic. Released on 12 September 1975, it was an instant success; record company EMI was unable to print enough copies to satisfy the demand. And “Wish You Were Here” it’s even more popular today as it was back in the days when it was first released. Exploring the former band-mate Syd Barrett’s mental illness and decline (“Shine On You Crazy Diamond”), but also about absence, alienation (“Wish You Were Here”) and subjects considering the music business (“Welcome To The Machine”/”Have a Cigar”). Read more Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1975)
