Which one was your last favorite Korn album? Don’t tell me “Korn” or “Life Is Peachy” – although you might be right!! Mine was the 2005’s “See You on the Other Side” and it’s dark, sometimes industrial-tinged experimental metal flavor it’s still heavy and refreshing, edge-cutting after all these years. Last time they tried to ride the dubstep trend by bringing in some fancy producers as Skrillex, Noisia, Excision, etc and somehow “The Path of Totality” was too mainstream oriented and designed to be genuine. So, pretty curious what this time Korn it’s up to while they bring back original guitarist Brian “Head” Welch, for the first time since their 2003’s “Take a Look in the Mirror”. Still, “The Path of Totality” has sold 270,000 copies in the US, which anyway is a pretty decent number these days. Now Korn announced that they will return to their metallic-neurotic, darker roots.
The new album was produced by George Don Gilmore, best known for working with bands such as Temple Of The Dog, Pearl Jam (Ten), Lit (A Place In The Sun), Duran Duran (Astronaut), Linkin Park (Hybrid Theory, Meteora), Good Charlotte (Good Morning Revival, Cardiology), Bullet For My Valentine (Fever) and Hollywood Undead (American Tragedy) – and many more. He also working on the upcoming new Bullet For My Valentine and W.E.R.M. albums. Don Gilmore is definitively not a metal producer and obviously I was not expecting another album with the fury and heaviness of their debut in ’94. The answer of how Korn sound in 2013 came with the first single, “Never Never”, which was officially released on August 12, 2013. Read more Korn – The Paradigm Shift (2013) ›

The soul-tribe of Brazil is back! “Savages” is the upcoming ninth studio album of the band and the first to feature drummer Zyon Cavalera, Max’s son. Scheduled to be released on October 4, “Savages” consist of 10 grinding metal tracks and it was produced by the legendary Terry Date, responsible for some memorable albums such as Metal Church – Metal Church (1984), Sanctuary – Refuge Denied (1988), Dream Theater – When Dream and Day Unite (1989), Overkill – The Years of Decay (1989), Pantera – Cowboys from Hell (1990), Prong – Cleansing (1994) and many more. The album benefits also from featuring several guest artists including Igor Cavalera of Lody Kong, Jamie Hanks of I Declare War, Neil Fallon of Clutch and Mitch Harris of Napalm Death. Read more Soulfly – Savages (2013) ›

Diwon is a Brooklyn-based American DJ, producer and songwriter. Under his legal name, Erez Safar, he runs Bancs Media, a cutting-edge production company specializing in branding, video and music production, graphics, interactive design, and commercials.
Safar’s career in music began at the University of Maryland when he founded Juez, a breakbeat klezmer jazz quartet in which he played drums. That year, he also began performing under the moniker DJ Handler, spinning a blend of Hip hop, Afro beat and Arabic music. In 2004, Juez released their lone album, “Shemspeed Alt Schule”, on Modular Moods, an independent record label founded by Safar. As they describe it: “Punk klezmer jazz influenced heavily by John Zorn and underground experimental group, Gutbucket.” Something interesting and worth to dig into it deeper!! Reminded me of one of my favorite bands: Hasidic New Wave of Greg Wall (tenor saxophone) and Frank London (trumpet; also a member of The Klezmatics). Read more Diwon and the games that we play ›

Mr. Hagar, the successful businessman, nightclub, restaurant and store owner, tequila and rum mogul, but not at least rock star, is back solo again. While everybody expecting the revival of his Hagar Schon Aaronson Shrieve and the new formula including Neal Schon (Santana, Journey, Bad English), Michael Anthony (Van Halen), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), this solo project come a little bit by surprise. The album it’s a vivid mixture of memorable heavy riffs (“Not Going Down”, “Knockdown Dragout”) and easy summer (blues) songs for tequila spots as the cover of Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville”. In between we’ve got “Personal Jesus” (Depeche Mode) and “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” (Bob Seger) covers, lemonades (“Father Sun”) and classic rock tracks (“Bad On Fords and Chevrolets”). Not bad for an alien abducted, 65 years old red head! 😆
Seriously? This is a fine and classy Hagar album. Read more Sammy Hagar – Sammy Hagar and Friends (2013) ›

Fish is back. It’s been a while. “A Feast of Consequences” is the first album since “13th Star” released in 2008 and the tenth solo studio album since he left Marillion in 1988. Anybody still remember Marillion and those fabulous for albums – “Script for a Jester’s Tear” (1983), “Fugazi” (1984), “Misplaced Childhood” (1985) and “Clutching at Straws” (1987)? Fish was the charismatic figure, the mind behind the concept and the voice of Marillion in those good old days. While Steve Hogarth with a new singer, Steve Hogarth, choose a quite different path after Fish departure, while Fish generally continued the story. Had better and less exciting albums along the way, but he was the same charming voice and sensible story teller and in the Marillion era.
“A Feast of Consequences” it’s not different, eventually this new album sound even more fresher and alive and have a few really good moments, some of them obviously bringing back good-old Marillion memories, as well as the Genesis/Rush/Pink Floyd/Jethro Tull/King Crimson resonances are still vibrating through the songs. This is a very nice, very soulful and colorful album. More I had listen it, more I enjoy it. Read more Fish – A Feast of Consequences (2013) ›

I’m not an enthusiast, unconditional fan of DT, mainly because I’m not really liking the voice and style of James LaBrie, yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s not his fault, it’s all mine, mine, all mine! On the other hand there is very thin and invisible line between self-indulgence and the need of communicate by artistic vehicles – in this case, instruments, and sometimes DT sounded more as a demonstration of virtuosity and indisputable technicality then an expression of feelings and thoughts, a down to the bone artistic act. But I’ll be the first to admit that the same DT had some fabulous moments and delivered some brilliant songs.
And their the upcoming twelfth, and self-titled album is another highlight of their fruitful career.
DT was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2010. In July 2012, “Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory” was listed as the number one all-time progressive album by a Rolling Stone readers’ poll, beating “2112” by Rush and “Close to the Edge” by Yes. On April 9, 2013, “Images and Words” won Loudwire’s fan voted March Metal Madness for world’s best metal album beating albums by influential artists such as Dio, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Megadeth and Metallica. The band’s 1992’s album, “Images and Words”, it’s also their highest-selling album, reaching gold-selling status and reached No. 61 on the Billboard 200 chart. With total sales exceeding 10 million albums and DVDs worldwide, Dream Theater have long stood among the upper echelon of hard rock giants. Read more Dream Theater – Dream Theater (2013) ›