An eighteen songs epic in four acts, “David Comes to Life”, the third full-length studio album by Canadian hardcore punk band Fucked Up is an over 77 minutes trip into an universe juggling between alternative and post-rock shredding and punk rock energy and the space between is fulfilled with everything from classic hard rock to pop and hardcore punk. It’s like “Tommy” – the 1969’s classic rock opera by The Who – were re-interpreted by a rebellious teenager punk band grown up on Offspring and Green Day diet. And actually, “David Comes to Life” is a rock opera, comparable with Green Day’s “American Idiot” (2004) or “21st Century Breakdown” (2009).
Released on June 7, 2011 in North America and June 6, 2011 elsewhere on Matador Records in CD and double LP formats, “David Comes to Life” became Fucked Up’s first charting album in the United States ranking at number 83 on the Billboard 200. Read more Fucked Up – David Comes to Life (2011)
2011
Anthrax – Worship Music (2011)
Back in the mid 80’s “Spreading the Disease” was one of my favorite albums. “Madhouse”, “Aftershock”, the killer “Armed and Dangerous” and “Medusa” were daily head-banging munitions for me. And I love them since as I loved the 1990’s “Persistence of Time”, “Keep It in the Family”, “Belly of the Beast” or the murderous cover of “Got the Time” by Joe Jackson were killer proofs of how great band Anthrax really are and they definitively deserves to be one of the “Big 4” alongside Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer.
During 1991 they collaborated with pioneering rap artists Public Enemy on a joint version of “Bring the Noise”. Also, the EP “Attack of the Killer B’s” was recorded during 1991, featuring a new version of “I’m the Man” and a cover of “Bring the Noise” on which Scott Ian did the vocals, as well as some other killer tracks: “Startin’ Up a Posse”, “N.F.B. (Dallabnikufesin)”, “Parasite” (Kiss cover), and two S.O.D. covers “Milk (Ode to Billy)” and “Chromatic Death”.
BUT, I also believe the best thing ever happened to this band was kicking out Joey Belladonna in 1992 and bring to the microphone John Bush, formerly of Armored Saint. Just listen “Only”, “Room for One More”, “Black Lodge” or “1000 Points of Hate” and you will hear definitively the difference. “Sound of White Noise” (1993), “Stomp 442” (1995), “Volume 8: The Threat Is Real” (1998) and “We’ve Come for You All” (2003) are all great Anthrax albums even if the record labels don’t offer them their full support.
“Worship Music” have history. The recordings beginning in 2008 and were finished this year… Read more Anthrax – Worship Music (2011)
Brutal Truth – End Time (2011)
Painful and consistent. I can’t really imagine any other band 100% entitled to delivering the soundtrack of the “end times” than Brutal Truth. Formed by ex-Anthrax, Nuclear Assault, and Stormtroopers Of Death bass guitarist Dan Lilker in 1990, in New York City, Brutal Truth along Napalm Death were one of the leading grindcore bands, delivering extreme – and obviously – brutal metal. The group disbanded in 1999 after four studio albums, but reformed in 2006 and delivered in 2009 “Evolution Through Revolution”. “End Time”, the band sixth studio album will be released on September 27, 2011 by Relapse Records. The band have also made the entire album available for via streaming from their website and as the official release note said: “End Time packs shotgun blast-sized impact throughout its 21 track take down of civilization’s imminent implosion.” Read more Brutal Truth – End Time (2011)
Staind – Staind (2011)
It’s been awhile, isn’t it? Actually, many just never heard of them before and after “Break the Cycle” and justifiably or not, Staind was labeled by most as one hit wonders, but anyway, as one of the followers and not the leaders of the nu-metal wave. Anyway, definitively I skipped some of their albums lately. Scheduled to be released on September 13, 2011, “Staind”, the seventh upcoming album marks the return to the band’s heavier sound that was predominate on their earlier two albums, “Tormented” (1996) and “Dysfunction” (1999). Juggling between nu metal (Pantera/Korn/Limp Bizkit) heavy riffing and gloomy grunge (Alice In Chains/Pearl Jam) and post-grunge schemes, the 10 new tracks of Aaron Lewis and his band mates are a collection of so-called modern and alternative metal elements and cliches, but still, Staind have some excellent riffs, strong themes and the skill and ability to write catchy and powerful songs. Read more Staind – Staind (2011)
Alice Cooper – Welcome 2 My Nightmare (2011)
I love Alice. I loved his “Killer” from ’71, just like “School’s Out” and “Billion Dollar Babies” from ’72 and “Muscle of Love” from ’73. Then I loved “Welcome to My Nightmare” in 1975 and “Alice Cooper Goes to Hell” very next year. Later I loved “Special Forces” (’81), “Zipper Catches Skin” (’82), “DaDa” (’83), and “Constrictor” (’86). “Trash” (’89) and “Hey Stoopid” (’91) were both two great albums, “The Last Temptation” was alright and I really loved “Brutal Planet” in 2000 where Alice kind of give his answer to his followers and meanwhile new stars such as Marilyn Manson proving – once again – that he still have the power. But after that I kind of lost my appetite for Alice, “Dragontown” was at least a mediocre release while “Dirty Diamonds” sounds like a lost material from the 70s, not bad for that times, but quite outdated for the 2000s. Honestly, Alice didn’t really convinced me in 2008 with his concept album “Along Came a Spider”.
Then Alice planned to release a sequel of “Along Came a Spider”, but producer Bob Ezrin proposed instead the idea of a sequel to “Welcome to My Nightmare”, part of the thirtieth anniversary of its original release. Read more Alice Cooper – Welcome 2 My Nightmare (2011)
Dream Theater – A Dramatic Turn of Events (2011)
Probably one of the most expected albums of this fall by metal fans. Three years after the epic “Black Clouds & Silver Linings”, the progressive metal band formed in 1985 by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts are back, first time without founding member, drummer Mike Portnoy. His departure raise higher the interest for this new material, but Mike Mangini can not be a disappointment for anybody. Metal fans probably remember his name from his contribution on Annihilator’s third album, “Set the World on Fire” released in 1993, but he also contributed to Extrem’s 95’s album, “Waiting For The Punchline” and more notably he was the drummer in Steve Vai’s live band and recorded several drum tracks for Steve’s “Fire Garden” and “The Ultra Zone” albums. Also Mangini was notorious for setting five World’s Fastest Drummer records between 2002-2005.
The band’s 11th studio album, “A Dramatic Turn of Events” is scheduled for a September 13 release on Roadrunner Records. After several listening, this might be the best, the more balanced Dream Theater album so far. Well, I’m conscious, some said this about their previous album… and every new release of any band usually is nominated as their best, but this time Dream Theater actually quite managed to delivered their best. Read more Dream Theater – A Dramatic Turn of Events (2011)
Anathema – Falling Deeper (2011)
Scheduled be released on September 5 2011, “Falling Deeper” is an upcoming compilation album in which the band recorded different versions of their past songs, a follow-up to 2008’s acoustic compilation “Hindsight”.
The album was produced by guitarist and main composer of the band Daniel Cavanagh, while the orchestral arrangements are from Dave Stewart who worked so successfully with Anathema on “We’re Here Because We’re Here”. Dutch singer Anneke van Giersbergen sings on “Everwake”. The album was recorded and mixed by Andrea Wright at the legendary Parr Street Studios in Liverpool. Read more Anathema – Falling Deeper (2011)
Powerman 5000 – Copies, Clones and Replicants (2011)
Michael Cummings aka Spider One is most known to being the younger brother of Rob Zombie. He’s also the founder and only original member of Powerman 5000 – sometimes abbreviated to PM5K – and their styles and sound have often been also compared to Rob Zombie. “Copies, Clones & Replicants” are a fun collection of cover tunes released yesterday, 30th August and we’ve got 12 songs originally performed by artist such as T. Rex, Devo, Van Halen, David Bowie, Twisted Sister, The Cars, The Clash, etc mashed up, twisted inside out and reassembled by PM5K in their music blender.
Spider One said they continue working on original material, consider this an interlude. Read more Powerman 5000 – Copies, Clones and Replicants (2011)
Buckethead – Empty Space, Underground Chamber, Look Up There (2011)
Buckethead’s 32nd studio album, as well the second edition in the Buckethead Pikes series following “It’s Alive” . More experimental, much heavier, contorted, but beautiful, “Empty Space” with a total length of 32 minutes (ten songs) bring to the surface some intense riffs, noisy textures and wild, hurricane-like solos, but also funky basses, avant-garde experiments, industrial soundscapes, in few words, Buckethead shot all his big guns at our ears and once again he spare no energy to create music. Can’t stick labels to this, can’t force it into some boxes, his music have no genre, but style and class. Probably both, genius and madman, Buckethead is by excellence the most fascinating guitar wizard. Read more Buckethead – Empty Space, Underground Chamber, Look Up There (2011)
Gay For Johnny Depp – What Doesn’t Kill You, Eventually Kills You (2011)
It’s the perfect balance between not taking themselves very seriously and taking the music absolutely seriously. And they know how to write extremely catchy hardcore songs, while the lyrics might bring a smile upon your face, the riffs will blow your head off definitively. Just as they sing it: “We Are The World? Burn It Down!” That’s what it’s all about: humor and hardcore. Kind of… Nine Inch Males… or something. 😀
“What Doesn’t Kill You, Eventually Kills You” is the band’s second full-length album and the funny lyrics and song titles are served with high energy, pumping, sometimes quite chaotic (“Pink Flag”) hardcore. Let’s just say: Cum On Feel The Noize! Read more Gay For Johnny Depp – What Doesn’t Kill You, Eventually Kills You (2011)
