At two year distance, following “Mechanize”, Burton C. Bell and Dino Cazares are back, they still using the Fear Factory name although the other former half of the band, drummer Raymond Herrera and bass player Christian Olde Wolbers still did not give up on their right of using the name and still pretend they are, legally and morally, still part of the band, so, there are – at least – some “legal complications”.
“Mechanize” was a very intense one, but not the best Fear factory album so far, this time Burton described the new material to be another concept album “sonically, conceptually, and lyrically”. And getting through the album for two-three times only confirmed that they definitively delivered an excellent product this time, and this is the perfect mixture of everything what Fear Factory have been. Read more Fear Factory – The Industrialist (2012)
Metal
Ugly Kid Joe – Stairway To Hell, EP (2012)
I have hundreds of albums to listen and eventually write a review, but when a band are back from the dead almost literally after 16 years, and this band really rocks the socks off once upon a time, I leave everything aside and focus on their release. This is only a six track teaser, probably the guys want to know if there are still headbangers out there interested in real Rock and worth the effort to come back full force. 16 fucking years! It was like yesterday when half of the rockers love them, the other half hate them for their success in 1992 with the single “Everything About You”, which peaked at #3 in the UK Singles Chart and made it into the Billboard Top 10. Later in the year the song was used in the movie “Wayne’s World.” “As Ugly As They Wanna Be” went on to sell over 1,000,000 copies in the U.S. alone becoming the highest selling debut E.P. of all time. But this mixture of satirical humor and Heavy Metal really got me back then, and till they disbanded in 1997, Ugly Kid Joe actually proved they are quite a serious and heavy band, well, keeping a good sense of humor is songs such as “Sandwich” or “Bicycle Wheels”. “Stairway To… Hell”? Are you kidding, don’t you? 😆
Their current line up is the last line up of the band crystallized in the mid 1994. Read more Ugly Kid Joe – Stairway To Hell, EP (2012)
The Cult – Choice of Weapon (2012)
It’s definitively one of the most expected albums of the year. Ladies and gentlemen, The Cult are back! And they are back with some hard as a rock solid Rock. Kind of merging of two different eras of the band. One one hand we’ve got some real pounding classic Rock themes which lead us back to “Electric” (1987) and “Sonic Temple” (1989), on the other hand the album is filled with some dark, hypnotic tension which was characteristic for some of their more recent albums as “Beyond Good and Evil” (2001) and their previous “Born into This” (2007).
Bass player Chris Wyse describe it as a “Zep/Stooges mix of energy” – and the shadows of Iggy and Page are definitively hidden there. Read more The Cult – Choice of Weapon (2012)
Kehlvin – The Orchard of Forking Paths (2012)
I watched the video – Kehlvin new Blockbuster 😆 – only to see if the dude at the end smash off his guitars to the rocks. He didn’t and honestly I was quite disappointed. 😆 😆 😆 Fun, but talking seriously, not such a great way to promote a new band nowadays if you want to be taken seriously by fans and the industry.
Formed back in early 1999 by five friends in La Chaux-de- Fonds, Switzerland, Kehlvin is delivering a slow grinding and Doom inspired, contorted and gloomy Metalcore with blending of both post-Hardcore and post-Rock/Metal elements. After the release of their first acclaimed album, “The Mountain Daylight Time” on Division Records and some shows across Europe with the likes of Burst, Will Haven, Mono, Red Sparowes, Knut and Unsane, the members of Kehlvin have collaborated with their friends from Rorcal in order to record a split album called “Ascension.” Read more Kehlvin – The Orchard of Forking Paths (2012)
Silent Descent – Mind Games (2012)
In 2008 Metal Hammer proclaimed them “the trance metal juggernaught the world has been waiting for.” Well, I’m not so sure that the electronic and club addicted persons will actually appreciate the howling voices and the grinding guitar riffs, as well as the metal heads probably will hate all the trance and electronic s*its incorporated in the disturbed Metal by some of the trend rider youngster. But the British media really praised Silent Descent as one of the best new Metal acts, the band won the Kerrang!/MCN Unsigned Live competition, they performed at the Bloodstock Open Air music festival in August 2008, sold out the Camden Underworld along with Alestorm in 2009, headlined Thursday night’s Boardie Takeover at Download festival both in 2009 and 2010.
Following the trends, along the Trance perfumed electronics, the band on their newly released second album inserted some contorted Dubstep noises as well. Surprisingly or not quite, this sounds bloody right! Read more Silent Descent – Mind Games (2012)
Trioscapes – Separate Realities (2012)
Trioscapes started in the summer of 2011 when Dan Briggs(Between the Buried and Me) contacted Walter Fancourt (Casual Curious, Brand New Life) and Matt Lynch (Eyris) about working up a rendition of the Mahavishnu Orchestra classic “Celestial Terrestrial Commuters” and messing around with a few original ideas with the intent of playing a one-off show. “Blast Off,” the first song released a few months back impressed both the media and the fans and the expectation of the promised debut album raised to boiling high. Released on 08th May, 2012, by Metal Blade Records, “Separate Realities” will blow your head off. Read more Trioscapes – Separate Realities (2012)
Equal Minds Theory – Equal Minds Theory (2011)
Free download, this is the debut, self-titled album released last year by the Russian band from Norilsk/Moscow.
Anton – Guitar, Andrey – Guitar, Vlad – Bass, Evgeny – Drums, and Vitaly – Vocal, created a murderous mixture of Death Metal, Grindcore and modern Metal with some experimental, progressive resonances and turns, reminding me of The Dillinger Escape Plan. The “Intro” sounds almost sweet only that the following “Oceanbound” can blow in your face ten tons harder.
Sick and intense, almost not human. Read more Equal Minds Theory – Equal Minds Theory (2011)
Neurotech – Decipher Vol. 1 (2012)
While their previous album, “Antagonist” is still available as free download, Neurotech moved forward, their new album will be release as a series of EPs and the first (Vol.1) was released as a free download, Sunday, April 22nd, 2012 – can get it from HERE (name your price).
Neurotech was formed in Ljubljana, Slovenia, back in 2007 by Wulf and they delivering a pounding mixture of Metal, Gothic and Industrial elements. Vicious riffing and complex electronic layers are merged into one, the powerful Metal is melted into the spacy, cinematic trance/ambiental electro music and spiced with Gothic romanticism. It’s an electrifying experiment, harmonies, strong choruses and deep textures, grinding guitars are make perfect match here. Read more Neurotech – Decipher Vol. 1 (2012)
Hypno5e – Acid Mist Tomorrow (2012)
In our times of deep turbulence and dissonances, the French Hypno5e re-paint with sounds this shattered world and pushing the musical borders further. This is Metal beyond Metal, fans of Cynic definitively will be delighted by the furious, but technical Death Metal moments, although the whole complex construction is further tripper, sometimes even abstract, quiet, meditative moments are twisted out by raging hurricanes, acrobatic riffs and pounding rhythmic, or the furious moments are break down by schizophrenic, echoing passages of slow, cinematic, but disturbed music.
Blending all Metal genres and adding ambiental and Jazz elements, Hypno5e build up their own and unique style of (future) Metal. Further, their mixing the music with video concept, the genius within HYPNO5E shows an all around approach to the arts, musically and visually. Read more Hypno5e – Acid Mist Tomorrow (2012)
General Lee – The End of Bravery promo
GENERAL LEE never stopped to look forward their own definition of chaos, melting intensity, blackness and emotion in a shape that belongs to abrasive hardcore music. Their plays with feelings and contrasts by creating a tense climate near to the break. Icy and oppressive atmospheres, heavy and melancholic riffing are mixed ton an abrasive hardcore and a blowing off and cathartic screaming. A music that blurs and destroys the usual plans to be reconstructed in pain. GENERAL LEE played over 100 gigs with bands like CULT OF LUNA, BARONESS, WILL HAVEN, KEELHAUL, MISERY INDEX, MADE OUT OF BABIES and many more..
“The End of Bravery” is the first extract of the next album which will be released on September 1st. Read more General Lee – The End of Bravery promo
