12 murderous, good-old fashioned groove metal tracks, Pantera fans will be definitively satisfied by this Russian outfit. They incorporated in their “edgecrusher” sound several modern elements, like using synthesizers and have several Korn-alike nu metal grooves and layers, but generally they staying solid in the traditional, heavy, metal area. Some of their riffs even reminded me of Iron Maiden (“Real Monster” for instance), so, this is more close to the classic metal then to the nowadays post-metal and metalcore products.
And just to be goddamn honest, even to take a closer look to their album art, worth a few minutes. Read more Edgecrusher – Damagemaker (2012)
Metal
Van Halen – A Different Kind Of Truth (2012)
Ladies and gentlemen, put your seatbelts on, we’re in a time capsule and we’re gonna landing back right to the 80s just as you close your eyes and push play! Our guides for this precious ride are the Van Halen family, Eddie on guitar, Alex on drums and the young refreshment, Eddie’s son, Wolfgang on bass and not at least, the restless lead singer, Mr. David Lee Roth. Although the twelfth studio album by the band it’s the band’s first album of completely new material since 1998’s disastrous “Van Halen III” featuring ex-Extreme singer Gary Cherone, as well as the first since 1984’s to feature David Lee Roth on lead vocals, the long awaited new Van Halen album, “A Different Kind Of Truth” just right fits in between “Women and Children First” and “Fair Warning”.
I am the first to admit, I was 101 % skeptical about this reunion and album. Don’t misunderstand me, I love Lee Roth, some of his bluesy solo releases are absolutely killer cuts, but definitively the best moments of this band were with Sammy Hagar. And well, Hagar teamed up with guitar-God Joe Satriani, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and classic Halen bass player Michael Anthony to form Chickenfoot, one hell of a successful hard rock supergroup. So, “the other half” already proved vitality, the expectations were pretty high about this and the comparison – unfortunately for both sides – is almost unavoidable.
And “A Different Kind Of Truth” rocks like s*it, eventually this is one of the best Van Halen albums ever released. Read more Van Halen – A Different Kind Of Truth (2012)
Love Sex Machine – Love Sex Machine (2012)
The official promo says this is “ultra crushing sludgecore” and make no mistake, this is definitively one of the heaviest s*it you can listen to. As usually, Throatruinner offering this release as a digital download for free – in the very noble “name your price” mode or the posted Medifire link. Go and grab it, this guys brings the apocalypse through their grinding, murderous tracks!
And well, if the band’s General Manager is the Satan himself and their Facebook address is 666doom666, nothing is quite surprising anymore. Read more Love Sex Machine – Love Sex Machine (2012)
Craving – Fucked Up Beyond Repair, EP (2011)
Released in May 2011 as free download on Reverbnation, the self-produced debut EP by the French metalcore outfit Craving it’s a brutally honest massacre, a loud as hell blending of classic thrash and the nowadays raging post-hardcore/metal sounds. Some of their riffs, constructions reminds me of Testament and Sepultura, eventually Kreator. The title track definitively could became a huge headbanging anthem back in the 80s, beginning of the 90s. And – why not – it is possible to be a metal anthem nowadays too, true metalers never die!
We’ve got 6 furious and rapid tracks, the perfect soundtrack for a good time banging, so go and grab it! Read more Craving – Fucked Up Beyond Repair, EP (2011)
Therapy? – A Brief Crack Of Light (2012)
Russian novelist Vladimir Nabokov, once describes life as “A brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness”. The forthcoming thirteenth studio album by Therapy? was entitled “A Brief Crack Of Light”, it was originally scheduled to be released in October 2011 , but delayed to be released on February 6, 2012.
The first single, “Living In The Shadow Of The Terrible Thing” is available for download since January 23rd and Therapy? have the same edge, sounds dirty and pounding.
The album was recorded in two separate sessions, the first from December 2010 to February 2011, and the second in June 2011 at Blast Studios, Newcastle, England, and it was produced by Adam Sinclair and Andy Cairns.
This is not the Therapy? of ’94, and this isn’t the follow up of “Troublegum”, probably they will not make it again to the Top of the Pops, but I still love them, and this is the logical follow up of their previous “Crooked Timber” (2009), a truly and deeply alternative rock album. Read more Therapy? – A Brief Crack Of Light (2012)
Nu-Nation – Wake Up (2012)
They give their album for free and fans of Sepultura, Soulfly, or Machine Head will hail in them a possible new favorite. So, you can download the “Wake Up” album for free and support the band by donations.
From Saint Petersburg, Russia, Artem ‘Faust’ Faustov – vocals, Alexander ‘Maiden’ Korsak – guitars, Denis ‘Corey’ Vasil’ev – guitars, Kirill Kazanov – bass and Alexei ‘MorkVa’ Bogdanov – drum delivering an extremely tasty album of quality groove/nu metal in the best tradition of the style and looking even further! Read more Nu-Nation – Wake Up (2012)
Attack Attack! – This Means War (2012)
Except the geographical location, an exclamation mark less, the approach and sound makes the difference between the Welsh (UK) located Attack! Attack! and the Westerville, Ohio (USA) located, metalcore/electronicore band Attack Attack!. Hate to say this over and over, but a little more inventiveness and inspiration would be just great when people are about to choose their band name. It’s kind of starting with the wrong foot your career guys if there’s another band with the same or almost similar name in the business.
Formed in 2005 (while the band from Welsh seems to formed one year later…), some of their songs seems to contain Christian-based lyrics, but not all members of Attack Attack! are Christian, and do not consider themselves a Christian band. Musically, Attack Attack! merged the groove and aggression of Pantera with post-emo feeling and electronic sounds, features a djent sound to its guitar riffs played primarily in drop-G, and delivering a quite intense and disturbing mixture of melody and brutality. This third studio album by the band seems to be a concept album. Read more Attack Attack! – This Means War (2012)
Biohazard – Reborn In Defiance (2012)
I was expected a murderous follow-up of their 92’s “Urban Discipline”. You know, ’92 – ’12, it was a seven years gap between their eight and ninth studio album, we’re living kind of strange, sometimes twisted and dangerous times, I guess I actually missed pretty badly the bold power of some grinding tracks as “Punishment” was. “Vengeance Is Mine” have something from that spirit, but something still missing. And few tracks further kind of disappointment taking over the hopes and although “Reborn In Defiance” sounds cutting and strong, Biohazard seems to became too slow, too predictable, eventually to conservatives.
And the dilemma remains the same: Metal or Hardcore? Read more Biohazard – Reborn In Defiance (2012)
Enter Shikari – A Flash Flood Of Colour (2012)
The merging of metalcore and dubstep was kind of predictable and unavoidable evolution of the scene. Low frequency oscillations, the wobble bass and some crushing riffs and screaming vocals make a quite destructive pair and definitively fits the taste of the new generation. But there’s at least one question left. Those kids who are willing to set the city on fire only to steal a pair of sneakers and eventually a flat screen TV, are gonna pay for all that music the industry kindly delivering, or they gonna download – steal – it? And honestly, most of this music deserves nothing than to be downloaded.
Although I have my (musical) roots back in hardcore, but I also appreciate the quality dubstep too, so, I think this musical collision could bring to the surface quite exciting results, I still did not heard some outstanding results. America had his best shot by Korn, but not even the almighty Skrillex and a whole army of appreciated nowadays producers could save the lack of inspiration from “The Path Of Totality” and hide it under the massive sound. So, let’s see what the Brits managed to delivered on their third album… Read more Enter Shikari – A Flash Flood Of Colour (2012)
Elizabeth – Demo, Free Download
Free stuffs are best stuffs for most of us, I know. Candies for suckers. 😀 And Matthias Jungbluth of Throatruiner Records all the time serve us some goodies. So, I’m gonna spread and share his message, still, just remember, artists and some independent labels as Throatruiner Records deserves all our support and don’t forget: art needs not only inspiration, but financing, support too.
Swiss ELIZABETH (hardcore/crust in the vein of Rise And Fall, Converge, The Hope Conspiracy,with ex-NOSTROMO vocalist) has entered the studio to record their debut EP “When Vultures Land”. A 12″ vinyl release is planned for march via Throatruiner Records and I For Us, and their first home-recorded EP is still available for free download here : http://ezbth.bandcamp.com. Read more Elizabeth – Demo, Free Download
