Absolutely sick! Lasting only one minute, “Noodles” clarify at least this aspect. Xenotropic murine leukemia virus (XMRV) – is a gammaretrovirus that was first described in 2006. Initial reports linked the virus to prostate cancer, and later to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), but these were followed by a large number of studies in which no association was found. It has not been established that XMRV can infect humans, nor has it been demonstrated that XMRV is associated with or causes human disease. Numerous researchers have suggested that XMRV detection may result from contamination of clinical specimens and laboratory reagents with mouse retroviruses or related nucleic acids. I told you it’s sick!
A clash of nationalities, cultures, quite different tastes and musical influences and backgrounds, XMRV blending through their own creative filter hardcore, thrash metal, grunge, noise, punk, jazz, Latin music and delivering a killer sonic cocktail which will definitively knock you down. Are you ready for a punch directly in your immune system? Read more XMRV – Disimmunized (2011)
Metal
Sebastian Bach – Kicking & Screaming (2011)
Bach is back. 43 years old, eventually heavier with a few pounds or “just” wiser, but still and stubbornly wild. Skid Row had sold 20 million albums worldwide in the beginning of the 90s and Bach was one of my favorite singers along Mike Patton and Devin Townsend (mainly for his brilliant vocal performance from Vai’s “Sex & Religion”). Bach was kicked out of the band in 1996 when he booked a show where Skid Row would have opened for KISS while the other band members told Bach that Skid Row was too big to be an opening act. Ironically enough, four years later, Skid Row was one of the opening acts for the 2000 Kiss Farewell Tour with new lead vocalist Johnny Solinger. About a future reunion with his formal band Bach recently said: he’s not “youth gone wild” any more.
Well, fortunately “Kicking & Screaming” sounds pretty wild and Bach seems to be the same energy full heavy metal singer who he ever was. Read more Sebastian Bach – Kicking & Screaming (2011)
Tanzwut – White Nights (2011)
What results from the mixture of bagpipes, medieval and folk elements and industrial metal? Tanzwut. Originated as a sideproject of Corvus Corax-members, a German band playing Neo-Medieval music using an abundance of authentic instruments which often uses bagpipes as the solo instrument, and in 1996 they released the EP “Tanzwut” which combined the elements of metal music with their brand sound of bagpipes. The CD turned out to be a commercially successful experiment and the band decided to continue the tradition of that album in a separate musical project called Tanzwut and became part of the Neue Deutsche Härte movement. In few words: Rammstein with bagpipes.
“Weiße Nächte” is the project’s fifth studio album released on 16th September 2011. Read more Tanzwut – White Nights (2011)
Machine Head – Unto The Locust (2011)
Robb Flynn is back. Although “The Blackening”, their previous album, was released in 2007, it seems it was a lifetime ago. Acclaimed by fans and critics, “The Blackening” definitively raise high expectations. But the million points question is: the media can make a new metal god out of Machine Head? Generally speaking, probably yes, not only of Flynn’s band, but out of any band they picking it up. Particularly, Machine Head are a goddamn hell of a band, I still believe, their debut album, “Burn My Eyes”, back in 1994 was one of the strongest and most expressive metal album ever delivered. Meantime Machine Head aimed too much to be popular, to be on the right trend, eventually become “the next Metallica”. Shifting from one subgenre to another, Machine Head miss the essence: they always remains one step behind the trends instead to settle one. And metal is not a popularity contest. Don’t miss understand me, they are a killer band, but eventually too… audience-friendly. And lately media-friendly. Because yes, without media don’t matter who you are, you are nothing. Read more Machine Head – Unto The Locust (2011)
Slayer – Hell Awaits (1985)
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)
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)
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)
David Guetta – Nothing but the Beat (2011)
On the fifth album by French DJ and record producer David Guetta he applied the same formula: combined all the ideas and trendy sounds and stylistic approaches from both, European and American dance scene and pop music, Guetta delivered the best mixture of dance music. This is absolutely classy, clean cut and 100% cash-in formula. Still, we have to admit, Guetta knows to make his products to sound awesome, he construct excellent grooves, simple, but percussive sounds and powerful beats. For the first time, Guetta gave-up on the services of his long-time collaborator Chris Willis on vocals and features collaborations with artists from the R&B, hip hop and pop world such as Lil Wayne, Usher, will.i.am, Akon, Snoop Dogg, Chris Brown, Jennifer Hudson, Timbaland, Afrojack, Jessie J and Sia Furler. An all-star line-up which definitively will help to break down the charts and sell more singles. Well, many people try this and that – as any good ideas, by the way -, but not everybody managed to be successful as Guetta. Read more David Guetta – Nothing but the Beat (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)
