Few words worth more then a couple of fancy, but meaningless phrases, so, Al Jourgensen – age fiftyfuckingthree years – is back with the twelfth studio album of Ministry and they are simply and straightly louder, faster and angrier then ever. And Mr. Jourgensen is not alone, he’s got serious back up from Mike Scaccia and Casey Orr of Rigor Mortis, Tommy Victor of Prong and Tony Campos of Static X. This time eventually they aren’t pushing the musical boundaries further, they doesn’t break any new ground, but definitively they delivered again the most murderous sonic sledgehammer and you can bang your head to it, get wasted or waste someone, or occupy the streets and markets of your city. Politically correct? The ulcers are gone and Bush is gone, the shit stays the same, the price of the gas goes upper everyday, but let’s stick for now to the music and to this 10 tracks and just bang on this for a while! Read more Ministry – Relapse (2012)
post metal
Poets Of The Fall – Temple Of Thought (2012)
Marko Saaresto sounds just like a fresh and young Ozzy Osbourne, while his band, Poets Of The Fall merging classic values of Rock and Metal with sometimes Pop-like melodies, some typical Scandinavian vibes and a very clean, stripped to the bone, but modern sound.
While the opening “Running Out of Time” is an almost classic Rock/Metal song, the following “Temple of Thought” is more a Nordic Pop song with guitars and hidden Symphonic Metal layers in the background. And Poets Of The Fall juggling through the album between being radio-friendly and staying Rock. This is – generally – a quite hazardous game because you might ended up falling between the two chairs. While “Cradled in Love” reminds me of the score of the Twin Peaks or a possible runner for Eurovision, on “The Distance” they bring back some riffs merged with modern electronic layers. Read more Poets Of The Fall – Temple Of Thought (2012)
Adrenaline Mob – Omerta (2012)
This album is more like Pantera Groove Metal rather then Dream Theater Progressive Rock/Metal. Singer Russell Allen (Symphony X) and his (super) band mates delivered a quite heavy album full of nervous guitar riffs and raging grooves, classic, but biting and looking forward kind of, hate to say this, but no other proper word, True Metal. Progressive, Groove and some Southern taste like elements are merging perfectly here. Russell Allen had some royal partners in this project: drummer Mike Portnoy (Ex-Dream Theater), guitarist Mike Orlando (previously worked with Zakk Wylde and Bumblefoot), bass player Paul DiLeo (Fozzy), and rhythm guitarist Rich Ward (Stuck Mojo/Fozzy). Meanwhile DiLeo and Ward left the project due to scheduling conflicts with their other bands and on February 8, 2012, John Moyer (Disturbed) became Adrenaline Mob’s new bass player. Read more Adrenaline Mob – Omerta (2012)
Elizabeth – Where Vultures Land, EP (2012) – free download!
This is the debut EP of this brutally brilliant Swiss band delivered – once again – in its digital format and even FOR FREE by Throatruinner Records and its fully devoted “driver”, Matthias Jungbluth. He’s fan-friendly approach, he’s support of those bands deserves our support and every and each penny counts!
Elizabeth reminds me of Celtic Frost in the best possible sense, actually sounds pretty as a modern, and even future Celtic Frost incorporating along the traditional Black and Thrash Metal heritage all the post-scremo, post-hardcore, post-punk, and post (modern) whatevers, everything what can make the music more louder, more stronger, more extreme. And Elizabeth seems to find just the right path of merging past and future into their own cutting edge Metal. Read more Elizabeth – Where Vultures Land, EP (2012) – free download!
Soulfly – Enslaved (2012)
Another Soulfly release it’s a strong reason for celebration, but when David Kinkade describe this is gonna sound-like “Arise on crack”, the excitement and expectations are rising even higher. The 8th studio album by Max Cavalera’s Soulfly will definitively satisfy all the band’s fans and eventually will bring a few new ones. Max seems unstoppable and restless. Hopefully not because of the….. crack. 🙂
With artwork from Marcelo Vasco, who has designed album artwork for bands such as Borknagar, Obituary, and Dimmu Borgir and co-produced along max by Zeuss (previously worked with bands like Hatebreed, Shadows Fall, Bleeding Through, Throwdown, Chimaira, etc), “Enslaved” featuring for the first time new drummer David Kinkade (ex-Borknagar), and Tony Campos (former of Static-X, Prong, and Ministry) on bass, along guitarist Marc Rizzo and Max Cavalera on vocals, guitar, and berimbau.
Guests appearances on the album include Dez Fafara of Coal Chamber and DevilDriver and Travis Ryan of Cattle Decapitation, and on “Revengeance” feataturing Richie Cavalera of Incite, Zyon and Igor Cavalera Jr. of Lody Kong.
The album was recorded in late 2011 in Tallcat Studios in Phoenix, Arizona and it will be officially released by Roadrunner on March 13. On January 25, 2012 the lead single, “World Scum”, became available as a free download for 48 hours, with a video released on February 16. Read more Soulfly – Enslaved (2012)
VALVE – Self-titled EP (2012) free download
Contorted ant tumultuous, VALVE delivered a noisy and grinding debut EP which can be bought (name your price) from their Bandcamp page or downloaded for free from the link they offer on Mediafire.
The Parisian band delivering a very heavy and consistent modern Metal merging from Doom to Groove Metal and from Sludge to (post-modern) Metalcore all kind of different Metal sub-genres, but the result is very intense and intriguingly compact, crushing, cutting-edge Metal. In the nowadays over-dumping offering of so-called Metalcore products, VALVE almost miraculously find their own voice, path and sound and succeed to deliver a mature and quality product. “Siren” is my favorite track, although all the five tracks are equally and extremely intense and experimental, temerarious songs.
Definitively a nice surprise and a very promise full debut. Don’t hesitate, go and grab it!!! Read more VALVE – Self-titled EP (2012) free download
YOG – Half the Sky (2011)
Brutally grinding, virulent and sometimes chaotic, YOG managed to merged different sounds and approaches of extreme metal into their own slaughter.
Formed back in early 2000, in Neuchâtel (Switzerland), YOG taken off in the early days from the influence of bands like Sick of it All, Disrupt and Napalm Death only to reach into the more intense, twisted and sick sound of bands like The Dillinger Escape Plan, Botch, Pig Destroyer, Converge and other extreme combos of the modern hardcore scene.
After the release of their debut album entitled “Years of Nowhere”, they take by assault the stages across Europe with bands like Today is the Day, Genghis Tron, Gojira, Knut, Burnt By the Sun, etc. Read more YOG – Half the Sky (2011)
Corrosion Of Conformity – Corrosion Of Conformity (2012)
Ladies and gentlemen, Heavy Metal! After a hiatus of over five years, the eponymously-titled eighth studio album by Corrosion Of Conformity will be released on February 28, 2012 by Candlelight Records. It is their longest gap to date between studio albums – seven years, Reed Mullin is back behind the drum kit after 12 years, but also the first to not feature Pepper Keenan on vocals and guitar since 1989. Pepper joined Down in 1991, although it has been disputed whether Keenan has left the band or he is still officially member.
Formed in 1982, in Raleigh, North Carolina COC came a long way from crossover thrash and punk metal, through heavy metal down to Southern metal. And the three knight of metal, Woody Weatherman, Mike Dean and Reed Mullin delivered 11 solid tracks to go on further. Read more Corrosion Of Conformity – Corrosion Of Conformity (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)
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)
