All Too Human

by Derric Miller
Staff Writer

All Too Human checked in with Hardrock Haven to talk about their brand new studio release Juggernaut; how the band has evolved since their last release Entropy 10 years ago; how new singer Gordon Tittsworth (Images of Eden, Dread the Forsaken) joined the band; specific tracks like “Juggernaut” and “Cut Me;” upcoming tour plans; and a whole lot more.

This is one of the surprise releases of the year and it’s a mix of modern metal with intricate Progressive elements. It’s also heavy as hell! Tune in now to get to know what should be one of your new favorite bands, and pick up Juggernaut today!

Online: www.alltoohuman.net

All Too Human to Release Juggernaut on May 15

ALL TOO HUMAN is a progressive metal band from the United States which is influenced by many diverse artists and musical genres. They have released two self-produced and self-financed CDs: “Forever and a Day” (1998) and “Entropy” (2002). Both CDs were recorded in Texas and released by R/R Records. A European version of “Entropy” (which includes bonus tracks) was released in 2004 by Steelheart Records from Italy. Read more

Dennis Develin | Tip of the Tongue

by Hardrock Haven
Staff Writer –

There’s some music in life that is custom made for romance, for love, for candlelight interludes and Harlequin fairy tales. And then there’s the music made by Dennis Develin, a flat out love-hating tat-covered ass kickin’ SOB who just happens to sound like he has Lemmy’s blood in his veins. On his new album Tip of the Tongue, Develin brings you into his world of violent love, men who are so browbeaten they can’t “perform,” sheer anger at the world around you … and of course an ode to all of the beautiful harlots of the ‘80s. Yes, it’s as good as it sounds …

“All You Got” kicks things off, a nice little tale about one-night stands and giving women nicknames like “Head Queen.” If any of his music is taken from his actual life, Gene Simmons will be jealous. The music is as sleazy as the story, a grinding, pumping anthem with Develin’s sneering gritty vocals singing “Give me all you got, cuz it’s been itching, down her kitchen, all night!” As the song comes to a close, Develin mocks women’s incessant need for marriage after fornication. It’s really honest and cutting—he isn’t wrong.

The next track continues the ravenous sexuality, “Backseat Fighter.” Basically, it’s a song about lovely lass named Gina (pronounced Ji-na) and that tells you about as much as you need to know. “She fits like a glove, she’s one of a kind, she lives for the night …” You can hear the idiot experts on shows like American Idol saying “you know who you are as an artist; be true to yourself.” Well, if that’s the key component to artistry, Develin has every other artist in the world beat.

“Can’t Die Fast Enough” is heavy … duty. It’s all carnal pumping and the riffs from Jonas Roxx cut to the chase. “I got a gun, I got a knife. A rope and a noose and an alibi … you can’t die fast enough.” Yeah … perchance all of this tainted love is creating “anger issues.” If you are pissed at the world, turn this up to 11, thrash around, scream your head off, and use it as a cathartic way to stay out of jail. It’s truly vicious … and awesome.

If you thought a song like “Never Let You Go” would be a step back from the aggression, especially based on its mid-tempo pacing and melodic guitar leads, you’d just be wrong. Develin takes the edge off his voice and opens with lines like, “I have waited all my life for a girl like you,” which seems positive. And Develin plays no studio tricks with his vocals; if you catch him playing live it’d sound just like this final cut. It’s honest, earnest singing and it matches the song to perfection. Of course, it’s Develin, so the happy story ends with “Sometimes I hurt you; that’s the name of the game. We will be together … until the end of the days.”

But don’t fret—it’s not ALL dark and gloomy. “Ladies of the Eighties” was first heard on Perris Records compilation Hollywood Hairspray 7. When you hear the opening guitar refrain you’ll be thinking “Summertime Girls” or something that poppy, that lighthearted and the song is all of those things. It’s really a nostalgia track, an anthem about how it used to be so easy for men and women to copulate without all the aftershocks. “I miss the fire; today, there’s no desire! I miss the ladies of the eighties!” Develin has a hell of a sense of humor too, especially on lyrics like, “Today we got the Internet, and we’re only touching ourselves!” This final track is the bonus cut, and Develin did well by placing it on the release, if only to offset the visceral messages heard before it. While it veers far off course from tracks like “Can’t Die Fast Enough,” it’s believable … because it’s about sex, after all.

Tip of the Tongue is not a carefree, summertime driving album. This is what you listen to when you walk in on your lover cheating on you … when you find out your child isn’t really your child … when you are in the middle of a relationship so toxic you just want the lights to go out … and finally, when you are at a kick ass rock ‘n roll show surrounded by beautiful, overly-hairsprayed women. The great thing about Develin’s music is that it is so authentic—you know it’s him as soon as you hear the music. “Different” doesn’t always equate to “better,” but in this case, it surely does …

Track listing:
1. All You Got
2. Backseat Fighter
3. Afraid
4. Can’t Die Fast Enough
5. 2805
6. MF Man
7. Pussy As a Friend
8. Never Let You Go
9. Birds of Fire
10. Ladies of the Eighties

Genre: Hard Rock/Metal

Label: Perris Records

Online: www.develin.dk

Hardrock Haven Rating: 8.1/10

Dragonforce | The Power Within

by Nikiforos Skoumas
Staff Writer –

It took them a few good years but they are finally back! Dragonforce the British-French extreme power metal group shook the rock and mainstream world on numerous occasions during the previous decade; from 2003 to 2008 Dragonforce put out four genre-defining albums (statement holds no exaggeration) the last of which hit the Billboard top-100 at position 18! When was the last time a Euro-power band entered the US top 200, one can not say, yet as the members themselves are quick to point out, Dragonforce play extreme power metal rather than simply power metal.

Ever-present melodic guitar lines, complicated guitar/keyboard harmonies, outrageously technical power metal rhythm section plus traditional vibrato-based vocals are defining elements of the Dragonforce musical mix.

Dragonforce have been through a good number of line-up changes, but always retained a very high musical/technical standard- still- the loss of lead singer ZP Theart delivered a significant blow to the band, if one is to judge by the time-gap intervening between the previous album and The Power Within. The established line up of founding guitar-duo Herman Li and Sam Totman, bassist Frederic Leclercq keyboardist Vladim Pruzhanov and drummer Dave Mackintosh are joined by new vocalist Marc Hudson.

Obscenely fast tempos once again lay the foreground for a barrage of guitar arpeggios, and vicious riffs; balancing the equation are the melodic vocal lines, which remain attached to clearly defined verses, choruses and main bodies. In addition the keyboards, though remaining substantially in the background, reinforce definition within each song – changes in key signify the move from a song’s main body to a verse, or from a verse to a chorus. So rest assured you will not get lost in the ‘firestrom’ of instrumental technique and musical cosmetics. That is not to say however that The Power Within will prove an easily digestible musical package to begin with.

Unless you have been listening to Dragonforce’s previous album on a daily basis over the past four years you will have to play The Power Within over and over before you are able to identify/recall which melody or solo comes from which song. And really there would be no point for anything larger than a 10-track album as each song is an overload of technique and speed at its own right, making it rather easy for one to get lost within its structures unless paying their full attention.

Overall The Power Within is a rather predictable yet 100% authentic Dragonforce album. If you enjoyed previous Dragon-releases or consider yourselves a long-term admirer of their output, you can not possibly be let down by their fifth album.

Genre: Extreme Power Metal

Line Up:
Marc Hudson – lead vocals
Herman Li – guitars
Sam Totman – guitars
Vadim Pruzhanov – keyboards
Dave Mackintosh – drums
Frédéric Leclercq – bass

Track List:
1. Holding On
2. Fallen World
3. Cry Thunder
4. Give Me the Night
5. Wings of Liberty
6. Seasons
7. Heart of the Storm
8. Die By the Sword
9. Last Man Stands
10. Seasons (Acoustic Version)

Band website: http://www.dragonforce.com/

Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10

Halestorm | The Strange Case of …

by Mark Allen
Staff Writer –

Like a rock ‘n’ roll praying mantis, Lzzy Hale seems like the kind of gal that will slam you to the floor, mess you up in the roughest, most erotic way imaginable, and then rip your head off your shoulders when she is done. And as you are bleeding out from your torn neck stump, with your final gasp you would say thank you.

Halestorm’s major label debut came loaded with venomous sex appeal wrapped in powerhouse drums, beefy power chords, and catchy melodies. Well, Halestorm stared the dreaded sophomore slump dead in the eye and it was the sophomore slump that blinked first and went slinking away in tucked-tail defeat. This new album ups the ante on f*ck you attitude while simultaneously cementing Lzzy’s status as the new queen of hard rock. This girl has a serious set of lungs on her, capable of reaching jaw-dropping notes one moment and dropping into a sultry snarl the next. She is not just one of the best female vocalists the genre has ever seen, she is one of the best vocalists the genre has ever seen, period.

While Lzzy may be the centerpiece, she is ably backed by a group of guys equipped with serious chops. Halestorm as a whole understand the dynamics of the rock genre, the sort of unbridled recklessness and freewheeling fury that the best bands bring to the party. Call this modern hard rock if you must, but only by virtue of the big budget studio production; bubbling just beneath the surface gloss is just a badass heavy rock album. Halestorm eschew the poppy allure so prevalent in today’s hard rock in favor of something saturated in the full-throttle power of ‘80s metal.

The band’s only serious misstep is the ballad block in the middle of the album. After cranking out four kickass rockers, Halestorm slow things down for a ballad…then another ballad…and yet another. It doesn’t just drag the momentum down; it slaughters it like a crippled lamb. It is testimony to the band’s excellence that they recover from this what-the-hell-were-they-thinking decision, but seriously…what the hell were they thinking? One ballad would be tolerable, but three would be overkill even if spread out over the whole album. Cram them all together and it’s damn near disastrous. Besides, Lzzy’s persona is badass rocker chick and we want to hear her sing badass rock ‘n’ roll, not softly croon about romance and whatnot. That’s what we have Amy Lee for.

Maybe the band just wanted to get the boring stuff out of the way, because as soon as the ballads are done, they get right back to rocking, delivering three of the album’s best tunes. “Daughters of Darkness” is the heaviest, opening with some angry “na-na-na-na-nas” and then proceeding to slam, smash, pummel, and pound your ears with aggression. Subtle, it is not. Awesome, it is. “You Call Me a Bitch Like It’s a Bad Thing” could serve as Lzzy’s theme song lyrically–“You call me a bitch like it’s a bad thing / You call me a freak like that means something / I don’t give a shit”—and musically will rock your face off. The album then ends with the rock-ballad “Here’s To Us,” which pulls off the tough task of sounding tender and nostalgic while using copious amounts of profanity: “Here’s to us / Here’s to love / All the times that we fucked up / Here’s to you / Fill the glass / ‘Cause the last few nights have kicked my ass / If they give you hell / tell ‘em to go fuck themselves.” If that doesn’t give you the warm and fuzzies, nothing will.

Actually, warm and fuzzy—not to mention smiling from ear to ear—is what every hard rock aficionado should feel like when they finish listening to this album. It is a distortion-filled delight, a metal-edged masterpiece, a power chord paradise. In other words, this album rocks like a bitch, and yeah, that’s a compliment.

Genre: Hard Rock

Band:
Lzzy Hale (vocals)
Arejay Hale (drums)
Josh Smith (bass)
Joe Hottinger (guitars)

Track Listing:
1. Love Bites (And So Do I)
2. Mz. Hyde
3. I Miss the Misery
4. Freak Like Me
5. Beautiful With You
6. In Your Room
7. Break In
8. Rock Show
9. Daughters of Darkness
10. You Call Me a Bitch Like It’s a Bad Thing
11. American Boys
12. Here’s To Us

Web: www.halestormrocks.com

Label: Atlantic Records

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.75/10

Markus Ullrich of Lanfear

by Derric Miller
Staff Writer –

Lanfear guitarist Markus Ullrich checked in with Hardrock Haven to discuss their stellar new release This Harmonic Consonance; some specific tracks like “Colours of Chaos” and “By-Product Nation;” how the band has evolved with lead singer Nuno Fernandes as the singer/lyricist; upcoming tour plans including Prog Power US; why German TV/movies/comedians suck; and a whole lot more.

If you haven’t heard This Harmonic Consonance yet, you are missing out on one of the best albums of the year. Tune in now to get to know this underrated and talented guitarist, and pick up Lanfear’s catalog ASAP.

Online: www.lanfear.eu.

Shots All Around! Bombay Black returns with “Bullets And Booze”!

BOMBAY BLACK’s 5th studio album “Bullets And Booze” is right around the corner with a May 2012 release on Triage Records. Read more

Wild Frontier New Album 2012 Released May 4!

German melodic Hard Rockers Wild Frontier have been working on a new album, 2012, and the street date for Europe is May 4. With a huge number of anthemic Hard Rock songs and even a “surprise” cover from a Swedish pop band, 2012 is going to be a surprise hit of the year. Read more

Jack Russell

by Derric Miller
Staff Writer –

Ex-Great White lead singer Jack Russell checked in with Hardrock Haven to talk about his new band, Jack Russell’s Great White; their current tour High Seas and upcoming America Rocks 2012; his current status on being removed from the band and their announcement of a 30-year anniversary release Elation (with Terry Ilous on lead vocals); a “digging in the vault” query about pre-Shot in the Dark tracks like “Black Lace and Leather” and “Survival;” if a new album is on the way; and a whole lot more.

When you look at all of the vocalists to come out of the ’80s, there were few — if any — who could compete with Russell. From his “Jack evil” vocal days on songs like “Down on Your Knees” to his flawless crooning on “Save Your Love” to his sheer Rock greatness on “Once Bitten, Twice Shy,” it’s no contest. Now that Jack is back, make sure you catch the band on the High Seas current tour or this summer on America Rocks 2012.

Online: jacksgreatwhite.com

Halloween | Terrortory

by Derric Miller
Staff Writer –

Halloween — and no kids, not the once Kiske-led Helloween — have just released their fifth studio album in their 27 years of existence. Titled Terrortory, the album somehow picks up where they left off with classics like Victims of the Night and Don’t Metal With Evil. Hailing from Detroit and obviously topically influenced by the likes of Alice Cooper, Halloween plays a unique amalgam of NWOBHM intertwined with good ol’ fashioned American Classic Metal. There’s also Doom elements inside the interwoven tapestries of the sonic nightmares they lure you into, making Terrortory one of those albums impossible to say “they sound just like (some freakin’ other band).”

How else would you want this album to begin with besides “Traipsing Through the Blood?” Before you get off track and think it’s a murderous winter serial killer song, it’s actually … an uplifting call to arms, a Marine-like “seize the day” anthem that belies the visceral title. “Why do we never care, until it’s way too late? Why do we waste our time; we play with fate.” The lyrical content is a query into cowardice, the sin of hesitation, of self-apathy. With the serrated riffing from guitarist Don Gurrier, the machine-gun like unforgiving rhythm section, and vocalist Brian Thomas’ foreboding and damning delivery … the guys set the bar unbelievably high with this opener.

The title track “Terrortory” nearly holds up against “Traipsing Through the Blood.” The galloping guitar riffs are the most mesmerizing ingredient in this concoction. Although simple, like an AC/DC riff, it’s implants itself into your brain tissue and becomes impossible to remove even as you move on to the rest of the story.

The next two tracks alone make this album worth purchase. “Images Quite Horrible” is a nasty, Metal Church-y type composition, breakneck and frothing at the maw. Fans of that type of music will shriek when they hear “Images Quite Horrible.” With deft tempo changes and an overabundance of moribund, it’s a highlight. But then so is “Her Ghost Comes Out to Play.” This is the first time the band dials back the speed if only for a moment, uses foreshadowing to lull you into a false sense of safety, and then pure NWOBHM-type riffs began assaulting you. “Remember when you took a life? You … murderer! Remember how you didn’t care … do you … remember?” Akin to a King Diamond tale, this is Halloween at the top of their game. Every single facet of this song works; it’s no wonder modern bands like Cauldron eagerly announce Halloween as one of their influences. What was once will be again …

Where Halloween runs into a corpse-filled roadblock, if there is one, is that there’s so much music to digest here. Over an hour in length and with 16 songs, after a while, the songs begin running into each. Of course, that isn’t the case with “Scare You,” another blazing dark fantasy. “I’ll never let you go; I’ll be there with you, after you’re dead. I will scare you!” Please don’t send this to an ex on Valentine’s Day — you’ll find yourself under arrest or in a straightjacket, or both.

“Not One” is one of the slower tracks on Terrortory. It’s an acoustic-led dirge at the onset, with Thomas’ honest vocals up front and center. He wades between a forthright full voice to an eerie falsetto, not as high as King Diamond but surely just as menacing. Halloween isn’t about writing ballads, though, so by two minutes into the song it goes back to that doomy, mid-tempo pace most of the songs stalk you with. Oh, and that’s only song eight …

The most unnerving tracks towards the end are “Reinventing Fear” and “Hands Around My Throat.” The most oddball one is the sloppy, sort of Misfits takeoff on “Say Your Prayers.” The swirling and evocative “Dead On …” is Halloween reminding you to stop thinking they are a one-trick pony. Instead of funereal, it’s graceful and sorrow-laden.

Terrortory, whether it finds an appropriate audience or not, deserves a listen. If you are into NWOBHM-influenced horror Heavy Metal, this is the band to check out. While seemingly blunt in its musical approach, you’ll be surprised to find the multiple layers beneath the surface of tracks like “Dead On …” and “Her Ghost Comes Out to Play.” Keep digging and digging until the flesh grates off your fingers … you are bound to find something worthwhile on Terrortory …

Genre: Horror, Classic Metal

Band:
Brian Thomas/vocals
George Neal/bass
Rob Brug/drums
Don Gurrier/guitars

Track Listing:
1. Traipsing Through The Blood
2. At The Gates
3. Terrortory
4. Images Quite Horrible
5. Her Ghost Comes Out To Play
6. Caught In The Webs
7. Scare You
8. Not One
9. Darkside Inside
10. Re-Inventing Fear
11. I Lie Awake
12. Hands Around My Throat
13. Say Your Prayers
14. Where Is Michael
15. Dead On
16. Into The Afterlife

Label: Pure Steel Records

Online: www.halloweentheband.us

Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10

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