2011 Music Reviews

9xDead | Cursed

by Joe Mis Staff Writer — 9xDead is a veteran self-proclaimed “dark rock” act from South Wales in the UK – the name confirms it. Musically 9xDead is a mix of traditional hard rock and heavy metal with some Gothic metal elements added to spice things up, and their latest release Cursed [...]

Riot | Immortal Soul

by Justin Gaines Staff Writer Now here’s an album many fans doubted would ever materialize. Immortal Soul is the fourteenth studio album from American heavy metal stalwarts Riot. It also marks the return of on-again, off-again vocalist Tony Moore and the rest of the lineup responsible for the [...]

Hellspray | Part of the Solution

by Mark Allen Staff Writer Long famous for meatballs, blonde porn, and ABBA albums, Sweden has begun exporting a lot of stunningly good melodic hard rock and hair metal the last several years and we thank them for it by cranking up our Crashdiet, Hardcore Superstar, and Crazy Lixx CDs on a regular [...]

Abnormal Thought Patterns | Abnormal Thought Patterns

by Alissa Ordabai Staff Writer Jasun Tipton, Troy Tipton, and Mike Guy of Zero Hour fame have just raised their game a notch higher with the debut release of their new project Abnormal Thought Patterns. And for all you know, this EP could well mark the birth of a new genre. Or at least a brand new, [...]

Nightvision | Consequence of Sin

by Mark Allen Staff Writer Nightvision open their song “Sob Story” with this damningly dismissive line: “Everybody wants to be a rock and roll star / But none of these fuckers have ever played guitar.” Well, such an accusation cannot be laid at the feet of this British band, because the [...]

Touchstone | The City Sleeps

by Joe Mis Staff Writer The City Sleeps is the third studio release from British progressive rockers Touchstone, and it is an interesting one. Blending elements of progressive rock, modern melodic metal and a touch of gothic moodiness, Touchstone has unleashed ten tracks that show influences of [...]

Theocracy | As the World Bleeds

by Mark Allen Staff Writer Halfway through As the World Bleeds, their highly anticipated (by Christian metal fans, anyway) third album, Theocracy sing about how God blessed humanity with the gift of music so they can return it to Him in the form of praise and worship. A valid theory, given the [...]

Slash | Made in Stoke 24/7/11

by Alissa Ordabai Staff Writer The difference between playing an epicentre of a snobby pro muso scene like London or L.A. and a place like Stoke-on-Trent (a former coal mining town with population of 457,165) is conveyed on this live release with telling panache. Here the ultimate guitar hero of [...]

Various Artists | Reborn in Sleaze: A Tribute to Dave Lepard

by Justin Gaines Staff Writer If you’re a fan of the current Swedish sleaze rock scene (and really, if you like rock n’ roll you ought to be), you know that Crashdiet is one of the best bands around, and one of the scene’s major players. Despite their success, Crashdiet’s early career was [...]

The Magnificent | The Magnificent

by Justin Gaines Staff Writer One of the most eagerly anticipated melodic rock projects of 2011, The Magnificent is a supergroup put together by vocalist Michael Eriksen (Circus Maximus) and guitarist/producer Torsti Spoof (Leverage). If you’ve heard any Circus Maximus albums, you know that [...]
1 2 3 4 40