Author: Bill Adams
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Hunters Re-Introduce Themselves
While Hunters’ smash self-titled album has been on record store shelves now for almost a year, the shine hasn’t faded from the album for the band yet. In fact, it still feels incredibly new for singer Izzy Almeida and singer/guitarist Derek Watson – and part of the reason why lies in the fact that the…
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Judas Priest – Redeemer Of Souls
If Judas Priest‘s track record has done anything for metal over the last forty-five years, it has taught us that lineup changes can either mark a bright new beginning or be potentially disastrous for even the best bands. The band’s history speaks for itself; while Rob Halford remains one of the most respected singers in metal,…
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SOiL – Whole
Few things are more instantly satisfying than a hard rock song which isn’t afraid to embed a glistening pop hook at its core. Songs like that often catch unsuspecting listeners deeply and just drag them along for miles; they’re the kinds of songs which make fans with radio play and establish the band who makes…
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Inside Mastodon’s Next Revolution
The anticipation of getting to play Once More ‘Round The Sun – Mastodon’s sixth full-length album – has finally overcome drummer Brann Dailor. He has reached the point where he wants everyone to hear all of his band’s new album and to start playing it live. “I am so excited to start bringing this album…
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Rob Zombie – The Zombie Horror Picture Show DVD
The problem with most rock concert DVDs is that, while they capture and present the music and the show well enough (usually), they fail to really present the experience of the event. Most normally, they’re too narrow of view; those watching get some of the pomp and power of the presentation – usually from the…
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Amnesia Rockfest: outdoing themselves one year at a time
On some level, every show organizer and promoter wants to have the event that those who attended look back and remember as the most incredible thing they ever saw. The memories of seeing that moment when a band hit that perfect stride after having been mothballed for years or that chime when a baby band…
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Throttle Down The Buzzsaws – Buzz Osborne Turns Down The Volume And Finds Another Voice
Buzz “King Buzzo” Osborne loves what he does. Since founding Melvins in 1983, the singer/guitarist has regularly reinvented the band to challenge fans and keep them guessing, making sure nothing about the group’s sound or direction becomes stale from album to album. He works incredibly hard at it, but he wouldn’t have it any other…
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Lee Bains III and The Glory Fires – Dereconstructed
There’s an awesome sense of power and familiarity about Dereconstructed, and that’s only the first appealing thing about Lee Bains III and The Glory Fires‘ sophomore album (first for Sub Pop). It’s impossible to hear this album and not be reminded of the original stable of signings to Fat Possum; they were old blues players…
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Big Wreck – Ghosts
Under most circumstances, hearing that a band has spontaneously slowed down on their newest album sends chills through fans. In rock, “slowing down” is usually synonymous with “getting old” or becoming “less energetic” and, when these phrases start flying around, it’s like a death knell for the band at which they’re aimed. No fan likes…
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Emperors and Elephants – Devil in the Lake
Remember the last time metal and hard rock held a significant stake in popular music interest and appeal, reader? It was actually a very musically diverse period. Bands like Korn, Limp Bizkit and Disturbed were showing the world that metal and rap could occupy the same sonic palette in a band’s repertoire while bands like…