Dark Age: Acedia
A very solid mature release that should garner them some attention, Acedia is chock full of very well written songs that are smartly paced and demand repeat listens.
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Assjack: s/t
All in all, while it’s wonderful to finally hear how Assjack sounds on an album, this is more of a get-it-out-of-the-way effort.
Ava Inferi: Blood Of Bacchus
Blood Of Bacchus is haunting and mysterious. It is graceful and desolate. Picture pure doom, lying under soft, almost operatic vocals and heavy guitars. Though it is very easy to develop a strong sense of what Ava Inferi sound like through this description, you will never fully understand the brilliance of this band until you give them a fervent listen.
Savage Messiah: Insurrection Rising
The full-length debut from UK’s Savage Messiah, Insurrection Rising is a decent cut of thrash metal that ultimately doesn’t transcend its sub-genre.
Eloy: Visionary
Many times my friends would mention to me that Eloy is the Pink Floyd of Germany and I would have to somewhat agree with that comparison.
What’s in a band name, anyways?
Toronto hard rockers Ape have made it their New Year’s Resolution to go after A Primitive Evolution, a local band that goes by the acronym A.P.E. Presumably, they don’t have the cash to pull a Satriani and serve them at their next public performance. So they’ve decided to post on every message board they can think of — and maybe tear down a concert poster or two.
Reminder: Year End Contest Ends Tonight!
Just a little reminder to anyone that hasn’t voted that today (Friday, January 15th) is your LAST CHANCE to enter our bitchin’ year end contest. You have until midnight Eastern Standard Time tonight to win our fantastic prize, which has now grown to 50 CDs (many of them autographed), two (2) 7″s, two (2) shirts, three (3) autographed posters, a dog tag and a few more goodies too.
FACE VALUE: Rode Hard, Put Away Wet
Where the forward-thinking hardcore bands of the time embarked upon a course of combining ‘core with metal riffing and mosh tempos, Face Value spit-balling together punk/hardcore’s fury and speed with classic rock sensibilities, jacked up rhythms and guitar hero soloing.
Epica: Design Your Universe
Epica’s fourth full-length Design Your Universe was the perfect opportunity for the Dutch band to make some serious artistic and commercial strides, but what we’re stuck with is a record that tries so hard to impress that its blind ambition completely gets in the way of tasteful songwriting.
Mob Rules: Radical Peace
Now on album number seven, this is their heaviest release to date by far. They still retain a bit of a prog vibe but the way the riffs are written they just reek of full on power metal.