Primal Rock Rebellion – Awoken Broken
Right off the top, before anything else is said here about Primal Rock Rebellion or their debut, Awoken Broken, it needs to be said that this record stands as proof that old dogs can indeed learn new tricks.
Iron Maiden
Goatwhore – Blood For The Master
Blood For the Master isn’t a radical step forward, but nor, given its traditional metal underpinnings, is it a step back. It is exactly the album Goatwhore needed to make right now.
Section 302!? Damn you, Iron Maiden Fan Club!
Y’know, whenever I’ve seen Maiden at the ACC in the spring or the fall, I’ve always been able to get floors, but I’ve had no such luck at the Molson Ampitheatre. I was up on the Live Nation website as soon as the clock struck 10 this morning, and as a result of my efforts, I’m stuck up in Section 302, Row L–and it’s still costing me more than I ever paid for floors indoors!
A tale of two tours…
In case you missed the last episode of Days of our Black Sabbath, the band has pulled out of all but one of its upcoming European dates, citing Tony Iommi’s health issues. Meanwhile, drummer Bill Ward issued a public statement that he still wants to take part in the reunion, but is still waiting for a signable contract…
Metalion : The Slayer Mag Diaries
Metalion is one of the greatest books about metal ever produced.
Richard Christy: The Hellbound Interview
“If someone had told me fifteen years ago that I would have an indoor shower I would think they were crazy (laughs). I couldn’t imagine I’d be working on the Howard Stern show. When I lived in a storage unit in Florida I showered with a garden hose outside. But I was young and it was for metal and we all need to make sacrifices to do what we love. I kept working on things and plugging away and played drums every day.”
Justin M. Norton in conversation with Charred Walls of The Damned drummer and Howard Stern show comedian Richard Christy.
Opeth–Heritage
As it’s still unforeseen where Opeth are heading to next, Heritage stands out as an eccentric anomaly in their catalogue. But this doesn’t diminish the quality of the album one bit. Heritage is a fantastic album, although it’s not without its flaws. However, those flaws have nothing to do with Opeth’s decision to become preoccupied with prog. They are simply slight musical missteps, and who hasn’t stumbled when finding a new path?
Edguy – Age of the Joker
The fact that Edguy sound more hard rock than power metal these days shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who has listened to the band over the last few years. They all have the chops to pull of the experimenting and damn Tobias has a great voice. This is head and shoulders above the last couple of Edguy albums.
Rwake – Rest
An original effort of epic proportions, Rest takes the music of Neurosis/Isis into the 21st century, with their own unique southern touch. Often, songs this long have me nodding off, but there is enough dynamic fluidity, changes of tempo, pace and styles to keep me interested throughout.
Revocation – Chaos Of Forms
Chaos Of Forms is stunningly complex, completely vicious and, above all else, a hugely confident release.