Blog Archives
Album Review: PTSD – A Sense of Decay
The Italian band PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) was formed in 2005 and has now released their second album ‘A Sense of Decay’. The first thing to catch my attention was the attractive cover art with a picture of a colorful butterfly; half of it is alive and the other half is turning into dust. It’s beautiful. PTSD plays a style of alternative rock/metal that often strays into a progressive metal sound that reminds me of a melodic Dream Theater. There is also a slight feeling of bands like Stone Temple Pilots, Alice in Chains and 30 Seconds To Mars.
Album Review: Carved – Dies Irae
The band Carved was formed in Italy in 2007 and released their first EP two years later. They have now created their first full length album, titled ‘Dies Irae’ (Day of Wrath). It’s being labeled as melodic death metal, but it’s leaning heavily towards the gothic-symphonic style of metal, with catchy melodies, half-growling vocals and dominating synths.
Tales From Bandcamp: Heart of Oak by Anciients
Somewhere between Opeth and Mastodon lies Anciients. Wielding the sword of prog metal coated in moody atmospheres and honed with memorable riffing and catchy melodies Heart of Oak slays even the weariest of prog metal fans. Stellar musicianship that is very technical but never roams into the superfluous realms and a dearth of variety and pacing make this album even more of an engaging listen. While I have found myself becoming rather disappointed in new prog metal bands the past couple years or so and many new bands that tag themselves with the genre and produce nothing but snooze-fests, Heart of Oak is such a breath of fresh air. Nothing comes off feeling contrived or forced but wholly organic and passion fueled. An excellent debut and I greatly look forward what this Canadian band can do in the future. Give the album a listen and share your thoughts. If you dig it buy yourself a copy and tell your metal loving brethren about them. Enjoy!! Peace Love and Metal!!
Band Links: Bandcamp Facebook Official Site
Album Review: Ultraviolet by Kylesa
I’ve known about Kylesa for quite some years now and know that their previous albums have garnered quite a bit of praise. But something about the singles that were released then just never clicked for me and I never took a dive into one of their records before. I really can’t put my finger on what didn’t catch me about their music, but it should be something right up my alley as I’m a fan of dirty stoner metal and rock. Luckily my ears caught wind of the their single for “Unbroken” and I absolutely loved the hypnotic atmosphere of the tune and from there I decided I’d give Kylesa a good listen when their upcoming album Ultraviolet was released. Even luckier for me an advanced stream and a promo copy landed in the inbox so I could get to delving into the world of Kylesa a bit earlier. So, for those that may be wondering how the new L.P. compares to the previous, I really won’t be able to tell you. I will be able to tell you however, that Ultraviolet is a really great record and as soon as there is a small lull in metal releases, going back and listening to their back catalog is a top priority.
Royal Thunder and Some Grandpa’s Guitars
Rolling Stone (Yech!) is offering a free download of the kick ass Royal Thunder track “Parsonz Curse” in acoustic form. It’s really well done and I suggest you download it. It looks like Royal Thunder went into the studio and recorded an acoustic version of their debut record C.V.I. but only 3 songs have been released and the rest have no plans for a commercial release 
Anywho, you can download the acoustic version of “Parsonz Curse” from Rolling Stone HERE and “Black Water Music” via Pitchfork HERE. You can also grab “Whispering World” if you have the flexi-disc from July’s issue of Decibel (looks like I’ll be needing to take a visit to some remote newstand in the middle of nowhere that happens to carry the kick ass Decibel, or maybe just subscribe).
Full Album Streams: Blood Drive by ASG
So, the other day I posted my review up of the upcoming album Blood Drive by ASG. You should go read it. While you’re doing that you can sit and agree (or disagree if you dare) with what I wrote about it while listening to the album under the microscope. And if you happen to be a lazy shit like myself, here’s the condensed review: It’s pretty damn good southern fried stoner rock that’s quite catchy. So, go listen, now! Peace Love and Metal!!!
Click Here to go to the Advance Stream
Album Review: Kruna – Last Century
The melodic death metal band Kruna from Italy released their first full length ‘Last Century’ in March this year. It’s fast paced, aggressive music containing little bits of metalcore and thrash. You can hear some influences from bands like At The Gates, The Black Dahlia Murder and As I Lay Dying.
Musings of the Heavy Metal Hippie: White Storm of Teeth by The Devil’s Blood
In case you haven’t noticed, I f’n love this band and am a bit chaffed that I ended up getting into them after they broke up. Sucks, I know. Lucky for me I still get to indulge in the excitement of a new release from the band even though I will never be able to catch one of those awesome live shows I’ve heard so much about.
The Devil’s Blood breakup happened while they were in the middle of recording their new album and they were pretty damn close to finishing the record when the split happened. Fortunately they weren’t going to let all the new music that they recorded go to waste, so what was completed was put together and now we have the record III: Tabula Rasa or Death and the Seven Pillars.
I’ll probably not do a full review of the album, but will say it’s pretty damn good for being an unfinished work. There are many parts that need some smoothing out and some good editing on others, but as a whole, it is really enjoyable. It’s a shame because you can certainly hear that The Devil’s Blood were pushing themselves and not trying to just cut and paste the songwriting they established on their first album.
Anywho, my favorite track off the album is “White Storm of Teeth” and it has a heavy Tool feel to it, mainly in hypnotizing bass line. There’s also strong elements of Pink Floyd as well as that undeniable Devil’s Blood sound. Give the tune a listen and sound off what you think. Enjoy!! Peace Love and Metal!!!!
