Chrome Division – Booze, Broads & Beelzebub
Nuclear Blast Records

(5/5)

Norway’s bad boys of Rock are back and they couldn’t be better! With a mixture of the Punk-like speed and vocal style of Motörhead, the Delta Blues style of ZZ Top, and the overall bad ass attitude of the five man all-star line-up, Chrome Division’s sophomore album Booze, Broads, & Beelzebub is the new soundtrack to rebellion! Altogether there are 13 tracks of pure octane fueled Biker rock (or Biker metal) that can’t be beat! Leading this brutal attack are the ash-throated vocals of Eddie Guz (also of The Carburetors) being supported by the vicious solos and backing vocals by lead guitarist Ricky Black, the raucous guitar riffs and back-up vocals of Shagrath (also of Dimmu Borgir), the smooth bass lines and backing vocals of Björn Luna (also of Ashes to Ashes), and the pounding drums provided by Tony White (also of Minas Tirith). As far as the overall album goes, I couldn’t ask for a better sequel to Chrome Division’s 2006 debut album Doomsday Rock ‘n’ Roll. Booze, Broads, & Beelzebub keeps the same style as Doomsday Rock ‘n’ Roll in the fact that it really satisfies your needs for a raw, booze fueled band that kicks out some good tunes. As far as the individual tracks go, it’s hard to choose real favorites, but there are a few tracks I prefer. “The Second Coming” (Track 1) and “Booze, Broads, & Beelzebub” (Track 2/title track) go together because of the way the link together. You can’t beat this opening for this style of music. Also on the list are “Sharp Dressed Man” (Track 11/ZZ Top cover), “Raven Black Cadillac” (Track 4), and “The Boys From the East” (Track 8). “The Boys From the East” is an overall great track, but the beginning of it is also one of my favorite parts of the entire album. It starts with some conversation put over a nice Blusey guitar riff before Eddie comes in yelling “Hit it!” and they go into the regular song. The overall song also has a great groove to it that I really like. As far as “Sharp Dressed Man” goes, I just have to say that these guys did a great job on that cover and truly put their spin on it. ‘Nuff said. All in all, this is another great album put out by another great side project band. Chrome Division has really grown on me since their debut in 2006 and I certainly recommend this album to anybody looking for some raw Biker metal and not a lot of flash. If you’re just looking for sweeping guitars, crazy screamed vocals, and insane double bass, don’t get this album!

OPM – Golden State of Mind
Suburban Noize Records

(4/5)

OPM is back with their fourth album since their debut Menace to Sobriety released in 2000. The newest album is entitled Golden State of Mind and this album is great! Keeping with the OPM style, Golden State of Mind provides a great mix of Reggae, Rock, and Rap with assistance from a few outside artists including Jim Perkins, Big B, Jamie Allensworth, and more. Honestly, I had never gotten too deep into OPM’s material before this album, but I cannot put this album down! The combination of the three styles put into this album really plays to my eclectic preference in music. I definitely recommend this album more to people who like Reggae, but I would never discourage anyone from picking it up. The overall product is well put together, but there are a couple tracks I prefer over the rest. My favorite track is “Feel the Vibration” (Track 1). This song puts a nice Rock beat together with Reggae style guitars and vocals featuring Jim Perkins of Southern California band Dumbluck. Other than “Feel the Vibration”, I suggest checking out “Set it on Fire” (Track 8 ) featuring Jamie Allensworth of California band NAFRO and “Dirty White” (Track 5) featuring rapper Big B. “Set it on Fire” is just another great example of OPM’s Reggae style and “Dirty White” is one of the songs that implements the Rap element of OPM’s sound. Overall, I, again, recommend Golden State of Mind to any Reggae fans, but it’s also a great album for anyone looking to expand their musical tastes.

Equilibrium
Helge Stang – Vocals

1. How long have you been a vocalist?

8 years by now. First I just did it because nobody else wanted to do this. But on Equilibrium I joined as a singer. For the first time, hehe.

2. Who are some of your main influences for your vocal style?

We started with cover songs of bands like Dimmu Borgir and Hyprocisy. At this time I tried to match their style, but then I developed my own way of singing. Okay, I did not invent the wheel again, but it works fine for me. Meanwhile, I take big inspiration of Taake or Novembre for example.

3. How does it feel to have your debut album coming out on Nuclear Blast Records?

Hehe, that is cool! The album even made it on the German album chart! That really feels better than the last time with last album on our old label that they still have not paid us for… grrrr.

4. What are your feelings on the final product of Sagas?

This time I am satisfied with the final product, unlike our first album Turis Fratyr. We all were involved in the production so we could avoid bad surprises.

5. What feelings/attitude went into writing the material for the album?

Puhhhh … many! I used lots of personal experiences I made during the last years. My journey to Norway for example, or my personal revenge on a guy I don’t like. From my side, this album is very personal.

6. Getting a bit more personal, I understand your favorite show is The Simpsons. Who is your favorite character? Why?

That must be Homer! I really can identify myself with this beer-drinking character.

7. Would you rather see Homer and the guys from The Simpsons in a commercial for Brennevin or would you rather be a character on the show drinking Duff?

What a question!!! I see commercials every day and keep ‘em in my mind for 15 up to 45 seconds, but being a character in “The Simpsons” … woo hooooo!! This reminds me of artists like Metallica or the Rolling Stones who appeared there once … so this would mean: Immortality!! And I always wanted to know how Duff tastes.

8. Getting back to the band, is there any talk of music videos for any of the songs from Sagas?

Yeah! Before doing this interview, I was working on the NTSC version of the bonus DVD, coming with the “Sagas” digi-pak. Next I’ll be downstairs to continue working on the “Blut im Auge” video clip.

9. If there is, do you think your experience in the visual effects industry will give you a bit of an edge over other bands’ videos?

Well, if you want “big cinema,” you always have to have a lot of money. Or time. We have neither nor. So I do the best I can besides my daily job and work on our video at night. But of course, because of my job, I look at video clips from a special point of view. But if you ask me as a singer of a band, I wouldn’t dare to judge other band videos. Call me tomorrow morning when I am at work, then things will look different, haha!

10. Lastly, what does the future hold for Equilibrium?

Tell me!! Who knows!? I don’t. But we got some wishes: touring across the world, doing great albums, and last but not least: to have at the minimum as much fun as we just had!!!

Equilibrium – Sagas
Nuclear Blast Records

(4/5)

The mythological side of Metal is striking Rock In Review once again with Equilibrium’s Nuclear Blast Records debut album entitled Sagas. Equilibrium could be put into a few different categories because of the different influences they put into their music, but I think Viking metal or Symphonic Black metal suits them best. However, Folk metal and Pagan metal are not too far off because of their use of flutes, strings, and riffs that reflect traditional Germanic melodies. Either way, this band is awesome! Just like Eluveitie, Equilibrium is on the heavier side of the more Folk style of Metal using lots of electric guitar parts, double bass, and the screaming style of vocals. As far as the tracks on the album goes, I would suggest listening to “Snüffel” (Track 6), “Die Weide und der Fluß” (Track 9), and “Mana” (Track 13). These three tracks are good examples of how Equilibrium sounds. Out of the the three, “Mana” is probably my favorite because it’s just over 16 minutes long and it really shows the band’s musical talents since it’s completely instrumental. Overall, Sagas is a great album for fans of Viking metal, Pagan metal, Symphonic Black metal, and the heavier end of Folk metal.

HammerFall – Masterpieces
Nuclear Blast Records

(4.5/5)

HammerFall has done it again! Technically, this is the first time they’ve put together an album constructed of all their covers (including a few that were previously unreleased), but Masterpieces should not be looked at as any less of an album than any of HammerFall’s other great albums. Honestly, this is the first time I’ve reviewed or even heard an album that was all covers, but you can’t go wrong with HammerFall. Masterpieces is made up of an all-star track list that has songs by bands including Judas Priest, KISS, Skid Row, Twisted Sister, Rainbow, Helloween, and many more! The overall final product of this album is excellent, but there are a few songs in particular I really like. Most of these songs are on the list because I’ve heard their original recordings and I like the way the cover came out. The songs are “Breaking the Law” (Track 10), “Detroit Rock City” (Track 13), “Youth Gone Wild” (Track 17), and “Child of the Damned” (Track 1). “Child of the Damned is the one on the list that I’ve never heard the original recording (originally recorded by Warlord), but I really like the way it sounds. If I had no idea that this was a cover, I would swear that this was written by HammerFall in the first place. “Breaking the Law” (originally recorded by Judas Priest) is on the list because of the great way it turned out and the fact that the band members switched instruments to give the recording a special feel. This cover in particular was hard for the band since everyone knows the original sound, but I think it sounds great either way. Once again, the overall final product of Masterpieces is awesome and I definitely recommend it to any HammerFall fans like myself!

Bleed the Sky – Murder the Dance
Nuclear Blast Records

(3.5/5)

Putting Bleed the Sky into a category is a bit harder than most bands because of the styles represented in their most recent full length release Murder the Dance. According to my “standards” for these categories, I would have to put BTS into the heavier side of Metalcore because of the use of more screamed vocals than clean vocals. Honestly, I like this album. Not all of the clean vocals are my favorite, but Noah Robinson’s screams have an aggression to them that seem to strike a good chord in my mind. As far as the music, the changing of the line-up seems to have been a good thing. I haven’t heard any of BTS’s older material, but Justin Warrick, Rob Thornton, and Ryan Clark seriously wail on this album with Austin D’Amond killing it on drums. These four guys seem to work together well to help Noah with vocals and provide very energetic and aggressive music for him to rip his vocals to. Overall, this is a great team. Getting more into the album, I’d have to suggest “Murder the Dance” (Track3/Title Track) and “Poseidon” (Track 10) as my “Top 2″. “Murder the Dance” simply has great heaviness and aggressiveness that will make you want to mosh till you can’t mosh any more and “Poseidon” just has a great groove to it (which is never a bad thing in my book). Overall, Murder the Dance is a great album that shows the great range of skills from the guys in Bleed the Sky.

Whitechapel – This is Exile
Metal Blade Records

(4/5)

You want gruesome, all-American Deathcore? Here it is! Just two tracks into Whitechapel’s newest album This is Exile, I could tell this album had what it takes to be a sick album! If I’ve said it once (or multiple times as it seems on this site), Deathcore and Death metal are by far not my favorite styles, but that may be changing with bands like Whitechapel and Carnifex. The overall level of brutality is THROUGH THE ROOF! The excessive amounts of blast beats always throw me off, but that is made up with the sickness of the other parts of the material. On top of the musical aspects, Phil Bozeman’s vocals are absolutely killer and accent the music very nicely. As far as the tracks on the album go, definitely check out “Father of Lies” (Track 1), “This is Exile” (Track 2/Title Track), and “To All That Are Dead” (Track 4). These three tracks are three small of examples of the true brutality that is Whitechapel! My advice to fans of Deathcore and Death metal is to get a copy of This is Exile as soon as possible and definitely check these guys out live; they are sick live!

Arsis – We Are the Nightmare
Nuclear Blast Records

(3.5/5)

If you are looking for another influential Death metal album coming from the East Coast, you better get your hands on a copy of Arsis’ newest release entitled We Are the Nightmare! With the skills of lead vocalist/guitarist James Malone, guitarist Ryan Knight, bassist Noah Martin, and sick drum master Darren Cesca all combined, We Are the Nightmare certainly scores high on the list of brutal Melodic Death metal albums I have heard as of late. There are quite a few tracks on the album that prove this over and over again, but there are a few specific tracks I would recommend over the others. These tracks include the likes of “Progressive Entrapment” (Track 7), “A Feast for the Liar’s Tongue” (Track 8), and the title track “We Are the Nightmare” (Track 1). Whilst these tracks are not ALL of the best, these are the ones I enjoy the most. “We Are the Nightmare” serves as a great intro to the album and starts off with its own great intro that builds beautifully into the song. When the song does hit, you know it! As far as “Progressive Entrapment” and “A Feast for the Liar’s Tongue” go, these two tracks are just heavy. Hands down. There’s no arguing that they show great variance and great examples of the more Death metal side of Melodic Death metal. Overall, this is a great album that I would suggest to any Death metal or Melodic Death metal fan, so if you fit into one of those categories, go out and grab a copy of We Are the Nightmare!

Seregon – A Future Expired EP
Unsigned

(4/5)

Why is Seregon still unsigned!? Somebody get these guys a contract! Seregon’s new EP (or Mini CD as the band likes to call it) A Future Expired is a great two track example of how strong the “underground” Thrash metal scene is. Honestly, I think this EP is awesome. When I listen to it, I get a sense of a young Testament from England. One thing I like about these guys is the variation in the songs. It may not be quite as much as I normally like, but that’s probably because there’s only two tracks. But compared to some of today’s newer Thrash acts, these guys really rank high in my books. Like I said before, get these guys a contract! Their overall skills are great and I couldn’t ask for more togetherness in an unsigned band. As far as the EP goes, it’s difficult to decide between to the two tracks as to which one is my favorite, but if I had to choose, I’d say “Replicators” (Track 2). “Replicators” shows a good amount of the variance noted above with powerful guitar attack, excellent double bass and drum beats, and a bass line that really outdoes itself. This is a great example of pure Thrash metal! All in all, I have to say, look out for our boys in the UK. If Seregon shows any indication to how their Metal scene is, expect good things in the future. So, watch out for when this EP is available and go out and support good Thrash metal!

Carnifex – The Diseased and the Poisoned
Victory Records

(3.5/5)

No matter what you call Carnifex’s new album The Diseased and the Poisoned, one thing can be agreed on by everyone. This album is BRUTAL! Normally, Death metal and Deathcore products are not in my list of favorites, but Carnifex has shown that a little bit of variance can go a long way. One aspect that Carnifex brings to the table in The Diseased and the Poisened is their use of breakdowns. And when I say breakdowns, I mean “breakdowns so good they make you want to slap yo’ mamma!” Seriously, these breakdowns helped me get over the use of obsessive blast beats (which I normally don’t like), bringing a new element into this type of brutality. On top of the breakdowns and sick musical aspects, Scott Lewis’ vocals are on point and fit perfectly. I couldn’t ask for a much more perfect fit. As far as the tracks on the album go, I recommend listening to the title track “The Diseased and the Poisoned” (Track 6), “Innocence Died Screaming” (Track 5), and really, just about any other track on this album. I certainly recommend this album to any aspiring Deathcore or Death metal fan who is looking for something to scare the crap out of thier parents. On a more serious note, go get a copy of Carnifex’s The Diseased and the Poisened ASAP!