The Raygun Girls – Dirt Collector
KillZone Records

(4/5)

If you’re a fan of Hard rock with an underlying Gothic sound in the style of bands such as Evanescence and Lacuna Coil, you need to check out New York band The Raygun Girls and their newest release entitled Dirt Collector! This 12 track album contains influences that range from The Ramones to Nine Inch Nails that lead to the mixture of the singing expertise of female vocalist/lead singer Cila and male vocalist/guitarist Geoff (singing backup) with the rest of the great musical crew that is bassist/backup singer George and drummer Doc. Together, these four individuals have come together to create and excellent album. Although it is hard to choose any of the songs over the others, some I have come to enjoy include “Dirt Collector” (Track 1/Title Track), “Paranoia” (Track 4), “Burning” (Track 5), and “Accelerate” (Track 10). Each of these tracks are great in their own rights and also help to identify Dirt Collector as a great Hard rock/Goth rock album. Overall, I suggest this album to anyone who is a fan of the aforementioned bands as well as anyone who is looking to get deeper into this style of music.

Boogie Matrix Mechanism – Animated Reality
Unsigned

(3.5/5)

In the past, I’ve never been a big fan of jam bands, and that remains the case today, but that doesn’t mean I won’t give them a chance. As far as Boogie Matrix Mechanism goes, I’m glad I gave them the chance I did. Their newest released entitled Animated Reality is a pretty good album that combines Reggae, Rock, some Ska, and other various styles of music as well as the skills of each of the seven members in the band. Making up this band are the efforts of singer Brian Bell, rhythm guitarist Bob Maltby, bassist Benjamin Durham, lead guitarist John Kuntz, keyboardist Jim Kahmann, drummer Eric Lowden, and percussionist Aaron Armstrong. Together, these guys have created a sound that has an overall groovy feel and a general, Santana-like smoothness. Again, it’s not my personal favorite, but there are a few tracks on Animated Reality I do really like such as “OxyMoron” (Track 1), “Blame the Dog” (Track 3), and “Mushroom Hunting” (Track 6). Each of these three song examples are unique in their own way just as each of the other six tracks on the album are. My personal favorite is probably “Blame the Dog” because of its overall Reggae style groove sandwiched by a fast paced beginning and end. “OxyMoron” is another really good one because of the combination of Hip-Hop style vocals with a, kind of, Ska-like Rock music in a similar fashion that that of the band OPM. The last one I listed, “Mushroom Hunting”, is a good one for its 10:48 worth of pure Psychedelic existence. It’s certainly not hard to put together the lyrics with the song title and style of the song. All in all, Animated Reality is a good album that is for anyone who is a fan of jam bands like the Grateful Dead.

Into The Presence – Into The Presence
Razor and Tie Records

(4/5)

It’s not very often that I come across a band that totally sticks out to me in a way that I can’t even categorize them with any other band I’ve heard, but this was the case with Into The Presence. Made up of singer/guitarist Luis Maldonado and drummer Tim Alexander (of Primus, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer fame), Into The Presence has recorded and released their debut Into The Presence with the musical help of bassist Paz Lenchantin and cellist Ana Lenchantin. To be honest, Into The Presence has opened my eyes to a whole different sound than anything I’m used to with the combination of a, kind of, Pop/Alternative rock music sound and the interesting singing style of Luis that can really only be described by listening to the music. This band is very unique and Into The Presence is a great album with a lot of great tracks. Of the 10 tracks that are on the album, I find myself connecting a bit more with the first half, but I still can’t peel myself away from the strange vibe presented by the whole album. Some of the songs I like the best are “End Game” (Track 1), “Lovers” (Track 2), “The Garden” (Track 3), “Broken Words” (Track 4), and “Radio” (Track 7). Overall, I may like a few tracks more than others, but in the end, I think the entire album is great and can be and should be enjoyed by a wide variety of music fans!

Day Minus 7 – Day Minus 7 EP
Red Rocket Entertainment

(4/5)

There are a lot of bands on the mainstream circuit that keep me away from most of the mainstream acts these days and keep my ears in the past and on the underground, but every so often, I’ll hear a band that reminds me that there’s hope in new music. Day Minus 7 is one of those bands! All it took was the 4 tracks on their new EP, Day Minus 7 EP, to show me that there is still some enjoyable music that parallels the mainstream sound; it just takes the right approach. Honestly, I wish this EP was a full album because I can’t stop listening to these four tracks over and over again. With the small number of tracks on the EP, I can’t exactly choose which ones are my favorite, but I can tell you why I like each one. The overall sound of the EP is a pretty standard Rock sound that is best shown by “Hate You” (Track 1) which has a faster pace and really catches your attention to start off the EP. After that is a slower Rock-style song entitled “Alive” that has an overall slower feel with a more intense chorus and bridge. The third track is the classic “love” song entitled “All I Wanted” that starts off with the acoustic guitar part and breaks into another slow Rock feel with a slightly more intense chorus. To round out the whole package, the fourth track, “Never Free”, has a great, kind of slower Hard rock feel for the most part with that classic build up for the chorus with a great message in the lyrics to go along with the great music. Overall, this EP is a good one for any Rock fan. There’s nothing over the top or crazy on it that would drive anyone away, and it just sounds good.

Kylesa – Static Tensions
Prosthetic Records

(4/5)

Although Kylesa may not be a “Stoner metal” band by the comparison to bands such as Corrosion of Conformity and Fireball Ministry, but with the combination of Psychedelic rock with Metal and straight Rock they use in their newest release Static Tensions, I would consider them a Stoner metal band. But, not matter how you look at it, this 10 track album is a great one! With the combination of down-tuned guitars, sludgy riffs, and the addition of the Psychedelic rock I mentioned before, Kylesa really has a great overall sound in this fourth release (the first Kylesa album I’ve heard) that is hard to choose songs from, but there are a few that I like a little more than the rest. My overall favorite track on Static Tensions is “Running Red” (Track 5), but some of the others I like as well are “Scapegoat” (Track 1), “Unknown Awareness” (Track 4), and “Only One” (Track 8). Even though I like these four tracks the best, all ten tracks on the album are great and play an essential part in making this album as good as it is. All in all, I would suggest Static Tensions to any Stoner metal fans or anyone who is looking for some great new music to check out!

Unholy – New Life Behind Closed Eyes
Prosthetic Records

(4.5/5)

In the realm of the newer styles of Metal, it’s easy to find tons of bands that sound nearly the same with the same, but there is still hope out there for fans, such as myself, of Metal that still has original features. One of those bands is Unholy, and their Prosthetic Records debut New Life Behind Closed Eyes proves that they are different in their own right and are a force to be reckoned with! This 10 track album is a great reminder to Metal fans that not everybody has to use their music to promote their political views or sit around and piss and moan about what everybody else is doing wrong in the world. The theme of this album is merely that humanity is corrupt and like a cancer that will destroy everything in its path and, ultimately, itself. A tough cookie to swallow, but it’s true and Unholy is putting it in a way that anyone can understand. Music. Now, when looking at the album, I don’t just look for lyrical content, but musicianship and overall sound as well. In looking at that, a few tracks from New Life Behind Closed Eyes come up as ones I like a bit better than the rest. These tracks include “These Wounds Never Heal” (Track 3), “The Blinding Light” (Track 5), “No Faith” (Track 7), and “New Life Behind Closed Eyes” (Track 10/Title Track). Each of these tracks shows how intense this band is whether it be pure musicianship like in the instrumental track “No Faith” or overall intensity and greatness like “These Wounds Never Heal” or any of the other tracks that include Billy price’s insane vocals along with the music provided by guitarists Jonathan Dennison and Steve Caiello, bassist Gary Mann, and the insane drumming of Andy Miller (one of the best new Metal drummers I’ve heard to date). All in all, when you get to the bottom line of New Life Behind Closed Eyes, this album is one of the most intense albums I’ve heard to date and the overall quality is excellent and the message is one that should be heard. It’s a great wake up call album and i suggest it to any Metal fan out there!

Eluveitie – Evocation I: The Arcane Dominion
Nuclear Blast Records

(4.5/5)

Eluveitie is back since the release of their album Slanía, but this are a bit different this time. This time, Eluveitie has gone acoustic with their newest release entitled Evocation I: The Arcane Dominion. This album is definitely for Eluveitie fans, like myself, who really like the traditional Celtic sound in the music because of the lack of electric guitars and even Chrigel’s screamed vocals (not that they’re bad). This album actually features sung vocals by Hurdy Gurdist Anna Murphy with some additional help from A.A. Nemtheanga on a couple of tracks. To be honest, I was really hoping they would do an album like this and I was excited to hear Chrigel say they would. The overall album is excellent. To get a good feel for the entire album, I would suggest listening to tracks such as “Sacrapos – At First Glance” (Track 1), “The Arcane Dominion” (Track 4), “Within the Grove” (Track 5), “Omnos” (Track 8), “Memento” (Track 13), and “Sacrapos – The Disparaging Last Gaze” (Track 15). This is only a piece of the album, but it gives a good, general overview of the masterpiece that is Evocation I: The Arcane Dominion! All in all, this is a great album for Eliveitie fans as well as music fans who enjoy a wide variety of styles.

Candlemass – Death Magic Doom
Nuclear Blast Records

(5/5)

Swedish Doom metal masters Candlemass are continuing to show while they are still around with their tenth full length album entitled Death Magic Doom! This is my first experience with Candlemass, but I can see why they have survived through all the onslaught of false music in today’s pop culture. This 8 track masterpiece is a testament to how Doom metal should sound with ups and downs of fast metal and slow, grinding Doom as well as the addition of hymn-like songs that help keep this album at its epic proportions. Really, every track on this album is important, but songs like “Hammer of Doom” (Track 2), “The Bleeding Baroness” (Track 3), “Demon of the Deep” (Track 4), and “Dead Angel” (Track 6) help show the overall differences that Doom metal can have and that ’80s style Metal can still be thrown in to help. Overall, Death Magic Doom is an excellent album that I would suggest to any aspiring Doom fan as well as anyone who already has a past with Doom metal who is looking for an album that is a pure example of the epitome of Doom metal.

Big B – American Underdog
Suburban Noize Records

(4/5)

For his fourth studio release entitled American Underdog, Big B threw out the traditional Rap styles beats and put his music into overdrive with a Kottonmouth Kings type approach including Rock style beats including guitars and the works. Big B didn’t do this whole thing alone, however, because he incorporated the help of fellow Suburban Noize alumni such as Jared from Hed PE, John E. Necro of OPM, Johnny Richter of Kottonmouth Kings, and more! Some of the tracks from American Underdog I liked in particular are “To the Moon” (Track 1), “Criminal” (Track 3), “Life Lessons” (Track 5), “Let It Rain” (Track 8), and “Tattooed Queen” (Track 15). One of these tracks I liked the most is “Criminal” because of its use of acoustic guitars with an electric guitar solo part over it and the sick scratching in it. The overall track is just a sick track. The overall album is a good one that kind of reaches out to a large variety of music listeners because of the styles incorporated into it. It truly shows how easily music can be interchanged and mashed up to reach a common goal. So, go out and grab a copy of Big B’s American Underdog today!

Black Water Rising – Black Water Rising
Capitol T Productions

(5/5)

Ok Heavy metal fans, this one’s for you! Black Water Rising has released their debut album Black Water Rising and it is an album for the fans! If you like Heavy metal/Stoner metal bands like Black Label Society, Fireball Ministry, and Corrosion of Conformity, this album has your name written all over it. With the raw edge added to the groove-laden sound of this in-your-face album, guitarist/vocalist Rob Traynor is helping lead the attack against the “cookie cutter” Rock bands of today with the help of former Stereomud guitarist Johnny Fattoruso, bassist Oddie McLaughlin, and former Boiler Room drummer Mike Meselsohn! Some of the songs I feel present this band’s sound the best include, but are not limited to “The Mirror” (Track 1), “Brother Go On” (Track 2), “No Halos” (Track 6), “The River” (Track 9), and “Burn It Down” (Track 11). Overall, Black Water Rising is an album that appeals to both the Rock and Metal communities and should be heard at the volume knob pushing 10! Once again, I would suggest this album to anyone, but it certainly caters to fans of bands like Black Label Society, Fireball Ministry, and Corrosion of Conformity. So sit back, crank it up, and rock out with Black Water Rising’s debut, Black Water Rising!