Face Time Police – The Definition of Deviation EP
Self-Released

(3.5/5)

When looking at music today, it’s easy to find music that can be labeled in multiple styles, but no bands that truly transcend genres as the “Pop Macchiato” (Pop music marked or “stained” with other elements) band, Face Time Police with their new EP entitled The Definition of Deviation! Honestly, there’s no true way to explain this EP without including some version of the word “diverse”. Each of the five tracks brings out a different style including a sort of bouncy Pop-Rock track, a thumping club mix, an acoustic ballad, etc. In my extensive arsenal of music, I have NEVER heard a band that changes so much. It really takes “play what you want to play” to a whole different level. However, it pays off; this album is great! Out of the five tracks recorded on this album, my I really enjoy “None of the Below” (Track 1), “Nothing Left to Break” (Track 3), and “Of Man and Monster” (Track 5) the most. These three tracks seem to be the ones that fit well together with “None of the Below” being a pretty heavy/bouncy Alternative Pop song, “Nothing Left to Break” being the heartfelt acoustic ballad, and “Of Man and Monster” an Alternative-Punk-Metal mix. With this mix (plus the club thumping song “Seashells” and the Alternative Hip-hop track “Minute Made”), FTP is really freeing themselves of categorization and limitation. This is a smart move as far as I’m concerned.

Overall, liking 3/5 of the songs makes The Definition of Deviation a great EP in my mind. FTP have proven to be a great band with a lot of potential! On a side note, I have some extra respect for this band because they are a 100% DIY band. These guys write all of their music, record all of their own music, design the logos, they produce their own stuff, they do all the marketing, shoot and edit their own music videos…everything. Honestly, this is the first band I’ve heard that does EVERYTHING by themselves, and I commend them for it.

DevilDriver – Pray for Villains
Roadrunner Records

(4.5/5)

The masters of Groove metal, DevilDriver, are back with their fourth full length album entitled Pray for Villains, and it could be their heaviest yet! With the regular version of the album weighing in with 13 tracks and the Special Edition bringing 17 tracks, Pray for Villains is a great example of why DevilDriver is one of the two main bands that got me into newer Metal. To be honest, I don’t even know where to really begin to describe how great this album is. It really just brings together the perfect combination of classic DevilDriver groove and pure heaviness presented by the great teamwork of the guitarists Jeff Kendrick and Mike Spreitzer, bassist Jon Miller, drummer John Boecklin, and the intense vocals of Dez Fafara, topping everything off. Some great examples that show this combination are “Pray for Villains” (Track 1/Title track), “Pure Sincerity” (Track 2), “Forgiveness Is a Six Gun” (Track 7), and “Another Night in London” (Track 10). These are just four examples, but that killer combo is found throughout the entire album. As far as favorite tracks go, I have to go with the last track from the Special Edition, “Wasted Years”. This song is excellent for anyone, such as myself, who is an Iron Maiden fan as well as a DevilDriver fan since it is a cover of that great Iron Maiden song from Somewhere in Time (the original copy of this cover appeared on Maiden Heaven: A Tribute to Iron Maiden). Overall, I love this album and I’d suggest it to any Metal fan despite whether you’re a previous DevilDriver fan or if you’re just getting into them!

brokeNCYDE – I’m Not a Fan…But the Kids Like It!
BreakSilence Records

(2.5/5)

There’s an old expression that goes “never judge a book by its cover”. This expression can be slightly altered to go along with brokeNCYDE’s debut album entitled I’m Not a Fan…But the Kids Like It! by saying “never judge a band by their cover”. By the looks of the members of this “band”, I assumed that they were a typical Emo/Alternative or Metalcore/Hardcore band. Boy was I wrong. This full-length album is my first look into a crossover style of music I had only heard about, but never heard (until now) called “Crunkcore”. Crunkcore combines Hip-Hop with Hardcore or Screamo in a very interesting style that I’m still not sure if I dig it or not. On an overall level, I think the album is pretty decent with it’s good beats and the rhymes fit the beats well, but the screaming style of rapping going on makes it a bit awkward for someone like me who likes Metal and Metalcore where screaming is incorporated with heavy guitar riffs, double bass, and breakdowns. Obviously, there’s something to this group because rapper Daddy-X is featured in the song “Get Up” (Track 8 ) and rapper E-40 is featured in the song “Booty Call” (Track 5). All in all, if you think mixing Hardcore and Rap while throwing in a bit of Electronica in the mix, brokeNCYDE’s debut album I’m Not a Fan, But the Kids Like It! is a great addition to your collection of music.

Eyes Set To Kill – The World Outside
BreakSilence Records

(4.5/5)

Less than a year after releasing their debut album Reach, Eyes Set To Kill is back with their sophomore album entitled The World Outside! According to singer Alexia Rodriguez, she really let loose and put more of her raw emotions into this album and doesn’t hold back on issues such as her own insecurities, the pain of lost love, and more. I honestly see the difference between this album and Reach and I feel the growth the band has made (even though Reach was an incredible album). Whether you want to pick this album apart and choose favorite tracks or not, there is no denying that the overall product is amazing! Some of the tracks I would mention that I feel represent this album well are “Heights” (Track 1), “The World Outside” (Track 5/Title track), “Wake Me Up” (Track 7), and “Her Eyes Hold The Apocalypse” (Track 11). These tracks are just 1/3 of the album. All twelve of the tracks are important to making this album as incredible as it is, but the mentioned tracks are good examples of the great amount of skill this band has and the ever growing vocal connection between Alexia Rodriguez and Brandon Anderson. All in all, The World Outside is a great album that I would suggest to any ESTK fan as well as any Metalcore fan!

Echovalve – Echovalve EP
Red Rocket Entertainment

(4/5)

The mainstream Rock scene is still producing bands here and there that I like and Echovalve is another one! If their EP, entitled Echovalve EP, is a true representation of what their next full length album will sound like, I’m really looking forward to hearing it! With only three tracks, it’s hard to choose a real favorite, but the one track that sticks out a little more to me is “Because of You” (Track 1). It just has an interesting feel that appeals to me a little more. The other two tracks, “Intoxicating” (Track 2) and “Too Late” (Track 3), go along with “Because of You” in their heaviness, but “Because of You” has some extra flair to it. Overall, Echovalve EP is a great EP and I suggest it to any fans of Rock music and I, again, can’t wait to hear their next full length!

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!