Pan.A.Ce.A – We the Broken
Susquehanna Entertainment

Rating:

Pan.A.Ce.A is back with their follow-up album to their February 2009 release All Or Nothing entitled We the Broken, and they are back with a vengeance! Weighing in with 13 brand new tracks, We the Broken picks right up where All Or Nothing left off and packs a good punch. The overall sound of this album is definitely melodic, but it’s also not shy on the “Hard” in Hard rock, and really, the balance between the melodic aspects and the heavier aspects couldn’t be better. One thing in this record that kind of popped out for me is the relationship between the bass parts by Matt Jaffin and drum parts by Kevin Harry. The overall musical and vocal qualities are excellent all around and they mix perfectly, but on this record, I got a lot more drums and bass (which I enjoy, being a bassist myself). The first taste of this relationship you get jumps right of the speakers in the first fifteen seconds of the first track “Too Little Too Late” with a great drum roll/fill at the start, then the bass becomes prominent as the verse begins with the vocals. From there, the musicianship stays at an excellent skill level and, again, Tim Farley’s vocals really mix well with the music (even coming in with a mid range scream near the end of “Too Little Too Late” and later in “No More Secrets”). As usual, there are some tracks on this album I would recommend for your listening pleasures. The recommended tracks from We the Broken include: “Too Little Too Late” (Track 1), “Stay” (Track 4), “No More Secrets” (Track 8), “The Fix” (Track 11), and “Everything Is Different (When I’m With Her)” (Track 12). Now, these are recommended tracks from the whole album, but really, all of the tracks on this album are solid and worth listening too. Overall, We the Broken is an excellent album I recommend to any previous Pan.A.Ce.A fans as well as any Hard rock fans out there.

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When Summers Gone – December
Self-Released

(4/5)

Rock music is a genre that has lasted throughout the years because of great bands and their ability to write enjoyable music. Today, Rock music is spread out over a wide variety of different styles that separate them by their different sounds. What does a smart band do? Break down the borders and transcend having to be labeled as one specific style of Rock. That’s what When Summers Gone has done with their debut album entitled December. Formed of multi-instrumentalists Dave Graziani (Vocals/Guitars/Piano) and Chris Lepri (Drums/Bass), When Summers Gone has combined the sounds of multiple bands including Alice In Chains, Incubus, and Sevendust with some more influence by bands such as Machine Head, The Deftones, and even some Bruce Springsteen and created Hard rock that brings back meaning to the genre. On top of that, December is a concept album that combines 8 individual tracks to create a story about “a character who loses a friend at a young age and is forced to deal with complex emotions, all while growing up”. I have a feeling that this story will hit home to more than one person who listens to this great album. As mentioned, this album is made up of tracks that can act on their own as well as being part of the story, and though each one is as important as the others, there are a few I would recommend listening to to get a good feel for When Summers Gone including, but not limited to “Welcome Home” (Track 2), “Hangover” (Track 4), and “10/6″ (Track 7). Each of these three tracks shows a different sound that When Summers Gone is bringing to the table and that shows the relationship of all of their influences. All in all, December is a great album for Hard rock fans and I suggest it to anyone looking for some more Hard rock for their music arsenal.

Peacemaker – The Reconstruction of the Ossicular Chain EP
Red Rocket Entertainment

(4/5)

Just when you think Rock could be at the end of its rope and not have much new material left to offer, it’s always nice to find a newer band that proves you wrong. Peacemaker’s EP The Reconstruction of the Ossicular Chain proves that they are one of those bands. With the mix of mainstream Hard rock, a little bit of Southern flavor, and a dash of Stoner rock grit all thrown into a blender, Peacemaker is a great band in my book. Getting right into it, with 4 songs on this EP, it’s hard to choose an overall favorite, but each song does bring a similar sound, but their own individual qualities as well. For example, “Trip the Light Fantastic” (Track 2) has a fairly similar groove to the other 3 tracks, but it’s the only song on this EP that really slows down to a Pink Floyd-like softness/groove that includes a guitar solo that drips with emotion. There are other great solos, but none that slow down like that particular one.

Overall, Peacemaker has a great sound and their EP The Reconstruction of the Ossicular Chain is a great example of it. I recommend this band to anyone who likes straight forward Hard rock with Southern and Stoner groove to it and I can’t wait to hear the full length album that comes from this EP!

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.

Pan.A.Ce.A – All Or Nothing
Susquehanna Entertainment

(4/5)

The mainstream style of Rock and Hard rock don’t usually sit too well with me, but there are some exceptions out there. Pan.A.Ce.A is one of those exceptions with their full length album All Or Nothing! Packed with the ten original tracks and two new acoustic tracks, this re-release of All Or Nothing combines a Hard rock musical aspect with a strong vocal element creating an overall great experience to listen to from beginning to end. Out of the, now, twelve tracks on this album, the ones I would recommend listening to for their overall quality are “The Blind Lead the Blind” (Track 1), “Move On” (Track 3), “Additive” (Track 5), “Riverbed” (Track 7), and “Nuclear Horizon” (Track 10). The whole album/band’s sound is summed up, in my opinion, by these tracks, but particularly “The Blind Lead the Blind”, “Riverbed”, and “Nuclear Horizon”. These three tracks all bring a strong and heavy edge to the overall album, but also interject the calming Rock style vocal presented in every track. Honestly, it’s a killer combination for breaking into the mainstream Rock scene. Overall, this is a very talented band with a great album for any Rock fan out there looking for that next band to get crazy with!

Hellrazor – In The Wild
Heaven and Hell Records

(4/5)

Ok, North Carolina Heavy metal fans, it’s time once again to look in your own backyard for the up and coming talent. North Carolina’s own Metal powerhouse Hellrazor has released their album In The Wild, and it is DEFINITELY worth checking out! Coming at you hard with an old school Heavy metal sound mixed with a good, solid, Hard rock feel, Hellrazor truly represents some of their influences in bands such as Pantera, Judas Priest, Testament, KISS, and others. Backing this operation is the rhythm team of bassist Dave Sanchez and drummer Chuck Giardino. These two guys really do their job keeping the band’s sound full with only one guitar being provided by the insane guitarist listed only as Charley on Hellrazor’s Myspace. Altogether, Chuck, Dave, and Charley provide fans and listeners with fist pumping, headbanging, Heavy metal that’s just downright good for the soul! Getting beyond the musical aspects of Hellrazor, it is easy to see that singer Alan Rueda is PERFECT for this band! Alan brings an excellent range of vocals to the table from mid-range singing to hitting some of those famous Rob Halford style notes in the upper register. This guy is incredible! Overall, I give Hellrazor two horns way up for helping to keep the old school alive and doing it well! As far as In The Wild goes, the tracks I would suggest in order to give a good overall sound of the band, I would have to go with “In The Wild” (Title track/Track 1), “Hellrazor” (Track 2), and “Ride or Die” (Track 8). I believe these tracks truly represent what this band is all about and why they will go far in the Metal world. So, NC fans, keep supporting your local music scene as they bring you true entertainment. As for everyone else, keep supporting Metal as a whole and get your copy of In The Wild NOW!

Black Tide – Light From Above
Interscope Records

(4/5)

Get ready for one of the youngest sensations to hit the Heavy metal and Hard rock scenes in 2008, Black Tide! These guys formed in 2004, but Light From Above is their debut album released March 18, 2008, and this album is awesome! With all of the members 20 years of age or younger, it’s crazy to think you’d see a band like this already so big, but these guys definitely deserve it with the talent they have. Getting to the album, all of the songs are great in there own perspectives, but the three that really caught my attention happen to be Tracks 1-3 entitled, “Shockwave” (Track 1), “Shout” (Track 2), and “Warriors of Time” (Track 3). At least two of these three tracks were released as singles for the album, and I can see why. All three tracks, again, have their own unique differences, but overall they are incredible no matter how you look at them. Put together with eight other great songs, Black Tide has certainly put out a debut album to be remembered!

SiX – Between the Warning and the War
1605 Records

(4/5)

With Between the Warning and the War as their third release, SiX is continuing to make their presence known as a West Coast Rock band. Not only are there Heavy metal and Punk influences helping push SiX through this 13-track (plus 3 “hidden” tracks), fist pumping, Hard rock album, but vocalist Lauren is helped out by Tony Campos from Static-X on “The Day I Died” (track 1) and “Warning” (track 7) as well as Mike Clark from Suicidal Tendencies on “Forgiveness” (track 4). Overall, Lauren, guitarist Alfunction, and drummer Rob Woods, and bass player Bob K really attack mainstream music while letting their roots show with the mix of old school power and the future of aggression on Between the Warning and the War! Honestly, I think it’s a great album and it was really hard to choose favorite songs, but “The Day I Died” and “Circles” were the two that really jumped out at me. “The Day I Died” sticks out for its aggressive, Punk/Thrash-like sound that starts the album off with a bang! When you hear it, you can’t help but want to start pumping your fists and moshing with your friends. “Circles” is just one of the songs off the album that show off some of Nate Bowers’ double bass skills along with the Drowning Pool-like feel of the whole track. All in all, Between the Warning and the War is an album for your arsenal if you’re into Hardcore punk and Hard rock! Look for Lauren, Alfunction, Rob and guitarist Johnny Utah playing live near you!