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!

Lamb of God – Wrath
Epic Records

(5/5)

The kings of Groove metal are back and they have taken it, once again, to another level! This newest Lamb of God release is titled Wrath and it would seem like the band is taking its wrath out upon lesser styles of music. As mentioned before, this album has proved that Lamb of God is continually stepping their game up from album to album, and presenting different styles in each album along the way. They aren’t one of the biggest bands in newer Metal for nothing! Although I like the overall sound of the album, I would suggest listening to the combination of “The Passing” (Track 1) and “In Your Words” (Track 2) as well as “Grace” (Track 6) and “Broken Hands” (Track 7) to get a good feel for the new record. each of these songs helps show the slightly more raw production of the album combined with the cleaner guitar tones and Randy Blythe’s sick vocals, and how these changes help take this album to that higher level of amazing. Speaking of the guitar tones, Mark Morton and Willie Adler really outdo themselves on this album as far as their riffs and solos go. These two guys are true guitar masters of new Metal and continue to show the world why on each album! Helping push the guitars and Randy’s voice is the combined efforts of the band’s rhythm section that includes John Campbell on bass and Chris Adler on drums. These guys are also incredible musicians and Chris continues to, somehow, step it up every album along with the other guys. I honestly don’t know how Lamb of God keeps outdoing themselves! Overall, Wrath is a tremendous Metal album by an excellent band. This is definitely one of my top choices for any Metal fan’s arsenal!

Edguy – The Singles
Nuclear Blast Records

(4/5)

Having an extensive career dating back to the early 1990s, Edguy has released eight studio albums as well as multiple demos and other albums. This “new” album entitled The Singles is just as the title says; a compilation featuring all singles from the EP’s King of Fools, Lavatory Love Machine and Superheroes(with the exception of the song “Reach Out” from the Lavatory Love Machine). Being a newer Edguy fan myself, this is a great album to have to hear 14 songs that helped launch Edguy into the high ranks of the Heavy metal/Power metal world. Listening to this album over and over again really helped me figure out the humor that this band really brings to their genre with comedic lyrics in songs such as “Lavatory Love Machine” and “Life and Times of a Bonus Track”. It’s really great to see that that kind of stuff isn’t lost in the music business. Although all of the songs on this album are great representations of the great Edguy sound and talent, some of the ones I enjoy the most are “Superheroes” (Track 1), “Judas At the Opera” (Track 4), “Lavatory Love Machine” (Track 7), “New Age Messiah” (Track 11), and “Life and Times of a Bonus Track” (Track 14). All of these songs are great songs in their own manor. Edguy fans who enjoy extra versions of songs are certainly not left out as The Singles also has “Superheroes (Epic Version)” (Track 6) and “Lavatory Love Machine (Acoustic Version)” (Track 8 ) which both offer a different element than in the original version of both of those great songs. Just to keep spicing things up, in “Judas At the Opera”, ex-Helloween singer Michael Kiske pitches in to add more vocal power. Overall, The Singles is an absolute “must have” album for any hardcore Edguy fan or any new Edguy fan who wants a quick look back over the years before purchasing previous studio albums and/or EPs!

House of Heavy – House of Heavy
Spiritual Beast Records (Physical)/Metal Blade Records (Digital)

(3.5/5)

Whoever said ’80s Metal was dead has yet to hear House of Heavy’s self-titled debut album House of Heavy! With the combined efforts of Henrik Lundberg and Mattias Wellhag, House of Heavy is officially off the ground and tearin’ up the Heavy metal scene with this 14-track debut. Really, the best way to describe this album is to hear it for yourself. The best examples to hear from this album to really get a feel for it are “Warpaint” (Track 2), “Pure” (Track 3), “God vs. God” (Track 6), and “The Blues” (Track 12). To me, these four tracks truly represent the sound House of Heavy is going for with some pure Heavy metal in “Warpaint” and “Pure”, a slower ballad-like song with “God vs. God”, and a more Blues based Heavy metal with the track “The Blues”. Overall, this album is a good one for anyone looking to keep the flame of Heavy metal alive in this day and age with a bit of a newer Metal edge, but not totally converting over. I would definitely suggest House of Heavy to fans of Iced Earth, Iron Maiden, and other New Wave of British Heavy Metal style bands.

Edguy – Tinnitus Sanctus
Nuclear Blast Records

(4.5/5)

Continuing the traditional Heavy metal/Power metal sound of bands such as Iced Earth, Helloween, Blind Guardian, and Iron Maiden, Edguy has created another great example of this style of music titled Tinnitus Sanctus. Although Tinnitus Sanctus is the first Edguy album I have heard, it will certainly not be the last! The musical and lyrical genius known as Tobias Sammet has arranged an insanely good album as well as lead this band with his Opera-like vocals. With a vocal range not too high for the music and certainly not too low, Tobias really pushes the sound of Edguy over the edge. Even though he wrote the music and lyrics for this new album, you can’t over look the incredible musicians performing it. The team of Dirk Sauer and Jens Ludwig provides an intense feeling presented by shredding guitar riffs and solos. Helping push the intensity and speed of this album is drummer Felix Bohnke who provides the perfect speed of the double bass drum technique when needed and knows when to cut it back to a single bass drum. Helping all three of the other musicians create rhythmic sense to this album is bassist Tobias “Eggi” Exxel. Together, all five members of Edguy take you through an incredible musical journey that is Tinnitus Sanctus. The overall album definitely has it effect, but there are a few tracks I would like to point out as “favorites” of mine. The main ones I like the most are “Ministry of Saints” (Track 1), “Sex Fire Religion” (Track 2), “Dragonfly” (Track 6), and “Speedhoven” (Track 9). Every track on this album has its own personality and effect for the overall excellence of the album, but the tracks listed above shows the many talents of Edguy with mixtures of speed, heaviness, and even more mellow and melodic parts. Overall, this album is a great choice for anyone looking to get into Power metal and Heavy metal around the style of the bands mentioned before.

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!

Praetorious – Taste Death
Heaven and Hell Records

(4/5)

New Wave of British Heavy Metal fans, it is time to rise again! With the style being New Wave of BRITISH Heavy Metal, you would think that this band would be European, but it’s about time we started looking in our own backyard. Praetorius is actually from North Carolina and man am I proud to have a band like this here at home! The old school styles of Heavy metal have been pretty scarce in recent years, but Praetorius is proving that it’s not dead with the release of their debut album Taste Death. Although the song themes may not be the same as the bands of yesteryear, the style and skills are still there. One aspect of this band I really like is vocalist Elliott Madre. He may not have the total range of singers such as Rob Halford or Bruce Dickinson, but he definitely has the voice to fit this style of music. Musically, this band is very sound with the style, but it makes it that much better that the vocals fit as well! Getting back to Taste Death, I would certainly recommend listening to “Pirates of the West” (Track 1), “March of Praetorious” (Track 3), and “True Colors” (Track 4). Although the rest of the tracks are just as crucial to this album, I believe these three give a great representation of the overall abilities of this great band. Overall, Praetorious is an excellent band and I would recommend their debut album Taste Death to any old school Heavy metal fans out there and anyone who likes to keep their ears to the underground. I can’t wait to see what comes from this band next!

Sister Sin – Switchblade Serenades
Victory Records

(4/5)

To say Sister Sin’s new album Switchblade Serenades sounds like another Mötley Crüe album is a TOTAL understatement. Now, there are some distinct differences between the two bands (the main one being a female vocalist for Sister Sin), but the base sound is definitely very close. Actually, it is odd to actually hear a female singing for this style of Metal, but it’s not really all that different from the mind-blowing high pitched voices of the original 1980s Metal vocalists. On that note, Liv does sound absolutely amazing (slightly more female version of ex-White Skull vocalist Gus Gabarrò) and has beautiful features to match the voice! Supporting her musically and vocally are three excellent musicians: Jimmy on guitar, Chris on bass, and Dave on drums (no last names can be found). Together, these four, again, create some excellent fist-pumping Metal that hasn’t truly been heard since the days of the Crüe. As far as the album’s individual tracks go, I have to say “Switchblade Serenades” (Title Track/Track 8), “Make My Day” (Track 6), and “Death Will Greet Us” (Track 2) all really represent the true sound of this band. “Switchblade Serenades” has to be my most favorite from this album for its great lyrical content, music presentation, and overall sounds. Seriously, I get chills listening to it! Overall, Switchblade Serenades is a great 1980s flashback album that has a timeless sound and should be picked up by anyone looking for a great Heavy metal/Hard rock album that you just can’t put down!

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!

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!