This is the arena metal that Five Finger Death Punch was born to play. The first of two (!) albums due in 2013, The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell Vol. 1 is filled with expertly crafted heavy metal masterpieces that barely last over the three and a half mark yet still leave memorable hooks and a lasting impression. If …Vol. 1 is just the opening salvo then God help us all as to what we […]
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A Storm Of Light, “Fall”: The Singles Bar Review
A Storm Of Light’s new album Nations To Flames will not be making your ears bleed (In a good way) until September 17th but in the meantime, you can whet your appetite with “Fall”. It’s a pummeling riff-laden maelstrom that recalls everyone from Sepultura (Chaos A.D. especially) and Prong to Torche and Ministry (Listen to the effects on the vocals!) but definitely stands as its’ own entity. As an introduction to the upcoming album it’s very promising. Here’s hoping the […]
City Of Fire, Trial Through Fire: Album Review
Trial Through Fire is an appropriate title for City Of Fire’s sophomore outing because what started out so pure and filled with so much hope became this lengthy ordeal that resulted in an album that quietly dropped with barely a whimper back in April of this year. The drama aside of a Pledgemusic campaign that launched in 2011 and only just came to fruition in 2013 aside, a whimper is definitely not the kind of sound you’ll be hearing from […]
Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee: The Pop!Blerd Review
Not content with creating a show about nothing, Jerry Seinfeld has now invaded the interwebs with webisodes about nothing. As a fan of neither cars or coffee (unless it’s iced, of course!) Seinfeld’s latest foray into the public eye, Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee, is an endearing and honest internet show nonetheless that is about exactly what the name suggests: Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee. Made for the short attention-span audience, each episode lasts anywhere from 11 to 18 minutes […]
Pelican, “Immutable Dusk”: The Singles Bar Review
Four years is way too long between Pelican full-lengths but if “Immutable Dusk”, the raging seven minute first single off the upcoming Forever Becoming, is but an inkling of what fans can expect when the album drops in October then the wait was definitely worth it. Lurching along uncontrollably, the riff monster of “Immutable Dusk” lumbers along until the four minute forty five mark hits and then this chugging steamroller of riffs gets even more amazing. Seeing as this is […]
Vista Chino, “Barcelonian”: The Singles Bar Review
Given the recent legal issues between the band that is now known as Vista Chino and Josh Homme, is it an insult to describe VC’s latest song, “Barcelonian”, off their upcoming Peace album as sounding like Queens of the Stone Age? Because it does. It’s that pure QOTSA that shared a split with Kyuss before their debut full-length. Comparisons aside, though, it’s awesome. Bruno Fevery definitely holds his own and it’s nice to see the young guitarist really let loose […]
New Release Report 7/23/13
I have now realized that to be posting this column weekly I need to be on top of what some of the new releases actually sound like. I’m not sure how I feel about this yet but I’ll take one for the team from time to time because I care about y’all. Selena Gomez is back and better than ever? I don’t know as I’ve never owned an album but I’m sure some Beliebers and non-Beliebers are anxious to pick […]
Metal Monday Volume 132 (7.22.13)
I knew this book was going to be fun when in the opening foreword, co-writer Jon Wiederhorn stated that Uncle Al’s trials and tribulations “makes Motley Crue’s The Dirt look like Goodnight Moon“. And it really, really does! Ministry: The Lost Gospels According To Al Jourgensen is a must-have for Ministry and rock bio fans because when it comes to Jourgensen, sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll isn’t just a saying it’s a way of life. As a longtime fan […]
Popblerd’s New Release Report 7/16/13
I’m doing this. I really am! This is Big Money’s deal but I’m taking over the “New Release Report” for a little while because, frankly, I miss it. But enough rambling, onto the new releases… We’re in the middle of July meaning…nothing is coming out. For the most part. First, there’s the solo outing from ex-Pantera/current Down frontman Phil Anselmo. I didn’t like it. A lot. You can go here to read why. On the other side of the spectrum (And […]
Metal Monday Volume 131 (7.15.13)
Swelling with this air of Hacride-esque mysticism, “Nemesis of Neglect” slowly devolves into a Converge meets Entombed guitar barrage. Those comparisons continue especially taking on the Entombed guitar tones mixed with a kind of Jacob Bannon style inhuman screech but a little more guttural on “Terror”. Thus begins Heresy, the debut ruckus from Detroit’s From Hell. Moving on, “Unholy” is a seriously unholy merging of time signatures that just might just render listeners mad upon excessive repeat listens. Later still, […]
Sal Abruscato of A Pale Horse Named Death: The Popblerd Interview!
Being the drummer responsible for some of the major doom releases of the mid-’90’s (Type O Negative’s Bloody Kisses, Life Of Agony’s River Runs Red), Sal Abruscato knows a thing or two about what makes those kind of albums work. That said, it’s no surprise that he’s stepped out from behind the kit to spearhead A Pale Horse Named Death whose sophomore album Lay My Soul To Waste was just released through SPV/Steamhammer. Abruscato recently spoke with Popblerd via phone […]
Gogol Bordello, Pure Vida Conspiracy: Album Review
While I try to avoid reviewing albums I dislike, sometimes it needs to happen to warn the masses and longtime fans. It’s not often I use the phrase “utter shit” to describe a band or album but here I am typing while listening to Gogol Bordello’s latest, Pure Vida Conspiracy. To say this band has lost it somewhere along the way would be an understatement. They’ve lost members. They’ve lost their edge. They’ve lost that magic. A gang of gypsy […]
