One thing the sky is definitely not full of this week is CD releases. The past couple of weeks have been pretty quiet. Last week’s release schedule got a little smaller thanks to the mysterious disappearance of Odd Future member Frank Ocean’s album, and this week is another fairly blah affair. Thank goodness there’s Fountains of Wayne to give us a musical glass of water in this desert of a release schedule (strained metaphors anyone?) Sky Full of Holes is […]
Posts tagged "Metal Monday"
New Release Report 8/2/11: Fountains of Wayne Return and More!
Album Reviews / Country Music / Indie Rock / Metal Monday / music / New Release Report / New Releases / Pop Music / rock music
Metal Monday Volume 29 (8.1.11)
If I could sum up Dir En Grey’s latest album, Dum Spiro Spero, with one word it would have to be this one: Evil. Dum Spiro Spero is definitely one evil sounding motherfucker of an album. If you’re unfamiliar with the musical stylings of Japan’s pre-eminent metallers, then DSS is the perfect introduction to their unique blend of metal, prog, and pop. It’s this kind of mixture of styles that has worked so well for Dir En Grey over the […]
Metal Monday Volume 28 (7.25.11)
I told you it was gonna happen and it did. Less than 24 hours after last week’s 2nd half of 2011 preview post went up, the almighty Will Haven bestowed upon the masses a brand new song in the form of “Mida’s Secret”. This is important for three main reasons: It’s the first taste from Voir Dire (Due October 11), It’s their first new song in almost 4 years, and most importantly, it’s the first new studio music that original singer Grady Avenell has sung on in almost […]
Metal Monday Volume 27 (7.18.11)
In moving forward from the recent Top 10 so far list on the Blerd last week, I give you my “Top 5 metal albums guaranteed to kick your ass during the next 6 months without hearing a note”. Catchy title, right? 1. Will Haven: Voire Dire> The first album that vocalist Grady Avenell has sung on since 2001’s Carpe Diem (And one of my Top 5 albums of all time). When Will Haven reformed a few years ago, I was […]
Metal Monday Volume 25 (7.4.11)
What better way to celebrate the 4th than with part 1 of my brief history of British band Pitchshifter , right? I don’t know why I am obsessed with Pitchshifter again lately. I was thinking of this cool Tee I used to have (and eventually wore to death) and the fact that I have their “eye” logo tattooed on my left arm means that they’re never far from my mind. The good thing about them being on my brain is the […]
Metal Monday Volume 24 (7.5.11)
The March, for me, was an unparalleled step forward for Unearth. It was a band stepping out of their comfort zone to expand upon an already established sound and forge a new future for themselves. The breakdowns were incredible. The musicianship was stellar and the tones coming out of the band reminded me of Crowbar and some of the best sludge metal out there. Made with Seemless/Kingdom of Sorrow drummer Derek Kerswill, it was a definite high point for the […]
Metal Monday Volume 23 (6.20.11)
You know it’s not often that you look to sweeping huge choruses in your metal songs but that is one thing that In Flames are sure to deliver. If you haven’t been a fan of the last few In Flames records then stop reading now because Sounds Of A Playground Fading is not gonna win you back. I’ll admit that I only began my relationship with In Flames after 2002’s Reroute To Remain but having bought everything before and after […]
Metal Monday Volume 22 (6.13.11)
A day late and a dollar short my mother always used to say to me but hey, I only have so much room in this column per week. Anyway, at least by reviewing Doctor Midnight & The Mercy Cult’s debut a week late you know it’s at least available in stores now, right? Dr. Midnight & The Mercy Cult are an extreme super-group featuring Hank Von Hell of Turbonegro, Tim Skold (KMFDM, Marilyn Manson, Skold), Anders Odden (Satyricon, Celtic Frost), Audun Stengel (The Kovenant, Apoptygma Berzerk), and David Husvik (Extol). Whew! That […]
Metal Monday Volume 21 (6.6.11)
“ Gossamer ” off of Tombs last record, Winter Hours, is one of my most favorite metal tracks ever. It’s this lumbering behemoth that lurches along and just when you think you know where it’s going, it smacks you in the face with a 2 X 4. It’s so good that the quality of the rest of the album doesn’t matter (It helps that all of Winter Hours is great but that’s not the point…). Based on that one song, Tombs follow-up Path […]
Metal Monday Volume 20 (5.30.11)
Normally I wouldn’t review a single here in the hallowed (?) halls of Metal Monday but I felt that the sheer magnitude of the people involved in Gojira’s “Of Blood And Salt” merited a little more time. Plus, it’s my column and I can do what I want…and there’s like 3 metal releases next week so a single seemed like the safe prelude to the metalness to come. Is there such a word as metalgasm? No? Then “Of Blood And Salt” […]
Metal Monday Volume 19 (5.23.11)
If you were a fan of Cave In’s earlier work but let them go from Jupiter onward then White Silence should get the band back in your good graces again. Never before has a band managed to take the sum of all of its separate parts (Old Man Gloom, Clouds, Zozobra, Octave Museum, etc…) and make such a cohesive record with it. The first thing you’ll notice about White Silence is how visceral and raw it is. Caleb Scofield is […]
Metal Monday Volume 18 (5.16.11)
Karma to Burn are a band that when they put out an album, it will automatically go in my Top 5 for the year without hearing a single note off of it. Because they’re that good and I’m that confident in each album being a sonic slab of instrumental rock goodness. So what do these West Virginian boys sound like? Like awesome. Heavy riffs, thunderous drums, and a low end that can peel paint from the walls. In a word: Monolithic. They first […]