Reviews of the latest heavy metal, extreme, hardcore and hard rock CDs in 50 words or less from Chad Bowar.
Scoring
95-100: One of the best albums of the year (A+)
90-94: A (excellent)
80-89: B (good)
70-79: C (average)
60-69: D (disappointing or below average)
59 and below: F (sucks!)
If you have a CD you'd like reviewed on this site, contact the editor.
In anticipation of a new album to be released later this year, Lion Music has re-released the 2002 album A Work Of Art. Mind's Eye combines elements of metal, progressive rock and melodic rock into a very appealing package. The musicianship is excellent, the songs very catchy, and the production is flawless.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 1:07 PM
James Byrd has been called "one of the best guitarists you've never heard of." This is a re-release of his 1998 album. He is truly a guitar virtuoso in the vein of Yngwie Malmsteen and Uli Jon Roth. There are enough vocals to make it interesting, but Byrd is unquestionably the star of the show.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 12:52 PM
The Swedish progressive metal band Seventh Wonder is made up of several former members of Mankind. This is a blend of progressive and neo-classical metal with soaring vocals, lengthy instrumental sections, solos and multiple tempo and time-signature changes. For the most part it's a very solid and enjoyable album for prog metal fans.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 12:43 PM
Disbelief are a German death metal band with a dark, melancholy sound. Vocalist Karsten Jager stands out with his tortured, emotional cookie monster vocals that are actually semi-understandable. Melodic vocals are also mixed in. Disbelief is an acquired taste, but listen to the album a few times and you'll be hooked.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 12:22 PM
The Italian straight-edge hardcore band To Kill keeps it short and sweet. Their songs are mostly under 2 minutes long, but they pack plenty of aggression into that short time frame. It's traditional hardcore with not a lot of surprises, but To Kill delivers the goods. They're a band to keep an eye on.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 10:03 AM
Some metalcore albums sound like one long song. This is not one of them. Life In Your Way are a Christian metalcore band that can be really intense one moment and then melodic and mid-tempo the next. That variety is one of the things that makes you notice them in a really crowded genre.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 12:43 PM
The Boston metalcore band On Broken Wings has taken a quantum leap with their latest album. Their metal riffs are superb, the breakdowns really heavy, and the songs well constructed. The vocals are a combination of cookie monster and melodic that make for a diverse and first-rate album.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 12:26 PM
Oingo Boingo were one of the coolest and strangest bands of the '80s, and one of the most underappreciated. This is an appropriately reverent tribute album done by a diverse group of artists including Finch, Reel Big Fish and Clear Static. As with any compilation there are hits and misses, but many more hits.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 1:11 PM
This is the full-length debut album from L.A. hardcore band Donnybrook, but they sound like old-school veterans. Dre Stewart's vocals are intense, but actually understandable, which is a refreshing change in this genre. The band is tight and the songwriting is top-notch. If you're a fan of groups like Terror and Madball, check this out.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 12:43 PM
This is a re-release of the hardcore group's debut EP with some bonus tracks and a live set added on. Terror plays hardcore at breakneck speed with monster breakdowns. The EP is excellent, the bonus tracks average, and although the live set sound quality isn't the best, their raw energy and passion really comes through.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 1:18 PM
To describe Birmingham UK's Mistress as extreme is an understatement. Grindcore and crust with shrieking vocals and bone crushing riffs make for an intense listen. They even throw in a couple of guitar solos and brief melodic sections for variety. They're influenced by groups like Napalm Death and Brutal Truth.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 2:56 PM
The North Carolina band's debut album blends metal, hardcore and emo. The vocals alternate between hardcore screeching and melodic singing. The melodic singing and harmonies are very good, the screeching average. The songs are catchy and the production very good. A promising debut that fans of groups like Funeral For A Friend will enjoy.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 5:42 PM
Their music is standard death metal/grindcore, but Killwhitneydead's gimmick is the liberal use of movie and TV samples. They also have really long song titles and hateful lyrics that seem to be delivered tongue in cheek. Musically they're very talented with some great guitar riffs and could do fine without the samples.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 5:32 PM
Hardcore veterans Bane return with their first album in nearly 4 years. They haven't jumped on the metalcore bandwagon and keep to the traditional hardcore style vocals and shout along choruses. The songs are well-written with excellent riffs, and the lyrics are interesting and actually understandable. Highly recommended.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 3:49 PM
Every release by the Swedish band is unique and different, and this is no exception. Strange rhythms, complex riffs and heaviness mixed with some mellow interludes makes for an unusual album. It's one long track broken up into 13 sections of interesting and diverse technical death metal.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 1:53 PM
If you're in the mood for some intense, extreme music, you can't go wrong with I, Monarch. The riffs are crushing and the blast beats come at you at warp speed, but the precise and technical musicianship of Hate Eternal makes it more than just angry noise. Death metal doesn't get any better than this.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 9:26 PM
This is a re-release of their 2002 debut album. Bury Your Dead's style of metallic hardcore is intense and aggressive, mixing metal riffs and hardcore breakdowns with reasonably understandable hardcore vocals. From chugga-chugga to math metal, they've got all the bases covered.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 9:24 PM
Joe Altier has a bluesy voice with a pretty decent range and the ability to pull off both the rockers and the acoustic ballads on this diverse album. Influenced by everyone from Black Label Society to Motorhead to Skynyrd, Brand New Sin's style of good old American hard rock isn't groundbreaking, but it sure is fun to listen to.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 9:20 PM
The Manchester, UK band came to the US to have Kurt Ballou (Converge) produce their debut, and in addition to the original tracks the re-release includes 4 bonus BBC Radio session tracks and a remix. Screamo and melodic vocals mixed with some unusual sounds and song constructions make for an interesting listen.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 9:19 PM
This is a re-release of the Swedish progressive/power metal band's 2001 album. Stefan Zell's emotional and soaring vocals relate the story of The Window Purpose, a man who dies and tries to find the afterlife. The music is melancholy and melodic, with a few growls thrown in to balance Zell's melodic vocals.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 9:15 PM
A re-release of the Bay Area band's 1988 debut album, and a must own for thrash fans. Also included is a live CD. Vio-Lence was less technical than some of their thrash contemporaries, but their riffs were killer. It's about time this great album was back in print.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 9:12 PM
Their sound is thick and abrasive and intense. Chris Spencer's vocals are angry and distorted, and his guitars really groove. Unsane also varies the tempos of their punishing songs, going from plodding to mid-tempo to fast. After a long absence, Unsane are back to claim their crown as the kings of noise rock.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 9:10 PM
The full-length debut album from the New Jersey six-piece Strength In Numbers is a polished one, a combination of '80s thrash, old-school hardcore and modern metalcore. Vocally they have a nearly equal balance of hardcore and melodic styles and also do a good job of balancing the metal riffs with the melodic choruses.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 9:08 PM
Chris Barnes and company don't break any new ground on 13, but for fans of their style of old school death metal it's a solid release. As usual, Barnes' vocals sound like he just gargled with razor blades, and the songs are medium tempo and heavy.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 9:05 PM
Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and the boys haven't slowed down one bit. They're still pounding the double bass and shredding the guitars. ReliXIV sounds gritty and dirty, and that's by design. The band produced the album themselves, wanting a ferocious and raw sound.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 9:02 PM
The Swedish power metal band Hammerfall has returned to form with everything you'd expect from a good power metal album: great riffs, layered arrangements, melodic hooks, memorable choruses and the soaring vocals of Joacim Cans. The sometimes over the top epic 12 minute closing track features Venom frontman Cronos.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 4:26 PM
The first release from legendary Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler's group since 1997 features Clark Brown on vocals. He's a good singer with a powerful voice, but should stick to singing instead of the rapping he does on a few songs. There are a couple of good songs, but most are forgettable.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 4:21 PM
2 disc collection of a concert recorded in 2004 in Evergrey's hometown of Gothenburg featuring tracks from all 5 studio albums. The recording quality proves singer Tom S. Englund's powerful vocals are not just a studio creation. This is dark progressive metal at its finest.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 4:02 PM
The Belgian band's brand of goregrind is really heavy and played at breakneck speed, but still manages to remain accessible and not descend into pure noise. Aborted has really come into their own on their fourth full-length album, varying the song styles and adding some melodic riffs to the cookie monster vocals.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 3:47 PM
Bowar is a freelance music writer and the heavy metal editor for About.com, a New York Times company. He has written for Outburn, Amp, Loud Fast Rules, Caustic Truths, Snaggletooth, Explicity Intense and many other print and online publications.
