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.
If you're a fan of old school thrash, this is a must have album. Richmond, Virginia's Municipal Waste take you back to the best of '80s thrash metal mixed with an ample dose of hardcore punk. The songs on Hazardous Mutation are short and sweet and played mostly at breakneck speed with shouted vocals and great guitar riffs.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 5:23 PM
A Wilhelm Scream are influenced by several different styles of music including punk, hardcore and metal. They have great melodies and harmonies, but add in some heavy parts and guitar solos which keep that harder edge. They also vary the tempos of their songs and include some unusual song constructions.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 3:08 PM
Industrial metal pioneers Fear Factory are still going strong. Vocalist Burton C. Bell's pipes are in good form, transitioning from screaming to melodic vocals at the drop of a hat. Producer Toby Wright (Metallica, Korn) polishes the band's sound while keeping it recognizable. Their U2 "I Will Follow" cover is also surprisingly good.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 2:04 PM
Vesania is a Polish symphonic black metal band. Vocalist/guitarist Orion is also a member of Behemoth, and drummer Daray splits his time with Vader. The songs on God The Lux are very well constructed and orchestrated, and you'll hear similarities to Dimmu Borgir. The guttural vocals are secondary to the arrangements and act like an additional instrument.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 1:39 PM
If you see a CD with 4 tracks, you assume it's an EP. Not so with YOB. The Oregon doom metal band's latest clocks in at over 50 minutes. From the slow powerful riffs to the spacey solos and gruff vocals, they prove that you don't have to play at breakneck speed to make a memorable album.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 12:53 PM
Even though they're only in their late teens, the Bay Area death metal/hardcore band has been together for five years. Their sophomore album is nonstop brutality with bludgeoning riffs and both low and high-pitched unintelligible yowling vocals. It's dark and extreme, but not at the expense of quality musicianship.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 9:30 AM
Angela Gossow is a rarity, a female metal vocalist who doesn't sing in an ethereal melodic soprano. Instead she shrieks and growls and howls in true death metal style. The melody is provided by the fantastic guitar work of brothers Michael and Christopher Amott. From grungy riffs to crystal clear solos, they can do it all.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 1:18 PM
Even though they are on a Finnish label, Resistance is from the USA. The California band's debut is a combination of Bay Area thrash and European power metal. It has thrash riffs and power metal solos and the guitar work is front and center. The vocals are shaky in spots, but generally pretty good.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 5:31 PM
Delphian is a Dutch progressive metal band with a female lead singer. They lean more traditional than symphonic. Their debut album varies from heavy to acoustic, mixing in plenty of metal guitar riffs and solos. Aniek Jansses' vocals are slightly operatic and work better on the softer songs.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 4:45 PM
Anubis Rising were an L.A. metal band influenced by groups like Isis and Neurosis. This is a compilation of their EP and split CD releases along with 4 previously unreleased songs. The music is slow and doomy and the vocals unintelligible growls and screams. They're decent, but nothing to write home about.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 12:57 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.
