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.
On their sixth studio album Primal Fear shows exceptional diversity. From simple riff-laden straight up metal to sophisticated epic compositions, the German band can do it all. It's traditional metal with power metal influences and great vocals by Ralf Scheepers. The guitars are outstanding and the production is flawless. Highly recommended.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 9:29 PM
Hardcore and metal have different styles of aggression, and Scars Of Tomorrow manages to harness both of them into one volatile package. With each album they improve musically and become more diverse. Death metal growls, hardcore shouts and melodic singing complement the intense metal riffs. Atreyu frontman Alex Varkatzas guests on one track.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 8:25 PM
This is a great combination of thrash metal riffs and angry hardcore vocals. The songs are mainly mid and up-tempo, with double bass pounding under skillful guitar topped with the shouting of the strangely named vocalist Human Furnace. This sounds like one pissed-off band, but their anger is our pleasure.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 7:59 PM
This is the soundtrack to the Showtime TV series of the same name, a 2 disc set of new and unreleased material from metal, rock, punk and hardcore artists. Some of the names you'll recognize include Mudvayne, Shadows Fall, Mastodon and In Flames. A highlight is It Dies Today's version of the Depeche Mode song "Enjoy The Silence."
posted by Chad Bowar @ 3:21 PM
The black metal duo Charnel Valley are writers Marty Rytkonen (Worm Gear) and S. Craig Zahler (Metal Maniacs). Their debut EP is a low-fi dose of classic black metal recorded in analog. The vocals are raspy and the guitar riffs are outstanding. It's a raw and extremely well-written album.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 5:51 PM
The Baltimore, Maryland band's second album is a mix of hard rock, modern rock, and a hint of metal. It's melodic and radio friendly, but there are some hardcore style vocals and the guitars are front and center. The album was mixed by 311 drummer Chad Sexton. It's very catchy stuff.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 2:44 PM
ASG's latest album has a ton of different influences. It's hard rock with both modern and '80s Guns 'N Roses type influences. You'll also hear elements of stoner rock, classic rock, metal and punk. They're hard edged enough to be on Ozzfest, and melodic enough to be on Warped.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 3:08 PM
Neshamah are a Christian hardcore/metalcore band from South Africa. Their latest album is more toward the metalcore side of things, with raw screaming vocals and metal riffs along with some breakdowns and melodic parts. The songs are well-constructed, and the lyrics are on the inspirational side as you would expect. A solid album.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 5:02 PM
UK Satanic metallers Akercocke have a new guitarist, former Berserker shredder Matt Wilcock. They also have a different sound on their latest album. In addition to their usual death and black metal, there are many progressive elements, including long instrumental sections. There are also some mellow and melodic moments that complement the intense brutality.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 12:51 PM
Wacken is Europe's largest open air festival, and 2004 was its 15th anniversary. This 3 CD/2 DVD collection features over 3 ½ hours of live performances from artists like Dio, Motorhead, Anthrax, Cannibal Corpse and many more. The audio quality is great, and if you weren't able to make it there yourself, this is the next best thing.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 12:19 PM
For the first time in 5 years we have a new album from George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher (Cannibal Corpse) and Paths Of Possession. Corpsegrinder's vocals are just as intense as you'd expect, but they are a lot more understandable than his Cannibal Corpse work. The music is in the Swedish vein, melodic and brutal with thrash influences.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 4:17 PM
What an odd combination. All All Cost combines metalcore with synthesizers and along with usual hardcore screaming and melodic singing they also use the same strange"voicebox" effect used by Cher in the song "Believe." It may be a novelty, but at least it's something different in the ever homogenized metalcore genre.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 4:57 PM
This album is a re-recording of the band's 2000 EP with new vocalist Nate Johnson (Dead Water Drowning) along with the out of print 2002 album The True Face Of Panic. Even though the vocalist has changed, the band's style has not It's still indescribably brutal and intense with indecipherable pained yowling vocals.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 4:25 PM
Grace Gale is a band with a sense of humor. Their music is hardcore with some metal and rock influences. The vocals are a little more screechy than your usual hardcore screams, and you'll hear melodic vocals here and there. It's their funny lyrics and great song titles like "Part Time Gravedigger, Full Time Scumbag" that set them apart.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 3:33 PM
Ten years into their career Hoods have released one of their best albums. It's old school hardcore packed with intensity, angry vocals, chunky riffs and breakdowns. They also add enough polish and metal elements to appeal to metalcore fans without alienating their original hardcore fan base.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 10:34 AM
Legendary Bay Area thrashers Exodus are back with a new singer and a new album. Rob Dukes is the new singer and his voice is angrier than the previous Exodus vocalists, and that adds an edge of intensity to the band's sound. That combined with guitarist Gary Holt's patented thrash guitar riffs makes for a crushing new album.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 9:56 AM
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.
