CD Review: ‘Rivals’ by Coal Chamber
Oh the 90s. A decade of nu-metal, Hot Topic, black baggy pants, and pseudo-goth fashion. In this haze of black eyeliner and down tuned seven string guitars came Coal Chamber. Coal Chamber never enjoyed the popularity of bands like Korn, Limp Bizkit or Sli ...
CD Review: ‘Shred Force 1 (The Essential MAB)’ by Michael Angelo Batio
Few musicians have as long of a career as Michael Angelo Batio (MAB). Even fewer can legitimately claim to be an an inventor and innovator. MAB is one of the only on the planet with his invention on display in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Clev ...
CD Review: ‘721835’ by Double Experience
Sick of bands that only sing about love and loss? What about bands that spend more time getting dressed than writing music? Then the self-described “nerdy neo-rock band from Ottawa, ON,” Double Experience says they’re the answer you’ve been waiti ...
CD Review: ‘ExtermiNation’ by Raven
You cannot keep a good metal band down. Raven had a fairly strong following during the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. The group's influence was so great that Metallica opened for the group in 1983. The latter subsequently eclipsed Raven in both influenc ...
CD Review: ‘The Ark Work’ by Liturgy
If black metal fan boys hated Hunter Hunt-Hendrix before, they are going to pop a blood vessel over “The Ark Work.” Taking a progressive approach, Hunt-Hendrix brought black metal to its breaking point on “Aesthethica” by deconstructing its clichés into ...
CD Review: ‘Songs From the Black Hole’ by Prong
Prong has always had a sound of its own. Equal parts hardcore, thrash, industrial and goth, the band has managed to stay fresh for 30 years. On Songs From The Black Hole, Tommy Victor and Company pay tribute to the trio's influences and what a tribute it ...
CD Review: ‘The Number 8’ by Annalisa Tornfelt
Annalisa Tornfelt is best known for being the lead singer and fiddle player for the Portland, Ore. based Black Prairie. With a large portion of Black Prairie on tour in their sister group, The Decemberists; Annalisa is releasing her first full length solo ...
CD Review: ‘The American Dream Died’ by Agnostic Front
It has been 4 long years, but legendary hardcore band Agnostic Front is back with The American Dream Died. The band wastes no time voicing its disgust of government corruption. Vocalist Roger Miret gives a scathing commentary on the title track, covering ...
CD Review: ‘Little Brother Is Watching’ by Bumblefoot
This is an album I’ve been waiting for since the Summer of 2008. That was the month the last full-length Bumblefoot album of original material, Abnormal, was released. That’s 7 years of patience, while the world has continued to turn. It is not as though ...
CD Review: ‘With Serpent Scourge’ by Necrowretch
French blackened death metal trio Necrowretch play it safe on its sophomore effort, With Serpents Scourge. There are some killer riffs on such songs as “Feast Off Their Doom,” but there is little that truly jumps out and grabs the listener by the throat. ...