Check out our preview of the new Rock and Metal albums coming out this week!
Tag Archives: Hard Rock
ALBUM REVIEW: Royal Thunder – Rebuilding The Mountain
This band from Atlanta transcended the vest metal tag assigned to them early on, to become one of the most underrated new acts to coast under the radar of mainstream rock. The lengthy seven-year break since their last album did not help this, but Rebuilding The Mountain (Spinefarm Records) finds the band taking inventory of their demons before returning, reconfigured, with drummer Evan Diprima back in the fold.
CONCERT REVIEW: Ice Nine Kills – SKYND – Lansdowne – Defying Decay Live at Manchester Academy 1
Opening up the night was Bangkok’s Defying Decay, the seven-piece crammed to the very front of the stage at Academy 1 with masses of equipment behind them. Their sound was a heady cocktail of bludgeoning heaviness and melodic cadences, with frontman Jay Poom Euarchukiati poppy cleans and a liberal dose of groove rounding off the potent mix.
PREVIEW: New Music Friday Rock and Metal New Album Releases 6-16-23
ALBUM REVIEW: DZ Deathrays – R.I.F.F.
Punky Aussie rockers DZ Deathrays thrash back into action with another riff-laden assault on the world’s delicate senses, a sixth studio album not short on forceful intent, lip-curled confidence, and “in-your-face” braggadocio.
ALBUM REVIEW: Nighthawk – Prowler
Nighthawk’s Prowler (Mighty Music) is a fun romp through some good old-fashioned rock and roll. Prowler has the feel of a classic album while being firmly new. Bjorn “Speed” Strid’s (Soilwork, At The Movies) vocals are immaculate, the guitars are blistering, and the riffs are “classic”. ‘Running Wild’ is the second track on the album and it takes me back to the gritty eighties. It evokes black Trans Ams being driven by fluffy-haired gents with sweet ‘taches. ‘Running Wild’ has a distinct sound that blends elements of hard rock and blues rock. The song has a great keyboard riff and melodic, storytelling lyrics.
ALBUM REVIEW: Metallica – 72 Seasons
And so the Metallica riff machine rolls on! forty years after their debut album Kill Em All (1983) laid the blueprint for the Thrash Metal genre, they return with record number … well that’s kind of up for debate depending on how you view their discography, and whether you count live albums, covers album and erm collaborations. But 72 Seasons (Blackened Recordings Inc) is here, their latest artistic statement four decades into a career that has seen them rise from the US West Coast underground, to become the most successful Heavy Metal band of all time. Continue reading
CONCERT REVIEW: Ville Valo – Kælan Mikla Live at Saint Andrew’s Hall
HIM (aka His Infernal Majesty) is one of the biggest, most successful bands to come out of Finland. Love Metal is not only the name of their fourth full-length album, but it is a genre of music they invented. So, it is fair to say many were dismayed when these Finnish fellas broke up six years ago. Yet hope was rekindled when frontman Ville Valo (aka VV) announced his debut solo album in 2022. Neon Noir (Heartagram Records, read our review here) was released earlier this year and has received high praise. Now the man is on the road again sharing his new tunes and some HIM classics on his headlining world tour. Valo brought his romantic rock to Detroit and blessed Saint Andrew’s Hall with his presence. The Live Nation venue was a perfect pit stop for this tour since it is a premiere music site that caters well to hot and flashy rock bands. Our local baseball team, The Detroit Tigers, had their opening day the same evening as Valo’s big show so the streets of the city were bustling and full of hubbub. That energy spilled into the beloved hall and made the night a colorful experience.
ALBUM REVIEW: Paul Gilbert – The Dio Album
There is no love like a labour of love. There is no greater folly than a labour of love. Are those two statements contrary, or can they co-exist “happily”, somehow relating the same truth? Listen to The Dio Album (Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group), and come back to me.
ALBUM REVIEW: Last In Line – Jericho
The brainchild of Dio and Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell, Last In Line was formed in 2012 to celebrate the life of metal legend Ronnie James Dio. Reuniting some of Dio’s former bandmates to perform as a tribute act, Campbell handed vocalist Andrew Freeman the unenviable task of stepping into the great man’s elven boots, the former Great White and Lynch Mob frontman handling the job with confidence and authority ever since.