Disturbed

Nicumo – Storms Arise Review

Nicumo – Storms Arise Review

“Melancholy: a feeling of pensive sadness. Synonyms: desolation, woe, sorrow. The word, from its Latin and Greek origins, translates to black bile: too much of which in a person could cause depression. It’s a loaded word, that’s for certain, and it gets thrown around and attached to music cheaply and without much care. Too many words of melancholy’s ilk are over-used; too much hyperbole, drama and imaginative nonsense is bestowed upon average and uninspiring music (I’m also responsible for this sort of thing) and thus certain words, phrases, and images have lost their power completely.” Sad boys be sad.

Adrenaline Mob – We the People Review

Adrenaline Mob – We the People Review

“We the People, in order to form a more perfect union, certainly never planned for Sir Russell Allen to continue his New York/New Jersey nu-metal groove project Adrenaline Mob this long. In fact, with this third album inbound, things are bordering on a violation of listeners’ basic rights and freedoms. I’ve covered their previous outings of throwback hard rock and nu-metal, yet I remain at a loss why Mr. Allen is so enamored with this numb-skull style of pablum made infamous by Disturbed, Godsmack and Nickelback.” Careers in waste management.

Demon Hunter – Outlive Review

Demon Hunter – Outlive Review

“A demon’s skull, shattered via a bullet between the eyes. America’s Demon Hunter certainly have some blunt imagery, and aren’t shy whatsoever about their faith. I don’t mind being preached at, being a fan of Rage Against the Machine and their absurdist politics and Behemoth’s cool death metal saturated with Satanic sophistry, so Demon Hunter’s blatant Christianity doesn’t bother me a whit.” White metal matters.

As Lions – Selfish Age Review

As Lions – Selfish Age Review

“Heredity can be a blessing and a curse. Unless you’re George Clooney, you will be endlessly compared to that elderly, more famous relative of yours no matter how different you proclaim to be. Often, lineage will be the curiosity factor that garners early attention, but even more often it will be a stumbling block to legitimacy. Take Lauren Harris, for example, daughter of Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris. She’s been trying for over a decade to make a go of it, with little luck. Another “Child of Maiden,” Austin Dickinson, is bravely trying to carve his own path, first with unmemorable metalcore act Rise to Remain and now with As Lions.” How far is that apple gonna roll?

Project Theory – Something between Us Review

Project Theory – Something between Us Review

“Given that I have a great relationship with my father, didn’t get bullied in high school, and don’t hate my hometown, my qualifications to review nu-metal are basically nil. Alas, I’ve made my superiors here rather upset in some way, shape, or form and have been duly saddled with a Greek nu-metal opus in the form of Project Theory’s Something between Us.” Ouch.

Operation: Mindcrime – The Key Review

Operation: Mindcrime – The Key Review

“Geoff Tate cannot be stopped. Getting fired from Queensryche barely slowed him down, and a lengthy court battle over the band name just made him mad. Hell, we even begged him to show us mercy, but he denied us. Instead, Tate has delivered The Key, the debut outing by his creatively-named new project Operation: Mindcrime.” Someone, somewhere deserves this.

Adrenaline Mob – Men of Honor Review

Adrenaline Mob – Men of Honor Review

“Umm, I’ll be honest with you. I really wasn’t looking forward to this album. As much as I worship Sir Russell Allen (Symphony X, Allen/Lande) and his golden pipes of steel, I really hate this hard rock/nu-metal side project he has going on with friends. Their Omerta debut was a painfully shallow, cringe-inducing foray into Disturbed styled nu-metal mixed with grungy barroom rock and it really didn’t work, even with Allen on vocals and Little Lord Mike Portnoy (ex-Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment) on drums.” The Mob is back again. Do they rule yet?

Megadeth – Super Collider Review

Megadeth – Super Collider Review

“I know we at AMG have had our issues with Dave Mustaine in the past and God knows we’ve certainly had our problems with a good portion of his band’s recorded output in recent years, but I still root for the guy on some level. After all the drama, drugs, depression and divahood, the man still helped invent thrash and put Metallica on the map before going on to release some seriously awesome albums on his own. That being said, it really seems as if he’s given up on releasing quality music since 2009s Endgame.” Can Dave right the ship and return to his thrash glory days, or is it time to foreclose on his dream of Megadeth remaining relevant?