Hard Rock

Things You Might Have Missed 2014: He Is Legend – Heavy Fruit

By Dr. Fisting on November 1, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Metalcore, Non-Metal Metal Things, Not Metal, Sludge, Things You Might Have Missed 2014, Tragic Hero, Alternative Metal, Hard Rock, Metalcore, Not Metal, Sludge Metal, Stoner Metal, Stoner Rock, 9 comments

“Once upon a time, in the days of MySpace, there was a band called He Is Legend. They had the misfortune of association with the mid-2000’s metalcore scene, and worse yet, they had a long way to go in the songwriting department. Over time they went through awkward growth spurts, thankfully ditching their core trappings, but struggling with finding their own style.” Mr. Fisting rings in the holiday season with the very first of our “Things You Might Have Missed” recommendations, and this time, it’s all about the fruit!

Kontrust – Explositive Review

By El Cuervo on October 29, 2014 in 2014, Austrian Metal, Napalm Records, Non-Metal Metal Things, Not Metal, Reviews, Uncategorized, Hard Rock, Non-metal Metal Things, Not Metal, 11 comments

“Bestowing their bonkers brand of crossover hard rock on the bewildered brains of the masses, Kontrust boldly bounces back with Explositive.” Happy Metal Guy is gone, but Kontrust remains….

Allen/Lande – The Great Divide Review

By Steel Druhm on October 8, 2014 in 2014, Frontiers Records, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, 11 comments

“A talented singer can become, in the hands of a skilled songsmith, a powerful tool for artistic expression. In such a craftsman’s nimble fingers, powerful vocals can be woven and molded to create a truly sublime listening experience. Likewise, in the hands of a rank amateur, those same vocal gifts can become nothing but a hammer, and every song the nail.” When you learn who is responsible for crafting songs for these metal legends, you may fear a hammering in your immediate future.

Skyscraper – Elevation Review

By El Cuervo on September 20, 2014 in 2014, Cock Rock, Ghost Dancer Records, Norwegian Metal, Reviews, Hard Rock, 1 comment

“I want to begin this review of Skyscraper’s début, Elevation, with a game of complete the lyrics, from sixth track “Walk Through Fire.” “I walk through fire…” (a) “while in ferocious combat with the dragon sent by the Elven armies,” (b) “in order to emulate the fiery depths of Hell for my unification with Lucifer,” or (c) “for you.” Done? If you chose (a) or (b) then I regret to inform you that neither option is correct, but if you liked either, I would suggest that this record may not align with your usual musical preferences (and that you should book an appointment with your local shrink and/or exorcist).” Well, I flunked that pop quiz bigtime. I hate pop quizzes.

Audrey Horne – Pure Heavy Review

By Steel Druhm on September 15, 2014 in 2014, Heavy Metal, Napalm Records, Norwegian Metal, Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, 26 comments

“It pains me to say it, but the best American rock band hails from Norway. Their name is Audrey Horne and they’re mercy ruling the competition out of the game. This brilliant, idiot-manchild side project of Ice Dale (Enslaved) and Thomas Tofthagen (Sahg) has blazed a shockingly catchy trail of pure rock lunacy since 2005s Confessions and Alcohol. Their eponymous 2010 album was a positively brilliant amalgam of Faith No More and Stone Temple Pilots, surpassed only by 2013s Youngblood for skin snagging hooks and mega memorable rock anthems. This is the kind of band that serves up frothy, foamy good times music with so much swagger they can barely walk in a straight line. That’s right, it’s big pimpin, hard rocking, dirty rolling, greasy rock that sticks to the ribs and makes you cooler just by listening.” Resistance is futile, you will be converted to the Horde of Horne.

Lou Siffer and the Howling Demons – At Your Service Review

By Madam X on August 11, 2014 in 2014, Cock Rock, Heavy Metal, Mighty Music, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, 6 comments

“Lou Siffer and the Howling Demons are the bastard offspring of a devil-may-care attitude and a party roaring like a room full of V8 engines. Hailing from, of all places, the blackened heart of Sweden, this band of evildoers loudly spew their volatile and contagious brand of aggressive hard rock and gruff, gasoline powered heavy metal to bring you their second full-length jammed with fast cars, horror, death and violence. At Your Service continues on from where The Devil’s Ride left off, combining the familiar influences of Chrome Division, Volbeat, Corrosion of Conformity and even The Misfits, leaving you with a funky taste in your mouth that smacks of familiarity and a lot of devilish fun!” Looks like the party’s in your mouth and everyone is…invited.

High Spirits – You Are Here Review

By JF Williams on May 9, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Heavy Metal, Hells Headbangers Records, Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, 4 comments

“Running searches on the vast database that is the Metal Archives can be a fascinating – and sometimes hilarious – way of looking at the genre at a whole. For example, filtering for “lyrical themes”, unsurprisingly, finds that “nihilism” and “national socialism” trump out “rock”, “rocking” and “fun” in the heavy metal thematic lexicon. We sure are a cynical bunch, aren’t we? I’d like to think that Chicago-based traditional metal champion Chris Black (fellow music journalist and leader of a number of lauded traditional heavy metal groups such as Dawnbringer and Pharaoh, both of which I’ve unfortunately managed to neglect) himself went on a sojourn into these nether reaches of the Archives and decided that enough was enough. Black clearly has no time for modern metal cynicism, and his one-man throwback project High Spirits, with lyrical themes tagged in the Archives with “rocking” and “being in high spirits,” is about as light-hearted and easily palatable as modern metal gets.” Chris Black continues to be the new black in the world of throwback metal.

Miracle Master – Tattooed Woman Review

By Madam X on February 28, 2014 in 2014, German Metal, GoldenCore Records, Heavy Metal, Non-Metal Metal Things, Reviews, ZYX Music, Hard Rock, 3 comments

“Hot on the heels of Steel Druhm’s review of Crematory’s Antiserum and sticking with zee Germans, we have Miracle Master’s Tattooed Woman, which delivers an unhealthily large dose of Dio worship, a smattering of modern American hard rockers Shinedown and the growlings of Monster Magnet.” Madam X loves her catchy hard rock, but can she make it through a whole review without Jorn nuthugging? Take your bets now!

Monster Magnet – Last Patrol Review

By Steel Druhm on October 5, 2013 in 2013, 3.5, American Metal, Heavy Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, Stoner Rock, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Stoner Metal, 4 comments

“That sketchy van is back in town. You know, the one with New Jersey plates, mushrooms and wizards painted on the side and the “Free Candy” bumper sticker. And as usual, there’s more smoke pouring from the tinted windows than from the tailpipe. That can only mean Monster Magnet is back to drop more of their spaced-out, stoner-themed hard rock to conjures the era of bongos, free love and lava lamps. Coming off 2010s masterful Mastermind release, Dave Wyndorf and company had some big sandals to fill.” So how do you fill a sandal exactly? Monster Magnet fills it with rowdy, stripper club friendly rock and that can’t be a bad thing, can it?

Magnus Karlsson – Free Fall Review

By Madam X on June 14, 2013 in 2013, 3.5, Frontiers Records, Heavy Metal, Not Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Uncategorized, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, 0 comments

“Hot on the heels of Jorn’s Traveller, Free Fall is living, breathing, tangible proof that Frontiers Records know their 70’s flavored hard rock! Picking up Free Fall is a little like solving a riddle… getting thrown head first into a melting pot and it’s quite literally a who’s who of hard rock or heavy metal. At the forefront of Free Fall you have the man of the hour, Swedish, heavy metal multi-instrumentalist, classically trained wizard and songwriter Magnus Karlsson axeman to the likes of Primal Fear, Allen/Lande, Last Tribe and a host of others. Do you like the slick hard rock style of metal that Jorn and Allen/Lande traffic in? Does the idea of an album with 9 vocalists work for you? This thing is directly in Madam X’s wheelhouse, so she will help you answer the above questions.