Phew! Just in time for the end of the month! I know I have so much more to catch up on, but at least here are some videos for August!
More Italian Prog Metal! Hollow Haze brings a great, symphonic stomper with "Destinations," going big like good prog should do! Very melodic and catchy, with moments where the orchestra really helps build things up. Good stuff!
Alter Bridge is back with their blend of hard rock, alt metal, and post-grunge. Again, I feel bad for having not gotten back into this band. This song just has more of the same big riffs, soaring vocals, and introspective tone that I've always liked from Kennedy, Tremonti, and company.
Airbourne is back with another slab of blues-rock. Frankly, it's hard to go wrong with what works, and we have another great rocker from these Aussies. Not that there was any reason to doubt, as these guys know how to rock!
Yes, I know I already reviewed the Monkey3 album, but I don't care! This stuff remains amazing! Their eclectic mix of psychadelic, stoner, and post-rock cannot be denied! This one is not as long and starts off rather acoustic, but that's only the set up for the banger this song becomes!
While this Rhapsody of Fire spin-off has been releasing singles for a while, this is the first one that really got my attention. Here we have Turilli / Lione Rhapsody exploring more abstract, nearly science fiction concepts. However, that symphonic power metal sound remains very intact, full of high-speed riffs and epic choruses backed by massive choirs!
I feel like I don't cover enough classic-style progressive rock around here. Pattern-Seeking Animals is a side project featuring current and former members of Spock's Beard, and while I'm not familiar with the Star-Trek-inspired band, I know good melodic prog when I hear it. A bit Yes, a bit Genesis, but very light and floaty. Not bad!
I think August is going faster than July did!! Still, I've been trying to catch up on a bunch of the new releases. Here's what I've been playing lately!
Crazy Lixx - Forever Wild Taking a look at the cover art, you’d think it would be just chock-full of cheesy 80s anthemic rockers, and while you wouldn’t be wrong, when they’re this good, it just doesn’t matter! Crazy Lixx is a band dedicated to keeping that classic pop metal sound alive, and they sound great on their latest record, comparable to the best of Def Leppard or Scorpions. Of course, there are some pretty predictable songs, like “Wicked” being a straight-forward rocker about the wild life, and “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” is the kind of power ballad that dominated the radio in the late 80s. However, if this kind of stuff was going to bother you, you’re listening to the wrong record. What really stands out is the heart and passion these guys have for this sound. This isn’t some half-baked effort to capitalize on a minor trend, but a band who makes the most of what made this kind of music great in the first place. With so many fist-pumping anthems, especially “Break Out,” “Silent Thunder”, “Terminal Velocity,” and “Never Die (Forever Wild),” it’s hard to not just headbang along with a massive smile on your face. As far as I’m concerned, there is no such thing as a dead genre, where nothing more worth saying with a certain style of music. There is always room for high-quality, well executed rock music in my books, and Forever Wild knocks it out of the park.
Paragon - Controlled Demolition I was pretty impressed with Paragon’s twovideos from earlier, so I figured I’d throw in their new album on and get a full dose of their sound. What I got was more of the same: crunchy, heavy, thrashy, Accept-inspired German metal! This being my first experience with a Paragon album, they certainly know how to lay on the riffs. Whether they’re stomping at a mid-tempo pace and powering ahead with high speed thrashers, it’s non-stop crunching from beginning to end. And on top of it all is Andreas Babuschkin’s vocals, sounding very Udo-like, full of soaring power and strength. Some tracks do stand out, though. First, you have “Reborn” and “Mean Machine” really blowing things up at the beginning, but later tracks like “The Enemy Within” and “Black Widow” maintain that power. In the middle is the 8 minute epic “Deathlines,” which starts off with a slower vibe, but eventually kicking into double-speed madness before settling back in that earlier, haunting tone. Other tracks are not as strong, but don’t drag the album down, making the album feel fairly solid from beginning to end. Much like it’s cousin “Fight the Fear” by Herman Frank from earlier in the year, it’s straight ahead metal, though Paragon does provide a thrashier vibe. Definitely a blast to listen to when you want that Teutonic metal sound!
Monkey3 - Sphere I know I joked about having posted halfthealbum in my video posts, but I really was impressed with what I found. Finally, I decided to give the whole album a go and listen to the other half. To be short, it’s just as good! On the videos, I made reference to their Pink Floyd influence, but as I’m taking in the whole thing, I’m also hearing bits of Tool, post-rock, doom metal, along with all the psychedelia they’re throwing around. However, their biggest trademark is their sheer wall-of-sound approach to song-writing. These guys sound gigantic! Not a single corner of your headphones will feel empty once they get going. Even with the beginning of “Ida” starting as something of an acoustic ballad eventually gives way to outright sonic force. Another thing I liked about the album is how liberating it felt. As opposed to Tool with their angst-filled brooding, Monkey3 have more of a lighter, flying feel. It really gives me the impression that these songs would be an absolute blast to play live, as the musicians have all kinds of room to noodle and explore. If there is a potential flaw, it’s that the album doesn’t really have a lot of diversity in tone. While each song is memorable in its own way, they all go for the same tone throughout the album. It’s certainly not a bad thing for a band to stick to their sound, but those looking for more variety in their albums may find this one a little single-minded. However, for me, this stuff was amazing. From the explosive “Spirals” to the epic “Ellipsis,” I was completely blown away. Seriously, I think this is the best album I’ve heard this year so far! Full of passion and great musicianship, this is clearly a band I need to listen to a lot more!!
Find Me - Angels In Blue To round things out, I decided to listen to some old-fashioned AOR. While Journey will likely always be the reference point for this kind of music, Find Me look to build on that foundation by having more emphasis on synths, a sharper production, and putting the drummer right next to the vocals in the mix. Of course, the singer is always going to be center of this kind of music, but the guitars really do feel like background music and don't really do that much soloing. While it's not a bad choice, it's definitely something I noticed listening through the album. The lyrics are also that specific kind of sentimental one expects from this kind of music. Nothing awful, but nothing really noteworthy. However, if you're in for some anthemic rockers from the early 80s, it's hard to go wrong with what Find Me is providing here. While the songs do kind of blend together, it is pretty fun to listen to while it's on. Like I said earlier, there is no such thing as a dead genre, and as long as we have bands like this providing new, solid AOR, that will remain a fact.
It's been fun to finally catch up on some new releases, but I know I'm still struggling to make new articles for this blog. While I'm not giving up on it, I don't think I can really make any promises regarding the frequency of my output. I think I can do a videos post before the end of the month, but we'll have to see, as this week is going to be busy for me. Still, I'm glad to talk about some new stuff, and hopefully even more great rock is around the corner. Until then, rock on! \m/
