Lacuna Coil Tread Familiar Water

Italian rockers Lacuna Coil have been fine tuning their musical machine over the last fifteen years. They are one band that you know will turn out a really good album. They are one of the most successful bands on their Century Media Records label. Singer Cristina “there’s no H in my first name” Scabbia has become known worldwide as one of the hottest chicks in metal. Still, after five albums and countless tours, the band has never elevated to that next level of success and notoriety.

Will their new album Dark Adrenaline take them to that level? Well, let’s take a listen and see what we find. This is the band’s first album since 2009’s Shallow Life. The band went with producer Don Gilmore who also produced their last album. It opens with “Trip the Darkness” and is also the first video released. Musically, it’s familiar territory for the band as it opens with singer Andrea Ferro’s on the first verse before Cristina comes in and then takes over the chorus. The chugging guitars and bass throughout the song are that trademark sound from the band that we have come to know and love.

“Against You” has more of a rock edge to it and the guitar work between Cristiano Migliore and Marco “Maus” Biazzi is close to perfection all the way down to the superb solos midway through the song. “Give Me Something More” is a really catchy song from the band and Cristina’s delivery of the chorus is very infectious. You will be singing along after the first listen.

“Upside Down” is one of the strongest tracks on the album and it definitely rocks. Andrea and Cristina trade off vocals on this track. I like the contrast in their styles, but at times you wish Andrea just had a bit more grit to his delivery. “End of Time” is a power ballad that would sound right at home at album rock radio. This is another great vocal delivery by Cristina on the lead and Andrea taking over on the chorus.

“The Army Inside” shows the band turning up the guitars again on this catchy song. There have been many comparisons to Depeche Mode, especially after covering one of their songs. At times, to me this sounds like what Depeche Mode would if they added heavier guitars; plus a very hot female singer. “Fire” is, no pun intended, a very hot song by the band. It has great vocals, a catchy riff throughout and a great hook in the chorus.

Although “End of Time” would make it radio much easier, I think “My Spirit” is the better of the two ballads. I think it’s a much richer song in composition and Andrea’s and Cristina’s vocals shine on this track. This song has some of the darker elements from the band’s earlier work that seems to have faded throughout the years.
The band is known for doing some great covers in the past and on this album they decided to take on a classic in R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion”. As much as I wanted to like their new version, it just doesn’t work for me. It’s as if they have stripped away the core emotion of the R.E.M. song and turned it into a generic rock song. It really lacks that emotional connection that Michael Stipe made when he originally recorded the song.

So, will this new album vault Italy’s finest to that next level of superstardom? There are moments on here in which they seem poised for that. They have all the right elements working in their favor. Cristina’s vocals are full of emotion and energy and can switch from sweet to savage in note. Andrea’s vocals are great, but as mentioned before, need a bit more grit on the more aggressive lyrics to convey the feeling that is warranted. The musicianship is top notch as always, with the guitar attack being taken to a whole new, heavier level on this album. Although, I do miss some of the heavier, darker goth sound that the band had in their earlier days.

There are a few songs on the album that, given the right push my marketing, could blow up at radio and expose the band to a new fan base. There have been so many bands throughout time that have been on the verge of super stardom, but never got that one lucky break needed to crossover to the next level. Will Dark Adrenaline launch them to the next level? Stay tuned to find out.

Nightwish's Rock Opera Imaginaerum

The Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish is back with their most daring release to date. Imaginaerum is an album written around the premise of a movie, a type of rock opera of sorts. It’s a brave move for a band to make take such a bold step and really says a great deal about their artistic integrity. They aren’t happy with playing it safe; they want to push the proverbial envelope of creativity.

It’s been a little over four years since we have heard from the band. Their last release, Dark Passion Play, marked the vocal debut of Anette Olzon who replaced longtime vocalist Tarja Turunen. The album was a big success for the band and they seemed poised for worldwide domination. This brave and bold step at such a pivotal point in their career will be interesting to see how it plays out with their fans. Let’s dissect this “concept” album and see if it’s worthy of elevating this very talented band to a higher level.

The album opens with an odd music box and piano lullaby sung in Finnish. It is almost as if you are sitting in an opera house as the first act is about to begin. I can imagine the lights going dark and the curtain opening. This leads us into the first single “Storytime”, which is familiar Nightwing ground. It has that symphonic and metal sound that blend together so well, plus an added background choir. This is probably the most commercial sounding track on the album and a great choice for lead-off single. Anette’s vocals on this track are hypnotic and smooth and you can’t help but to be drawn toward them.

Up next is “Ghost River”, with it’s almost Van Halenesque guitar intro. Listen to it and tell me that you don’t immediately drift off to “Ain’t Talking About Love”! I think song has a somewhat similar vibe as “Storytime” as it’s heavily orchestrated and very catchy, but the chorus is a bit heavier with the guitars amped up. The tempo slows down on “Slow, Love, Slow”. The simple arrangement of piano and a slow bass line that weaves throughout the song gives it a bit of an old school jazz feel to it. If you close our eyes, you can imagine Anette in a smoke filled bar against a baby grand singing this song.

“Scaretale” is a wild ride of a song as the intro sounds like something out of a horror movie, complete with little kids chanting “ring around the rosies”. The lyrics are also somewhat bizarre as it speaks of the bride eating the innocence of people. There’s also a killer riff worked in there to headband along to. “Arabesque” is an instrumental piece that just doesn’t work for me when I listen to it. Maybe it will make more sense when the movie is released, but for now, it just seems like filler.

The use of dual vocalists, especially one male and one female, doesn’t always work out on a single track or mesh well together. “Rest Calm” shows that when it does work, it takes the song to another level. Marco’s vocals are powerful and commanding, yet Anette’s vocals are too, but in a totally different delivery. She really shines on the chorus as she turns beast to beauty in her delivery.

“The Crow, The Owl and the Dove” is a beautiful song and a standout on the album. All the elements really come together and complement each other on this track. The lyrics are moving and powerful and the vocal delivery adds to the emotional element of the song. “Song of Myself” is a bit of a puzzler for me. It clocks in at just over 13 minutes and about 7 of those minutes are spoken word. It just seems a bit too long for me and maybe trimming it down would have helped it in its effectiveness. The album closes with the instrumental title track.

So, does this rock opera work without the aid of the forthcoming movie? I say yes, but not 100%, especially with the instrumentals. The album is diverse and has a little bit of everything on it. I think Anette really shines on here and shows that she was a worthy candidate to replace Tarja. The guitar work of Emppu Vuorinen and Jukka Nevalainen runs the gauntlet. The acoustic work is a very sharp contrast to the shredding guitars and solos, but its delivery on the songs is just as powerful.

I think Imaginaerum will please longtime fans of Nightwish as well as be a good jumping on point for new fans as well. The movie for this album should prove to be interesting as we wait to see if it propels this piece of art to another level or not. In the meantime, sit back and crank this up and allow yourself to be taken on a journey with Nightwish.

Lamb Of God Are Back With A Vengence

I know that it’s only the first month of the New Year, but the bar has been set and it has been set very high. Lamb of God is back and in a huge way. Their new album Resolution was already on just about every “Most Anticipated Albums of 2012” list out there. We last heard from the Richmond, VA natives in 2009 with their album Wrath. The Virginia Commonwealth University alumnus has again delivered a product to make all other metal bands stand up and take note.

The album opens with “Straight For the Sun” and after an intake of a deep breath, the assault begins with a scream of attack by lead singer Randy Blythe. The riff is slow and churning and is like Black Sabbath on steroids. It’s dark and brooding and ends the same way it starts with that throat blistering scream from Randy. The next track “Desolation” really punches the gas to the floor and takes off into familiar territory of LOG fans. It’s intense, fast, brutal and in your face.

“Ghost Walking” will make you do a double take. Wait, did I just hear an acoustic guitar intro? A very cool, short, blues type intro is quickly plugged in and amped up with the volume cranked high. The solo in this song is blistering to the ears and fingertips both. Speaking of ears, “Guilty” will be reminiscent to fans of the earlier LOG sound of just pure intense assault on your senses. The “no intro” approach on this one is like going from 0 to 90 in a second as Randy launches this one out of the park.

Next up is one of my favorite tracks on the album, “The Undertow”. A bit on the thrash side, but still maintaining the elements that make LOG who they are. The solo is also pretty insane on this stellar track also. “Barbarossa” is a change of pace and a 1:40ish chance to catch your breath from the assault that you just went through. It’s an instrumental and sounds unlike anything else on the album. It’s short, but it solidifies the fact that these guys are great musicians not just a one trick pony.

“Invictus” quickly floors the gas pedal and gets us back into the trademark, aggressive territory with a heavy groove and a blistering solo. “Insurrection” is one of the more complex and rewarding tracks on the album and it has several layers to it. Randy’s vocal delivery is a crazy mix of spoken work, throat blistering screams and at times almost clean vocals. There is another awesome solo provided mid-way through. There’s also a killer riff that chugs along throughout the song carrying it to the melodic chorus and then picks right back up again.

The album closes with “King Me” and the guys may have saved the best for last. The intro to the song should be an indicator with how this song is about to build into an epic masterpiece. The guitars are dark and eerie when combined with the somewhat operatic vocals in the background and Randy’s clean, spoken lines. Then, the song bursts into the rawness that we expect from LOG but with a huge twist. The guys have gone way out on a limb on this track and push the envelope by including an orchestra/string section on this track. I think it works in an epic way and it will certainly be interesting to hear the fans reaction to this track that shows the guys really branching out.

So, is this a perfect album? Well, it’s not 100% perfection, but it comes pretty close. The second half of the album may not be as uniformly strong as the first half, but it certainly is far from being weak my most standards. Randy Blythe will truly astound you on here. If you have been following LOG, then you may think that you have already heard all the range that he had to offer. Well, he takes his epic screams to an even lower level of intensity that you thought was unimaginable. His almost clean delivery and spoken verse on a few tracks will definitely shock you.

The two guitar assault of Mark Morton and Willie Adler has raised the bar as well for their intensity and rawness that they deliver. Yes, there are plenty of blistering solos and insane shredding to the point that you wonder if these guys have any fingertips left. Chris Adler’s drumming is very underrated and his playing has gotten even more aggressive ob this album. I wish that John Campbell’s bass would be brought more to the forefront as it seems to get overshadowed at times by all that is going on around him.

Resolution has everything that Lamb of God fans have come to know and love over the years. The guys have certainly set the bar high for other releases coming out this year. Could the album of the year for 2012 have already been released so early into the year? Well, I think it may just have, but the next 11 months will prove interesting.

Pilgrim Channel Old School Black Sabbath On Misery Wizard

There is yet another label being thrown around in today’s over labeled and categorized scene of metal. It seems as if there are more variations of metal these days than there are different types of blue crayons in a 500 count box of Crayolas. A new form is doom metal and yes, as you probably envisioned from the label, it’s not exactly indicative of Ren and Stimpys’ “Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy” vibe.

Pilgrim, heralding from Rhode Island, is a part of this new breed of metal. They’re not re-creating the wheel, but they are putting their own spin on a familiar sound. The band’s sound is a throwback to the dark, brooding sound of early Black Sabbath, yet updated for today’s listener. The band, consisting of The Wizard on guitar and vocals, Krolg – the slayer of man on drums and Count Elric the Soothsayer on bass, is poised to release their debut record Misery Wizard on Metal Blade Records on February 12, 2012.

The album is only six tracks and it clocks in at almost an hour with the longest track clocking in at 12:54. The opening chords of the first track, “Astaroth”, immediate bring on the Sabbath comparisons. The guys are in no rush to blitz your senses with an assault of your senses. They take their time in their dark and brooding layout of the song. There are a lot of bands that smash you in the face and bash you over the head with their songs in short, three minute intervals. Pilgrim is the unabridged version of a song as opposed to the cliff notes version, yet they do so effectively.

“Forsaken Man”, clocking in at 12:54, is the longest track on the album and one of the best examples of showing exactly why this band is great at doing what they do. The band are storytellers through their song and music and they take their time weaving that story. It twists and turns and weaves in and out, but it all connects together. The dark guitar chords, a bass that rattles your chest and drums that prove sometimes less is more.

The title track is a creepy number that could double as the soundtrack for an apocalyptic horror movie. It’s heavy, yet melodic and maintains its brutality. The song clocks in at 10:44, yet never drags on at any point. The Wizard does Tony Iommi proud in his approach to laying out a song and not rushing the results. There are those fleeting moments on songs such as “Quest” and “Adventurer” that show the band pushing the pedal down a bit and picking up the pace a bit during which they are just as menacing.

If dark, brooding, retro psychedelic rock is your cup of (insert beverage of choice), then you will want several cups from Pilgrim. The guys put their touch on an old sound and make it contemporary without losing its effect. It’s an album that’s hard to just pick out one track and play. It’s best if you listen to the entire thing at one sitting and enjoy the entire trip.

Goatwhore Offer Up Blood For The Master

It seems like everyone has a band in their music collection whose name garners a look of confusion from those not familiar with their work. Well, Goatwhore is definitely one of those bands who receive a “deer in the headlights” look from unsuspecting people. The band heralds from New Orleans and although their music may not be as spicy as some of the Cajun food being cooked up there, it certainly has its spicy moments.

The band, formed by guitarist Sammy Duet back in 1997, released their debut album The Eclipse of Ages into Black” in 2000. They caught the attention of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne and were enlisted for Ozzfest in both 2008 and 2010. They just unleashed a new album entitled Blood for the Master on Metal Blade records.

There are so many labels for music these days that you almost need a cross reference chart. The band gets categorized as blackened death metal by a lot of circles, but this album contains a lot of old school thrash elements to it. Upon first listen, you can hear bits of old school Metallica and Overkill, plus a touch of Anthrax throughout. The first track, “Collapse in Eternal Worth”, slams you right in your face. The combination of blistering riffs and the thudding drums and bass grabs you by the throat and shakes you.

“When Steel and Bone Meet” is a solid track that the entire band really hits their groove on. Lead singer Louis Falgoust gives a solid vocal performance on here with his throaty, abrasive style. His vocals come up flat and non convincing on some tracks, but this one is an exception. “Parasitic Scriptures of the Sacred World” keeps the musical assault going at full speed. I think this is along the same vein as the previous track, although Louis does push his vocals in attempts for a more sinister type of growl on parts of the song.

“An End of Nothing” is just sick from beginning to end and contains some insane fret work from Sammy Duet. This will be a song to bring to the live show as it will definitely get the pit going at maximum speed. This may be the strongest track on the album as the band is firing on all cylinders in its thrash assault. It’s just a shame that they don’t find this comfort zone on a consistent basis on here.

A major Wayne’s World “I’m Not Worthy” knod goes to guitarist Sammy Duet. This guy gets the MVP on this album for a solid track by track performance on the axe. His solos are blistering and insane, yet he manages to keep them original and fresh. Even on some of the weaker songs, he manages to be the glue that keeps them from falling apart.

Overall, it’s a good effort from the guys and shows a lot of growth by the band. It’s almost like driving a car on a trip and when you’re focused you stay in your lane. Yet, at times you may start to swerve into the other lane if you don’t pay close attention. At times this happens with the band and they come up flat. There are plenty of bright spots on the album too as the band shows growth and those tracks truly shine. This is what is needed to make this band stand out and excel ahead of others in their genre.

Halestorm Teases With Hello, It's Mz. Hyde EP

Halestorm seemed to come out of nowhere in 2009 with their song ultra sexy song and video for “I Get Off”. Led by lead singer Lzzy Hale, who was a deadly combination of leather and lace, the band was called an overnight sensation by many. What many did not know was that the band had been together for a long time and paying their dues. They released an EP in 2005 entitled “One and Done” and became road warriors, playing just about anywhere and everywhere.

Their self-titled full length album spawned numerous hits including “I Get Off”, “Familiar Taste of Poison” and more. Here we are three years and hundreds of shows later and the pressure is on as all eyes are on these childhood friends from PA. Will they rise to the challenge or suffer the dreaded “sophomore slump”? Well, for now, we are getting a 4 song EP entitled Hello, It’s Mz. Hyde to serve as a teaser for what’s to come.

The EP is a digital download only, but that’s familiar ground for the band. They released a covers EP last year entitled ReAniMate: The CoVeRs eP as a digital download only. For anyone who is familiar with the band, they know that they have been infamous for doing killer cover songs for years now and that EP was no exception.

The first track and single, and maybe even song title of the year, is “Love Bites (So Do I)” and it shows off a bit of an aggressive edge for the band that brings to mind Skid Row’s “Slave To The Grind”. Lzzy vocals are diverse on here and effective to bringing true emotion to the lyrics. Joe Hottinger offers some tasty guitar work in this song. Lzzy’s brother Arejay also is a beast on the drums on this track

The band showed us on their last album that they definitely know how to create a catchy song that will get stuck in our heads. “Rock Show” is another example of one of those songs that you will immediately be singing the chorus after only one listen. This is one of those songs that all fans and music lovers can relate to. As Lzzy sings, ‘At the rock show, you’ll be right in the front row’, you just start rocking your head in agreement. Josh Smith also lays down a solid bassline that carries this song from beginning to end.

“Daughters of Darkness” is a great track with Halestorm doing what they do best. The chorus screams for audience participation and would fit in great at a live show. The last track, “Here’s To Us”, shifts gears and shows that Lzzy and the boys are no strangers to the old school power ballads from the eighties. The acoustic intro sets a great tone as the boys slowly join in on this track and establish a great melody. Lzzy’s reflective lyrics are sure to strike a chord with everyone who listens as I am sure we can all relate.

A mere four song teaser and I am so hungry for more. We have been served an appetizer and now we must wait until April for the main course. This EP is everything that we would expect from Halestorm, but they raised the bar. Anyone who has seen this band live knows that they are diverse and rich with talent. This EP taps into that a little more than their debut album did. Lzzy’s vocals are stronger than ever and even more convincing in her lyrical deliver. You actually feel what she is singing. Joe, Arejay and Josh sound tighter than ever and have really pushed themselves. Man, April needs to get here as soon as possible!

OTHERWISE Sign With Century Media Records

It seems as if every now and then that the music industry gets it right. Well, I do believe that this is one of those times. Century media Records announced on January, 12, 2012 that they had just signed the band OTHERWISE to a recording deal. Now, I know that many of you out there may not have a clue as to who this band is, but you are about to; mark my words.

The band was formed in 2005 by brothers Adrian and Ryan Patrick. The road up to this point in their careers has not been a bed of roses, as there were a few thorns experienced along the way. Adrian garnered quite a bit of national exposure when he was featured on "The Promise" singing with Maria Brink and In This Moment. The song received mainstream airplay and a video was also shot for the song. Adrian joined In This Moment on the 2010 Mayhem Festival and performed the song with the band. After the tour, he returned home with a new found hunger to make it to the big leagues, but it a setback. A major shakeup in band personnel happened and what might have ended other bands, just made Adrian and Ryan that much more determined.





The guys found the remaining pieces of the puzzle in bassist Flavio Ivan, drummer Corky Gainsford and guitarist Vassilio Metropoulos. The band was labeled by FOX News as the "#1 Unsigned Act in America" and by Xtreme Rock Radio 107.5 as the "#1 Unsigned Band in Las Vegas". Well, those two labels are a thing of the past thanks to the announcement on 01/12/12. The band are currently in the studio with Jay Baumgardner (Bush, Linkin Park, Papa Roach, Incubus) recording their debut album.

This article is just a little intro for all of you who may not be familiar with the band. The first video included here is "The Promise" by In This Moment. The second video is for "Soldiers" by OTHERWISE. Check out their Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/otherwiseofficial#!/otherwiseofficial?sk=wall, and learn more about this band who will definitely be making a major noise in 2012.