Adelitas Way: s/t (EMI Virgin)
For the heavy metal fans out there, this week is a virtual smorgasboard of new releases to salivate over. The rest of you shouldn't feel left out, however, as there are plenty of albums here to satisfy just about every taste.
Adelitas Way: s/t
(EMI Virgin)
Drawing comparisons to modern rock icons like Hinder and Puddle of Mudd, Las Vegas' Adelitas Way offer up some made-for-rock-radio treats on their debut album. If you're in the mood for a roadtrip, you can catch the band live with Saliva at 527 Main Street in Murfreesboro, TN on Sunday, August 9th.
Anaal Nathrakh: In the Constellation of the Black Widow
(Candlelight)
British blackened grindcore misanthropes Anaal Nathrakh unleash their fifth studio album, this time featuring a guest appearance by Zeitgeist Memento of Republika.
Arkea: Years in the Darkness
(Koch)
It's no surprise that Arkea's industrialized groove metal debut sounds like a Fear Factory/Threat Signal hybrid - the band is comprised of two members form each of those aforementioned outfits. Of course, the fact that half of the songs on the album were originally intended to be on the next Fear Factory release has something to do with the similiarites as well.
Arsonists Get All The Girls: Portals
(Century Media)
The thrid album from California's Arsonists Get All The Girls expands upon their "experimental" death metal sound through the use of intricate time signatures, subtle keyboard effects, and pronounced bottom end. Blast beats and harsh vocals abound, however, ensuring plenty of brutality remains.
August Burns Red: Constellations
(Solid State)
Pennsylvania's Christian metalcore outfit August Burns Red delivers their third platter of crushing breakdowns, swirling guitar leads, and howling vocals. Catch the band live on Wednesday, August 5th at Club Oasis in Louisville.
Ava Inferi: Blood of Bacchus
(Season of Mist)
Ava Inferi is a Portugese gothic/doom metal band comparable to Katatonia and fellow countrymen Moonspell. Heavy, meandering riffs serve as the backdrop for frontwoman Carmen Simoes' soothing vocals. Originally released in May, the band's third album finally gets a U.S. pressing.
The Beauvilles: Whispering Sin
(24 Hour Service Station)
Indie garage rockers from Florida, The Beauvilles made quite a splash at this years' SXSW festival in Austin earning a nationwide distro deal of their independently released full-length debut. Hints of Americana can be heard in the band's British Invasion inspired sound.
Bleu: A Watched Pot
(Artist Garage)
Bleu, aka William James McAuley III, is a Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter who cut his musical teeth in his native Boston. Firmly planted in the pop genre alongside the likes of John Mayer and Ben Folds, Bleu presents his thrid full-length album.
Blues Control: Local Flavor
(Revolver)
The latest release from New York's Blues Control finds the band's experimental soundscapes invaded by an enhanced sense of groove, not to mention some rather catchy guitar licks. With Local Flavor, the guys from Queens put the rock back in Noise Rock.
Olivia Broadfield: Eyes Wide Open
(Vagrant)
Britain's songstress Olivia Broadfield releases her debut album of electro-pop. Influenced by Imogen Heap and the sould of the Motown sound, Eyes Wide Open is a soothing and infectious adult contemporary album.
Care Bears On Fire: Get Over It
(S-Curve)
In the tradition of The Runaways, Brooklyn all-girl teenage trio Care Bears On Fire lay down some scorching - but age-appropriate - sardonic punk on their sophomore album.
Chico DeBarge: Additcion
(Kedar Entertainment Group)
Detroit-born tenor Chico DeBarge, younger brother of the '80s family group DeBarge, returns with his first album in six years. Addiction contains fifteen tracks of soulful R&B inspired by Chico's often tumultous life.
Daughtry: Leave This Town
(RCA)
The self-titled debut album from North Carolina's Daughtry, featuring American Idol finalist Chris Daughtry, soared to the top of the charts and was named the 2007 Billboard Album of the Year. The band returns with their highly anticipated follow-up of commercially approved modern rock.
The Dead Weather: Horehound
(Warner Bros.)
The Dead Weather is a Nashville-based alt-rock supergroup featuring Alison Mosshart (The Kills), Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone Age), Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs), and Jack White (The White Stripes). Horehound is the project's debut album and while there is a bit of what you'd expect to hear, the band's sound is quite distinct.
Delicate Noise: Filmezza
(Morphius)
Chicagoan Mark Andrushko's Delicate Noise project blends ethereal electronic landscapes with samplings from everyday life, creating a soothing and familial aural adventure. Filmezza is his sophomore album.
Destroyer 666: Defiance
(Season of Mist)
Pan-European thrashers Destroyer 666 unleash their fourth full-length album of earsplitting heavy metal. Brutality meets melody as echoes of the Bay Area thrash scene are evident.
DevilDriver: Pray For Villains
(Roadrunner)
The fourth album from Santa Barbara's DevilDriver finds the band remaining in the modern metal niche alongside touring mates Lamb of God and Slipknot. Catch the band live on Thursday, August 20th at Headliners in Louisville.
Discovery: LP
(Beggars XL)
New York's Discovery is the electronica outlet for Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend) and Wes Miles (Ra Ra Riot). Their debut album is an interesting blend of R&B, reggae, and New Wave held together by prominant electronic elements.
Diverted: s/t
(Air)
Diverted is the self-titled debut from this young United Kingdom techno outfit. Mixing their jazz roots with dub, techno, and hints of electronica, it won't be long before Diverted work their way into clubs across America.
Drudkh: Microcosmos
(Season of Mist)
Ukrainian atmospheric black metal outfit Drudkh (whose name translates to "wood" in Sanskrit), blends regional folk elements and the lyrics of Ukrainian poets into their melodic brutality. Microcosmos is the band's seventh studio release since the group came together six years ago.
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros: Up From Below
(Vagrant)
Sounding like a late 1960s echo of Bob Dylan and The Band, Los Angeles-based Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros boasts upwards of 12 members cranking out some hearty, bombastic classic roots rock.
Four80East: Roll On
(Native Language)
Four80East, the Toronto electro-jazz duo of Tony Grace and Rob DeBoer, formed in the late '90s with the acid jazz scene in the United Kingdom serving as inspiration. Roll On is the group's fifth album of heavy rhythm and groove.
Gnostic: Engineering The Rule
(Season of Mist)
Featuring former Atheist members Steve Flynn (drums), Sonny Carson (guitar), and Chris Baker (guitar), Atlanta's Gnostic is a highly technical thrash outfit. Engineering The Rule is the band's debut album and is recommended for those extreme metal fans who value technical wizardry over any sense of melody.
Heims: Worship or Die
(Moribund)
Italy's one-man black metal entity Heims returns with his sophomore full-length of melodic riffs and old-school metal influences, set to a blpashemous vocal performance of course.
Donny Hue and the Colors: A Letter to New Virginia
(Kora)
Country-influenced minimalists from Brooklyn, Donny Hue and the Colors has a sound somewhat comparable to a stripped-down Oasis - albeit with a harmonica and a hoe-down heavy groove.
Jorn: Spirit Black
(Frontiers)
Jorn Lande, the Norwegian vocalist behind the prog metal powerhouses Millennium, Masterplan, and Ark unleashes his latest collection of '80s metal inspired anthems. Often heralded as the best metal vocalist of the last decade, Jorn's album is a must-haves for fans of Dio, Iron Maiden, and Dokken.
The Killer and the Star: s/t
(SonicStar)
The Killer and the Star is the solo project of Cold frontman Scooter Ward, whose debut album features Limp Bizkit's John Otto on drums. For those expecting something at least remotely similar to Cold, prepare to be disappointed. The Killer and the Star is an album of moody contemporary pop and as far from Ward's previous work as can be.
Crosby Loggins: Time To Move
(Jive)
Kenny Loggins' talented son Crosby delivers his debut album of contemporary soft rockers. With a gritty vocal style marking him as his father's son, Crosby establishes his own identity with a modern take on the soulful rock his father perfected.
The Most Serene Republic: ...And The Ever Expanding Universe
(Arts & Crafts)
Canadian garage rock septet The Most Serene Republic release their third full-length album of stripped down tunes in the vein of The Strokes.
New Roman Times: On The Sleeve
(New Granada)
Originally from Florida, now based in Austin, Texas, New Roman Times is an alt-rock outfit comparable to Death Cab For Cutie and British Sea Power. On The Sleeve is the band's sophomore follow-up to their 2005 debut.
Ninetail: Half Truths And Hand Grenades
(DRP Records)
Pennsylvania's groovecore outfit Ninetail unleashes another album of barking hardcore with slight hints of a Fear Factory influence.
The Polyamorous Affair: Bolshevik Disco
(Carrot Top)
The electro-pop duo of Eddie Chacon and Sissy Sainte-Marie, known collectively as The Polyamorous Affair, release an album of seductively danceable tracks that resurrect the synth-pop days of the '80s. Weird, but enjoyable.
Praying Mantis: Sanctuary
(Frontiers)
Semi-legendary NWOBHM rockers Praying Mantis return with their latest effort of classically inspired heavy metal. Old-school fans rejoice!
Project 86: Picket Fence Cartel
(Tooth & Nail)
California's Christian-themed modern thrash outfit Project 86 release their seventh studio album of weighty riffs and crunchy grooves.
Quartet Offensive: Carnivore
(Morphius)
Hailing from Baltimore, Quartet Offensive is an experimental alt-jazz outfit that blends in elements of rock and avant-garde with their expressionist rhythms and groove. Carnivore, the band's debut album, is definitely an interesting slice of music.
Rio en Medio: Frontier
(Carrot Top)
Rio en Medio, the pseudonym of Santa Fe, New Mexico's experimental folkist Danielle Stech-Homsy, presents a sophomore album of transcendental New Age innovation. Enya and Enigma influences intermingle with free-form time signatures and melodies.
Sacrificial Slaughter: Spontaneous Suicide
(Crash)
Seven years after their independently released debut album, California death/thrash outfit Sacrificial Slaughter return with a second album of gore-inspired hate.
Seize: Constant Fight
(Alfa Matrix)
Britain's synth-driven alt-rock outfit Seize blends pop melodies with electronic backbeats and sultry female vocals on their fourth studio release. Think PJ Harvey meets The Corrs.
Shakra: Everest
(AFM)
Swiss heavy metallers Shakra have been steadily clawing their way out of the European underground metal scene since coming together in the lat '90s. Everest is the band's seventh album of crisp guitar leads and bass-driven metal in the vein of Great White and Hammerfall.
Sick Puppies: Tri-Polar
(Virgin)
Australia's modern rock trio Sick Puppies formed in 1997, winning a number of band competitions and eventually migrating to the United States where the single "All The Same" off their 2007 sophomore album thrust the band into the spotlight after being chosen as the soundtrack to the Free Hugs Campaign video (if you haven't seen it yet, do it now!). Tri-Polar is the band's follow-up effort.
The Silent Years: Let Go
(SideCho)
The latest release from Detroit's The Silent Years is a charming collection of accessible indie rock. Fun to listen to without wholly crossing the line into shameless pop territory, Let Go is an album for fans of catchy music that isn't afraid to be different.
Sound of the Blue Heart: Wind of Change
(Nickel & Dime)
Burbank, California's Sound of the Blue Heart is the new band of Johnny Indovina, the frontman of the critically acclaimed '80s darkwave outfit Human Drama. Ethereal alt-rock mixes with Johnny's soothing baritone on the band's sophomore album. Definitely for fans of Nick Cave and Peter Murphy.
Suffocation: Blood Oath
(Nuclear Blast)
Veteran New York death metal outfit Suffocation delivers their sixth studio album in the form of Blood Oath. Blast beats, withering riffs, and hellish vocals abound.
Summer Cats: Songs for Tuesdays
(Slumberland)
Songs for Tuesdays is the debut full-length from Australia's Summer Cats, and indie rock outfit that embraces all the noise and scratchiness genre purists crave. At times trippy, always catchy, you'll want to get your hands on this one.
Tamtrum: Fuck You I'm Drunk
(Alfa Matrix)
Even with all of the extreme metal releases this week, the prize for most potentially offensive album goes to the French electro-industrial duo Tamtrum. With live shows resembling carnivals more than concerts (think firebreathers and such), Tamtrum has been making quite a splash in Europe. The fact that the two members once served time in a black metal band is plainly evident as the band adopts on overall atmosphere of menace. Recommended for fans of Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson.
The Trophy: Gift of Life
(Frontiers)
The Trophy is a melodic hard rock outfit from Germany featuring guitarist Todd Wolf (Human Fortress) and Michael Bormann (Jaded Heart, Bonfire). The band's debut album is a departure from the heavier rock their main bands are known for, and instead embraces a very pop-centric style.
Warrior Soul: Destroy The War Machine
(Acetate)
Kory Clarke's New York punk-influenced hard rock outfit Warrior Soul returns with their seventh studio album, their second after a nearly 13-year absence. Destroy The War Machine is classic Warrior Soul and a must have for fans - whether long-time or newly acquired.
We Were Gentlemen: Living Hell
(Century Media)
Virginia Beach's hardcore yappers We Were Gentlemen unleash their debut full-length. If you're familiar with Century Media's stable of artists, you know what to expect from this crew.
Woodbrain: Swimming in Turpentine
(Yellow Dog)
While embracing the Northwest's tradition of roots-oriented music, Oregon's Woodbrain relies heavily on the timeless sounds of John Coltrane and Jimi Hendrix to create a distinctive funk-infused blues extravaganza on their debut album. This one is a high energy effort that will bring out the blues in all of us.
The World We Knew: To the Wolves
(Stillborn)
The World We Knew is a Long Island screamcore band. To the Wolves is their sophomore release. The band can be seen live on Saturday, July 25th at Headliners in Louisville.
YOB: The Great Cessation
(Profound Lore)
Along with Sleep, Oregon's YOB rank at the top of the heap when it comes to epic doom metal. Marking the end of a three-year split, The Great Cessation picks up where The Unreal Never Lived, YOB's 2005 opus, left off.
Dave Knoch can be reached at knochd@gmail.com.
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