Darkest Hour - Darkest Hour
Check it outStand out tracks: Wasteland, Infinite Eyes, Futurist, Lost For Life
Listening to a Darkest Hour album for the first time I thought the band were quite young based on "their sound", so I was surprised to find out they have been around since 1995. There's nothing overly outstanding about the album, but with meaty solos that appear in "Futurist", it fits well into the collection of any Metalhead.
Decade - Good LuckCheck it outStand out tracks: Brainfreeze, Callous, I Don't Care, Homebound
A summer album that feels like Feeder with a little edge in a few songs making for good driving music. There's a good use of quite and loud sections intervaled with well timed pauses which is also a great part seeing Decade live. This is going to be a band to look out for with future releases.
Devil You Know - The Beauty of DestructionCheck it out
Stand out tracks: A New Beginning, My Own, Crawl From The Dark
In an album with lots of mood it hits really hard at times and has reminders of many other bands, such as "Shut It Down" which bursts into one hell of an opening like "The Impossibility Of Reason" by Chimaria, and in other places there are tones which ring in a Pantera like tone. Overall, I was massively impressed with this debut, and along with other supergroups such as AxeWound, I hope this trend continues of great musicians coming together to make amazing records.
Godsmack - 1000hpCheck it out
Stand out track: 10000hp
Outside of the lively opening title track this is mostly an average rock album with a few flourishes here and there. After hearing "10000hp" on a compilation CD from a magazine, it was one of the songs which gave high hopes for the rest of the album, but unfortunately it fell short after it's opening.
Karma To Burn - Arch StantonCheck it outStand out tracks: Fifty Seven, Fifty Five, Fifty Eight
"Fifty Seven" is an great opener with it's funk jazz rock feel, and the rest of the album is just as enjoyable as each song turns into a musical journey. You may think it's hard to distinguish between songs in an album with no lyrics and only numbers for song titles, but each song is quite unique in it's own way.
Killer Be Killed - Killer Be KilledCheck it out
Stand out tracks: Wings Of Feather And Wax, I.E.D., Twelve Labors
For me, this the love child of Killing Joke and an early to mid Chimaria album, but only really has high points in the stand out tracks while the rest of the album bleeds together a little bit. There's some heavy parts which keep the album moving, but there's other parts that just don't do it for me.
The Color Morale - Hold On Pain EndsCheck it outStand out tracks: Damnaged, Lifeline (Left To Write), Suicide;Stigma
Make a cross between Receiving End of Sirens and InMe and you get this album which shows that the band has two different sides to its music featuring heavy guitar riffs all the way to lighter acoustic tones. This can be heard in "The Ones Forgotten by the One Forgetting" and the closing acoustic title track.
Weezer - Everything Will Be Alright In The EndCheck it outStand out tracks: Ain't Got Nobody, Back To The Shack, Da Vinci
With very clever song writing and lyrics referencing current culture trends, this is everything you want from a new Weezer album. I'm not quite sold on the three part outro as it is mostly instrumental when it's the lyrics which really makes a Weezer album for me. Probably the only thing which holds it back from an instant recommendation.
While She Sleeps - This Is The Six (Deulxe Edition)Check it outStand out tracks: False Freedom, Seven Hills, This Is The Six, Be(lie)ve
There's lots of depth to this one for a full debut album from a band. This is a product more like what you would expect from a band that's already put out a few albums and had a chance to perfect their sound. The few extra tracks in the Deluxe Edition offer a nice bonus with some acoustic version of tracks from the album, making it the version worth getting now. I'm looking forward to the new album next month and seeing them live with Caner Bats.
