Anthrax-For All Kings ©2016 Megaforce Records
Looks like Anthrax just struck gold with their latest album 'For All Kings'. At about every angle, this album is very well done. The songs are great, musicianship is solid and their is no filler at all. What is interesting to me is that the album in some areas almost has a slight progressive feel to it. Subject wise, the album is a bit on the dark side as evidenced by the bands recent video for 'Blood Eagle Wings'. Not for the weak. This is one of my favorite albums by the band and has been in my player a lot since getting it. It comes as a very easy recommend if you like it with a bit of polish and very heavy!
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Pearl Handled Revolver-If The Devil Cast His Net ©2016 PHR Records
In the press release for this album there is a comparison between Tom Waits and The Doors. You know what, I couldn't have described it better than that. This is a very nostalgic sounding record that delivers. A good blues infusion into The Doors sound makes for quite an enjoyable listen. I had never really heard of this band before hearing this record and upon previewing felt that this one was going to grow the more I listened to it. This was a pretty accurate assessment. If you are looking for something very old school sounding, similar to The Doors as mentioned, this one is really cool!
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Love and a .38-Nomads ©2016 Love and a .38
If you are looking for something in a more raw hard rock vein, Love and a .38 could be a good choice. This band keeps the roots in their rock. When you take an approach such as what this band has done with this album, it should be easy to translate to the live show. At times vocally, it reminded me of the band Thunderhead and Ted Bullet. Aggressive in an old school way. So what carries a band like this you might ask? Hard work, attention to detail and the songs themselves. The album is consistent in its sound and as mentioned has a good raw feel to it. Sounds like the hard work is ready to pay off!
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The Last Vegas-Eat Me ©2016 AFM Records
This isn't my first introduction to The Last Vegas, but it has been a while. This album has an old school sensibility with some modern day influence. I found this album to be enjoyable to listen to with some of it sticking right away. You know it's instantly likable when you've only heard it once and you are singing these tunes in your mind right after. The album has a pretty cool groove that permeates the album. Tracks like 'Hot Fudge' and 'Voodoo Woman' are great examples of the groove I am talking about. Send 'em to rock radio and let 'em take off. Definitely enjoyed this record!
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Beltfed Weapon-Raining Plague ©2015 Beltfed Weapon
More heavy stuff from Beltfed Weapon. Good old school speed metal or thrash if you like. The album is an ep containing 6 tracks. This go around the band added clean vocals via Dean Sternberg. His vocals are very good. You get the darker more aggressive vocal work as well. Good precision in the music. You have a very tight feel from song to song and with the addition of the clean vocals, I think the band has added even more possibilities to not only their sound but their appeal. This album will definitely be geared to fans who like a huge amount of intensity. A little bit of polish in the sound as well.
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