Heavy Metal Resource Reviews-Eclipse, Stitched Up Heart, Alice Cooper, U.D.O., & Primal Fear

Index

Eclipse is a band on a mission. The melodic hard rock fans are very aware of who they are, but their fan base has been growing across the genre. 'Megalomanium' is an album that has the Eclipse sound at it's core, but also evolves the band's sound a bit. As I was checking out the first singles, I wasn't sure I was on board. Leaning slightly more modern wasn't what I expected from the band. After diving in to the album and looking at it as a whole, I came away feeling good about things. The style they have embraced is still there as is their sound. The more modern stuff grew on me as I made my usual subsequent listens. The band show with this album that they can broaden their horizons without abandoning what made them one of the best bands of the genre today. I can say that I am as happy at this point with the new album as I have been with previous outings!

Release Date: September 1, 2023

Here is an artist and album that is going to appeal to more modern audiences. The music has a very thick and heavy modern metal sound and has some great female vocal work. There is also some harsh vocals from time to time adding a bit of variety in that area. The music I thought was really catchy even for being heavy. The band have a sound that will make even mainstream rock fans happy. There are plenty of other bands to compare them to, but I like to let each artist stand on their own. As a bit of background, the band was formed in 2010 and is based out of Los Angeles. 'To The Wolves' is the band's third album and features Craig Mabbitt on the title track 'To The Wolves'. I feel the music has a good flow to it. Good heavy stuff with a lot of energy. This is a band that was new to me, but I liked this enough that I will probably check out more of their music!

Release Date: September 1, 2023

Looking at the many artists that I have listened to through the years, Alice Cooper has been a favorite of mine for many decades. I have been fortunate enough to see him many times and always look forward to new stuff from him. 'Road' is his latest and apparently he had help from his touring band which I thought made this one extra special. There is a very cool vintage feel to the music on this record. I was hearing songs that reminded me of his 70's era music. I absolutely love this record and am impressed with Cooper's stamina at his age. He is still delivering both music and performances at a high level. What an inspiration. The package also included a Blu Ray of the Hellfest show from 2022. This was equally good with a very good track selection. I will absolutely offer a recommend on this one. An very impressive package overall! Highly Recommended!

Release Date: August 25, 2023

I find it amazing that U.D.O. has a massive catalog of quality metal product and at an age of 71, he has not showed any signs of slowing down. The music on 'Touchdown' is excellent. Memorable music that still has similarities to his days with Accept. For those who may be unaware, Peter Baltes is playing bass with the band now so you have a couple of those Accept veterans here. 'Touchdown' is the band's 18th album and has all of the qualities fans have come to expect. The band doesn't reinvent the wheel here, they just do what they do best, deliver great metal music. That really is the important part too. If you are going to stick to a formula of creating songs, they have to be good, and once again this batch of songs is great! I loved the band photos in this album as well. Football season is here and U.D.O. have just thrown a touchdown!

Release Date: August 25, 2023

As I write reviews, it becomes difficult to find ways of saying things that sound new. When you have a band as tenured as Primal Fear and with so much music that has been so consistent, what do you say? I think this band is fairly well known at this point and in my opinion is one of the premier power metal bands of our day. This record is definitely up to the band's standard. Plenty of metal anthems and even some finesse with tracks like 'Forever'. The band once again are firing on all cylinders and deliver their music in similar fashion to band's like Judas Priest amongst other greats of the genre. 'Code Red' is the band's 14th album and first for Atomic Fire Records. It seems like just yesterday that I was listening to the band's debut and the quality delivered on the first album as well as the subsequent albums is once again here. Excellent metal record!

Release Date: September 1, 2023