Heavy Metal Resource Reviews-Crazy Lixx, Perfect Plan, Killswitch Engage, Bonfire, & Robin McAuley

Index

You know, sometimes it's hard to not sound like a broken record. When you have a great hard rock band like Crazy Lixx who shows amazing consistency from album to album, you feel like you are repeating the same thoughts. 'Thrill Of The Bite' is once again another great dose of flashy hard rock similar to those who did it before them in the 80's. I think the songs on this album are strong and memorable. If you follow the band you'll know exactly what I mean. They write in the same formula, so it all becomes dependent on the songs themselves. For those fans that I see on YouTube making comments on how they wish the older bands would release more material, branch out and check out some of these younger bands. They don't reinvent the wheel, but they do bring an excellent product to the listener and Crazy Lixx is no exception!

Release Date: February 14, 2025

Staying on a fairly routine release schedule, which is great for us, the fans, Perfect Plan has just released a real gem of an album. They are definitely highly regarded in the hard rock and AOR communities and for good reason. Releasing very good material with each album without every falling off in terms of quality. This latest album has an extremely good batch of songs. As they always do, they give the listener some decent edge to the music, but the melody and choruses really lead the way on this album. Very catchy music and if given a different timeline, a lot of these songs could have been huge hits. It's always fun to catch the Frontiers projects especially those with Kent Hilli, but my favorite musical band he does is Perfect Plan. If you dig your music with an infectious 80's feel to it, this one is a very easy recommend for you!

Release Date: February 28, 2025

Once in awhile, we like to shake things up a bit. On the more extreme side of our taste is band's like Killswitch Engage. Sometimes you gotta let the energy out, and bands like this fit the bill. A very heavy modern band with both clean and more aggressive vocal work. For me, it's all about the guitar work. Everything and everyone contributes to the overall feel and sound, but the guitars tend to be very cool and memorable. While I haven't taken a deep dive into the subject material with this album, I'm sure it can be a bit more to the deep side. Anyway, lots of heaviness going on here, blast beats, hard driving guitars and a ferocious low end. A really good album if you like it heavy. High moments for me include 'Where It Dies', 'I Believe', and the album closer 'Requiem'. Definitely an album for heavier tastes but a very good one at that!

Release Date: February 21, 2025

It's very obvious with each release put out by Bonfire that they still have a lot to offer. Line up changes through the years, but the quality never wavers. This album would fit into a melodic metal style in my opinion. It's pretty chunky sounding overall with a little sophistication here and there. As is with any Bonfire album, you will get some good melodic stuff. Take for instance 'When Love Comes Down'. A bit lighter in terms of intensity offering the other side of the band. For the most part the album is a banger. I do really dig the sound of 'I Died Tonight' as well. Has a melodic edge in a rock setting. You also get a 2024 version of the track 'Rock 'n Roll Survivor'. This is the band's first for Frontiers Records and as far as I am concerned, they are a good fit with the label. The band has been releasing very good stuff for a long time and this is another solid effort!

Release Date: January 24, 2025

When it comes to the music of Robin McAuley and the bands or solo work that he offers us, there are a couple of things that stand out to me. First, I have always been a fan of his vocal sound and tone. I have always felt he had the grit to go heavier if needed, but can also give us the melody as well. Second, the songs themselves. From Grand Prix to MSG to the more recent Black Swan releases. You can even include his solo albums released under his name. They all are very good. I really became a huge fan of his in the MSG era and try not to miss anything he does as a result of that. This is another very good solo album. Has a depth and atmosphere to it without sacrificing the edge or melody he is known for. His vocals still sound instantly recognizable and very smooth. McAuley's music is a comfort area for me. Good memories that I get to relive thru new music!

Release Date: February 28, 2025