JUSTIN’S METAL REVIEWS 6/9/10
SAHG / III
Lets face it, the band didn’t spend much time on the album title then
when everything else about the CD is so good, there was no need, the picture of
the monster on the front cover says so much, that there is no need for any
words.
If you like Classic inspired Doom Metal in the vein of early Canldemass,
Black Sabbath etc then you will simply love this album, everything about its
says quality, there is no groundbreaking stuff on here and nothing out of the
ordinary except, top quality Metal, just check out the first proper track
“Baptism Of Fire” and you will see exactly what I mean, if other bands spent as
much time on quality song writing as SAHG do, the world of Metal would be a
better place. The Doom laden grooves just keep on coming as “
This is yet another fine release from this superb Norwegian band and I
strongly recommend that you get hold of a copy soon, here’s looking forward to
SAHG IV in 2012.
WEBSITE http://www.sahg.no
TOTAL PLAYING TIME = 42 mins + 10 TRACKS
DEATH ANGEL / RELENTLESS RETRIBUTION
When it comes to Thrash Metal, the riff is the king, the harder edged it
is the better and anything else is a bonus and Death Angel have two, their
excellent use of Melody and intelligent , socially aware lyrics and that’s why
they rool.
There have been some good Thrash albums this year, notably from
Overkill, Exodus and Annihilator and all are very fine albums and this new one
from Death Angel stands up to the competition well, in fact for my money in
some respects they’re better, they have everything the other bands have with
that little bit extra, you only have to listen to the acoustic driven ballad,
yes I said ballad “Volcanic” for a perfect example, this is so radio friendly
its unbelievable. The crushing Metal riffs are prevalent and leave your
head spinning like that girl in the Exorcist, just check out “Truce”, “I Chose
The Sky”, “River Of Rapture” or the brilliant “Opponents At Side”, all of which
will have you moshing in no time flat.
This is another very fine album, in fact these guys haven’t put a foot
wrong since they got back together in 2003 and this is yet another CD that just
has to be in your collection and I predict this will make my top 20 of 2010
with ease, essential and album of the week, listen out for track on my shows,
Thrash Or be Thrashed!
WEBSITE http://www.deathangel.com
TOTAL PLAYING TIME = 57 mins + 12 BLISTERING TRACKS
STONE SOUR / AUDIO SECRECY
This is the 3rd album from Stone Sour and the band just keep
getting better and better proves two things, 1. Corey Taylor is a damned fine
versatile vocalist and 2. The band really works well as a unit and are no
slouches when it comes to writing some very good tunes.
There are some very fine Melodic Metal tracks on here that are not just
good to listen to, they are well written, crafted, catchy and commercial as
hell and stand along side bands like Sevendust, Staind and Creed to name a
few. How can anyone hear “Hesitate” and not say its one of the best
songs they’ve heard in a long time, the same goes for “Imperfect” and
“Miracles” and if you want the harder edged, full on songs then “Say You’ll
Haunt Me”, “Mission Statement” and “The Bitter End” are well up to the job but
still have that catchy, commercial trait that is prevalent throughout this album.
This CD is proof that Stone Sour are much, much more than a mere side
project and I for one hope that they come back again in another 3 years, buying
the digipak is totally essential and not just an option, it comes with, “you
guessed it” the DVD but more importantly 3 extra tracks that are totally
essential an not just after thoughts, easily album of the week, GO BUY THIS
NOW!
WEBSITE http://www.stonesour.com
TOTL PLAYING TIME = 65 mins 17 TRACKS (DIGIPACK)