Dead Lord - Ruins (Live)

If you are a fan of Thin Lizzy you need to get into Dead Lord. Dead Lord are a complete Thin Lizzy clone but I mean that in the best possible way. Ruins is a singable song that easily gets your head bobing. The dual leads near the end are absolutely amazing. I will certainly keep my eye on this band.

Chaos Magic - A Little Too Late

Chaos Magic is Chilean singer Caterina Nix's new band. I am not a huge fan of this as it is not heavy and lacks any hook to keep me interested. I feels generic in every sense of the word.

Butcher Babies - Monsters Ball

Oh Lord, what to do with the Butcher Babies? It is easy to jump on the hatred for this band that seems to have more looks than talent. On repeated listens Butcher Babies does not lack talent, though they are a little generic. Even with a band that sounds very nu-metalish, Butcher Babies seem to be trying to blend death metal and party rock (though even that may be due to the track being about a party). My first thoughts of Butcher Babies are that I kind of like them but wish the band had more flair, as they come across as a backing band for the two leading ladies. Butcher Babies do not deserve so much hatred but such is life in the metal community I guess. The video is a little underwhelming, the ladies do not seem as vicious as death metal front women should be. At times is seems as if they are going though the motions which is a shame because the makeup is amazing. From this little sample I don't outright hate the Butcher Babies but I doubt I will be buying the record.

Nuclear Assault - Live at Hellfest 2015 (Full Set)

Nuclear Assault are a band I have always liked even if I do not agree with all of their political stances. They melt your face with their classic catalog and add in songs off the new EP which hold their own amongst the bands classics. Set list: Rise from the Ashes Brainwashed New Song Critical Mass Game Over Butt Fuck Sin Betrayal Analogue Man In A Digital World Died in Your Arms Wake Up My America Hang the Pope Lesbians Trail of Tears

The V - Starshine

This song does nothing for me. There is no bite or aggressiveness making it almost impossible to call it metal. At least Trixter has a good time rock n roll element to it. I will never call anyone who records an album or forms a band talentless or crap but this is a solid non-buy for me.

Powerwolf - Army of the Night

When I saw a picture of the band before watching this video I assume they were a black metal band due to the corpse paint they wear. This is far from the truth as Powerwolf is an interesting mix of European power metal with operatic vocals. Keyboards and organs are a big part of the sound but do not take away from the heaviness of the music. I hate when a band is good but their message is completely off putting. Powerwolf's lyrics contain a common theme of satanism and occultism within all of their albums which just isn't my thing. If it were not for the santanism theme I would be all over this, as the music is quite good. The video does a good job of showing the woman as pure at the beginning before the pure white is corrupted by blood on everything. Powerwolf are a great band musically, just not my thing lyrically which means I won't be picking this album up when it drops July 17th.

Act of Defiance - Throwback

Act of Defiance is a band I have been anxiously awaiting a song to drop from since the project was announced. Chris Brodrick and Shawn Dover were the other half of Megadeth. While Megadeth is a great band to play in, including playing some of the greatest thrash metal songs of all time, there is no room for creativity. The mighty Megadeth follows the wishes of one man; Dave Mustaine. This leaves the other members to be happy as session musicians and a touring band or leave to pursue their own creative endeavors. Brodrick and Dover took their talent and formed Act of Defiance with Throwback being the first single off of their debut album. This song is pure thrash metal from the ten finger tapping opening to the rip roaring riffs and strong drumming. Henry Derek's vocal abilities shine on this track. For most of the song he delivers a growling, shreaking aggressive style but breaks out some cleans vocals for the bridge which gives the song more depth. I was right to be anticipate the Act of Defiance debut, as this is pure unadulterated heavy metal. While writing this review I went ahead and pre-oredered the album, which gives you Throwback for immediate download. If the rest of their debut album Birth and the Burial is as good as this track it will be full of face melting heavy metal goodness.

Motor Sister - Beg Borrow Deal

I love these supergroups that pop up every now and again. This group came together as Scott Ian of Anthrax wanted to record songs from one of his favorite bands Mother Superior with former frontman Jim Wilson. This song is probably closer to hard rock than heavy metal, but the band includes Scott Ian and John Tempesta so how can it not be considered metal? Beg Borrow Steal is a very enjoyable song with the highlight coming from the instrumental break (bridge?) 2/3rds of the way through. This album is already on my list and will be well worth a purchase.

Trixter - Human Era

I will fully admit to loving Trixter but even I think this song isn't their strongest. I enjoyed their first single off of the new album Rockin' to the Edge of the Night a lot more and hopeful Human Era will grow on me more as time goes along. I do like the message of the song that time has been their friend making them wiser and happier living life without any regrets. It is a celebrating the past, looking forward to the future type of song. Trixter is still a great band and I am looking forward to buying the album soon.

Kadavar - The Old Man

Well this is certainly different from what I have been listening to as of late. Kadavar is a band straight out of the 70's. I had no idea psychedelic or stoner rock was still going strong in 2015. Who would think there would be bands playing hair metal in 2015 either and I certainly love them. The Old Man is the first single off of the forthcoming album Berlin and is quite good. After listening to The Old Man a couple of times I dismissed any notion of picking up the album. I enjoy classic rock as much as the next guy but I was not sure if Kadavar could fit into my regular rotation. Having the song on repeat as I am doing tasks around the house including writing this post, I find myself getting into this song more and more. The chorus is just infectious and is the best part of the song. The 70's stoner rock vibe is there and the guitar riffs and drum beats fit the vibe perfectly. I will be very interested to hear more singles off of the album as we approach the release date and who knows they might even drag an album sale out of me.

Mutilation Rites - Contaminate

If you haven't watched the video be warned it is quite graphic as I beIieve most of those images are real. Mutilation Rites are a black metal band from Brooklyn and this song is off of the 2014 release Harbinger. I have never pretended to know everything about the metal genre (especially the black metal subgenre) but save for the vocals Mutilation Rites sound closer to what I would associate with Death Metal. There is little in the way of atmosphere, just breakneck in your face riffs and certainly no keyboards to be found. While I am not sure if Mutilation Rites is for me, they are certainly a more accessible that I would be more apt to listen to compared with their European compatriots.

Ramming Speed - Don't Let This Stay Here

Ramming Speed are a thrash band out of Richmond and have released this song in advance of their new album due out in the fall. The vocals may not be my favorite but the music is just awesome. Killer riffs, nice little solo, and plenty of aggressive attitude make for a good thrash song. I am a big fan of tempo changes within a song and Ramming Speed delivers in the bridge before revving back up to ramming speed for the remainder of the song.

Twitching Tongues - Disharmony (Live at Hellfest 2015)

I love how the Internet, specifically YouTube, has given labels an easy platform to get new bands exposure. Twitching Tongues inked their Metal Blade deal in April and the record company is already showing them off via YouTube. Disharmony is the title track for the new album and it absolutely rocks. Twitching Tongues claims to be a hardcore band but what I found in this video is that they are creating music that is interesting and crosses over into metal. I was very impressed at the tempo changes throughout this song as well as the fast and furious solo. The thrash riff in the middle of the song was my favorite point in Disharmony and has me very excited for their future. Twitching Tongues new album will be on my radar for sure.

Kobra and the Lotus - Black Velvet (Cover)

 

 This is another great discovery for me. I like covers that add a little more to the original and the crunch of the guitar is a welcomed addition, even if a little of Alannah Myles sultry swagger is missing. The song was written about Elvis and his effect his music had on his fans, and it is nice to see a shot of Elvis on the television at the beginning of the video. Filming the clip in black and white just adds to the sexual feel of the song. All in all Kobra and The Lotus do a fine job on this cover which is off of their forthcoming EP Words of the Prophets containing covers of fellow Canadian heros that the band grew up listening to such as Rush and Triumph. This EP along with their last album are easily on my list to purchase, especially considering both are well under the $9.99 price point of most albums on iTunes. Give this a shot, if you please.

The Black Dahlia Muder - Vlad, Son of the Dragon

The Black Dahlia Murder (TBDM) released the first song off of the upcoming album Abysmal was released today. TBDM is not a band I have kept on my radar but the music is quite ferocious with an intricacy that keeps the music interesting. I am not sure if I will pick this up but will pay attention to future singles and maybe one will push me in that direction. I believe my biggest hangup is the vocals. I like clean vocals as well as the death metal growl but some of the shrieking vocal style is harder for me to get into. Still the music is super aggressive and is fun so this might end up on my radar by years end.

Oceans of Slumber - Solitude (Candlemass Cover)

I am going to level with you, I confess to have never heard a single Candlemass song which means I cannot speak to how faithful Oceans of Slumber's version of this song compares to the original. Oceans of Slumber is a progressive metal band from Houston, TX with one album under their belt and as of an hour ago were signed to Century Media Records. I cannot get enough of this song and have been playing it on repeat for the last hour. Solitude presents death in a beautiful fashion of a person who does not want anything but to die alone. The music is a perfect bell curve of sludgy doomy goodness but Cammie Gilbert's vocals absolutely take center stage in this song. She presents the dark subject matter with a soulful feel adding to the feeling of a funeral precession heading to the soul's final resting place. If this were on iTunes I would pick it up in a heartbeat and in fact I already added their debut album to my already packed Wish List and hope it lives up to the quality of this cover.