metalmaniac777

Should the Skidsters just hang up their big guns already? Or is this new EP a return to form? Click the link below to check out my review of Skid Row: "United World Rebellion--Chapter One" over at Hardrock Haven: http://hardrockhaven.net/online/2013/05/skid-row-united-world-rebellion-chapter-one-cd-review/ For those who don't have the time to read a full review, I'll break it down thusly: one great song, two good songs, one lousy ballad, and one forgettable rocker.

Love CJ's voice, love the heavy-but-polished sound this band brings to the table, and love all the singles they've released thus far...consider me stoked for the album!!

They should be...that movie was awesome, as long as you like extremely gory films.

Here's their single, a nicely-done Hinder-esque power ballad.

For modern rock fans, this album is a gift from God...as long as you don't mind nothing but mid-tempo tunes and ballads. Click the link below to check out my full review of Angels Fall: "Yesterday's Gone." http://hardrockhaven.net/online/2013/04/angels-fall-yesterdays-gone-cd-review/ A little softer-edged (but still very much rock) than most bands in the modern rock market, but with some catchy hooks and nice choruses. Definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of Daughtry or Hinder.

Not one of their better songs--those would be "Face to Face" and "Family Fortune"--but this is their only official video.

New EP from this Texas-based indie modern hard rock/metal band. You won't fall down and worship them, but they've got an interesting sound. To check out my full review, click the link below: http://hardrockhaven.net/online/2013/04/downfall-2012-every-man-for-himself-cd-review/ They've got quite a bit of that nu-metal sound, combined with some aggressive vocals, so it won't be to everyone's taste. Really good drum work though...

Well, it's got a nice hook, but yeah, that riff is borrowing pretty liberally from Bon Jovi. The vocals and lyrics wouldn't necessarily be a deal-breaker for me, but they're both a long way from wonderful. Still, after just one listen, that chorus is stuck in my head, so they did something right. Now they should do something else right and find a singer who can really sell the song and a lyricist who can pen words that wouldn't have sounded cheesy even in 1985.

I Am Empire is a Christian modern rock band that I had never heard of until Tooth & Nail Records sent me the promo. While their message is decidedly faith-based, it's much more poetic than preachy. The sound is rooted in the modern hard rock format of today, but with a unique edge that separates them from the Nickelbacks & Hinders of the world (not better by any means, but different). To check out my full review for Hardrock Haven, click the link below: http://hardrockhaven.net/online/2013/04/i-am-empire-anchors-cd-review/ There are some good songs on here, but rarely does the album really deliver a knockout blow to your ears.

Not sure how it's listed on the CD itself. I was provided a promo from Frontiers Records with no band information. I pulled the band member names off their Facebook Page.

Is it dynamite...or is it a disappointment? Click on the link below to check out my review of De La Cruz: "Street Level" over on Hardrock Haven: http://hardrockhaven.net/online/2013/04/de-la-cruz-street-level-cd-review/ The band takes aim at that '80s melodic-sleaze rock sound and comes close to nailing it, but an over-reliance on repetitious, one-line choruses hamstrings this one into the "good" rather than "great" category.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPoY0QI9FnM

The yellow and black attack re-attacks some of their early classics. How did it turn out? Click on the link below to check out my full review over at Hardrock Haven: http://hardrockhaven.net/online/2013/03/stryper-second-coming-cd-review/ (Oh, okay, I'll give you a hint...it's pretty darn good!!)

If the whole album was as good as this song, it'd be killer...

Ready to have your ass thrashed? Final Curse is waving the oldschool thrash-metal flag and doing it in damn fine style. Click the link below to check out my review of "Way of the Accursed" over at Hardrock Haven: http://hardrockhaven.net/online/2013/03/final-curse-way-of-the-accursed-cd-review/ Anyone who enjoys that Bay Area metal sound in the vein of Metallica, Testament, Slayer, Exodus, etc. needs to give these guys a listen ASAP. Best thrash-metal album I've heard in a long time.

Corny Lyrics On Wanking Naked Sluts ;-)) This might just be my favorite post of 2013.

Damn good melodic hard rock with some glam/hair/sleaze elements. To check out my full review, click the link below to head over to Hardrock Haven: http://hardrockhaven.net/online/2013/03/beverly-killz-gasoline-broken-hearts-cd-review/ This has been out for quite awhile now (I actually forgot I was supposed to review it!) so if you haven't picked it up yet, what're ya waitin' for?

This album is going to appeal to almost nobody here except Tim2 (is he still around?), but I'll share my review anyway, just in case there is someone else interested. Christian metal-core monsters Fit For A King play on the same musical turf--and on the same label--as Demon Hunter, meaning crushing riffs with (mostly) clean choruses, but FFAK add a little death-metal influence to their sound as well. To read my full review, click on the link below to head over to Hardrock Haven: http://hardrockhaven.net/online/2013/03/fit-for-a-king-creation-destruction-cd-review/ There is one really cool brooding metal ballad on here ("Skin & Bones") that is definitely worth checking out even if you're not a metal-core fan...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlxLUZiMgNU

This is only a 4-song EP in preparation for a full-length album later this year, but anyone looking for some modern hard rock/metal that sounds like Flyleaf crossed with Evanescence should at least check this out. For my full review, click the link below to head over to Hardrock Haven: http://hardrockhaven.net/online/2013/03/picture-me-broken-mannequins-cd-review/ Not for everyone, but if the "Flyleaf-meets-Evanescence" description piqued your interest at all, you should at least give 'em a listen.

Subhuman Race is their best Bach album, just slightly ahead of Slave. Dude, meet me out back in da alley, 'cuz them be fightin' words. I don't hate "Subhuman Race" by any means, but calling it better than the greatest album ever recorded ("Slave to the Grind") is like saying the sorta-cute girl next door wearing jeans and a sweatshirt is hotter than a Victoria's Secret supermodel clad in the latest flimsy lingerie. Take it back right now and I promise not to question your sanity. Well, OK, it's actually too late, 'cause I've already questioned it...but take it back anyway.

A little shocked to see so many negative comments being flung around about this CD, 'cause I thought it was pretty solid. Click the link below to head over to Hardrock Haven and check out my full review: http://hardrockhaven.net/online/2013/02/shakra-powerplay-cd-review/ While not up to the standards of their classic albums, I certainly found it better than their last 2 or 3 efforts.