Mike SOS has another bunch of reviews for your reading pleasure.


SINGLE FRAME
EVERYTHING WANTS TO BE USED FOR WHAT IT WAS MADE FOR
VOLCOM
This 17-track offering from Single Frame is a hodgepodge of the outfit's old school demos remixed by various DJs. While the idea seems intimate and heartfelt to the ardent fan, the overall vibe carried by EVERYTHING WANTS TO BE USED FOR WHAT IT WAS MADE FOR is one of an audio spring cleaning with an emphasis on sewing on some hipper patches on a faded pair of jeans to make them look "now". www.volcom.com -Mike SOS

THE WILLYCRANES
HAPPY MOTORING
LOCOMOTIVE
Spinning a elaborately nonsensical back-story about themselves that sounds like half-children's novel, half drug-induced brainstorm, the three Swedish dudes which comprise The Willycranes actually display the chops to transcend their whimsical tale into a cottage industry. Making a mad dash for the California melodic punk rock crown, tracks like "Little Freaky Box" and "The L-Song" emit the ultraviolet rays and fast-paced chicanery of NOFX and Lagwagon with both tongue in cheek and sneer in check, demonstrating that there may be skate parks in Stockholm after all. www.locomotiverecords.com -Mike SOS

DOWNLORD
RANDOM DICTIONARY OF THE DAMNED
OPEN GRAVE
Downlord features the ex-singer of pioneering metal act Bolt Thrower, so right off the bat you know this quintet is going to be scathing. Expectedly unleashing a mid-90's metallic crunch which doles out equal amounts of crust, death, and groove, there's a lot of intense vocals to be had here, not to mention a barrage of machine gun riffs and cavernous double bass drums which upgrade tracks such as "Loathe, Scorn, Detest" and "Sleep Forever" from stock to solid. If you dig bands like Carcass, Cathedral, Cannibal Corpse, and Napalm Death, this disc delivers. www.opengraverecords.com -Mike SOS

MADREPORE
OVERBLOWN
LUKAY
Los Angeles alternative rockers Maderpore (translated from Latin to mean “mother stone”) have a distinct sound running throughout the quartet’s 14-track disc. From the hard rocking exuberance of “Put a Hole Through Me” and “Picture” to the mellower college rock tinge of “The Part of Me You’ve Thrown Away”, this band, comprised from both Mexican and Asian heritage (and who lapse into Spanish rock territory on tracks like “Dejame Ser”), have effortlessly combined sugary hooks and jagged riffs like a blend of Seether and Fenix TX. Showcasing an aggressive edge while retaining arena-shaking refrains and atmospheric rock verses, OVERBLOWN takes snippets of The Clash, The Cure, 10 Years, AFI, and Deftones and makes a captivatingly catchy crossover endeavor that fans of Warped Tour punk and radio-friendly rock alike will undoubtedly agree on. www.madrepore.com
- Mike SOS

STONEGARD
ARROWS
CANDLELIGHT
When thinking of musically heavy Norwegian imports, it's all black robes and severed goat heads, right? Not to Stonegard, whose thrashing stoner rock by way of alternative metal style manages to pack that Nordic punch, especially guitar-wise, yet show nary a sign of blood-curdled screaming or mutilated animal entrails. Instead, this quartet take the lumbering desert sounds of Kyuss, the metallic firepower of Megadeth and Flotsam and Jetsam, the stoner chug of COC, and the radio-friendly savvy of STP and make an impressive cavalcade of sturdily built dirty jams like "Ghost Circles" and "Darkest Hour". Meshing the badass vibe of Black Label Society and the anthemic metal offerings of Trivium, ARROWS heartily provides the thrill a minute heavy rock 'n roll rollercoaster ride for anyone that loves it loud is sure to latch onto.www.candlelightrecordsusa.com
- Mike SOS

DEAD MAN IN RENO
DEAD MAN IN RENO
CANDLELIGHT
Alabama-based Dead Man in Reno's assaultive eponymous debut is a full-on metalcore attack, complete with jagged riffs, bruising breakdowns, and quirky instrumental breaks like the one of strings and piano found at the end of "Cursed" that assists this band in sticking out amongst the vast sea. Produced by Jamie King of the genre-leading Between the Buried and Me, this album displays a sometimes Killswitch ("Even in My Dreams"), sometimes Swedish ("He Said She Said"), sometimes math-y ("The Devil Made Him Do It") and sometimes DIY-style raw vibe ("From Here I Can See the Shore"), as this unit's mixed bag of mayhem will resound with the kids that love the downtuned chug as much as the metalheads who seek something beyond the norm. www.candlelightrecordsusa.com
- Mike SOS

VADER
IMPRESSIONS IN BLOOD
CANDLELIGHT
Polish pulverizers Vader unleash their warmongering mayhem once again on IMPRESSIONS IN BLOOD, a bludgeoning 10-track affair which once again solidifies this unit's place atop death metal elite. Still pumping out furious songs like the grave "Field of Heads" and the blistering rapid-fire of "Amongst the Ruins", Vader is one of the unsung death metal outfits whose bark is as significantly lethal as its bite, showcased on tracks like the Viking-esque metal of "Warlords". Taking no prisoners and keeping it ferocious throughout, strike another victory for this extreme metal entity.www.candlelightrecordsusa.com
- Mike SOS

INSENSE
SOOTHING TORTURE
CANDLELIGHT
Don’t let the calming piano intro on SOOTHING TORTURE trick you into thinking this disc is going to be something of a relief, because Insense provides nothing of the sort. While there are parts of the 10-track offering where the Norwegian troupe lapse into Neurosis-esque ethereal jams, the majority of the tracks such as “I, Deviant” and the title cut fall somewhere in between Sepultura’s raw heaviness, Meshuggah’s technical prowess, and Strapping Young Lad’s ornate song structuring, making this release a brawny juggernaut that fans of extreme metal collisions should eat up. www.candlelightrecordsusa.com
- Mike SOS

INSOMNIUM
ABOVE THE WEEPING WORLD
CANDLELIGHT
Insomnium connects a good cross-section of Euro metal on their latest nine-track endeavor ABOVE THE WEEPING WORLD. With obvious Opeth influence reared on "Last Statement" and a Children of Bodom by way of Amon Amarth delivery on "The Killjoy", when this Finnish quartet's melds metallic properties, it yields a durable yet somewhat uninspired listen. Perhaps finding their own niche instead of forcing two or three styles into one cluster would suit this band's creative side better, but if you're looking for a sturdy understudy for what rocks the overseas metalfests year after year, check this one out. www.candlelightrecordsusa.com -Mike SOS

WUTHERING HEIGHTS
THE SHADOW CABINET
SENSORY
Danish troupe Wuthering Heights employ your typical traditional power metal techniques to hammer their epic metal points across. Grand instrumentation, operatic vocals, double bass drum-a-thons, and orchestrative interludes run amuck throughout THE SHADOW CABINET, giving anyone that can't get enough Blind Guardian and Helloween something to clamor over. www.lasersedgegroup.com -Mike SOS

HEROD
RICH MAN'S WAR, POOR MAN'S FIGHT
LIFEFORCE
Buffalo NY quintet Herod plays its brand of power metal with a decisively American tone on its 10-track affair. Reaching out with melodic vocals galore, there's a very 1982 vibe to tracks like "Grand Design" that is undeniably simple yet completely over the top, while the ballad "Forever" goes for the flicking of the Bics from the onset with an acoustic passage before blowing you away with a bombastic assault that somehow patches Twisted Sister, Zebra, and Dio together. Without a shred of cheese to be found yet stocked with shredding guitar solos, RICH MAN'S WAR, POOR MAN'S FIGHT is a metal album brings metal's glory days back to the forefront. www.lifeforce-america.com -Mike SOS

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS
SELF-RELEASED
Quirky NYC pop twosome They Might Be Giants get in gear with the 21st Century and beyond by launching PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS, a 14-track sampler denoting the best of the band's new technological grasping. Running the gamut from jangly pop to comedic skits, this juggernaut duo unfurls a broad cross-section of their musical wares while continuing to demonstrate their fearless experimental side both with their music and the way which they get it to the masses. Thanks to today's advancements and the unit's embracing of modern media, PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS isn't just an embryonic method which surely many will attempt to emulate, but yet another feather in the cap of the unorthodox yet enthralling They Might Be Giants. www.theymightbegiants.com -Mike SOS

ATROCITY
CONTAMINATED
OPEN GRAVE
Atrocity's latest release is far from being a new recording, as this 10-track offering is merely an album's full of alternate versions of previously released material, which is why it sounds so raw, visceral, and balls-out heavy. Unfettered by today's pristine methods, tracks like "Unseen Death" thrash about without the slick polish, making for a tasty crossover treat that sounds like Sepultura, DRI, and Napalm Death in a triple threat cage match. www.opengraverecords.com -Mike SOS

THE MOBILE MOB FREAKSHOW
READY TO MISGUIDE A NEW GENERATION
LOCOMOTIVE
Swedish hard punk rockers The Mobile Mob Freakshow pour a whole lotta attitude onto their 12-track offering, as songs like "Tankride" and "Violate Me" are power packed with raspy vocals and a discernible metallic buzz which suggests these guys know as much Metallica as they do Misfits. Compact and chaotic yet always in control, READY TO MISGUIDE A NEW GENERATION is a solid album that is bound to keep the party at the motorcycle bar going all night long. www.locomotiverecords.com -Mike SOS


EYES OF ARGUS
ABANDONED
SELF-RELEASED
Staten Island sextet Eyes of Argus showcase a great depth on their complex yet completely accessible four-track endeavor titled ABANDONED. Meeting where Pink Floyd, Incubus, and Grey Skies Fallen converge, songs like "Show Me" are driven by aggressive acoustic guitar and intriguing percussion while the title cut is led by cascading piano and synths, all the while substituting raw heaviness for sheer intensity. Championing a uniquely extreme coffee house sound that weaves folk metal, world beat, and smooth jazz into its tapestry, this outfit's stellar musicianship and durable songwriting prowess make them palatable for the tree hugging hippie love crew and the left of center metal fan that digs epic songs about Vikings and mythology alike. www.eyes-of-argus.com -Mike SOS

GRAF ORLOCK
DESTINATION TIME YESTERDAY
LEVEL PLANE
Providing schizophrenic metal dispersed with kitschy samples from classic action movie dialogues, California's Graf Orlock (taking their name from the villain in NOSFERATU) have made their own sub-genre: Hollywood grindcore. Fear not, purveyors of punishment, these guys are as visceral and vicious as it gets, as unlike Tinseltown, there's nary a sign of silicone to gawk at here. Instead, we get teeming hunks of abrasive hardcore, unforgiving blasts of grind, and a relentless highlight reel of movie dialogue that ties the whole thing together. While other bands may employ these tricks, no one comes close to laying it down with the crushing conviction of Graf Orlock. www.level-plane.com -Mike SOS

DISCIPLE
SCARS REMAIN
SRE
Knoxville, TN Christian metal act Disciple's latest 11-track offering supplies a smorgasbord of the last 10 years of commercial metal's finest moments on SCARS REMAIN. Tracks like "Dive" sound as if they came fresh off the Warped Tour side stage, while the harmonious chorus of "Regime Change" demonstrates the act's familiarity with bands like Soil and Drowning Pool, as the title track suggests this quartet has had its fair exposure to bands like Atreyu and Demon Hunter. There's even a nod to genre bending, as "Game On" disappointingly resurrect Limp Bizkit-esque posturing for an anthem that sounds like a WWE theme (which was in fact the theme of a WWE PPV), and "After the World" questionably displays the band's sensitive side with that big ballad rock radio salivates over. While offering more variety than your average metal unit, Disciple's metal by numbers design and their placating to the commercial side of the fence leaves room for a few fist-pumping anthems with a somewhat stale aftertaste. www.srerecordings.com -Mike SOS

TO-MERA
TRANSCENDENTAL
CANDLELIGHT
Lacuna Coil and Nightwish fans rejoice! There's yet another act utilizing heavy guitars, operatic female vocals, and epic songwriting skills. The name is To-Mera, and this quintet's eight-track offering is graced with solid musicianship and sweeping melodies that at times are equally haunting and enchanting. Tracks like "Obscure Oblivion" displays the band's mid-tempo mope factor, while "Dreadful Angel" displays this unit's not afraid to wail on the heavy bag to churn out some crunchy riffs. If you like darker-edged rock with tinges of fantasy metal, TRANSCENDENTAL is an album to check out. www.candlelightrecordsusa.com -Mike SOS

EXITIUM
OUTSOURCING MORALITY
DEEPSEND
A blistering aural attack comes courtesy of Oklahoma's Exitium, whose 12-track extreme excursion whips up a contemptuous cacophony of Swedish grind and Cookie Monster-style death metal. "Belligerent Rage" makes the most of whinnying whammy bars and breakneck blast beats in under two minutes, "Prorated Peace of Mind" triumphantly incorporates the hardcore punk beat and death metal pig squeal, and "Only in Death" benefits from the less than pristine production by adding an organic chaos to the already impending madness. While there may be other grind bands that are faster, sharper, and perhaps more punishing, OUTSOURCING MORALITY's charm lies in the twin vocal onslaught that merges death and grind in addition to the fuzzed out, in your face way in which the album was captured. www.deepsend.com -Mike SOS

ACUMEN NATION
ANTICORE
CRASH
Well, the latest endeavor from Chicago's Acumen Nation definitely earns its name, as this 15-track affair sounds more synthetic than anything five guys in wifebeaters can conjure up. Think of the wares of Ministry, Mudvayne, Static X, KMFDM, and traces of Voivod rolled into one as a brief summation of what tracks like "My Lifes Last Breath" and "Tools in the Blood Shed" bring to the table. Heavy on the effects and programmed to death, Acumen Nation's technical metallics are a bit outdated but would be enjoyable for those who still like to rock their PVC outfits and hang from hooks in the ceiling in their spare time. www.crashmusicinc.com -Mike SOS

LECHEROUS NOCTURNE
ADORATION OF THE BLADE
DEEPSEND
Featuring members of Nile and Monstrosity in its ranks, you can truly expect a maelstrom of malevolence courtesy of this quintet. Lecherous Nocturne plays the kind of brutally-charged intricate death metal that makes parents scared and kids go insane, as cuts like the demonic opener "Kampagne" offers all of the furious fright and metallic might you can handle. Relentless yet always on top of things, cuts like "Whorrified" display that this act can effortlessly step outside the shadow's of being a side project and take the world by storm on its own accord. If you dig thick, growling death metal with a disposition for destruction, enter ADORATION OF THE BLADE. www.deepsend.com -Mike SOS

THY DISEASE
RAT AGE
CRASH
Hailing from Poland, Thy Disease intertwines brash death metal with hints of synths and other electronic elements on RAT AGE. Sounding like a cross between Fear Factory, In Flames and Behemoth on cuts like "Unity", this band is capable of both creating and destroying an atmosphere with a simple flick of the genre switch. Trippy space odysseys and molten brutality stand side by side on "Antidote", emitting futuristic metal transmissions, while the techno tribal vibe of "Life Form" sounds as if lifted from a barrage of Sweden’s finest. Rugged yet redundant, this quartet goes for the throat but grabs a computer mouse instead, rendering mixed results. www.crashmusicinc.com -Mike SOS

A STATIC LULLABY
A STATIC LULLABY
FEARLESS
After losing three-fifths of the band, California's A Static Lullaby refocused, got new members, and put out its latest offering, an 11-track self-titled affair, all within 18 months. Not too shabby, eh? Neither is this album, if you enjoy straddling the line between alternative punk, screamo metal, and heartfelt hardcore. "Trigger Happy Tarantula" contains the type of fiery dynamic changes reserved for Thursday, while "Eager Cannibals" sounds like a cross between The Used and Fall Out Boy and the rapid-fire one-two punch of "Annexation of Puerto Rico" and "The Art of Sharing Lovers" find the band at its most comfortable, blending melodic screams with raging guitars. A band that takes punk rock volatility, metal's crunch, and alternative rock's catharsis and layers solid melodies and well-directed angst on top, the rebirth of A Static Lullaby is good news for the harder-edged alternative rocker. www.fearlessrecords.com -Mike SOS

DEMISE
TORTURE GARDEN
CRASH
Poland seems to be a hotbed for the metal world, thanks to bands like Vader who have conquered the realm. Demise is yet another export from the country that employ a death metal sound, only theirs is way more progressive and deeply steeped in modern day metal's influences. Decisively not as rigid as many of their peers, this quartet's 13- track endeavor isn't the most precise album, or the heaviest by any means, but it does display a looser feel than most metal albums normally allow. Cuts like "Grieve No Longer" emit an Entombed-like vibe, while the ambient closer "Never Ending Pain" sounds like something from a sci-fi movie closing credit scene. There are quite a bit of metallic moments here ("Termination of Souls", "Ecstasy and Rapture"), but the oddball nuances strewn across TORTURE GARDEN make this album intriguing, if not a bit disjointed. www.crashmusicinc.com -Mike SOS

LOWER FORTY-EIGHT
APERTURES
MONOTREME
Juggling post-hardcore abrasions and indie rock savvy is no easy feat, yet the San Francisco trio Lower Forty-Eight make it sound so easy on their latest offering, the 10-track APERTURES. From the jarring syncopations found on "Afterlie" to the hypnotic grooves laid down in "The Distance of Light", this act's firm grasp on creating dramatic songs is shown through mood-altering dynamic shifts and vast influences coming together at weird intersections. From the raucous yet distraught melodies of "Seventh Sight" and the monolithic "Mass Denial, Massive Guilt" to the lovelorn epic "The Ring", APERTURES is an excellent album for those that miss the days when Quicksand, Jesus Lizard, and Unsane were the darlings of the underground rock scene. www.monotremerecords.com -Mike SOS

THE ROMAN NUMERALS
THE ROMAN NUMERALS
ANODYNE
A seasoned semi-Gothic tone comes courtesy of Kansas City, MO's The Roman Numerals. The spry musicians who comprise this outfit have played in acts such as Season to Risk and Shiner, and their whole formation hinged from a one-off Joy Division tribute band on Halloween, contributing to the band's dark-edged vibes emanating from cuts like "My Life After Death Part 1” and the bottom heavy "Deep Loft". Fusing their moody aura with a dance rock aesthetic akin to what's going down today in indie rock land, this disc's blend of dreamy reverb and driving rhythms on tracks like "Msr. Control" totally resurrects the best of Psychedelic Furs without getting any of that Panic at the Disco nasty aftertaste. With slices of Fugazi and Joy Division as garnish on the whimsically grave "Can We Trust Your Architect" and detailed understanding of '80s gloom sprinkled throughout, this eponymous affair can be shared by the hip kids and outcasts alike. www.anodynerecords.com -Mike SOS

SPITALFIELD
BETTER THAN KNOWING WHERE YOU ARE
VICTORY
There's a lot of '80s rock Spitalfield doesn't bother to hide, as well as alt rock radio transplanting and good old middle America indie rock portions assisting this act's latest. Not as sugary sweet as Hawthorne Heights (yet reaching close at times), Spitalfield produces just enough syrup to adorn tracks like "The Only Thing That Matters". Revealing rugged twin guitars and a unspectacular but solid vocal performance throughout, "...Listen" and "Lasting First Impression" seamlessly joins Foo Fighter-esque crescendos with Jimmy Eat World-like melodies, as this group's third CD still manages to grab your attention with those damn hooky choruses gracing tracks like ""Tell Me, Clarice" and the fist-pumping pop punk title track. Other bands from this Chicago quartet's peer group have gone on to accomplish great things, and this 12-track disc is Spitalfield's permit to enter that realm.

ANTI-HERO
UNPRETTY
HER
Anti-Hero is a Canadian female fronted punk-infused rock band that play it safe on UNPRETTY. Cliched and well-constructed for rock radio, tracks like "For the Last Time" and "Loot" reveal what Courtney Love jamming with Three Days Grace would sound like. Slickly produced and laden with lyrical empowerment for teenage girls that shop at Hot Topic, Anti-Hero makes the perfect Veruca Salt Nirvana suburban angst swirl. www.anti-hero.ca -Mike SOS

THE HUMAN ABSTRACT
NOCTURNE
HOPELESS
Meshing the histrionics of Shadows Fall, the technicality of Between the Buried and Me, and the old school flavor brought back by Trivium, The Human Abstract's recipe for creating metal yields a tasty treat for the ADD set with the penchant for a slew of instrumental noodling. From the soulful solo which ends "Mea Culpa", the acoustic whimsy of "Desiderata", and the unbridled thrash metal chaos of "Self Portraits of the Instincts", this Los Angeles quintet bring everything and the kitchen sink to the table, flexing their musical muscle with solid results. If you're looking for the missing link between power metal and metalcore, NOCTURNE suitably fits the bill. www.hopelessrecords.com -Mike SOS

SILENCER
DEATH-PIERCE ME
AUTOPSY KITCHEN
Despite this disc being is a re-issue from 2000, the cruel and grim musical output placed forth by Sweden's Silencer remains unsurpassed when it comes to producing bleak suicidal dirges. Armed with a disturbing high pitched vocal shriek that convincingly ingrains the insanity of itself into your collective consciousness, the stirring intertwining of doom and black metal captivatingly propels this virtual mental breakdown caught on tape. This six-track death metal opus is a melancholic masterpiece, and even though at times Silencer's pain-wrought tirade becomes utterly unlistenable, DEATH PIERCE ME undoubtedly will leave an indelible mark of darkness on your heart. www.autopsykitchen.com -Mike SOS

ALLHELLUJA
PAIN IS THE GAME
SCARLET
Finding the perfect middle ground in between Queens of the Stone Age and The Haunted, the Italian-Danish troupe Allhelluja play Godzilla-sized riffs at earth-shaking volumes with hints of death 'n roll in its midst. PAIN IS THE GAME transcends the notion that groove and grind can't coexist, as the 11 tracks that adorn this collection dole out even amounts of metallic firepower and balls to the wall sleaze rock, as cuts like "Are You Ready" and "Soul Man" demonstrate the band's love for all things simple and heavy. While their steeping into debauchery tends to get a bit sloppy at times, the top notch grooves decorating "The King of Pain" and "Superhero Motherfucker Superman" are massive enough to impress even the most hardened of listener. If you like it raw and rude, Allhelluja delivers the goods. www.scarletrecords.it -Mike SOS

CHROME HELMET
FULL CIRCLE
SIN KLUB
Chrome Helmet's Midwestern metal slant coupled with the group's indie rock footing makes for an inspired 14-track release. FULL CIRCLE is emblazoned with a steady stream of raw emotion, perpetuating the punk rock meets alt metal stance on cuts like "No More", the downbeat stoner groove adorning "Eyes Open" and the gritty rock attack found on "The Good Rides". Accessible enough to keep heads accustomed to a buffet of AC/DC and Buckcherry bobbing their heads yet taking enough detours to please the discerning rock fan, Chrome Helmet's diverse influences coming together with a straight-ahead rock attitude should earn this band massive respect and a fanbase that appreciates versatile acts that play from the heart. www.chromehelmet.com -Mike SOS

SKELTER
SIP O' TEA FOR THE DEVIL
SELF-RELEASED
On the a 14-track offering SIP O' TEA FOR THE DEVIL, NYC's rock rabble rousers Skelter turn it up, let it hang out, and crank another batch of tunes factory ready for singalongs in the shower or in the tavern. Taking it even further this time around thanks to the album's "Trenterludes" (ramblings from the album's thankfully made up ignorant and incompetent pseudo host/ MC douchebag), this trio perfectly emulates the NYC Tuesday night rock club vibe to a tee. Their songs also experience an upgrade of sorts, as a discernible punkier edge is added through on "Indifference", building on the band's already Stones-esque swagger revealed on "The Idiot" and the outfit's love for Brit-pop fueling cuts like "Dawn Marie". Rounding out their edges, getting a bit more theatrical both in music and in presentation and writing solid songs that run the gauntlet from late '60s rock of "This is a Ghost Town", '80s college rock on "Hello Hello Hello" and the timeless bottom heavy bass meets guitar jangle on "Your Gray Hair", Skelter considerably raises the bar on SIP O' TEA FOR THE DEVIL, churning out some of the most razor sharp and savvy songs to come from the garage. www.myspace.com/skeltermusic -Mike SOS

THE AMERICAN BLACK LUNG
...AND THEY RODE THEIR WEAPONS INTO WAR
BURNING HOUSE
Nice name for a band, eh? Punk angst and hard rock muscle dueling in a knife fight is what you'll hear on this howling 10-track endeavor. Sounding at times like a cross between The Bronx and Every Time I Die, tracks like "Graduation Day" and "Doc Bollywood" are heavy on the screams and screeching guitars, while "Werewolves by Night" and "It Don't RaIn Much 'Round Here" share as much in common with The Who as they do Hot Water Music. For a raucous garage rock by way of American hardcore tour de force, this Tucson, AZ quintet brings it without remorse. www.burninghouserecords.com -Mike SOS

ZERO HOUR
SPEC OF PICTURES BURNT BEYOND
SENSORY
Fates Warning...Queensryche...Nevermore...influences you hear on the Zero Hour disc? Watch that final square flip and jump for joy with Levar Burton, my friend, as you've won the progressive metal $25,000 Pyramid. This Bay Area outfit's fifth installment of progressive metal boasts a new singer, a fresh batch of tunes constructed with painstaking metallic elegance ("I Am Here"), glass-shattering vocals that can actually fluctuate between prog rock overload and everyday metalhead comprehension ("The Falcon's Cry") and enough technical prowess to satisfy all the people anxiously awaiting the next Dream Theater release ("Zero Hour"). Backtracking through their catalog to reach the sound of their glorious early period, Zero Hour's seven-track affair contains all the luxurious nuances a prog metal band needs to truly captivate. www.lasersedgegroup.com -Mike SOS

IT DIES TODAY
SIRENS
TRUSTKILL
Catchy choruses, melodic singing, and heavy riffs aplenty are all employed in assembly line style on the latest effort by Buffalo, NY's It Dies Today. The quintet's 11-track presentation rubs off like another Hot Topic metal act more concerned with their hair dye than the originality of their riffs, yet there's an underlying intelligence found on cuts like "Sacred Heart" and "The Bacchanal Affair" propelling SIRENS past their peers' tour buses (Bullet for My Valentine, Atreyu) and into another musical scope (Demon Hunter, Mudvayne) that relies more on musical advancement than Soundscan numbers. Alas, their singer, one of the band's strongest assets, has just exited the group, and now they're on tour with Papa Roach, so you decide if you want to go to the mall and pick this one up. www.trustkill.com -Mike SOS

TWELVE TRIBES
MIDWEST PANDEMIC
FERRET
More than ever sounding like Poison the Well's little brother, Twelve Tribes dishes out 12 sizable slabs of majestic metalcore on their latest effort MIDWEST PANDEMIC. Factor in some memorably cascading Killswitch choruses ("History Versus the Pavement"), some seething anger that's half-Hatebreed, half-Downset ("Pagan Self Portrait"), and the confidence to sprinkle dashes of heavy music experimentation in for good measure, and this Ohio quintet has single-handedly set the motion forth to take metalcore back from the mall and put it on the road, in the studio, and reattach it to the brain. Thank your lucky stars for this group, as their contribution breathes new life to a genre mired in redundancy and content with complacency. www.ferretstyle.com -Mike SOS

JAPANISCHE KAMPFHORSPIELE
DRUHER WAR AUCH NICHT ALLES GUT
BASTARDIZED
Don't even try to pronounce this German outfit's album's title or even the band's name for that matter. Just realize that this comprehensive 32-track retrospective offering runs 64:20 and is laden with some of the most crustaceous grindcore the metal world has ever released in any language. And it was recorded in a very low budget DIY in a basement kind of way to boot, which only adds to its unmistakably gruesome charm. Leaning towards the grind side of the metal spectrum lately? This disc is a must listen and will satisfy the yearning. Want to experience just how good this raging riff-a-thon of a disc encompassing thrash, death, grind, and hardcore actually is? Pick this disc up and discover it for yourself, but be sure to play it loud enough so the neighbors understand too. www.bastardizedrecordings.de -Mike SOS

HELLA
THERE'S NO 666 IN OUTER SPACE
IPECAC
2007 finds Hella still floating in outer space, only in an expanded form from a two-man unit to a full-on five-piece on THERE'S NO 666 IN OUTER SPACE, the Sacramento, CA band's latest 11-track endeavor. And while the band's maniacal percussion, disregard for mainstream music, penchant for technical disarray, and unique blend of controlled musical chaos and galactic scope remains for the most part intact, there's a discernible Primus meets The Mars Volta vibe permeating out of cuts like the title tracks and "Let Your Heavies Out" which permits shades of melody and groove to seep from the band's veritable wall of noise rock. Through adding these healthy doses of order to the now quartet's abnormally unbridled presentation, the end result shapes itself into a luxuriously liquefied listening experience that drum freaks, alt rock kids searching for deeper meaning, and spastic rock lovers everywhere will surely get off about. Challenging the norms while blasting off into orbit, Hella's fourth installment finds the band touching down to Earth, but only to recharge and refuel before continuing its interplanetary quest. www.ipecac.com -Mike SOS

XASTHUR
SUBLIMINAL GENOCIDE
HYDRA HEAD
Creating a funeral-like atmosphere by manipulating both the fine art of suspense and a bastardized version of Burzum and Emperor, Xasthur's music is as far from mainstream as you could imagine. However, tracks like the deviously dynamic "Trauma Will Always Linger" display a more advanced structure than any major label disc's metal could ponder. Setting a melancholic tone through the use of dense walls of sound that manage to emit waves of hypnotic guitar riffs and keyboards, this 11-track ode to suffering provides magnificent malaise to anyone already having a bad day and wanting to sink a little lower. Prepare for the darkness with SUBLIMINAL GENOCIDE playing in the background and the underworld's minions are bound to be summoned. www.hydrahead.com -Mike SOS

SHADOW DEMON
GRIMOIRE OF RUIN
DARK HAVEN
Shadow Demon is a metal quintet who primarily play the type of metal that you'd associate with swords, capes, and a lot of fur. The nine-track GRIMOIRE OF RUIN meshes Manowar and Iced Earth together in an unspectacular yet sturdy fashion, tracks like "Red" and "...And the Meek" serve the masses by producing predictable guitars, headbanging rhythms and fist-pumping choruses aplenty. Still have posters of Eddie on your wall? This one's for you. www.darkhavenrecords.com -Mike SOS

DEATH BREATH
STINKING UP THE NIGHT
RELAPSE
Death Breath's nightmarishly circle-pit inducing death 'n roll successfully unleashes all of Nicke Andersson's pent-up metallic demons since he formed Hellacopters. This homesick homage to the genre he helped spawn replicates the old school crunch of his past outfits Entombed and Nihilist with gutwrenching intensity and integrity. Showing he can still churn out gory gems like "Chopping Spree", "Coffins of the Unembalmed Dead", and "Reduced to Ashes" without a hitch, STINKING UP THE NIGHT offers the listener a mercilessly crusty thrashing accelerating to severe speeds and capable of massive amounts of destruction. www.relapse.com -Mike SOS