It is with great pleasure and with high gratitude and appreciation that The Music Appraisal presents you with a wide array of reviews from Mike SOS(43 mini-reviews to be exact). Mike is part of an amazing band soon to be reviewed on TMA called SOS. SOS have recently released their third album entitled "A Guide To Better Living". Please visit SOS's homepage at www.sosnyc.com and be sure to purchase their album on cdbaby by clicking Here

F5
A DRUG FOR ALL SEASONS
DEADLINE
Former Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson returns with an unexpected slant with his new quintet F5. Drawing from the lineage of nu-metal such as Sevendust and Disturbed, A DRUG FOR ALL SEASONS is a far cry from anything Megadeth did, even at the band’s most safe offering RISK Instead, Ellefson combined a stellar twin guitar assault and former Sick Speed throat Dale Steele to handle the melodic metal duties, allowing his new band the inevitable comparisons. Solid and succinct, tracks like “Dissidence” and “Bleeding” mesh hard rock’s rough and tumble approach with a modern twist, making F5 a viable outfit rather than a famous metal musician’s new side project. www.cleorecs.com

VARIOUS ARTISTS
ARMAGEDDON OVER WACKEN LIVE 2004
MAGICK
Bringing the power and energy of Europe’s largest annual music festival directly to your CD player, ARMAGEDDON OVER WACKEN commemorates the festival’s 15th year of pounding audiences with all types of metal. From the death metal mayhem of Cannibal Corpse to the power metal offering of Destruction to the veritable displays of hard rock majesty from Dio and Motorhead, this three-disc set reads as a who’s who of the underground metal world and faithfully captures the spirit of the festival without braving the weather and drunk and rowdy European metalheads. If nothing else besides being an awesome collection brimming with top-flight metal acts, this disc serves as a reminder as to not only how huge heavy music is abroad, but also how intense the fans are, as they truly make the disc a must-listen with their singing along at every refrain and unbelievable enthusiasm. www.magickrecords.com

VARIOUS ARTISTS
MASTERS OF HORROR
IMMORTAL
Released to coincide with the launching of the Showtime anthology series of the same name, the soundtrack to MASTERS OF HORROR is a mixed bag of tracks from all types of heavy bands from the likes of Mudvayne and Shadows Fall to lesser-known acts such as A Change of Pace and Fall River. While the bulk of the material is heard for the first time here, many of the submissions have a b-side feel to them, and for the most part, aren’t really all that scary. For argument’s sake, would you consider bands like Gratitude and Armor for Sleep bands you’d associate with horror movies? While there are good choices represented here such as Alkaline Trio, Shadows Fall, and the haunting Murder by Death, there’s also a bevy of screamo and punk bands here that are better suited for a Warped Tour comp. The twin-disc set may not represent horror movie music as much as it does the current climate of heavy rock acts currently storming the market, but at least it does a stellar job in showcasing all facets of that spectrum. Just a word to Immortal: for next time guys, try a little Slayer and Misfits. www.immortalrecords.com

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
HAND OF BLOOD
TRUSTKILL
Bullet for My Valentine is a melodic metal clan from Wales whose six-track release storms through your speakers with New Wave of American Metal flare. From the opener “4 Words (to Choke Upon)”, a barnburning number that throws in every metal trick in the book, you can tell that this quartet that hails from the same landscape as Funeral for a Friend and Lostprophets are on to something big. And big also describes the mammoth guitar tones heard all over HAND OF BLOOD, as well as the awesome usage of dynamics on “Curses” and the overall thrashing production put in place by Colin Richardson. Worshipping Maiden, Metallica, and Testament while embracing the newer screamo and current metal mindset of Killswitch Engage and Atreyu, Bullet for My Valentine are the next band to blow up from across the pond, and rightfully so, as they display the riffs, the love for metal, and the chops to deserve the accolades. www.trustkill.com

PLAYING ENEMY
I WAS YOUR CITY
HAWTHORNE STREET
Rising from the ashes of seminal hardcore act Kiss It Goodbye, Playing Enemy return after a two year hiatus with I WAS YOUR CITY, a disjointed metallic concoction whose 11-tracks take you ears on a wild ride through broken relationships via ambient noise rock and angst ridden dissonance. Unstable and unsettling, “The End of Something” has a vertigo-like effect thanks to its swirling guitars and its monotone trailed off vocals underneath the gravel-swallowed lead throat, while “And The Engine” tackle a full-on left of center hardcore attack with driving bass lines which complement the intentionally jagged guitar work. Somewhere between Keelhaul, Mastodon, and Every Time I Die lays I WAS YOUR CITY, an album that will haunt as much as it threaten. www.hawthornestreetrecords.com

PROJECT X
STRAIGHT EDGE REVENGE
BRIDGE NINE
Leave it to champions of the hardcore scene Bridge Nine to re-release Project X’s landmark five-track album, with a few live cuts to boot. Originally released in 1988, this is the first proper release of this seminal recording featuring members of Judge, Gorilla Biscuits, Youth of Today, and Warzone. This is where it all started, boys and girls, and it doesn’t get more real than this. If it’s an education in hardcore you seek, STRAIGHT EDGE REVENGE is a foundational album to check out, as tracks like “Dance Floor Justice” and “Where It Ends” are templates of the NYHC sound. www.bridge9.com

INDEX CASE
INDEX CASE
MORTAL
Iowa’s Index Case may have a lot of heavy hands in the mix of their eponymous debut, but ultimately, the quartet suffers from a bout of over saturation. It’s not that the band’s mix of mopey nu metal, teeth-gnashing modern rock, and spooky Slipknot-esque horror rock is poorly executed or sloppily presented; in fact, the album, assisted by ex- Tears for Fears frontman Curt Smith and mega-rock knob twiddler Jimbo Barton sounds pretty damn impressive. But, it’d sound way more impressive if there was no Taproot, no Mudvayne, no Flaw, no Dry Kill Logic, or even Staind already enshrining the hallowed halls of modern metal. Instead, Index Case falls a bit flat, sounding too much like a carbon copy that its own entity, subsequently taking the zing out of mid-tempo burners like “Perfect Season”. www.mortal-music.com

STRATOVARIUS
STRATOVARIUS
SANCTUARY
Finnish melodic metal masters Stratovarius make a full-fledged return after an absence marred by drama with a nine-track eponymous offering. While the steadfast power metal crew has abandoned speed for heaviness a la Metallica on THE BLACK ALBUM, there are still many moments like the Queensryche-esque soaring vocal performance meets dark melodics of “Back to Madness” and the balls to the wall rocker “Fight!!!” that should keep loyal fans at bay. Stripping down its symphonic side, slowing down the pace, and toying with new ideas may not be the ideal sound ardent fans will embrace, but Stratovarius seem content with the changes for now, as they’ve helped to put this landmark power metal troupe back on the map. Whether or not these devices remain in the band’s arsenal to be seen, but for now, at least the group has returned from the wreckage it once was, albeit not in the same form its fans are accustomed to. www.sanctuaryrecordsgroup.com

NO TURNING BACK
RISE FROM THE ASHES
BRIDGE NINE
Dutch hardcore mavens No Turning Back were undoubtedly weaned off of the wares of NYHC stalwarts Sick of It All, Madball, and Warzone, evident on the band’s latest full-length release RISE FROM THE ASHES. Exuding a tough guys stance and complementing it with chugging riffs found on the title track and the sneering delivery of “Poisoned Tongues”, No Turning Back’s sturdy hardcore approach will nudge you into throwing on your wifebeater and throwing a few windmills around the living room in no time. www.bridge9.com

HE WHO CORRUPTS
THE SMELL OF MONEY
EUGENICS
He Who Corrupts slice and dice though five tracks of aural madness, complete with unorthodox samples, grindcore instrumentations, and foreboding interludes on THE SMELL OF MONEY. Displaying a sound technical background as well as a sharp sense of sarcasm, tracks like “Your Mama on the Rocks” juggles jack hammered rhythms with shards of whimsical lyrics like “Just got a bone to pick with you sexual chocolate Catholics”. Huh? Yep, and by the time you dissect that amongst the other phrases that are abrasively screamed at you, a thunderous breakdown like the one on “Pain in the Tight Pants” destroys your senses. Then, poof…the CD is over. Short, sweet, and severe, this Chi-town treat turns up the heat and cranks out a whirlwind of mayhem. www.eugenicsrecordlabel.com

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES
DEUCE
SPITFIRE
Beautiful Creatures’ sophomore outing, appropriately titled DEUCE, rides the wave of bands like Dope, Murderdolls, Velvet Revolver, and Shinedown, despite the fact that this outfit comprised of vets from notable acts such as Flotsam and Jetsam and Bang Tango were kicking ass way before the inception of the aforementioned. Taking equal parts of Sunset Strip bravado and modern rock’s arena rock swagger, songs like “Empty” connects the dots between hair metal hooks and mope rock melancholy, while “Straight to Hell” lines up in the Harley line with all engines roaring. Ballsy, whiskey soaked cock rock never dies: it just gets reshuffled, restyled, and churned out with the attitude missing from much of today’s sanitized rock. While Beautiful Creatures do tend to sound a bit too rehashed at times, their Motley meets BLS stance still shakes the asses and warrants the fists to pump. www.spitfirerecords.com

1349
HELLFIRE
CANDLELIGHT
Norwegian black metal clan 1349 returns with another crushing metal offering, as the eight-track HELLFIRE is as abrasive and scathing as any album currently waking the dead. From the sinister voice on the title track that commences the excursion to the abyss to the impending evil that continues throughout, this quintet has created a maelstrom of mayhem. Raspy growls, ripping guitar riffs, machine gun turret drumming, and a sadistic overall viewpoint are some of 1349’s main devices of destruction, and when all put together into a cauldron of chaos, songs like the harrowing “From the Deeps” and the demonically charged “Nathicana” are born. If you enjoy the depravity of black and death metal and are looking for a band that takes a more traditional approach to the genre, HELLFIRE is an album that belongs between your Emperor and Satyricon discs. www.candlelightrecordsusa.com

IN ARCADIA
IF IT BLEEDS, WE CAN KILL IT
HANDSTAND
Sounding a bit whiny at times, yet way more powerful than a whiny band should at others, the Detroit-based band In Arcadia intertwine Warped Tour pop-punk with elements of ‘90s post-hardcore a la Quicksand and Far and slices of Nirvana’s grunge on IF IT BLEEDS, WE CAN KILL IT. Well-textured songs like “Megadeth Fiero” (which sounds nothing like either, by the way) combine Thursday-esque guitar lines with a metallic sneer, while emo’s self-awareness rears its head on “Olsen Twins Pornography” and “Fathom The Brig’uns”, sure to illicit air guitar solos and group choral shouts alike. If Story of the Year somehow merged with Open Hand, the strained angst of In Arcadia would be the result. www.handstandrecords.com

WEAPON 13
WEAPON 13
SELF-RELEASED
Featuring ex-members of Bay Area stalwarts Hirax, the quartet Weapon 13 portray an old school punk-metal outfit nicely on the band’s three-track release. Meshing DRI with Suicidal Tendencies, songs like “Empty” righteously thrash out with the skater punk vibe, while the crushing opening of “Monster Reborn” yields a crossover metal jam that combines the primal output of Death Angel, Slayer, All, and NYHC circa 1989. Looking to revisit the glory days when metal bands didn’t wear mascara? Then Weapon 13 is a release to check out. www.weapon13.com

THE TROUBLE
NOBODY LAUGHS ANYMORE
BRIDGE 9
The Trouble is a Boston punk rock band whose latest release is a comprehensive reissue of the locally influential quartet. Reuniting this year after a long layoff, this band’s run lasted from 1995-1999 and bridged some gaps between genres. Fitting snugly between the punk, oi, and skin scenes, the group’s three-chord stomps and belligerent vocal attack falls somewhere between Cock Sparrer and Sex Pistols, and is recommended listening for people that crave the need for real, no bullshit punk rock played sans fashion savvy with loads of heart and spirit leading the charge. www.bridge9.com

EARTH
HEX; OR PRINTING IN THE INFERNAL METHOD
SOUTHERN LORD
Dropping the heavy and replacing it with a more barren country-tinged feel enrobed in echo and reverb, the Washington-based project Earth have produced an album bursting with innovation. Psychedelic in tone and atmospheric in mood, HEX; OR PRINTING IN THE INFERNAL METHOD is not sonically weighty like other Earth releases. Instead, songs like “Lens of Unrectified Light” enchant and enlighten, replacing the massively heavy drone with budding expansiveness and down home downtrodden picking and grinning. If you like Queludes and Neil Young, or a penchant for ominous desert rock, you’ll love what this album will do to you. www.southernlord.com

SUNN0)))
BLACK ONE
SOUTHERN LORD
Experimental masters sunn0))) returns with another crushing offering in the form of BLACK ONE, a seven-track journey into uncharted territories of heavy sound. Enlisting some of the most revered names in American black metal and avant-garde rock, this dastardly duo’s constant quest to enlighten while breaking down barriers continues with a nefarious drone unheard on previous releases, unveiling this project to be unpredictably brutal and utterly bleak. While the laymen will have a challenging time knowing what and how to use songs like “Orthodox Caveman” to their advantage, those that crave the rattling ambiance and sonic abuse should feel right at home. www.southernlord.com

MILES AWAY
MILES AWAY
BRIDGE 9
Australian hardcore troupe Miles Away sound like an old school East Coast act on their 10-track endeavor, right down to the gang choral shouts and breakneck rhythms found on “Worlds Apart”. It’s that kind of authenticity to both the music and subject matter that assists this band brimming with intensity and conviction to ascend to hardcore’s greater heights right alongside seminal acts like 7 Seconds, Comeback Kid, and Champion. If you’re looking for a shot of no nonsense hardcore, Miles Away deliver. www.bridge9.com

DETONATION
PORTALS TO UPHOBIA
THE END
Melodic death metal mongers Detonation’s latest release showcases a band that can dually whip up frenzy as well as they do a melody. On the Dutch quartet’s 10-track sojourn, a barbed wired vocal attack leads the charge of pummeling percussion, timeless twin guitar runs, and bombastic bass-driven rhythms on tracks like the In Flames versus Shadows Fall title track and the atmospherically technical, almost Swedish sounding “End of Sight, End of Fears”. Displaying a penchant for both fist-pumping anthems and darker, more intricate death metal posturing, PORTALS TO UPHOBIA isn’t anything earth shattering, but does a sufficient job providing some memorable melodic death metal a la At the Gates and Arch Enemy. www.theendrecords.com

ABSU
MYTHOLOGICAL OCCULT METAL 1991-2001
THE END
Absu is a black/death metal clan from Dallas, TX whose odds and ends are tied up quite nicely on this twin disc collection. From every 7” to some demo and unreleased material, Absu has covered all the bases to please its fan bases with MYTHOLOGICAL OCCULT METAL 1991-2001. While some may feel the set to be a bit excessive (who really wants to hear poor quality demo versions of songs you’ve never heard of), ultimately, if you’re a fan of this outfit currently on hiatus, this lengthy package gives you everything you’d ever want and then some. Bonus points go towards the death metal treatments on the covers on Disc 2, featuring the likes of Mayhem, Iron Maiden, and Possessed. www.theendrecords.com

EPICA
CONSIGN TO OBLIVION
THE END
From the majestic horns that open CONSIGN TO OBLIVION, the Holland-based sextet Epica set a regal tone that carries over throughout the entire 11-track disc. Melding the cinematic feel of film scoring with opera, Goth rock, and metal, this multi-layered, overblown, and grandiose offering is laden with strings, a choral section separate from the band, and a slew of catchy songs that sound as much at home on a Broadway stage as they do in a metal club’s PA system. Tracks like the calming beauty of “Solitary Ground” make Evanescence sound like The Spice Girls, while songs like “Force of the Shore” join melodic death metal with traces of “Bohemian Rhapsody”-era Queen, ushering in a whole new movement in metal. Equipped with a symphony that rivals any city’s in the world and unafraid to take Stratovarius-like breaks to rage, Epica’s latest release is triumphant, but at times falls far off the metal radar into show tune land, but as long as you’re properly prepared for the drop off, you’ll be able to marvel in the mystique of this disc. www.theendrecords.com

AGE OF SILENCE
COMPLICATIONS: TRILOGY OF INTRICACY
THE END
A supergroup of sorts, Norway’s Age of Silence’s latest foray into the land of prog rock insanity finds these black metal veterans rolling up their sleeves once again and getting all Opeth on your ass. Drawing influences from virtually everywhere in the heavy music realm (and from other places as well), this three-song endeavor acts as a cohesive holdover until the next time members of Winds, Borknagar, Mayhem, and By Pale Light reconvene for a full-length progressive slaying. Sounding folksy at times while retaining a classic crunch (albeit deep in the mix), COMPLICATIONS exhibits a revealing side to these musicians who go sans gimmickry and headlong into prog rock revelry. www.theendrecords.com

AUDREY HORNE
NO HAY BANDA
CANDLELIGHT
Norwegian left of center metal sextet Audrey Horne successfully blend the wares of Faith No More, Marilyn Manson, and Foo Fighters on the 11-track NO HAY BANDA. Creating pulsating music with an slightly eerie tone underneath, songs like “Crust” place an ominous vocal on top of a shimmering guitar line while the band keeps a heavy backbeat, while “Confessions and Alcohol” toys with both Goth rock posturing and nu metal loathing, yet adheres to neither, instead supplying a soaring chorus and heavy riffing a la Staind meets HIM. If you’re looking for a rock band that is not only original, but a bit off the mark yet still maintain a common ground that rock fans of every walk of life can identify with, then NO HAY BANDA is an album bursting with the music you need to hear. www.candlelightrecordsusa.com

MIKOTO
MIKOTO
LEVEL PLANE
Mikoto are no strangers to the hardcore scene and its way of life, as members of this quintet have logged in time with bands such as Taken and Preacher Gone to Texas. It’s that vast experience that shines through this five-track offering and makes something really special here, as these cagey veterans wrestle with the legacy of hardcore while struggling with their own lives on songs like the sarcastically charged “Traditional Anthem”, a track that denounces the Hot Topic-ization of the scene that these guys love so much. Brazen, heartfelt, and oh yeah, pretty damn heavy, Mikoto brings it back to a time when the music and the message were uncorrupted by the multimedia feeding frenzy. www.level-plane.com

GRIMFIST
TEN STEPS TO HELL
CANDLELIGHT
The wrath of the Norwegian metal bands continues with Grimfist, a pummeling trio with a scorching 10-track release. From the carnage unleashed from the opener “The Power” to the foreboding feel of “Unborn”, a massive display of metallic might has unfurled on this album. Forming from the ashes of stoner metallers Deride, and with a new drummer in tow, TEN STEPS TO HELL displays a more experimental, yet equally relentless side to this band of three that unknowingly redefines the term power trio with their unabashed black meets death metal attack found on tracks like “Reap the Fire”. www.candlelightrecordsusa.com

AKERCOCKE
WORDS THAT GO UNSPOKEN, DEEDS THAT GO UNDONE
EARACHE
The best dressed Satanic metal band returns with music as sharp as their matching suits on the 10-track WORDS THAT GO UNSPOKEN, DEEDS THAT GO UNDONE. Channeling Fear Factory, Morbid Angel, Godflesh, and Nevermore simultaneously sounds like an arduous task for your average metal troupe, but the four evil dudes in Akercocke handle it like true pros. Explosive blast beated madness prevails on “Seraphs and Silence”, completed by Cookie Monster vocals and technical death metal instrumentation, while more musically expansive moments can be found during songs such as “Shelter from the Sand”. Throughout the entire album, Akercocke’s versatile arsenal of all things metal is never compromised, while a progressive rock edge is intertwined, sparking a monumental sound that encumbers evil with both a reinvigorated sense of ferocity and an undercurrent of elegance unlike any other band heard today. www.earache.com

LINEA 77
AVAILABLE FOR PROPAGANDA
EARACHE
Italy’s nu-metal sensation Linea 77 return with another sanitized hard edged offering that sounds quite similar to their American counterparts Papa Roach and POD. Perhaps a common producer in Dave Dominguez steered the band in the very radio friendly direction, but it’s no matter. AVAILABLE FOR PROPAGANDA is the title of the latest 12-track endeavor from this quintet, whose faux punk attitude permeates throughout cuts like “Charon” and “Evoluzione”. Even a sneering delivery and a hearty dollop of surliness can’t save this disc from third-ratedom, especially if they keep writing trash like “Lost in a Videogame”. www.earache.com

MASTERPLAN
AERONAUTICS
CANDLELIGHT
German metal veterans of acclaimed acts such as Helloween, Ark, and Iron Savior join forces on Masterplan, a melodic metal troupe whose sophomore effort rocks hard. On AERONAUTICS, power metal is displayed prominently, as the pounding drums and harmonic keyboards found on “Into the Arena” aim straight for the gut, while “Back for My Life” matches Coverdale-era Deep Purple with shards of prog metal a la Queensryche and “After This War” showcase the quintet trying a bit of tenderness in a power metal style with stunning results. Falling somewhere between the heart-tugging hard rock of MSG and the odes that make you stand up and shout from Dio, Masterplan’s most recent release should appease the metal fan that demands powerful guitars and vocals with an air of rock cliché intact. www.candlelightrecordsusa.com

INFLICTION
THE SILENCER
CRUZ DEL SUR
Infliction play a hybrid of styles that shouldn’t match up as well as they do, but somehow this Italian quintet succeed in meshing melodic death metal with radio ready Goth rock leanings on their second album THE SILENCER, The 11-track collection jumps around from genre to genre with relative ease and astonishing cohesiveness, as tracks like “Redhouse” find the band trading Nevermore-esque choruses with frenetic death metal a la The Haunted without batting an eye, while the Gothic rocker “Nocturnal” chimes in with a creepy aura and a sense of Paradise Lost’s better works. Arguably, THE SILENCER’s focus seems a bit askew and purists will be disenchanted, but songs like “Sleepers” more than make up for the lack of discernible identity by uncoiling a vitriolic slab of melodic death metal madness. If you can withstand some piano-led darkened tracks like “Paperlife”, this disc is a salvageable effort worthy of a few good spins. www.cruzdelsurmusic.com

FIREBALL MINISTRY
THEIR ROCK IS NOT OUR ROCK
LIQUOR AND POKER
THEIR ROCK IS NOT OUR ROCK is an apt album title for the third installment from retro metal act Fireball Ministry. The 10-track foray into the land of muscle cars, leather jackets, and airborne horned hands finds the quartet continuing to save our rock ‘n’ roll souls. From the sturdy riffs of “Save the Saved” and “It Flies Again” to the driving rhythms of tracks such as “Hellspeak”, it’s evident that Fireball Ministry are doing everything they can to resurrect that old time organic hard rock/ heavy metal feel. Sounding as retro as your uncle’s old Judas Priest LP’s but emblazoned with the timeless haziness of bands like Black Sabbath with the chops and memorable choruses of groups like Blue Oyster Cult, this is the ultimate antithesis to what the kids are currently hopped up on, and Fireball Ministry wouldn’t want it any other way. www.liquorandpokermusic.com

HOODS
THE KING IS DEAD
EULOGY
The Sacramento, CA troupe Hoods return with another unremitting hardcore offering that embodies tough guy hardcore. THE KING IS DEAD displays this outfit’s decade-long mission of laying down beatdown riffs with the struggles of the street in the forefront. Much like Hatebreed, Madball, Sick of It All, and the like, Hoods have never strayed from the formula of combining heavy riffs, heavier subject matter, and the unbreakable NYHC spirit, spilled over to the West Coast. While this disc doesn’t cover any new ground, the undeterred spirit and imminent delivery of tracks like “26 Seconds of Hate” and “This Time” provide the proper backdrop for Hoods to convey its hardcore wares. www.eulogyrecordings.com

THUNDERSTONE
TOOLS OF DESTRUCTION
NUCLEAR BLAST
Finnish metal troupe Thunderstone’s third offering finds the band straddling the line between progressive and power metal, as the 10-track TOOLS OF DESTRUCTION is armed with a bevy of arena shaking anthems and enough technicality to cajole your average prog-metal fan into giving this a spin. Packing the punch of hair metal’s most prominent players in addition to laying down some flashy fretwork and heartfelt acoustic numbers like “Another Time”, this metal juggernaut displays great depth, tight chops, and a melodic element that fuses it altogether that gives this quintet a wide appeal. www.nuclearblastusa.com

EKTOMORF
INSTINCT
NUCLEAR BLAST
Hungarian quartet Ektomorf’s blatant lifting from Sepultura/ Soulfly is so obvious it’s distressing on the band’s latest offering INSTINCT. Utilizing the same low-end heaviness and vocal growls employed by Max Cavalera and company to death throughout the entire 12-track release doesn’t showcase the band to be much else besides a third-rate ripoff of an incendiary sound. While tracks like “Fuck You All” and “Show Your Fist” are rabble-rousing numbers guaranteed to rip heads off, they went down way better when you first heard them…on ROOTS or CHAOS AD. Emitting an admirable delivery with zero creativity, Ektomorf need to broaden their musical influence scope before they get written off as just another knockoff. www.nuclearblastusa.com

THE SECRET
LUCE
GOODFELLOW
Italian skullcrushers The Secret unleash a mammoth display of decadent discord on the eight-track LUCE. This quintet’s uncanny knack for composing cohesive yet experimental metal propels this release, as songs like “Close to Me, Inside My Heart” bounce from Meshuggah-esque brutality to Neurosis-esque ambiance within a six-minute time frame. The Secret also succeeds by being able to alter moods as quick as they can make lightning fast tempo changes and dissonant chord changes on tracks like “Oslo”. In all, The Secret excels by merging a multitude of extreme styles with startlingly stellar results. If you dig Mastodon, Isis, or Converge, there’s something here for you. www.goodfellowrecords.com

BETRAYED
ADDICTION
BRIDGE NINE
Betrayed’s irrefutable hardcore stance stems from the fact that this straight-edge crew’s members are not your typical idealistic teens, but 30 year-old men from established scene acts Champion and Carry On. It’s this level of commitment and dedication that shines through the quartet’s six-track release ADDICTION in both musical output and lyrical content, as tracks like “A Light in the Dark” contains the buoyancy of the youth crew group of the days gone by with the sage-like wisdom of eyes that have seen all sides of the spectrum. Uplifting yet not overly preachy, Betrayed’s lifestyle choice may not be for everyone, but their energetic display of melodic hardcore is way harder to ignore, especially if you dig Sick of it All or Comeback Kid. www.bridge9.com

ICARUS WITCH
CAPTURE THE MAGIC
MAGICK
The nine-track offering by the torch carrying metal troupe Icarus Witch bares no surprises, as the quartet’s unabashed heavy metal assault hits right between the eyes much like their ROSES ON WHITE LACE EP. Harkening back to the glory days of majestic metal a la Dio and Queensryche, CAPTURE THE MAGIC embrace the old school approach with little alteration, creating an enticing array of metal that, despite taking much of its influence from the ‘80s, doesn’t sound all that dated or forced. They even employ six-string metal heroes George Lynch (Dokken) and Frank X. Aresti (Fates Warning) for a shot of star power, but ultimately it’s this Pittsburgh group’s classic metal leanings on tracks like “The Ghost of Xavior Holmes” and “Darklands” that shine brightest. www.magickrecords.com

OSYRUS
OSYRUS
LATTICESPHERE
Nu-metal quartet Osyrus (who take their name from the Egyptian god of life and death) have an eclectic mix of influences from Fates Warning to Trapt seeping through the outfit’s self-titled endeavor. The 12-track disc boasts a friendly, big rock radio ready sound, as the crisp vocals and massive rhythm section are very prominently displayed on tracks like “Never Change”. The guitar work is stock nu-metal, reminiscent of Godsmack meets Crossbreed on tracks like “In My Corner” and “World Disorder” while the lyrical content and song titles lack the depth of much of the music underneath. If you’re looking for some meat and potatoes rock without a lot of heavy brain work a la Three Doors Down meets Taproot, Osyrus more than fits the bill. www.osyrus.net

BLACK MY HEART
BEFORE THE DEVIL
EULOGY
Tough guy straight edge is what Boston hardcore quintet Black My Heart uncoils on the nine-track BEFORE THE DEVIL. Gang shouted choruses, more chugging than a locomotive, and an essence of beatdown hardcore a la Bury Your Dead, Throwdown, and Terror can be found on “What You Know About” and “Remember Me”. Radiating the tones of East Coast brutality with conviction, Black My Heart may not be the most original or bloodthirsty band on the scene, but they do a stand-up job by providing concise chaotic hardcore concoctions. www.eulogyrecordings.com

CONSPIRACY OF THOUGHT
DANCE OF THE REVOLUTION
SELF-RELEASED
Conspiracy of Thought is not your run of the mill rock band. This socially charged, politically aware quartet’s 10-track release exhibits a brand of funky hard rock a la POD while spouting out social injustices and the ills of society. Tracks like “Siege Engine” and “Back to Back” share revolutionary sentiments and barrages of heavy rock riffs crashing against bouncy rhythms. The band’s dynamic side also rears its head on “Bloodstained” and “Dia de Los Muertos”, taking a sojourn into U2’s more impassioned moments. Displaying a keen sense of their surroundings and a finger on the pulse of the rock crossover realm, DANCE OF THE REVOLUTION contains more than your average listener is ready for, but when properly prepared, will take you on a trip laden with solid facts and flavorful hard rock. www.jointheconspiracy.com

LINES INTO PHOENIX
ARIES
LESS AVENGED
Washington based Lines Into Phoenix’s frenetic display hits like Glassjaw meets Thursday via At The Drive In on the sextet’s six-track offering ARIES. Cascading melodies on tracks like “Epiphany 210” fit snuggly between swirling guitars while the screamo feel of “Coma Induction Via Aquarium” interlocks with the post hardcore rhythms. Taking the eclectic wares of bands like Coheed and Cambria and Open Hand and crossing them with the mainstream senses of Story of the Year, Lines Into Phoenix have created a captivating array of sounds that you get more and more from after repeated listening of ARIES. www.lessavangedrecords.com

VARIOUS ARTISTS
TAKE PENACILIN NOW
G7 WELCOMING COMMITTEE
This compilation screams revolution, literally, as this 19-track mish-mash of punk, rap, and rock contains bands that have graced the G7 Welcoming Committee catalog at one time or another. From the politically charged punk of Propagandhi to the militant rap stance of warsawpact to the chaotic metal of Malefaction, TAKE PENACILIN NOW is as diverse a comp you’ll find on the market. Emblazoned with eclectic acts such as Clann Zu and Consolidated and solidified with tracks by bands like The (International) Noise Conspiracy, this comp is long on cleverness and thought provoking material and is recommended for the free thinking spirits that like the harder edge of the spectrum. www.g7welcomingcommittee.com

COMMUNIC
CONSPIRACY IN MIND
NUCLEAR BLAST
Scandinavian trio Communic displays its progressive leanings throughout the outfit’s seven-track CONSPIRACY IN MIND. This group showcases its savvy by writing long, intricate songs laden with twists and turns like “They Feed on Our Fear”, yet still find the right place to throw in heaping dollops of headbangingly good thrash metal on tracks such as “Ocean Bed”. Communic liberally borrows from bands like Nevermore without aping them completely, opting instead to fuse technicality and tumultuousness into an intriguing package that fans of all types of metal can find no fault with. www.nuclearblastusa.com

OLD MAN’S CHILD
VERMIN
CENTURY MEDIA
The apocalyptic vision of black metal luminary Galder continues on Old Man’s Child’s sixth release, the menacing VERMIN. Now on break from his guitar duties with Dimmu Borgir, this Norwegian pioneer of the darker side of the metal realm returns to his pet solo project, playing everything sans drums on this nine-track opus to boot. From the blistering guitars of “Enslaved and Condemned” to the majestic maelstrom of “Lord of Command” to the keyboard-driven assault of “Black Marvels of Death”, this release is bursting with ferocious riffs, scalded vocals, and undeniable evil while retaining the initial raw black metal feel. A must have for the corpse painted contingent. www.centurymedia.com