Tenacious D - The Pick of Destiny (2006)

For those of you who haven't heard of Tenacious D, they are a 2 piece Hard Rock/Heavy Metal/Acoustic Rock/Comedy Rock band who formed in 1993 in Los Angeles, California. They consist of Jack Black (Guitar & Vocals) and Kyle Gass (Guitar & Vocals). The band got their starts initally in 1989 at the Edinburgh Fringe festival as both members were part of the Los Angeles Theater Groupe "The Actors' Gang". Kyle taught Jack how to play guitar in exchange for Jack helping Kyle with his acting skills. They are currently signed to Sony BMG and Epic Records. While touring, they include John Konesky (Electric Guitar, dresses as the Anti-Christ during performances), John Spiker (Bass, dresses as Charlie Chaplin during performances), and Brooks Wackerman (Drums, dresses as Colonel Sanders during performances). They currently have two albums, a 6 episode TV Show, and a full length movie entitled The Pick of Destiny.

The Pick of Destiny, released in 2006, was Tenacious D's second album, following their 2001 self-titled release. The album was also the soundtrack to the movie of the same name. The album consists of fifteen tracks which include "Kickapoo", "Classico", "Baby", "Destiny", "History", "The Government Totally Sucks", "Master Exploder", "The Divide", "Papagenu (He's My Sassafrass)", "Dude (I Totally Miss You)", "Break In-City (Storm the Gate!)", "Car Chase City", "Beelzeboss (The Final Showdown)", "POD", and "The Metal". The album was an interesting to listen to. As some of you may know, this is the second soundtrack I've done. Overall, the album was inconsistent, it jumped around from song style to song style, there was the upbeat one, the classic sounding one, several slow ones, and on others they threw in the electric guitar and full band. Now don't get me wrong, Tenacious D is a pretty damn good band, this just didn't have the same feel. Sure, their first album wasn't a soundtrack, but they could have at least kept the consistency of the album to say the least. There was really nothing wrong with the album at all, nothing lacked, just was a bit out of order.

Overall, the album was pretty damn good. I can't really think of other musicians that are like Tenacious D, except maybe Stephen Lynch, or even Bo Burnham, but if you like acoustic rock as well then you should check it out. The album was released on November 14, 2006 and is available on amazon and iTunes.

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0

Buy the Album
Tenacious D's Website

Hatebreed - The Rise of Brutality (2003)

Hatebreed, for those of you who haven't heard of them before, are a 5 piece Metalcore/Hardcore band from New Haven, Connecticut who formed in 1994. They consist of Jamey Jasta (Vocals), Wayne Lozinak (Guitar), Frank Novinec (Guitar), Chris Beattie (Bass), and Matt Byrne (Drums). They are currently signed to E1 Records.

The Rise of Brutality, is Hatebreed's 3rd full-length album, following 2 other full-length albums and 3 EP's. When it was released it reached #30 on the U.S. Billboard 200. The album consists of 12 tracks (the U.K. version has 13), which include "Tear it Down", "Straight to Your Face", "Facing What Consumes You", "Live for This", "Doomsayer", "Another Day, Another Vendetta", "A Lesson Lived is a Lesson Learned", "Beholder of Justice", "This is Now", "Voice of Contention", "Choose or Be Chosen", and "Confide in No One". The album as a whole was really kick ass. Each song makes you feel as though you just want to beat the shit out of somebody, while the lyrics are kind of upbeat (mostly positive outlooks throughout the lyrics). It's the guitar riffs that really drive this album, at points simplistic, but they work, the tracks mostly don't need solo's as it wouldn't really fit with the rest of it. If I had to reccommend some choice tracks out of the album, you should definitely listen to "Straight to Your Face", "Live for This", and "This is Now". The three of those tracks really drive the album, they hit you with a blast of sound which actually works, unlike some other bands (examples: iwrestledabearonce and Preschool Tea Party Massacre). If there is a downside to the album, it would be that most of the tracks sound just like breakdowns, which in turn, make the breakdowns sound even more breakdown-y, you'll know what I mean when you listen to it.

Overall, the album is perfect for moshing to. If you're into Throwdown, Walls of Jericho, DevilDriver, Madball, Agnostic Front (Madball is actually a side project of Agnostic Front), Icepick (Jamey Jasta's side project), Heaven Shall Burn, Bury Your Dead, Unearth, or Parkway Drive, then you should check out Hatebreed. The album was released on October 28, 2003 and is available on Amazon and iTunes.

Overall Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0

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Hatebreed's Website

Bolt Thrower - In Battle There Is No Law (1988)

For those of you who haven't heard of Bolt Thrower, they are a 5 piece Death Metal/Grindcore band from Coventry, England who formed in 1986. They consist of Karl Willetts (Vocals), Barry Thompson (Guitar), Gavin Ward (Guitar), Jo-Anne Bench (Bass), and Martin "Kiddie" Kearns (Drums). They originally got their name from a weapon used in the tabletop strategy game of Warhammer Fantasy Battle. They are currently signed to Metal Blade Records.

In Battle There Is No Law is Bolt Thrower's first album, which was preceded by 4 demo albums and 1 EP. The album consists of 9 tracks which include "In Battle There Is No Law", "Challenge for Power", "Forgotten Existence", "Denial of Destiny", "Blind to Defeat", "Concession of Pain", "Attack in the Aftermath", "Psychological Warfare", and "Nuclear Annihilation". The album was recorded with most of their current line-up, except instead of Martin Kearns, they had Andrew Whale on the drums. The album overall is quite different from other Grindcore albums around this time (mainly, Napalm Death's album Scum), in that while Napalm Death was (and still is) fast paced and constantly spitting out the vocals at you, Bolt Thrower takes a slower approach to their tracks. They start slow and then progressively speed up (this is more evident on their later albums, mainly 1992's album "The IVth Crusade"). I'm still surprised that this album was released in 1988, as Karl sounds more and more like the modern day Death Metal bands, his growl is low and purposeful (if a growl can be that). The guitars on the album mix so well together as well. The drums were really loud (mainly the bass drum) but they didn't overpower the mix. The bass is extremely well done, and (little bit of a fact here) Jo-Anne Bench is one of the first female Death Metal musicians (not a screamer, but still a part of the Death Metal scene). The album just kicked ass.

Overall, an extremely well done first album in a time when the genre was first emerging. If you're into Napalm Death, Obituary, Unleashed, Benediction, Dismember, Grave, or Hail of Bullets, you should check out Bolt Thrower. The album was released on June 12, 1988 and is available on amazon (although not currently available) and iTunes.

Overall Rating: 4.4 out of 5.0

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Bolt Thrower's Website

Powerglove - Metal Kombat for the Mortal Man (2007)

Powerglove, for those of you who haven't heard of them yet, are a 4 piece Instrumental Power Metal band (that's the best way I could describe it) from Boston, Massachusetts. They consist of Alex Berkson (Guitar), Chris Marchiel (Guitar), Nick Avila (Bass), and Bassil Silver-Hajo (Drums). They are currently Unsigned.

Metal Kombat for the Mortal Man is Powerglove's first full-length release following their 2005 EP release Total Pwnage. Their album consists of 11 tracks which include "So Sexy Robotnik", "Mario Minor", "Fight On", "Vanquish the Horrible Night", "Blasting the Hornet", "The Duck Grinder", "Power, Wisdom, Courage", "Omnishred (We're Gonna Need a Bigger Sword)", "Holy Orders (Be Quick and Just Shred)", "Metal Kombat for the Mortal Man", and "Red Wings Over Baron". The album was quite interesting to say the least, I haven't really listened to a fully instrumental metal album before, so it was quite a ride. Where to begin, it just sounded awesome. Normally, I look to lyrics to tell a story, but there really isn't need for a story with this album. The guitar work is insane and really well refined, as is with the bass and the drums. It can go from slow and relaxing, to blast beats, normally I wouldn't like this, but since there aren't vocals attached to them, it flows nicely. There are technically vocals on two songs "Mario Minor" where they shout the words Super Mario, and on "Metal Kombat for the Mortal Man" where they should Mortal Kombat.

Overall, the album was really good. It flowed seamlessly and really defined the band. If you're into Malice Mizer, X Japan, Dream Theater, Blind Guardian, or Sonata Arctica, you should check out Powerglove, and in case you haven't guessed it by now, they took their name from the NES attachment of the same name. The album was released in 2007 (can't find the exact date) and is currently not available on Amazon (but it is on amazon), and is not available on iTunes.

Overall Rating: 4.8 out of 5.0

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Powerglove's Website

iwrestledabearonce - It's All Happening (2009)

iwrestledabearonce (yes, it's all lowercase), is a 5 piece Grindcore/Metalcore/Jazz/Disco/Electronica/Swing/Avant-Garde Metal band from Shreveport, Louisiana. They formed in 2007 and consist of Krysta Cameron (Vocals), Steven Bradley (Guitar, Programming, Keys & Sampling), John Ganey (Guitar, Programming, Keys & Sampling), Mike "Rickshaw" Martin (Bass), and Mikey Montgomery (Drums & Backup Vocals). They are currently signed to Century Media.

It's All Happening, iwrestledabearonce's debut full-length album reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Top Heatseekers, and #122 on the U.S. Billboard 200. It has 11 tracks which consist of "You Ain't No Family", "White Water in the Morning", "Danger in the Manger", "I'm Cold and There Are Wolves After Me", "Tastes Like Kevin Bacon", "The Cat's Pajamas", "Pazuzu For the Win", "Black-Eyed Bush", "Eli Cash Vs. the Godless Savages", "See You in Shell", and "Danger in the Manger (Jimmy Urine Mix)" which is the bonus track. The album itself was decent, but not all that good. Not going to lie though, I was impressed that a girl could do the screams like Krysta does, and she changes between that and a soothing clean vocal. The artistry of the guitar was well done, there were extremely complex parts and well played riffs. The drums were intense, and would tend to go to blast beats more often than anything else. Bass was really hard to hear, and at points, I thought they didn't even have a bass player. That being said, the keys, programming, and sampling done just didn't fit, neither did the genre changes. They'd be in the middle of screaming and all brutal, and then it'd go to Jazz, it just didn't sound good on the ears.

Overall, the album was decent, theorettically, it'd be a great album, and when you listen to each instrument individually, it is, it's when you put them all together with the constantly changing genre's that it just turns into chaos and doesn't work. If you're into Winds of Plague, August Burns Red, Blessthefall, The Human Abstract, Fact, Greeley Estates, Sea of Treachery, Enter Shikari, All Shall Perish, Vanna, The Dillinger Escape Plan, or HORSE the Band, then you should check them out. Or, as I've said in a previous article, if you hate them, listen to Preschool Tea Party Massacre, and then you should be able to at least stand them. The album was released June 2, 2009 and is available on amazon and iTunes.

Overall Rating: 3.9 out of 5.0

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iwrestledabearonce's Website

Feed Her to the Sharks - The Beauty of Falling (2010)

For those of you who haven't heard (and that's probably a lot of you as this band is still unsigned), Feed Her to the Sharks is a 5 piece Metalcore band from Melbourne, Australia. They formed in 2008 and consist of Andrew (Vocals), Chewy (Guitar), Jono (Guitar), Aldy (Bass & Vocals), and Christian (Drums). As I mentioned before, they are Unsigned and this is their first album.

The Beauty of Falling is Feed Her to the Sharks' first album (no EPs, Demos or Singles that I can find of them). The album consists of 12 tracks which include "Extinction/Resurrection", "Dead by Dawn", "Fear of Failure", "With the Change of Seasons", "Misery", "Murder Monogamy", "Digital Breakdown", "Neptune Does Not Have a Trident", "My Bleeding Heart Swims in a Sea of Darkness", "Outta My Way Satan... GARD!", "Tragedy, Tears and Sorrow", and "The Beauty of Falling". To be honest, this album is probably one of the best Metalcore albums that I've heard in quite a long time. The guitar riffs are intense, the drums are blasting, the bass line is fluid, the screams are to perfection, and the clean vocals are just plain sweet (some actually sound like they're auto-tuned). The album starts with a massive snare fill before everyone else kicks in and it works excelently. There's even a slow paced interlude of sorts which oddly fits (like I've said in previous reviews, been seeing instrumentals as a trend in Metalcore nowadays). This album just kicked ass, and it's a pity that they haven't been signed to a label yet, because this is so much better than some other bands on label's material. I cannot find anything wrong with the album at all, it just works.

Overall, the album kicked ass. Check them out if you're into The Black Dahlia Murder, Killswitch Engage, early Avenged Sevenfold, Whitechapel, or August Burns Red. The album was released March 16, 2010 (think this is the quickest I've reviewed a new album), I currently can't find it on Amazon or iTunes, but according to their Myspace page, the album will be on there for free listening within the next few days.

Overall Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0

Feed Her to the Sharks' Website

Born of Osiris - The New Reign (2007)

Born of Osiris, for those of you who haven't heard of them as of yet, are a 6 piece Metalcore/Deathcore/Technical Death Metal band from Palatine, Illinois. They formed in 2003 and have released 2 full length albums. They currently consist of Ronnie Canizaro (Vocals), Lee McKinney (Guitar), Jason Richardson (Guitar), Joe Buras (Keyboards & Backing Vocals), David Darocha (Bass), and Cameron Losch (Drums). They are currently signed to Sumerian Records.

The New Reign, Born of Osiris' first full length album after 4 demos, 2 singles, and 1 EP. It didn't chart on the Billboard 200, but their next full length album, 2009's A Higher Place, reached #73. The album consists of 8 tracks, those being "Rosecrance", "Empires Erased", "Open Arms To Damnation", "Abstract Art", "The New Reign", "Brace Legs", "Bow Down", "The Takeover". This album felt incredibly short, and it was (only 21:31 in length). The screams sounded like your typical metalcore screams, at times there were gang vocals, but overall it felt rather generic. The stand out track for the album, in my opinion, was the track "Bow Down", mainly for the way that it starts. Incase you haven't heard it, the track starts with four double bass blasts, a snare hit, goes silent for a split second before Ronnie Canizaro screams "Fucking Bow Down" and then the track kicks it into high gear. The other tracks I actually found hard to listen to, it just felt so generic, like I've heard this album done before by so many other bands. It was a moderate listen to say the least.

Overall, the album was decent, but not near spectacular. If you're into Veil of Maya, The Faceless, Oceano, Despised Icon, Emmure, Whitechapel, ABACABB, Texas in July, The Acacia Strain, or Hester Prynne then you should check out Born of Osiris. The album was released on October 2, 2007 and is available on amazon and iTunes.

Overall Rating: 3.4 out of 5.0

Buy the Album
Born of Osiris' Website