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How does Blink 182 sound like without frontman Tom DeLonge? Well,they sound just like Blink 182 without Tom DeLonge!
When Tom formed his new band Angels and Airwaves, the remaining Blink members Mark Hopper and Travis Barker decided to go on as +44 and didn?t step away from the successful formula of the college punkpop that made them famous.
Their debut goes back to the style Blink had on "Take off your pants and jacket" (2001) but not with the same quality songs, this is a pretty good album and the new single "When your heart stops beating" deserves to be a smash hit but it just ain?t the same without DeLonge.
He wanted to develop the sound of the band on their last self titled album from 2003 which I think is their best and I see now why Tom formed Angels and Airwaves - he was simply tired of writing the same songs over and over again.
Mark and Travis has done a well produced album which will be appreciated by many fans but in the long run, this album will not make any fuss in the music industry. |
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Agressive funky rapnumetal from California,Hed Pe(Planet Earth)plays gigantic riffrock like Limp Bizkit and P.O.D but Hed Pe are better,on their 3rd and new album "Blackout",singer Jahred and Co put up a show on how to play rapmetal with strong melodies and groovy pumpin riffs.
Their last album "Broke" from 2000 sold 250,000 copies and they have made themselves quite a big name in the states.
With Demon producer Howard Benson behind the wheel,Hed Pe just cannot fail.....let me tell ya! Theyve got plenty of humour in their music and it never gets boring with all the rap(that I usually can?t stand)because Hed Pe also has fine vocals and some great refrains like in "Getaway" and the title track "Blackout".
When they rock really hard as in the massive "Flesh and bone" and the opening track "Suck it up",Hed Pe feels like a Tank compared to the Fiat that Limp Bizkit and P.O.D are driving.
You know the saying,if you can?t beat em join em...well in Hed Pe´s case I know you cant beat them so you?d better JOIN ?EM!!!!
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Since the rapmetal explosion in the 90?s, only a few bands are still carrying the flag of this minor genre with (hed) P.E in the lead.
After departing Jive records after the strong "Blackout" (2003) for the new small label Koch records, the band has become even more agressive and violent word-wise on "Only in Amerika.
They didn?t have the same budget with this album and the obvious difference between the monster sound from Howard Benson on the last record and this self produced effort is quite big.
There are still some major heavy riffmaking on their new album but the thrash-metal moments feels rather misplaced and the use of the fxxk word passes 100 after the 3rd track.
Still it?s a groovy funkrapmetal album! |
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Rapmetal kings (hed) p.e are back with a new album only a year after the last one, their stay on Koch records was a short one because they have now signed with Suburban Noize for the release of the new album "Back 2 base X".
I was a bit disappointed by their previous effort "Only in Amerika" that I felt was poor produced by the band and way too destructive, I?m glad to say that the thrash-metal vibes are gone on the new album because bandleader Jarhed and Co have returned to the old (hed) p.e style.
Expect a more groovy, funky and humouristic album with "Back 2 base X" but also more hip-hop based than the big sellers "Blackout" (2003) and "Broke" (2000).
The band recorded this album live in the studio and you can feel the groove right down to the bones with cool tracks like the jazzy opener "Listen", the Suicidal Tendencies rocking "Lock and load" and the possible hit "Beware do we go" (listen up for the Teddybears Sthlm vibes in this song).
"Sweetchops" is like The Beatles "Come together" with an overdose of Caffeine, the band goes with Jamaica flavor on "Sophia" and rocks hard just the way we?re used to hear them on "Let?s ride" and "White collars".
Eminem meets Body Count (Ice-T) on the hip-hop metal of "Daze of war" - so you see there are lots of cool ingredients on (hed) p.e?s 5th album. |
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From Urmond,Holland comes this progressive rockband with westcoastrock influences featuring bandmembers:Robert Loozen-Vocals,Richard Ramaekers-guitars,Erik Stals-keyboards,Paul Heuts-Drums and Jo Janssen-Bass.
"The Gates of Industry" is their first album and listening to it I must say that these guys pretty much did what they wanted and felt like doing for the moment.
They are most certainly grown up with progressive rock in the old school and also have some love for westcoast/AORish style,this is a typical progrock release from Holland because these bands just about always go their own way with not looking at how the music industry develops into trendy styles.
This album could?ve been released back in 87 or in 95,that?s the charm about it too but some of the songs feels too dated if you know what I mean.
The title "Hold on" says it all,bad title used a 1000 times before and an equal bad tune......but then the band freshens up in songs like "The Key of the guard" and "The ship of RE" which satisfies my progrock hunger for the moment.
Too much of a roller coaster ride though,up and down and nowhere in between........nice tangent work anyhow. |
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One big complaint from my side,WHY,WHY,WHY weren?t this Atlanta hailing band being trusted on recording
a full length album from the start instead of a 5 track EP,answer me that Republic??!!,what we got here is heavy,massive,melodic and superenergetic numetal with a top notch production leaving me wanting to hear
more,more and more.
Vocalist Jordan Williams and
bassist Lee has played together since high school and
then met up with guitarist Dustin and drummer Matt to
be struggling for gigs at the Atlanta club scene,during this time they became friends with Incubus which Minus.driver sound a bit like but Incubus aren?t as heavy as these guys.
"Sure thing" will be a fave song for many of you who will check out this band but then again,the other 4 are
just as good.
You can listen to all the tracks at their site,but I promise
you one thing.....you just wanna buy it afterwards.
Truly one of the best EP?s made this year! |
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| Mark Edwards, aka (Ome) has released 3 albums with "Tired birds" as the latest one. He has been compared to artists like Beck, Eels, Brian Wilson and Super Furry Animals by the press. I think his music speaks for itself where he will take the listener on a trip through a varied soundscape of psychedelic sounds and experimental indie pop. The opener "Mourning doves" can be described as Moby meeting Pink Floyd in the house of Brian Wilson, this is a beautiful song and also one of my favorites along with the following "Soul on fire" which is the best track. This song is a more dark and moody electronic pop song that will work just fine on the Roskilde Festival, it takes a few spins to get into the whole album but it sure grows for each time I listen to it. An artist to keep an eye on. |
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| I got this 6 song EP quite a while back and due to various reasons I haven?t got the time to write a review until now. However, the band has a cool touch of Midwestern pop with flirts of both Nashville and a singer songwriter touch. The lead vocalist Luke Bullas voice is one of the reasons that I like this ep. He got such a good, warm and solid voice. Another cool thing is that they have a fiddler as one of the key instruments, and that is getting the music another dimension. Imagine yourself cool fiddler solos instead of guitar-solos. That without getting the style too much into country music. Like Kansas did with their fiddler in their progressive music back in the 70?s. Best are the opening track ?Win? and the ending track ?The Beauty And The Mess?. An EP that is nothing for the ?normal? Melodic Net reader but for you guys, who like me, likes another side of the melodic pop and rock scene, an EP I warmly can recommend. |
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This 4 track EP from the Texas based post rock band And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead is an album teaser with new tracks taken from the forthcoming 6th album "The century of self" out on Feb.17th.
After 3 albums on Interscope, the band now releases this EP and the new album independently on Richter Scale records.
I never really bothered to listen to this band in the past but might regret that now since these 4 new songs are so bloody good, the sound is huge and atmospheric and mostly remind of a mix between Smashing Pumpkins, Secret Machines and Rogue Wave.
I love the 70´s prog influences as well as a touch of more modern alternative rock, the instrumental "The betrayal of Roger Casement and the Irish brigade" is stunning.
I can´t wait to hear the next album because this is one of the best EP´s of 2008, just turn up the volume to the pompous opening track "Bells of creation" - just marvelous! |
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| .end of story is a Texas based hard rock band led by guitarist/vocalist Skot Reed, their debut EP came out in 2000 and recorded one more album before their 3rd and latest album "The sonic blueprint" from 2009. This is an interesting album of progressive hard rock and grunge tendencies, it´s a real tight performance from the band and the technical guitar work is awesome. But the lack of power in the production drags down the rating a bit from 4 stars to 3, The King´s X-like "Full circle" is one of the highlights along with "Catching on" that features a fantastic riff. For fans of Slave to the system, Skywynd and Alice in Chains |
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Location:Florida,USA
Discography:Release (2003),10 Second Drop (2006)
Bandmembers:Artie Edmonds - Vocals/Guitar,Justin Malinchak - Guitar,Ryan Gerardi - Bass,Craig Henevald - Drums
Influences:Soundgarden,Sevendust,Velvet Revolver
Will appeal to fans of:Shinedown,Plank 63,Stereoside,Dark new day
Album tracks Total length:44,33
1.Always the victim (2,44)
2.Bitter again (3,59)
3.No direction (3,29)
4.Overdrive (3,17)
5.Fall apart (3,29)
6.Livin? for me (3,08)
7.Push (3,36)
8.Learn (3,14)
9.Blame (it?s all on me) (3,50)
10.If I believed (4,01)
11.The tear (2,58)
Kaj?s final words:10 Second Drop has won several battle of the bands contests,their modern hard rock with pumping riffs and muscle choruses might not match a major label album like Dark new day but good enough to create a stampede of buffalo?s.
I love Artie?s powerful "Chris Cornell sounding" voice that suits this big rock music like hand in glove,I bet they are a kickass band on stage coz this album completely glows with energy. |
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Are you into more dark,emotional,in your face numetal like a mix of Fuel and The Butterfly Effect,then you don?t have to look anylonger for a new band because they are right in front of you!
This Knoxville,TN based quintet is driven by hard rock riffs and passionate melodies,you can sense some postgrunge vibes in 10 Years music as well as the heavier numetal genre.
The music on this EP is like a big fat fist in your face,it?s a shame that these guys didn?t make a full length record while they were at it but we just have to settle with these 6 songs I suppose.
"We don?t write about going to the mall picking up chicks",states drummer Brian Vodinh,"The focus on our lyrics goes much deeper than that"....and I agree,it?s not just about the music here-10 Years takes you on a journey in the world of
emotional novels.
The dark and almost creepy "Silhouette of a life" is best enjoyed with the lights off....good job lads. |
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Numetal act 10 Years has re-released their 6 song EP from 2003 as a full length album with 4 new studio tracks and 4 live acoustic recordings,the EP was produced by Travis Wyrick (Pillar) and the new songs by Ulrich Wild (Breaking Benjamin).
I had some expectations on this album since the EP is such a good piece of work and I wrote in the review of the EP that I thought the band should release a full length album and now they have..........but all the new songs doesn?t reach the standard of the older and much stronger EP material,only "Magna-phi" among the new studio tracks takes the band up to the same classy level.
The new track "Frailty" is ok but not as good as the opener "Wasteland" or "R.E.S.T" of the older material,the other 2 new songs "Through the Iris" and "Blank shell" feels like fillers but there?s also an acoustic version of "Through the Iris" at the end of the album that sounds so much better and I prefer that version.
Another acoustic track is the new "Insects" that I want to hear in a full band electric version coz I can only imagine how powerful it would be,so to the guys in the band - record it again on the next album and leave out the acoustic guitars.
14 songs feels like a real bonus for the fans but only the 6 ones from the EP and 3 of the new songs (including 2 acoustic) are really good,I expected more but for the new listener - 10 Years still rock better than most numetal bands out there,one thing for sure THEY ARE NOT AVERAGE! |
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I have really been waiting for Knoxville, TN, based 10 Years major label debut ever since I heard that they got signed to Republic/Universal Records last year. Their previous independent releases has really impressed so I wasn?t that surprised when they found their new home at one of the majors. With their ingenious and deeper style they have a sound that feels challenging, appealing and classic at the same time. You will find influences of Tool, A perfect Circle and Deftones here, but in a more direct and straight version, which I personally prefer.
?The Authumn Effect? feels really good the first spin, but it?s after a handful of times the album really ties your brain with all the emotional strength and edge. The melodies are a little odd, a little shrewd, but also very melodic and tempting that makes them to a band with big possibilities. I would be very surprised if this wouldn?t work since bands like Breaking Benjamin, Trapt and Chevelle has gone well on the alternative rock charts. 10 Years isn?t any weaker and is a very pleasant surprise to all who?s into the heavier, smarter and more emotional side of modern rock.
This year?s best debut? Probably! |
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| What a start the new label Atenzia has had, first came Harlan Cage and ArcAngel/Canatta and now the new 101 South album. Roger Scott Craig has really been busy lately with the fourth Harlan Cage album and now the second 101 South and it?s just couple of weeks between both releases. Even this time the vocals are taken care by Gregory Lynn Hall and he sings with great power and feeling. The sound is very majestic, pompish and well produced. This is a album that gets better for each time you listen to it and it?s filled with great hooks plus that the keyboards are brilliant throughout the whole album. "Roll Of The Dice" sounds to me more Harlan Cage than the latest Harlan Cage album did and put in traces of Dare?s debut and Calm Before The Storm albums and you know how good this sounds. Out of the 11 tracks on "Roll Of The Dice" I must say that every single song has something to offer. The highlights is the brilliant opening track "What?s Your Game", a pompish journey through AOR Heaven. "Don?t You Stop Believin is a mixture of Dare and Harlan Cage with a pompish chorus with Lynn Hall singing better than ever. The ballad "Dark Cloud On The Horizon" has very much Dare in it with more power and attitude, awesome song. If your digging the debut albums of both Harlan Cage and 101 South then check out "Dance Through The Night", this is a awesome AOR-song with pompish keyboards and a great powerful chorus. I think that this new 101 South album is better than the latest Harlan Cage album. If you own albums with Harlan Cage and 101 South then don?t hesitate to grap a copy of this new brilliant album. I think every AOR home should own a copy of "Roll Of The Dice". |
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Did you know that?
Courtney Love was the first person to have their e-mail account shut down by AOL after allegedly using it to send death threats.
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latest reviews
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