Friday, September 5, 2008
Misfortunes
Trustkill Records
Strong Island Hardcore. If I were writing a review about a band ten years ago, those three words would have been enough to describe the sound of whatever band being written about. What exactly is Strong Island Hardcore you might ask? Besides the obvious and hailing from Long Island, NY, for a band to be labeled such, it must have a yeoman like work ethic, crushing sound and a take no prisoners approach to shows. Ladies and gentlemen, Strong Island Hardcore can not only be heard in This Is Hell's most recent release, Misfortunes, but it can be felt.
As far as hardcore is concerned, Misfortunes is a breath of fresh air into a scene many have labeled “dead”. Lead singer, Travis Reilly rips through each track with a relentlessness not matched by many in the biz. The album is a huge step up from the band's first release, Sundowning, which wasn't a complete album. It had some bright spots (Permenace) but more often than not, that album lost steam. Misfortunes is the band's penance for the mistakes made in Sundowning. It is perfect from beginning to end. Tracks such as Disciples and In Shambles are sure to be crowd pleasers, while other tracks such as Reckless, Fearless Vampires and Without Closure are short, fast and furious.
Final word: Buy it. You won't be sorry.
www.myspace.com/thisishell
CHILDREN OF BODOM
Blooddrunk
Spinefarm Records
What can be said that hasn't been said of the legendary Children of Bodom? Yes, I said legendary. I don't think I'm far from the truth either, and I'm sure the majority of you would probably agree. By my count, this is the band's sixth full length studio release. Blooddrunk is a good blend of power metal, sans keyboards, and thrash metal. Their previous album, Are You Dead Yet?, landed them huge success in the states, and Alexi Laiho and Co. deliver again with Blooddrunk.
The album, like those previous, start and die with the chops of Alexi Laiho. He gets pretty technical on tracks such as Blooddrunk, and Tie My Rope. Some would say he gets too technical just for technicalities sake, but combined with the support of the rest of CoB, it just plain works. Children of Bodom loyalists will love this album, newcomers may not. I suggest giving one of their older albums a listen first just to have a point of reference (Try Hate Crew Deathroll or Hatebreeder).
My only gripe is the cover song, Ghost Riders in the Sky. CoB usually does a great job in selecting an out of nowhere song to cover and making it sound just plain deadly (see Oops I Did It Again for further details). But listening to a bunch of Nordics yodel yippie-kay-yay is just painful. Try again fellas.
Final Word: Buy it along with a six pack of Karhu (The most popular beer in Finland) and enjoy.
http://www.cobhc.com/
THE PARLOR MOB
And You Were a Crow
Roadrunner Records
Throwback is a word that comes up when I listen to New Jersey's own, The Parlor Mob. Part Led Zepplin, mixed with part Black Sabbath and a splash of Rush, The Parlor Mob has tapped into a sound of rock and roll's past and have done it with style, and sophistication. The band's first full length release, And You Were a Crow, delivers the goods.
I first saw this band perform at my 30th birthday party last year. They put on an extremely energetic show, and how they bounced around in a jean that tight, is still a mystery to me. But fashion aside, this band flat out rocks out on all cylinders. The talent in this band transcends in the album. The retro guitar licks and drum fills keep the album moving at a good pace throughout. But the showstopper of the album is the voice of lead singer, Mark Melicia. A friend of mine stopped him after a set and told him he was Geddy Lee incarnate. I disagreed and still think his sound is eerily similar to Robert Plant. You buy the album, and you be the judge.
And You Were a Crow also showcases the band's talent in songwriting. Hard rocking tracks such as Hard Times, The Kids, and Bullet will keep your foot stomping to the beat while slower tracks such as When I was An Orphan and Everything You're Breathing For are perfect if you had a convertible and were going on a long road trip.
Final Word: Rent Dazed and Confused, roll a doobie, grab a cold Schlitz and listen to the fuzzed out sounds of The Parlor Mob!!!
www.myspace.com/theparlormob
<< Home