There are some really amazing Female Punk Rock bands out there. One of the best is The Donnas (who run a close second behind Fluffy to be THE BEST). Their 2002 opus, “Spend The Night” [Atlantic Records], is a savvy mixture of 1980's Power Pop, Pop Metal, and modern Pop Punk dynamics into a visceral, …
Moodcore has recently been a declining genre, but one great new band from this school is Breaking Benjamin. Their 2002 release, “Saturate” [Hollywood Records], is solid slab of powerful, yet very melodic Aggro/Moodcore Metal. And easily surpasses most of this pack. Breaking Benjamin clean, deep vocals mixed with blasting, acidic growls. The guitars use an …
Twisted, talented, and cool–these are the three best words to describe the Spanish band User Ne. Their 2003 opus, “Tarantos” [Xtreem Music], takes Avant-Garde Death/Black Metal to a whole, surreal new level. It's eclectic and killer. User Ne implements clean, Neo Celtic female vocals as well as shrill, male shrieks and growled, male vocals. The …
Over its history, Roadrunner Records has had an illustrious collection of great and cutting-edge Metal acts. Bands such as Sepultura, Fear Factory, Frontline Assembly, Obituary, Sadus, Cynic, Slipknot, Dry Kill Logic, Nailbomb, Treponem Pal, Soulfly, and Suffocation are just some of that group. And the aggression just keeps on coming. The 2003 compilation, “Heart Of …
Flaw's debut CD was released about a year ago, and sadly, I feel, it didn't get the recognition it deserved. Immediately before the release of the CD, Flaw just took in a new bassist and guitarist. Shortly after the new members joined, they got signed. Now under Universal Recordings, they are putting out some great …
The new “Daredevil” movie may not be your thing, but for the Metal/Hard Rock fan the soundtrack is a solid collection with few missteps. The “Daredevil” Soundtrack [Wind-Up Records] features many of the current big name acts (e.g. Fuel, Nickleback, Saliva, Rob Zombie, Hoobastank, Chevelle, and The Calling) and up-and-comers like 12 Stones, Evanescence, Boysetsfire, …
The chaotic world of Death Metal has produced a new act of brutal genius lately. That new act is Spawn Of Possession and their 2003 opus, “Cabinet” [Unique Leader Records], is a thing of vicious beauty. Spawn Of Possession is incredible. The general dynamic of Spawn Of Possession is a combination of daedal aggression and …
Hardcore isn't just Punk anymore. Metalcore, Hardcore's brutal progeny, combines elements of Metal (particularly Death Metal) and lower tempo Hardcore. The band Waterdown takes the basic Metalcore schema, and adds powerful elements of Emo to the mix. Their 2003 opus, “The Files You Have On Me” [Victory Records], is the resulting benefit of this union …
One of the pioneers of metalcore, Converge has released numerous EPs, splits, LPs and has been included on dozens of compilations. Formed back in 1990, the quartet became one of the prime influences on the bands that make up the recent new wave of hardcore. To ease the financial burden on their fans, they have …
Within the first five seconds of the vigorous, biting, opening track `Set it to Blow', the answer to the title of Vaux's latest release, There Must be Some Way to Stop Them, is clear, there is no way. But why would anyone want to? This impeccable, hardworking sextet from Denver, Colorado is the perfect remedy …