Drug Under – Forgive and Forget (2012, Down Boy Records)

1.  Forgive and Forget
2. I Need To See
3. Borrowed Time
3. Never Again
5. Echoes
6. Down
7. Change My Ways
8. All The Lies
9. It’s Over

Band:
Romero – Vocals
Eric Greenwall – Guitars
Pat Searcy – Guitars
Aaron Greenwall – Bass
Mike Crisler – Drums

Producer: Mark Obermeyer, Jerry Dixon & Erik Turner

Never judge a book (or album) by its cover! When this Denver, CO.-based band was first brought to my attention, going by the cover art and knowing that the label is owned and operated by Warrant’s Jerry Dixon & Erik Turner, I assumed Drug Under was going to be the type of hard rock act that drew heavily on ’80s influences. Not so. They are a modern hard rock/metal act that fits right in with the rest of the bands on active rock radio these days.

I can’t say this type of rock that features an alternative influence and crunchy guitars is a favorite of mine but Drug Under has their moments where they really shine. “I Need To See” and “Never Again” have the most commercial appeal, I think, and are my favorites. Very cool songs that should be on radio. “Forgive and Forget”, “Borrowed Time” & “Echoes” all have enough of a hard driving edge to keep those that just want to bang their heads satisfied. “All The Lies” and “It’s Over” are of particular interest to me. There’s some nice melodies in the melancholy moments of both of these rockers that show potential for this band to write some great ballads later down the line.

Forgive and Forget is an album sure to appeal to fans of the modern rock/metal scene and ’90s rock/metal. While I am not going to say that Drug Under knocked it out of the park on this release, it’s still an enjoyable listen that shows this is a talented band that has a bright future.

Highlights: “I Need To See”, “Never Again”, “Change My Ways”, “All The Lies”, “It’s Over”

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Drug-Under/195374577146023

Buy ‘Forgive And Forget’ at Amazon.com

www.wildstreetmusic.com
www.facebook.com/pages/Wildstreet/8342603261
www.youtube.com/wildstreet

Scorpions – Comeblack (2011, Sony Music Entertainment)

1. “Rhythm of Love” – 3:39
2. “No One Like You” – 4:06
3. “The Zoo” – 5:38
4. “Rock You Like a Hurricane” – 4:15
5. “Blackout” – 3:48
6. “Wind of Change” – 5:08
7. “Still Loving You” – 6:43
8. “Tainted Love” (Gloria Jones cover) – 3:28
9. “Children of the Revolution” (T. Rex cover) – 3:33
10. “Across the Universe” (The Beatles cover) – 3:17
11. “Tin Soldier” (Small Faces cover) – 3:15
12. “All Day and All of the Night” (The Kinks cover) – 3:16
13. “Ruby Tuesday” (The Rolling Stones cover) – 3:55

Band:
Klaus Meine – Lead vocals
Matthias Jabs – Lead Guitar, Backing vocals
Rudolf Schenker – Rhythm Guitar, Backing vocals
Paweł Mąciwoda – Bass, Backing vocals
James Kottak – Drums, Percussion, Backing vocals

Producer: Mikael “Nord” Andersson & Martin Hansen

So, even though this album wasn’t released until January 2012 in North America, it was released in Europe in November 2011. This is how it snuck its way onto the 2011 edition of the Metal Excess Awards because I heard the album last year. I’d been putting off doing a review of this album for awhile and now that it’s available worldwide, this is as good of a time as any to talk about it.

Like most people, whenever I hear that a band is re-recording their signature songs, I just roll my eyes. It’s not really intended for the fans. It’s something that’s done as way to cut old labels/band mates out of royalties by licensing the new versions for commercials purposes instead of the originals. I understand and accept that. Anything that puts the screws to the idiots at the major labels is cool by me. Financial reasons aside, those type of releases are plain filler when it comes to the serious fan.

But I have to give the Scorpions credit for this album. Yes, they re-recorded seven of their biggest hits, and that means virtually nothing to the die-hards but they also added six freshly-recorded cover songs that helped inspired the band during their formative years. That (and only that) is what makes this album interesting and worth looking into as far as I’m concerned.

I will say this, given the modern and slightly beefier production, the classics sound good in their updated form. I won’t even bother listing them in the Highlights section because it’s familiar territory. I could’ve gone without yet another cover of “Tainted Love” but all of the covers are well done with the Beatles, T. Rex and Small Faces tunes standing out.

This supposedly is the FINAL Scorpions release, but you know how that goes… For $9 or so, if you’re a big fan of the Scorps, this is worth picking up.

Highlights: ”Children of the Revolution”, “Across the Universe”, “Tin Soldier”

http://www.the-scorpions.com/
http://www.facebook.com/Scorpions

Buy ‘Comeblack’ at Amazon.com

Sunstorm – Emotional Fire (2012, Frontiers Records)

1. “Never Give Up”
2. “Emotional Fire”
3. “Lay Down Your Arms”
4. “You Wouldn’t Know Love”
5. “Wish You Were Here”
6. “Torn In Half”
7. “Gina”
8. “The Higher You Rise”
9. “Emily”
10. “Follow Your Heart”
11. “All I Am”

Band:
Joe Lynn Turner – Lead Vocals
Uwe Reitenauer – Guitar
Dennis Ward - Bass, Guitar, Backing Vocals
Chris Schmidt – Drums
Justin Dakey – Keyboard

Producer: Dennis Ward

There’s a few things I didn’t know about this Joe Lynn Turner/Dennis Ward project before researching this album. The first thing is that I wasn’t aware that the very first Sunstorm album debuted in 2006 (I had always thought 2009′s House of Dreams was the debut). Secondly, for those albums most of the songs recorded were songs that JLT had written in the past, either for other artists or himself.

With Emotional Fire there’s a twist because instead of recording songs that he had a hand in writing, Joe is covering songs that he sang backing vocals on. Examples: Michael Bolton’s “Gina”  and Cher’s “Emotional Fire”. But don’t think this is just an album of old songs. A number of songs have been penned members of the current crop of AOR/melodic rockers who hold connections to Issa, Vega, Khymera and Xorigin.

My absolute favorite track is “Lay Down Your Arms”. Seriously, I’ve probably listened to that song about 15 times. It’s only January when I’m hearing this but this has got to be one of the best songs of 2012 when it’s all said and done. You’ll have to excuse my AOR ignorance because I am not sure if this is a new song or something Joe sang background vocals on in the past but it has enough of a modern touch that I can imagine it playing on a Top Forty station. There’s a great hook in this song.

The other song that stands out above the rest is “Never Give Up”, which is a great way to open the album. A bit cheesy with the lyrics perhaps: “never give up/never give in/if you believe it/you can win” but it’s so infectious and positive I had to use it as my Facebook status! It’s a fun & very upbeat melodic rocker.

The rest of the album is fairly standard AOR/melodic rock fare but some of it is quite good like “You Wouldn’t Know Love” and “The Higher You Rise”. Some songs like the closing ballad “All I Am”, “Follow Your Heart” and the cover of Bolton’s “Gina” fall flat with me but that’s because I’m not a hardcore AOR fan. I know the previous Sunstorm albums were well-received so I have no doubt this album will please fans of the first two releases and JLT fans in general. Even in his 60s, Joe is still proving that he is one of the best voices around for the genre.

Highlights: “Never Give Up”, “Lay Down Your Arms”, “You Wouldn’t Know Love”, “Torn In Half”, “The Higher You Rise”

http://www.joelynnturner.com
http://www.facebook.com/joelynnturnerofficial

Buy ‘Emotional Fire’ at Amazon

On Wednesday, January 26, 2012, the metal world suffered a great loss. Mark Reale, the guitarist, founding member & driving force behind Riot, passed away due to complications from his life-long battle with Crohn’s disease. He had been in a coma for the past two weeks after suffering a subarachnoid hemorrhage.

An official statement from the surviving members of Riot (Tony Moore, Mike Flyntz, Don Van Stavern & Bobby Jarzombek):

“To friends and fans of Mark Reale and Riot, we are deeply saddened to confirm that Mark has lost his battle with a lifelong illness. Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated by Mark’s family, friends, and bandmates at this difficult time.”

This is really shocking news to me. I was aware that Mark was suffering from Crohn’s disease and had been hospitalized, but I did not know he actually entered into a coma and had a brain hemorrhage.

His contributions to the world of hard rock & heavy metal are immeasurable in my opinion. Despite Riot’s line-up changes over the years, and the shift in styles from hard rock to NWOBHM to power metal to Celtic influences to southern hard rock to melodic rock, Mark was always the driving force and the one constant.

It was only in the last few years that I got into Riot but I was blown away once I started buying their albums and I quickly acquired the entire catalog. They never released a bad album. Riot’s constant shift in styles was a double-edge sword though. They did so well at playing numerous styles of rock/metal, and I enjoyed the variety, but it probably kept more casual fans at bay and prevented them from ever gaining a large following. Albums like Fire Down Under (universally agreed to be their best), Thundersteel, Born in America, Restless Breed and even last year’s Immortal Soul are absolute CLASSICS.

I do not know where Riot goes from here or if there even is anywhere for them to go. Mark & Riot have soldiered on through various line-up changes and styles since 1975. They’ve even had to deal with two previous deaths. Former vocalist Rhett Forester was killed during a carjacking in 1994 and original vocalist Guy Speranza died of cancer in 2003. With Mark’s passing, there are no more original Riot members left in the band. And to me, Mark was Riot.

Neither Reale nor Riot ever really got the credit or success they deserved. While the loss of Mark is a tragic tale for his fans, friends & family hopefully some good can come out of this and people will be compelled to look back into the Riot catalog and realize just how talented and consistent the man has been since the 1970s.

My condolences to all of Mark’s friends and family during this tough time. Rest in peace, brother. Your suffering is over and I thank you for all the years of great music you gave the world. You will be missed.

http://www.riotrockcity.com
http://www.facebook.com/riotrockcity
http://metalexcess.com/category/riot/ 

Metallica – Beyond Magnetic (2011, Warner Bros. Records)

1. “Hate Train” … 6:59
2. “Just A Bullet Away” … 7:11
3. “Hell and Back” … 6:57
4. “Rebel of Babylon” … 8:01

Band:
James Hetfield – Vocals, Guitar
Kirk Hammett – Guitar
Robert Trujillo – Bass
Lars Ulrich – Drums

Producer: Rick Rubin

Beyond Magnetic is a collection of the 4 songs that didn’t make it onto 2008′s Death Magnetic album. 14 songs were written for that album but only 10 made the cut. So, after debuting these songs live during one of their 30th Anniversary shows, Metallica originally released them to the world  through digital retailers (exclusive to iTunes in North America) on December 13, 2011. The E.P. is available in CD form as of January 31, 2012.

From what I understand, these are only rough mixes of the songs (I’m assuming final mixes do exist). I just hope they don’t try to pad out the next Metallica album by throwing completed versions of these songs on it and calling it a day.

As expected, reaction to this Beyond Magnetic has been mixed. I’ve read everything from “It’s worse than Death Magnetic!” to “Why the #&$% weren’t these songs on Death Magnetic?” to “It sucks!” to “They’re playing thrash again!” to “At least it isn’t Lulu!”

I’m not one of those “fans” that takes the stance that everything the band has done since …And Justice For All  (or the Black Album) sucks. I’ve talked about making the ultimate Load & Reload compilation in the past. And I quite liked Death Magnetic. I listened to it again recently and it still holds up. With the songs from DM still fresh in my mind, I’m in the camp that’s wondering why these songs weren’t included on the album. In fact, that album only had 10 tracks, what’s wrong with bumping it up to 14? Still, “Suicide & Redemption” and “The Judas Kiss” could’ve easily been left off DM to make room for at least “Just A Bullet Away” and “Hate Train”.

“Just A Bullet Away” comes the closest to sound like old school Metallica. I don’t really think we’ll ever see a true return to that era but this is about as close as these guys can get these days. So, yeah, your mileage may vary but I think this is a good little E.P. with on “Rebel of Babylon” kinda just wandering around for a bit.

If you’re a Metallica hater, you’ll probably hate Beyond Magnetic but that’s expected of you. As for anyone who actually enjoyed Death Magnetic, this is worth checking out.

The album art looks like a butterfly.

Highlights: “Hate Train”, “Just A Bullet Away”, “Hell and Back”

http://www.metallica.com
http://www.facebook.com/Metallica

Buy Beyond Magnetic [CD Edition] at Amazon.com

Wildstreet – Easy Does It (2012, self-released)

1. “Easy Does It” … 3:25

Band:
Eric Jayk – Lead Vocals, Guitar
Ian MacPherson – Lead Guitar, Vocals
Aaron Joos – Guitar, Vocals
Ali Hassan – Bass, Vocals
Brian Beck – Drums

“Easy Does It” is the new single from modern glam/sleaze rock ‘n’ rollers Wildstreet (set to be released through iTunes on January 24th). Though a Wildstreet III album is a ways off, the band wanted to give the people a taste of what’s in store once that third release does arrive.

I came across this band years ago while browsing Retrospective Records’ site and ordered the debut from there and loved it. The first album was very much inspired by the slick glam metal and Def Leppard sounds. The Wildstreet II E.P. was a bit of a departure that went for a more sleazy & raw sound that was influenced by AC/DC and High ‘n’ Dry.

“Easy Does It” continues Wildstreet’s path down the road of straight up no-frills rock ‘n’ roll. It’s easier to compare the song to Wildstreet II but as much as I liked that E.P., I think “Easy Does It” is even better and it gets me excited for the third release as the band continues to find their own rock ‘n’ roll identity.

If you’ve missed out on this band, track down their first two releases. You won’t be disappointed. Then, make your way to iTunes on 1/24/12 and purchase “Easy Does It” and watch out for the “Easy Does It” music video that will be premiering on January 30th.

www.wildstreetmusic.com
www.facebook.com/pages/Wildstreet/8342603261
www.youtube.com/wildstreet

Primal Fear – Unbreakable (2012, Frontiers Records)

1. Unbreakable (Part 1) … 1:37
2. Strike … 4:39
3. Give ‘Em Hell … 3:05
4. Bad Guys Wear Black … 3:31
5. And There Was Silence … 5:13
6. Metal Nation … 5:11
7. Where Angels Die … 8:09
8. Unbreakable (Part 2) … 6:05
9. Marching Again … 5:41
10. Born Again … 4:48
11. Blaze of Glory … 3:56
12. Conviction … 3:58

Band:
Ralf Scheepers – Lead Vocals
Magnus Karlsson – Guitar, Keyboards
Alexander Beyrodt – Guitar
Mat Sinner – Bass, Backing Vocals
Randy Black – Drums

Producer: Mat Sinner

Here’s a band I’ve known about for a very long time but never got around to buying an album of theirs until 2010 when I picked up Jaws of Death and Seven Seals. I like both of those album but I haven’t gotten around to reviewing them just yet. Anyway, Unbreakable is the band’s ninth studio album and their third studio release from Frontiers Records (who’ve branched beyond melodic rock/AOR and have started to pick up a number of quality hard rock/metal acts over the last few years).

It would be unfair of me to say where Unbreakable ranks in the Primal Fear catalog but what I can say about this album is that I think it compares favorably to Jaws of Death and Seven Seals. What’s good about this album is that it’s full of anthems. “Bad Guys Wear Black”, “Metal Nation”, “And Then There Was Silence” and “Where Angels Die” will get stuck in your head. And any song that isn’t a metal anthem is just powerfully heavy. “Strike” really rips from the get-go and was a great choice to open the album. Then there’s the album’s lone ballad “Born Again”. Another catchy number.

It’s not big revelation that Ralf Scheepers’ vocal work is reminiscent of Rob Halford (just ask Judas Priest themselves) but it’s on “Born Again” and “Conviction” that he really comes across as a younger version of the Metal God. “Conviction” is probably the most straight forward traditional sounding metal song on the whole album (with “Strike” coming in a close second) and it’s a true highlight. Very Priest-like.

Unbreakable is sure to please Primal Fear fans and should please anyone who has an interest in bands like Priest, Maiden and power metal. It’s a great album to kick off a new metal year in 2012!

Digipak pressing comes with the exclusive bonus track “Night of the Jumps”.

Highlights: “Strike”, “Bad Guys Wear Black”, “Metal Nation”, “Where Angels Die”, “Born Again”, “Conviction”

http://www.primalfear.de
http://www.facebook.com/PrimalFearOfficial

Buy ‘Unbreakable’ at Amazon.com

Elm Street – Barbed Wire Metal (2011, Massacre Records)

1. “Barbed Wire Metal” … 3:45
2. “The Devil’s Servants” … 4:00
3. “Elm St’s Children” … 5:41
4. “Heavy Metal Power” … 5:44
5. “King of Kings” … 4:50
6. “Leatherface” … 5:06
7. “Merciless Soldier” … 3:55
8. “Metal Is The Way”  … 6:14

Band:
Ben Batres – Vocals and Rhythm Guitar
Aaron Adie – Lead Guitar
Brendan Farrugia – Bass Guitar
Tomislav Perkovic – Drums

Producer: Ermin Hamidovi

Melbourne, Australia’s Elm Street are a band that plays good old fashioned heavy metal and are proud to do so! At first glance of the cover art and logo (and knowing they are on the Massacre label), I thought maybe they were going to be a brutal-sounding thrash band but don’t let that artwork by the legendary Ed Repka fool you! Yes, this band does have some thrash moments (such as the relentless opening number) but they describe themselves as traditional heavy metal and also display a great sense of melody and New Wave of British Heavy Metal/traditional metal influence. The melody aspect is evidenced on the second track “The Devil’s Servants” and it also reminds me of Black Veil Brides. Don’t worry, it’s not metalcore.

Another thing that stands out about this band is that they are horror movie fans. I mean, the band’s name is Elm Street and they have songs called “Elm St’s Children” and “Leatherface”. These guys are all about delivering fun, powerful heavy metal — “Barbed Wire Metal”? “Heavy Metal Power”? “Metal Is The Way”? You betcha!

There’s lot of good solos and riffs throughout this album and singer Ben Batres has that necessary roughness that wells work with traditional metal. His voice reminds me of Mr. Lordi. I love the gang vocals, too, by the way!

The band knows their way around a melody but they are heavy and fast enough that you won’t think they are wimping out. So, if you want some fun and recent heavy metal to bang your head to Elm Street’s Barbed Wire Metal is just what you need!

File this under “Albums I Wish I Had Heard In 2011″!

Highlights: “Barbed Wire Metal”, “The Devil’s Servants”, “Elm St’s Children”, “King of Kings”, “Metal Is The Way”

www.metalelmstreet.com
www.facebook.com/metalelmstreet

Buy the album at Amazon.com

the Blame – Born (2011, self-released)

1. Another Stolen Life … 4:07
2. Guiding Light … 4:17
3. The Scarab … 4:34
4. Valley of Trade … 4:31
5. Lost in a Rabbit-Hole … 4:25
6. Beyond the Wind … 3:57
7. Deserted Nation … 4:59
8. Fading Day … 4:08
9. Sacred Souls … 3:25
10. Exile … 4:17
11. Made of Stone … 3:39

Band:
Enver C. Yılmaz – Vocals
Bahadır Sarp – Lead Guitar
Kaan Afacan – Rhythm Guitar
Onur Altınay – Bass / Fretless Bass
Berca B. Kantarcıoğlu – Drums

Born is the debut album from Istanbul’s the Blame. The band has a great assortment of influences such as Iron Maiden, Dio, Black Sabbath, Rush, Edguy, Rage, Testament and Nevermore. As such, this album is kind of a mash-up of heavy/thrash/melodic/progressive metal.

Lead vocalist Enver sings in a few different styles on the album. On “Guiding Light” he comes across as what the typical modern metal vocalist sounds like but on “The Scarab” he comes across as Bruce Dickinson or Edguy’s Tobias Sammet and then goes on to employ some growling metal vocals in the very same song!

It’s the fast & furious thrashers such as “Beyond the Wind” where the band really displays their powers though. The entire band is great and Berca’s drumming in exceptional. It’s in these fast pace environments that Enver’s vocals really shine best as well when he hits those higher notes. “Exile” is a great instrumental that brings to mind ’80s Metallica and this band is worth checking out for that song alone (no offense to Enver!). The album closes with the thrasher “Made of Stone” which again shows off the Maiden influence in terms of sound & vocals (even if there is still some more growling thrown in).

Born is a solid debut from these guys. Not a knockout punch but there are some gems to be found here and the band definitely has a future that has me thinking they might be better off focusing on the Maiden & thrash influence rather than bands like Rush & Nevermore. Of course, progressive metal has never really been my thing in general. I’m surprised these guys aren’t signed because they are a band that I think could easily fit on the Metal Blade label.

If you’re interested in checking this album out, you can head on over to the band’s website and download it for free (and make a donation to the band as you do it, if you’re feeling generous).

Highlights: ”Guiding Light”, “The Scarab”, “Beyond the Wind”, “Exile”, “Made of Stone”

http://www.theblamemetal.com/
http://www.facebook.com/theblame
http://www.youtube.com/user/theblamemetal