Metallica - Hardwired...To Self Destruct (2016)

Well, guess I have to listen to this one again. Yeah, that's probably the worst way to start a review, but it goes especially for this one. Now we all know Metallica as a thrash act and we were even sold three songs by the mainstream media: “Hardwired” came first, followed by “Moth Into Flame” and finally “Atlas Rise” which came so close to the release date that it didn't matter. As “Hardwired” and “Moth Into Flame” were both clearly different than “Atlas Rise” (even though I thought it was a fairly strong Iron Maiden influenced track) the majority of the songs on the record that we were sold are vastly different than what many of us might have expected. When we get to the disc, we find that “Hardwired” is really just a three-minute thrash track. When I first saw the video, I thought that it had been edited and thought that Kirk's solo was just a little on the short side. I assumed that when I'd get the full disc, maybe it would be a bit longer. There were two discs after all. Alas, Metallica fucked us again. The full playing time for this “epic two disc release” is actually seventy-seven minutes, which would have fit perfectly on one disc. Not only that, several of these pieces are in fact blown out of proportion, which often gives them unnecessarily long intros and long instrumental breaks. Most of these should have been cut-down from their garage jam lengths into something a bit more bearable.

To be honest, listeners are actually getting what feels like a dose of Load/Reload in the vein of blues and groove rock tunes that aren't all that thrashy. Some say it might be the record in between ...And Justice For All and The Black Album, but I'm willing to consider it the album between The Black Album and Load. It isn't that the record won't be enjoyable to fans of Metallica's more mainstream material, but it definitely has more of a modern approach that sort of rides the coat-tails of their most celebrated moments in the limelight and not so much the early thrash days that metalheads know and love. In addition to that, James Hetfield really wants to try singing on this one, which is definitely done with a more commercial quality. Don't go into this thinking that you're getting any hint of a thrash disc. After all, the only other thrash cut you'll get is fan-favorite “Spit Out The Bone” which I didn't find as interesting as others did. I will say that on a second listen, I can kind of see the appeal that black-era songs like “Dream No More” might have for others, but I've already heard that kind of material and wasn't necessarily interested in a rehash.

I also found it odd that the Lemmy tribute song, “Murder One” didn't have any actual Motorhead influence. I would have at least expected something of a Motorhead style solo from Kirk on this one. I guess this is Metallica's attempt at another grab towards the mainstream after not hitting so hard with Death Magnetic even though I found a couple songs from that one, including “That Was Just Your Life” and “Judas Kiss” to be among some of the band's best. Unfortunately, I can't really say that about this one which doesn't feel like the Metallica album I felt that I was marketed – a thrash record. The band shot a video for every track on the disc, even the B-Side “Lords Of Summer” so it's a little odd that they would lead us on with two thrash cuts first. Why couldn't they just have skipped the whole “Hardwired” cut and given us “Dream No More” or “ManUNkind” instead? These songs would have been more indicative of what kind of experience we were getting and I was quite dissatisfied with what felt like it was supposed to be something that it was not.

Comparing this to a video game marketing campaign, No Man's Sky also showcased itself as a product that it was not and upset several fans in the process. Oddly enough, because there are two different types of Metallica fans out there (those who prefer the thrash and those who prefer the more modern hard rock) the dissent between these groups has almost gotten to a near-political level, with others saying that it is outright terrible and others claiming that it's one of the best albums they've heard all year. This second listen has made the record a bit more listenable, I think – but I'm not going to say that it's one of my favorite Metallica discs by any means. Once again, I think that if most of these songs had been cut by about a minute of two at least, we might have had a more soluble listen that could have even done a bit better with the fans.

Keep in mind, some people just outright hate Load, Reload and The Black Album so this isn't going to sit in their wheelhouse at all. I've also noticed online especially, that there's a lot of fighting between this and Exodus's latest album, Brotherhood Of The Snake. I haven't gotten a chance to hear that record in it's entirety to back up the proof that it is superior, but I can say that as far as a thrash record is concerned, Megadeth's Dystopia barrels over this one. Metallica do manage to prove that they still have it, but the problem is that it's nothing really all that new. Hardwired...To Self Destruct is very safe and doesn't even seem to blend musically well with it's moniker. If you see the cover and look at the title, you might even expect a thrash disc. But just remember, there's more crunch here than we've heard from Metallica since the mid-era and that might not necessarily be such a good thing. I don't hate the album, but I certainly wouldn't consider it something of a modern masterpiece. Since it's in the mainstream media pop/rock category, you can pick it up at Best Buy for ten dollars. Or you can just watch the whole thing online in video form, which might actually be better than listening to the record itself. Some of the videos I'm told are quite interesting, so that would definitely give this record a bit more merit than other albums without such a heavy visual component. Of which there are several.

Regardless of what I say, you're either going to listen to it, have listened to it, or will never approach it at all. So this is just my two cents and you can do whatever you like. Not terrible, but not mind-blowing either... and what in the hell is up with Lars' drum sound on this one? Seriously.

(2 Discs, 12 Tracks, 77:00)

7/10

Existance - Breaking The Rock (2016)

Right before October hit, I was on a big Sonic kick, which included going through a lot of the Sonic Adventure series and digging into Crush 40's music. Well, Crush 40 (which actually contains Hardline/Axel Rudi Pell frontman Johnny Gioeli – Yes, the frontman of Axel Rudi Pell has been singing about Sonic The Hedgehog for a number of years now, and that looks to continue) is inspired by many of the same bands that this French classic heavy metal act is also inspired by on their sophomore album (Priest, Maiden, Saxon, Accept, exc) and that equals out to a winning record for me. As you know, I've always been a fan of classic heavy metal in this vein, which Existance manages to translate pretty well into the modern era. It sounds like it came straight from the eighties golden age, with Juian Izard (son of H-Bomb frontman Didier Izard) wailing on the vocals along with Antoine Poiret shredding up a storm on guitars. Newly added to the act are the punchy drum acrobatics of Nicholas Martineau on the kit and the thumping riffs of Julien Robilliard on the bass. The listener is hit with track after track of what I can simply just describe as the chemistry of heavy metal in general.

Breaking The Rock features explosive guitar solos, catchy choruses and just plain strong leads in general. I hear a lot of discs like this, but these guys are putting more muscle into than I get with several similar acts. It's also the attention to detail in their bridges that really hits me – I like a song that offers more than just a verse, chorus and solo piece and if you'll really give it a listen, you'll understand exactly what I'm talking about there. Most of these cuts are also a bit longer than the normal three minute mark, which usually means that there's a bit more in terms of song structure and that equals out to a memorable experience that delivers far more than just a simple chorus line repeated from now to eternity.

“Sinner Of Love” actually gives the band a full five minutes to play with, which are quickly filled with the kind of classic solo indentation that we want from what is very much a classic hard rocker. “In The Name Of Revenge” truly soars, with Izard packing a truly notable vocal performance on what I'd consider to be a much heavier cut, and even though it's a bit shorter than the others, we are still treated to a truly awesome solo. That's just the kind of material that listeners will be presented with on this return to the eighties glory days of the metal genre. If you love classic heavy metal fused with hairy hard rock, then you're going to enjoy this one quite a bit. It's no secret that The Grim Lord loves this classic stuff and I'd definitely recommend checking out this effort from the Frenchmen, even if not all the vocal nodes caught with me as much as I wanted. The effort is there though and that's what truly counts in the end. Existance seem to prove that they should very much exist as a heavy metal entity and I'm sure you'll love them if you'll give them a chance.

(10 Tracks, 46:00)

7/10

Fliptop Box - Catch 22 (2016)

Recommended for fans of Alice In Chains, Danzig, Volbeat and Therapy? (Seriously? I'll provide some better influences later in the review) these Grecian metallers are about to release their sophomore disc sometime in late October. In all honesty, I would compare the sound of Fliptop Box to being a combination of Deftones as their lightest and The Cult at their most melodic. There are also some growls here and there, but they feel kind of forced. This band doesn't need growls, (but they appear on a track called “Sirens”) as there's no sense in it and it more or less weakens the performance. These guys don't have to growl to reach a metal audience, they seem to do a fine job playing their instruments as is. Maybe there's even a little bit of Sentenced's melancholy rock here, which isn't a problem either.

Frontman John P. handles the vocals here, sometimes going into a bit of a Danzig croon, but it's a bit lighter and somewhat a bit post-punk depending on the cut. Perhaps the accent is still a little bit rough, but the spirit is there. He also handles the guitars, where he composes a sort of airy, yet thunderous rock. Again, I'm thinking of the Deftones at their lightest, maybe Saturday Night Wrist or Koi No Yokan. There are also some rather notable solos on the record, but I can't tell if John or (secondary axe) Stavros is responsible for them. Additionally we'll also hear backups on the record, where drummer Captain Frikis and Christina accentuate the choruses. This is most notable on opener “Blast” even though John handles his own on “Borderline” quite well too. While the Volbeat influence may very well be there, I can say that John's vocal approach is far more spirited and much less obnoxious than that of Michael “liked you better in Dominus” Poulsen. He really knows how to bring it home and pile on the melody at the same time, which equals out to several memorable songs.

The record is extremely well written and feels like it has a bit more going for it than just some mainstream modern rock sound. There's definitely a slight feel of Goth here, but it's closer to early Goth rather than Dracula Goth. I take no preference with either, but hearing a little bit of The Sisters Of Mercy is not something I'm going to take an issue with. All in all, the Greeks have made a rather strong record and I'd certainly recommend giving it a listen. I'm a little torn between a decent seven and a solid eight, because some parts of the disc are rough while others are quite well produced. I will say that after the third time of listening to the disc, I still find it a very strong disc where anything could really be touched on and often is. The listener won't expect some of the territory that is traversed here, but it will all be worth an ear if you're willing to give these guys a shot.

Fliptop Box are a bit more inventive than what we might expect for alternative rock, and there are enough metallic elements here to interest those who might be on the fence. Even so, this is a rock band and they should be respected as such. I never claimed that Fliptop Box were one of the heaviest bands in the world, but they don't need to be either. They're doing their own thing and I think that given time, these guys will really start to grow on me. Quite refreshing.

(8 Tracks, 38:00)

7/10

State Of Mine - Devil In Disguise (2016)

Hailing from Michigan, these alternative/hard rockers certainly have something for fans of acts like Five Finger Death Punch and early Motograter, which is what they sound like. Even more so than the acts they've been compared to on the press release: Mice & Men, Shaman's Harvest, Sevendust and Gemini Syndrome. While I haven't quite heard of all of those bands, I know for sure that State of Mine have not even the clearest resemblance to Sevendust as I've been a fan of those guys since I was a teenager. What we have here is an act that channels quite a bit of Five Finger Death Punch in their most modern and accessible era, which will do great for record sales, but not strike so hard for originality. What surprised the hell out of me though, was how close to Moody's vocal tone the frontman got on this record – it's unreal. Put those two together in a music program and you'll be quite astonished by the similarity. They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery, but I don't know how well it's going to do for these guys to go so close to an approach that sounds just like that of the current kings of radio rock. “Curtain Call” is the track they're promoting and even have a video for, which certainly seems to have a lot of FFDP worship especially considering the chorus. Now Flaw could also be cited, but Flaw was performing their style long before Motograter joined Moody (and if anyone's ever heard Motograter before Moody, you'll know that they were an entirely different band at that point) and it could even be argued that Ivan Moody borrowed from Flaw in their early days (even though that's highly debatable.)

In any case, fans of a familiar radio rock approach (with added electronics) will find something here within the downtuned riffing and catchy chorus matter that pervade through the disc. There are some strong nodes in the chorus line for “Stones” as well as the closer “Broke By Monday” which reminds me of some of the good times during my teenage years, where we would all ride around on the back roads and listen to radio rock while getting stoned. I'm far too old for that mess now, but back then it was quite an experience. Devil In Disguise is chock-full of radio hits from front to back and I'd certainly recommend it to those who have no problem with commercial approaches. It's not too bad, but certainly nothing I'd outright recommend unless you want to have more radio-friendly hard rock music in your life. I have more than a few friends that would enjoy it, and I think personally that these guys are just one hit away from a major radio breakthrough. But I feel like I've personally heard it all before as far as this goes and it's really nothing all that special. Feel free to check the video and give them a listen for yourself, if this is something that interests you.

(7 Tracks, 25:00)

6/10

Rekoma - Circle Of Hate (2016)

This is the debut EP from Finnish hard rockers Rekoma and they remind me a little of acts like Ireland's Sinocence, which works for me. There also might be a tinge of Gothic rock/metal like Tiamat in there. The Sinocence influence came in for me during “Trial” with Tiamat style Goth riffs being a bit more apparent on the album's closer “Down The Drain.” Jani Redkin doesn't have the most crystalline clean vocal approach, but he does hit some hefty albeit modernized growls within the piece. Most of it really seems to revolve around the guitar work of Samuli Maunula (lead) and Arttu Korpela (rhythm) as well as the drumming of Juha Iloha which all rounds out to a very rock feel, which some occasionally heavy vocals and downtuned bass riffs courtesy of Antti Maunula. Even on chunkier cuts like the title piece, there's nothing hugely metallic about this disc and it often feels more like a hard rock disc than a metal one. It's still very good from that sort of compositional standpoint, showcasing a quintet attempting for a heavy, yet still soft enough for radio-play sound that may have taken as much of an influence from American hard rock as it did from Goth rock. There's certainly nothing wrong done here, and I think it could appeal to fans of this kind of music outside of Finland, for sure – they'll just have to be aware of a slightly different vocal approach here than you might expect from American hard rock and there's the accents, as always. Though slightly raw and tough to discern in some instances, I'd certainly like to hear Rekoma continue as there's assuredly something here in the musicianship alone.

(4 Tracks, 19:00)

7/10

Tanzwut - Schreib Es Mit Blut (2016)

Like a mixture of In Extremo and Rammstein, or more closely related to Subway To Sally, German folk rockers Tanzwut have returned with their tenth studio album, Schreib Es Mit Blut (Write It With Blood.) These guys are classified as something called Neue Deusch Härte, which aparently goes all of the way back to Rammstein's debut record, Herzeleid (1995) and seems quite fitting here. As I've stated, Tanzwut sound more closely related to an act like Subway To Sally then they do Rammstein and I'll add that both bands nearly sound identical except for the vocal end of things, where Mike “Teufel” Paulenz commands a rougher style of vocal edge than Michael “Bodenski” Boden, who has a decidedly different approach. Regardless of that, both bands seem to incorporate a great deal of down-tuned riffing and folk-influence (“Bruder Leichtsinn” sounds like Rammstein with bagpipes) which works for me, as I've been a fan of this style since first discovering Rammstein around the Mutter era. I find myself enjoying the choruses just as much as I would have from Subway, Mergaherz, Eisbrecher or Rammstein and that's a great thing in my book. The bagpipes also work extremely well in the background and give a very unique layer of depth to the music. It's on the same level as Subway To Sally, but has a bit more punch and bite than I've heard from them in recent years. This being my second listen of the record, I feel that things really start to take off around the aforementioned “Bruder Leichtsinn” and will add that the first two cuts (yes, even the title track that opens the record) kind of fell a bit flat for me. It's not that these were bad pieces, but I suppose I was expecting the record to take off with a little bit more of a bang than this.

By the time we get to “Stille Wasser” which seems to take off in the direction of straight-forward folk, we are soon greeted to another cut in the same vein as the disc's second track “Steig Ein” called “Reicher Als En Konig.” It's admittedly less thump and more straight-forward rock, but I wouldn't say that it's terrible. “Hahnenkampf” does however mix a bit more of that Rammstein formula into it's folk-fueled nature, as “Wenn Ich Tot Bin” seems to continue that folk-rock feel in what almost seems like an anthem to sailing the seven seas. With the Celtic influence in the bagpipes, I'm almost feeling like this record would delight as many fans of German hard rock as it would fans of Scottish bagpipe players. It may even delight the Scottish bagpipers themselves, but who knows? Moving on, we soon get to “Bleib Bei Mir” in which the traditional Rammstein influence reasserts itself, but not for long as the triumphant anthem “Wer Wir Sind” soon erupts forth from my speakers and has me looking out my window to see if there is indeed some sort of vessel about to leave port. The rain is pouring so thickly right now that such an occurrence would not surprise me. The disc ends with a very light-hearted rocker by the name of “Neue Ufer” which seems like a good place to say “Auf Wiedersehen.”

Yet there's one more cut on the disc, which features the album's only ballad of sorts “Stille Wasser” reimagined with Liv Kristine, who needs no introduction. Though Kristine's vocals are pushed to the back a little, (it is a duet, after all) I feel that is a rather strong rendition of the piece and seems a worthy enough bonus release for the digipack. At the end of it all, I can say that while the disc did feature a lot of what makes this kind of music memorable to me, it clearly features more folk-influences than I had anticipated. That isn't a bad thing though, as it brings a more light-hearted and different tone to the music than other bands might have offered. If you're going to begin a voyage out to sea, then I feel that this may be the kind of record you'll want to play in order to prepare yourself for the trip. The only things that I feel are missing from a performance like Screib Es Mit Blut are the whooshing of the ocean waves and the hearty sounds of seagulls.

(15 Tracks, 55:00)

7/10

Rob Zombie - The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser (2016)

Obviously thrown together at the last fucking minute, this absolute waste of fucking time actually only clocked in at about thirty-one minutes and left me unmoved. Although there are few good ideas utilized here and there and it is a surprisingly heavier disc, the album seems like it could have benefited from longer tracks and possibly a little more initiative. Our intro is pretty forgettable, with only a reverberating thump to benefit “Electric Warlock Acid Witch!” which then goes right into “Satanic Cyanide/The Killer Rocks On” a track that features more electronics, but the same approach to Hellbilly albeit in a different style. Rob Zombie used to experiment more vocally, but he's trying to go back to Hellbilly yet again here and it isn't working for him. We've already heard it, Rob. We've heard it done twice now and there's no need to go back into it. “The Life and Times of A Teenage Rock God” sounds like Zombie might think he's a Rock God for the teens of the current age, which is bullshit as I don't even want to know what the teens are digging, but it's definitely not him. The chorus is strong, there's a nice solo (and an unnecessary clip from a stage show) but once again, it's just so damn formulaic and I've already heard it. When Rob finally tried to do something new with “Everybody's Fucking In A U.F.O.” it backfires on him drastically. The track sounds like a mixture of “Jesus Built My Hot Rod” and “Wynonna's Big Brown Beaver” smushed together in a vein that makes it's sound like an old drunk fool yammering about in complete fucking gibberish. Quite possibly, this is the worst song he's ever attached to his name. What in the hell was he thinking? “A Hearse That Overturns...” comes across as a relatively decent instrumental, where soundclips move into acoustic soundscapes and make a difference. You see, Rob's band is doing a great job on this record. The problem is, Rob Zombie himself isn't.

“...Gore Whore” adds seventies style keyboards to what sounds like sort of party rock. It's decent enough, kind of catchy. But nothing out of the ordinary. “Meditation For The Melancholy” is a little bit better, as it's a more hard-driving number, but it ends abruptly. One of the disc's only good tracks “...Get High” starts off oddly just like “More Human Than Human” and seems to deliver in it's Nu-Metal thumps, as well as an unexpected solo. Rob Zombie's actually on his game here, but the chorus I feel might have hit better if I was still in high school and not about to turn thirty-one myself. The chorus is literally nothing but “Get, get, get, get, high!” over and over, which sounds like it was just kind of slapped together. “Super Doom Hex Gloom Pt. 1” is another instrumental, but it works pretty well if you like keyboard soundscapes as much as I do. “In The Bone Pile” is a decent Hellbilly style song, but once again it shows that Rob is definitely overdoing it with that approach. There are already a bunch of songs that sound similar and this is truly formulaic as hell. “Get Your Boots On/ That's The End of Rock and Roll” comes in with a party rock feel, along with a weird chorus that doesn't really do any of his previous choruses justice. What in the hell was he thinking here? Even a decent solo section can't save this retread. The album ends with the unexpectedly interesting “Wurdalak” though, which actually distorts Rob's voice a little bit and has some threatening thumps. What I found was very odd and a perhaps foreshadowing a little about the man's music career, is the extremely forlorn piano piece that appears at the end of the record. It is definitely a sad piece, backed with wind and thunder which sort of seems like Rob Zombie's death knell in regards to his musical endeavors. He is starting to get a little older (that's obvious just from looking at the cover) so maybe he's lamenting his own demise, especially with so many celebrities dying as of late. There is the actual possibility that Rob might have felt that he was next or something, and wanted to hurry up and get this record out as quickly as possible. Maybe he thought that last track was supposed to be a remembrance piece to him, and was expecting to have died before the record released. In that case, it would have been fitting there.

If nothing else, this absurdly long album title and it's absurdly long track titles are very much reminiscent of classic Rob Zombie. If nothing else, this retread seems like a celebration of all that he's done over the past couple of decades and I can understand that. That being said, maybe it's time that he stick to movies and veer away from music for a while. His latest musical performance DVD was nearly unwatchable, as he nearly butchered classics in an effort to go through them as quickly as possible. I really hope this means that “31” won't be rushed through as well, because as of right now, that's the only thing from him that I'm looking forward to right now. I really wouldn't care if he ever released another disc, if this is all we're going to get. If you need to hear Rob Zombie, then La Sexorcisto, Astro-Creep 2000 and Past/Present/Future are really all you need. Everything else just seems to be retread at this point, which makes this record an unnecessary addition to your Rob Zombie collection. As a commenter on social media put it, “Rob Zombie needs to spend less time making ridiculously long song and album titles, and more time writing actual music.” That I believe, says it best.

(12 Tracks, 31:00)

5/10

Ignea - Alga (2016)

Clocking in at just under seven minutes, this single track from Ukrainian symphonic metal act Ignea on a very strong note with powerful orchestrations, hard-driving riffs and one hell of a frontwoman. She's quite comparable to Lacuna Coil's Christina Scabbia and doesn't go heavy with the vocal operatics, instead preferring a straight-forward approach, which adds some hefty growls in the background. Lyrically, this seems like a read between the lines of Russia's involvement in the Ukraine, which the Ukrainian people are not all too happy about. This is also why I was getting the business when I accidentally referred to some Ukrainian acts as Russian. I make sure these days to get that right, as I don't think I ever want to get an email like that again. Especially when I actually enjoyed the album. As for the piece, it contains a potent chorus, catchy grooves and even a little bit of a guitar solo so they're obviously going for a harder approach than similar acts out there. I was actually very impressed by this piece and would certainly love to hear more. As an old fan of Lacuna Coil, “Alga” really hit the nail on the head for me. Definitely give it a listen if you're into that kind of music and I look forward to the new album.

(1 Track, 6:17)

7/10

Pil & Bue - Forget The Past, Let's Worry About The Future (2016)

This Norwegian duo (Bow & Arrow in English, just in case you were wondering) have been making a real mark in their native country, earning some high spots on the charts as well as loads of radio play. Their single “You Win Again” was also used in a cult film by the name of Dead Snow 2 (I haven't seen the first yet, but it's a Norwegian zombie-flick) so as you can see, they've really got something to offer. After having listened to this record, I'll have to agree. It was in my “Promise Pool” folder for a while before I was commissioned for it, so it's now been bumped up for a review now – and that's a good thing. Because now I remember just how great it is.

The press release says that these guys take from acts like Placebo, Deftones, current Anathema and The Mars Volta (even though I've always hated the vocalist from that act, I love the vocals here) and I can definitely tell. You also might be able to compare them slightly to acts like Tool/A Perfect Circle and Karnivool, as well as Chevelle in some instances. But what we're looking at is a mix of progressive and hard rock music, which has to be no doubt shortened for radio play, especially when the only song on the record that would fit the standard length of "3:30" is “Nevermind” coming in at a little over three minutes, even though you could probably squeeze the chorus heavy opener “No Is The Answer” or “Shakkakakka” down to fit the radio limit as well. These guys really want their songs to breathe, and they do – because you're utterly hit with mounds of atmosphere which in itself seems to contain just a little hint of post-metal. But there's no core, djent or anything really gimmicky to be found here. The record comes off as really memorable progressive hard rock. Now, I'm sure that a few people won't be able to stomach Petter Carlson's vocal approach as it's very glassy and fragile enough to shatter, but those same people probably couldn't get into Chino Moreno's clean tones in Deftones (no pun intended) for the same reason. It's actually a pretty short disc, all things considered – but it's the kind of disc where I think every song stands out in some way or another.

Forget The Past... can sometimes seem like a complete atmosphere, and it's essentially very chilly with slightly warm moments offered within the heat of the guitars. They believe in spontaneity, which I can kind of hear in this record, but there's also a definite choral formula to some of these tracks that make them complete earworms. I think “Afterlife” sees the duo at their most dynamic, as this artistic soundscape finally reaches it's denouement in the form of a post-rocker that really shows their power. They literally ended the disc with a track that doesn't just come right out and deliver the goods, you have to work for it a little bit and the end result is brilliant. If you're looking for an atmospheric hard rock act that you're going to remember a little bit more than some of the other stuff on the radio, then you can't go wrong here.

(6 Tracks, 30:00)

9/10

Emil Bulls - XX (2016)

German alt/nu-metal rockers Emil Bulls have been around for twenty years, yet this is now the first that I'm ever hearing of them. In order to commemorate the band's twenty year anniversary, this “Greatest Hits” compilation was made in a very peculiar way. At first, not having known anything about the band prior, I was going to say that such a disc was a horrible marketing attempt for a brand new recording. But XX is simply not that. Instead of giving you a “Greatest Hits” collection of sorts, the band decided to record many of their songs in a much sappier, lighthearted tone as you'll witness here. It actually sounds kind of goth, to be honest; definitely a mile's difference from the kind of material you'll hear during the much upbeat “Hellfire versions” as they are titled. This, is in essence the band's actual “Greatest Hits” disc, which fans will have to purchase as a special limited edition digipack, of which I am not fond of. If you're going to release a “Greatest Hits” album, then it should come with these lighter “Candlelight versions” to begin with, rather than making people spend extra money for what is the actual product.

Of the many tracks offered here, I'll mention that there is very little difference between the lighthearted (some might say darkhearted) version of “Dear Sadness” and the slightly more upbeat original. The same could be said for “Dancing On The Moon” of which the differences are nearly vacant. However, the differences between the fiercely brackish Hellfire version of “Way Of The Warrior” and the Candlelight version of the track are so much like night and day that it's amazing how it works. It's almost like Emil Bulls have transformed into a completely different band, not unlike something to the tune of Coldplay or U2. The same might be said of “Hearteater” which takes an almost Mudvayne meets Soilwork approach and turns it into a nearly romantic ballad. Look, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't heard it for myself. Then we have a thrasher with a clean chorus in the form of “The Most Evil Spell” that completely changes shape. I actually had to listen to see if “you fucking coward” was in the piece, which it was. There's actually quite a few F-bombs in this poppy number, making me think of something from Gotye, Finger Eleven or Maroon 5 with a little more bite. I think it's “Worlds Apart” though, that had the greatest effect on me. Though the Candlelight version is quite expectable for such a composition, I really like the balls-out Soilwork influenced Hellfire version of the track. I wish I'd heard that one years ago.

As you can see, XX is definitely something different, but it actually works and I have to say that I'm quite fond of it. From what I've heard on both discs, I can see that Emil Bulls are indeed an act to be reckoned with and it's very surprising that these guys never made it to the US. I can see fans of acts like Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle, Soilwork, Five Finger Death Punch, Motograter and Linkin Park really getting into the material presented here. Just think, twenty years have passed and I had no idea who these guys were and just how damn catchy their tunes are. Sorry folks, but we don't have all the great rock bands here in the states. Give this one a listen to see what you're missing.

(2 Discs, 29 Tracks)

8/10