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ANNIHILATOR "Suicide Society" (UDR Music)


01. Suicide Society
02. My Revenge
03. Snap
04. Creepin' Again
05. Narcotic Avenue
06. The One You Serve
07. Break, Enter
08. Death Scent
09. Every Minute




After a long and fun collaboration, Dave Padden says goodbye to Jeff Waters and ANNIHILATOR. Padden moves on, reportedly having grown tired of touring and being away from his family and obligations. Whether you were a fan of Padden or not, he will be greatly missed, as he was effective in keeping ANNIHILATOR afloat with his dynamic (and sporadically looney) vocals and rhythm guitar. Padden and Waters delivered four quality albums in this eleven-year span together: "All for You" , "Schizo Deluxe", "Metal" and "Feast" . All were entertaining slabs of thrash and power metal yielding a few quirky experiments. Yet even the out-of-nowhere pop ballads were easy to digest, subjectively speaking, due to Dave Padden's malleability.
As he did on "King of the Kill" , "Refresh the Demon" and "Remains", Waters takes on vocal duties in addition to laying down all the guitar and bass tracks, as well as production and mastering for the band's fifteenth album, "Suicide Society". Mike Hershaw returns on drums, while the live faction of ANNIHILATOR finds Cam Dixon returning on bass, he'd played here before from 1994 to ‘95, and a new second guitarist, Aaron Homma.
The good news about "Suicide Society" is that Jeff Waters, as ever, knows what he's doing. While most masterminded projects suffer from mixing issues and/or too many ideas swarming without proper glue, Waters is a production maestro. Thus, the new album is professionally written, mixed and assembled. Business as usual in that respect, also in the fact that "Suicide Society" is damned good and frequently awesome.
As the title track opens the album, the mid-tempo jive leaves a slight question mark as to the direction Jeff Waters intends "Suicide Society" to take. His vocal performance is just fine as he tends to hit somewhere between Chris Caffery and Dave Mustaine. A thrash burst toward the end of "Suicide Society" should give ANNIHILATOR fans cause to exhale as the next song, "My Revenge", is a straightforward speed demon. The thing with "My Revenge", however, is parts of it are written and delivered a bit too close to METALLICA's "Damage, Inc." Those are similar plots of brisk, fret-ripping chords until Waters dumps in a whirligig progression in the middle of the track. Jeff Waters even mimics James Hetfield's snarling enunciations as he does on the album's finale, "Every Minute" . To the plus, it never grows old hearing Waters scale his guitar and bass like a madman amidst Mike Hershaw's capable double hammers. His outro solo on "My Revenge" is freaking sick.
Proving it wasn't just Dave Padden pushing ANNIHILATOR to write crisp, accessible tunes, Jeff Waters summons some of his best-ever vocals on the marching melodic rocker, "Snap". There's a dormant thunder rumbling behind the elevating choruses and an agreeable shake to the snazzy, bass-led verses and "Snap" becomes a modest but contagious sing-along. Though it goes on for nearly six minutes and it's far heavier, "The One You Serve" has a ton of swaying verve. For the record, "Every Minute" is a quasi-ballad, perhaps dropped by Waters as a bow of gratitude to Padden.
Fans of Waters's trickier progressions will be satisfied with the busy-as-hell "Creepin' Again", a song that does very little of that—save to set up the havoc-flung verses and choruses. Waters's sinister cackling on the fadeout is amusing as he keeps the gas pedal slammed on the manic "Narcotic Avenue". Waters does a sharp job blending his growls, higher pitched than Dave Padden's, with congenial cleans on the few places "Narcotic Avenue" catches its own breath. Otherwise, Waters is relentless in how he tailors the song; he expertly shifts his parts and tempos where it would all be way too much if crammed by lesser-skilled performers. The skidding, dreamy outro of "Narcotic Avenue" conveys a purposeful drowse after all of the chaos preceding it, and one has to applaud his brilliant arrangement. Ditto for the encompassing "Death Scent", which chugs and plows for much of the ride, yet gives way to a grand center section that sounds like an entire ensemble instead of one man's dexterous layering.
He's been criticized as often as praised as a lone-wolf architect operating under a banner some people think should've been retired after "Never Neverland". Call Jeff Waters a maverick boss man or a metal god; he's a specialist of his craft and a master at fending off adversity. No matter what gets in his way or leaves him presiding over a sporadically empty court, Waters remains one of the greatest metal performers the genre has ever seen. "Suicide Society" is further proof that this guy is superhuman.

blabbermouth.net

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SEVENDUST "Kill the Flaw " (7Bros.)

01. Thank You
02. Death Dance
03. Forget
04. Letters
05. Cease and Desist
06. Not Today
07. Chop
08. Kill the Flaw
09. Silly Beast
10. Peace and Destruction
11. Torched
12. Slave The Prey (bonus track)



Eleven albums now and SEVENDUST is still rolling with the same band of brothers, which says plenty in an industry that devours musicians and regurgitates new lineups monthly. Only for three years between 2005 and 2008 did guitarist and heavy-duty songwriter Clint Lowery depart. Otherwise, the band has remarkably retained the same core, co-founded by John Connolly, Vince Hornsby and Morgan Rose, fortified by Lowery and, of course, their impeccable frontman Lajon Witherspoon. SEVENDUST's latest album "Kill the Flaw" doesn't wholly soft soap, but it sure does swing a chancy step over the line. As Witherspoon has stated about the record, the band has "taken time off from the heavy side," and he's not kidding. There are plenty of hard cuts on the album, but "Kill the Flaw" will challenge even the band's most devout at times.
Opening with "Thank You", which dropped as a preview single in late July, the song minces crunchy metalcore riffs with Kurt Wubbenhorst's swaying keys and pop-driven choruses. Morgan Rose's tappity rhythm gives the decidedly lighter track a sense of urgency as Lajon Witherspoon divides his time between growls on the rougher parts and softer croons. "Death Dance" is likewise on the lighter side even with the slowly cut agro chords dishing up the verses. Fans aren't going to be too miffed by the aromatic choruses since Lajon Witherspoon dishes them gorgeously. Still, the intended toughness behind the breakdown on "Death Dance" is unconvincing. The song establishes an easygoing identity and works best in that mode.
SEVENDUST gets heavier with some nasty chops and clubbing rhythms on "Forget", but the rippling choruses keep the track from getting downright mean. If Lajon Witherspoon wasn't such a powerful singer, "Forget", would be easy to do just that, which is where the band is at with this album. SEVENDUST has grown progressively leaner and hook-driven over the years; one nearly forgets their snaggletooth nu-metal days. Albeit, the album's projected second single, "Not Today", makes the most of the band's heavier grains with ramming riffs and rainy choruses. This is one of the album's strongest and most sensible tracks.
When you have blatant pop nuggets like "Letters", "Cease and Desist" and "Death Dance", it's nearly shocking how tamed down SEVENDUST has become. The band reserves its full strength for the muscular closing number "Torched" with its pounding rhythm, riff barrages and mixed-in barks. It's been no secret that SEVENDUST has embraced a more tuneful (if predictable) identity, serving them well on seventh track "Chop", which would've been a so-so proto pounder without its peppered acoustic shakes and chirpy guitar solo.
"Kill the Flaw" is going to become an instant favorite for SEVENDUST's latter year following. You could drop Lajon Witherspoon in with a Kidz Bop ensemble and it would still be an absorbing enough listen. He's that great of a singer. Thus, no matter how much SEVENDUST changes up their methods, he's going to lure listeners for his silky lilt. For those who want more of a mash to the band's sound ("Silly Beast" serving up plenty of that), "Kill the Flaw" has some, sure, but most of it gets pushed behind backdrops of occasionally shaky pop suspensions.

 blabbermouth.net



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SAXON "Battering Ram" (UDR Music)


01. Battering Ram
02. The Devil's Footprint
03. Queen of Hearts
04. Destroyer
05. Hard and Fast
06. Eye of the Storm
07. Stand Your Ground
08. Top of the World
09. To the End
10. Kingdom of the Cross
11. Three Sheets to the Wind (deluxe edition)



English metal-lords SAXON continue to show no signs of quit with their 21st (wowzers) album, "Battering Ram". Enjoying a prolific run under the same veteran lineup (with Nigel Glockler returning to the kit a decade ago), Biff Byford, Paul Quinn and the SAXON troupe give zero ounce of slack on "Battering Ram", which is pretty damned remarkable as the band creeps upon its fortieth anniversary. Actually, bulls into it is more the operative phrase as "Battering Ram" is another impressive, if prototype SAXON effort.
Perhaps the only real difference between "Battering Ram" and SAXON's most recent albums, including 2013's "Sacrifice", is that they are slightly heavier. Biff Byford notes the band dispensed with some of the rock 'n' roll elements SAXON has been playing around with and opted more for a, well, ramming effect here. The title track drops the listener against the iron barrier at the front of a SAXON show, comparing the experience to a metal church (no doubt a loving tip of the hat to their American power metal comrades) and "Battering Ram" launches as a tried 'n' true anthem.
Spooling a Hammer-esque narrative as the intro to "The Devil's Footprint", SAXON keeps the rhythm pounding with whirring riffs by Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt, as Nibbs Carter and Nigel Glockler rumble effortlessly behind them. The solo section is a rip-snorting pleaser from the foursome, while Biff Byford continues to amaze listeners with how easy he makes it all sound. Here Byford hits a screech so gruesome at the end that you can't help but clench a fist of admiration. Even as "Queen of Hearts" slows things down, the tones are still massive, the riffs precise, while keyboards swirl and Biff Byford chimes and occasionally growls along with the song's gradual march. The acoustic-led breakdown on "Queen of Hearts" (pinpointing the critical moment of the high stakes chess game in "Alice in Wonderland") is solemn yet dignified.
"Destroyer" (as in Odin's indestructible harbinger of doom in the Thor comics) is Biff Byford's expressing his love of comic books, and it's a pumper. It's also fun as all-get-out, as is the hell-or-high-water mindset of the brisk "Stand Your Ground". On the heels of the hurricane-drenched, doomy "Eye of the Storm", "Stand Your Ground" flies at gale speed, a driving number worthy of the "Wheels of Steel" and "Strong Arm of the Law" days. The tag solo by Quinn and Scarratt on "Stand Your Ground" is short but sick, while the unexpected synthesizer swirls on the song's breakdown is a pleasant surprise.
"Top of the World" retains an energetic pulse for "Battering Ram", bringing in a bit of Eighties-bound power rock melody (LION, for example). The 5:51 "To the End" lumbers on a set of pounding, ZEPPELIN-ish riffs for the choruses, while reverting to more aromatic verses. It's a complex coupling that works despite the awkward transitions. "Kingdom of the Cross" strays and sojourns for 6:08 as Byford and the band powerfully hit upon World War I, using poetic parables of The Crusades, from where they derive their name.
Bouncing out of "Battering Ram" with the loud stomper "Three Sheets to the Wind", SAXON proves they still have the gusto much less the guts to wave the NWOBHM banner as if time stands still for only them. There is such an appreciable gleam to this band that it's going to take the end of days before SAXON packs it in. God bless 'em, everyone.




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New Song Premiere: DREAM THEATER's 'The Gift Of Music'



"The Gift Of Music", a brand new song from progressive metallers DREAM THEATER, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's thirteenth album, "The Astonishing", which will be released on January 29, 2016 via Roadrunner. The band has launched a mini-site for the CD, a full-blown rock-opera concept album focusing on various "characters" and spread over two "acts."
Asked what prompted the idea to make "The Astonishing" a rock-opera concept album so elaborate, with a full, detailed storyline, DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci told RollingStone.com: "The idea to do a concept album as a band felt right. The last one we did [1999's 'Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory'] was about 15 years ago, and it really felt like we were in a good place to do this. I knew that what needed to happen, first and foremost, is that we had to have a story to base this on, because the idea of basing an album off of a loose concept or something that was sort of arbitrary, that didn't interest me at all. I wanted this not only to be a concept album, but really to write a full show. And to have all the elements in place, the story needs to drive that. We needed to have the storyline, a plot, places, characters, maps — you name it. So that started about two and a half years ago; it took about a year for me to get that story done and ready to present to the guys. And I wanted to write from a place that was familiar to me, so I knew that music had to play a role in the story somehow. I'm a huge fan of the sci-fi and fantasy genres, so I had a pretty good idea of where I wanted to go. But it was a matter of really diving into it and working on it, revising and revising again, and working on it every day until I had something solid."
Petrucci also talked in more detail about the songwriting process for "The Atonishing". He said: "Because of the sheer volume of music — you're talking, when all's said and done, probably two hours, 10 minutes' worth of music — every step of this has been a huge process. I don't think I've had time to do anything else over the last year or so [laughs]! In order to do this right, I had to be really, really organized about it. Jordan [Rudess, keyboards] and I wrote the music as really a prog-metal score to the story. We didn't sit down and say, 'Let's write a song, here's the first chorus, whatever.' We would go through the story and say, "What's happening here, where is it taking place?" We had to make sure the mythology was right, the timeline was right. And that carried through on every level. When it came to presenting the orchestration to [veteran conductor and orchestrator] David Campbell and getting him involved; when it came to writing the lyrics, and then me having to go through it song by song, character by character; even things like the artwork, creating the map and all those different towns and cities and roads — every sort of level and layer took a lot of organization and focus."

"The Astonishing" track listing:

Act I
01. Descent Of The NOMACS
02. Dystopian Overture
03. The Gift Of Music
04. The Answer
05. A Better Life
06. Lord Nafaryus
07. A Savior In The Square
08. When Your Time Has Come
09. Act Of Faythe
10. Three Days
11. The Hovering Sojourn
12. Brother, Can You Hear Me?
13. A Life Left Behind
14. Ravenskill
15. Chosen
16. A Tempting Offer
17. Digital Discord
18. The X Aspect
19. A New Beginning
20. The Road To Revolution

Act II
01. 2285 Entr'acte
02. Moment Of Betrayal
03. Heaven’s Cove
04. Begin Again
05. The Path That Divides
06. Machine Chatter
07. The Walking Shadow
08. My Last Farewell
09. Losing Faythe
10. Whispers In The Wind
11. Hymn Of A Thousand Voices
12. Our New World
13. Power Down
14. Astonishing

DREAM THEATER has been working on the follow-up to 2013's self-titled album since January at Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove, New York. The band's guitarist, John Petrucci, told Revolver magazine: "The new album will be a further progression of the band's creative identity.
DREAM THEATER recently announced new tour dates for a momentous European headline run which is set to kick off February 18 at the Palladium in London, England. The winter run will see the prog-titans delivering a one-of-a-kind set in which they will be debuting "The Astonishing" live in its entirety. The unique tour is set to make stops at prestigious theaters around Europe, including Amsterdam's Carre Theater, Oslo's Konserthus, Stockholm's Cirkus,

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SLIPKNOT, LAMB OF GOD, GHOST, SEVENDUST, AUGUST BURNS RED Among GRAMMY AWARDS Nominees



SLIPKNOT, LAMB OF GOD, GHOST, SEVENDUST and AUGUST BURNS RED are among the nominees for the 58th annual Grammy Awards, which will be held on February 15, 2016 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET.
The nominees in the "Best Metal Performance" category are as follows:

Band: AUGUST BURNS RED
Song: "Identity"
Track from: "Found In Far Away Places"
Label: Fearless Records
Band: GHOST
Song: "Cirice"
Track from: "Meliora"
Label: Loma Vista Recordings
Band: LAMB OF GOD
Song: "512"
Track from: "VII: Sturm Und Drang"
Label: Epic Records
Band: SEVENDUST
Song: "Thank You"
Track from: "Kill The Flaw"
Label: 7Bros Records
Band: SLIPKNOT
Song: "Custer"
Track from: ".5: The Gray Chapter"
Label: Roadrunner Records

This year's Grammy Awards process registered more than 21,000 submissions over a 12-month eligibility period (October 1, 2014 – September 30, 2015).
As the only peer-based music award, the Grammy Awards are voted on by The Academy's membership body of creators across all disciplines of music, including recording artists, songwriters, producers, and engineers. Final-round Grammy ballots will be mailed December 16.
This year, Kendrick Lamar leads nominations with 11, followed by Taylor Swift and The Weeknd, who each earn seven. Additionally, music producer/songwriter Max Martin receives six nominations and mastering engineer Tom Coyne, rapper Drake, and engineers/mixers Serban Ghenea and John Hanes each earn five nominations.
"The diversity in the creative community is what makes music a universal language, and it's gratifying to see the vibrancy of today's artistic landscape reflected in this year's nominations — a testament to The Academy's voting members," said Neil Portnow, president/CEO of The Recording Academy. "Artists are pushing boundaries in exciting ways, making it an exceptionally strong year for music."

The eclectic nature of this year's nominations is perhaps best exemplified in the "Album Of The Year" category, where nominees range from the alternative and soulful rock of ALABAMA SHAKES to Lamar's thought-provoking jazz-infused rap, the classic country sounds of Chris Stapleton, the pop emergence of Swift, and the genre-bending R&B style of The Weeknd.
Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, songwriters, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the Grammy Awards — the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture.
Last year's Grammy in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category went to TENACIOUS D, who were nominated for their cover version of the DIO classic "The Last In Line", from the "Ronnie James Dio - This Is Your Life" tribute album.
TENACIOUS D beat out several notable metal acts, including ANTHRAX, which was nominated for its own contribution to "Ronnie James Dio - This Is Your Life", a cover of the BLACK SABBATH classic "Neon Knights".

 blabbermouth.net

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Documentary About TWISTED SISTER's Early Days Gets Release Date



The TWISTED SISTER movie "We Are Twisted F*cking Sister!" a documentary film by Andrew Horn, will be released in Europe on January 29, 2016 via Monoduo Films. The 137-minute film (along with over two hours of bonus material) will be available on VOD (iTunes and Vimeo On Demand) and as a DVD (Amazon Europe and Monoduo Films shop).
"We Are Twisted F*cking Sister!" recounts the untold story of TWISTED SISTER's beginnings. Once upon a time, they were the GRAND FUNK of glam and the NEW YORK DOLLS of metal. Some considered TWISTED SISTER a joke; others called them the greatest bar band in the world. While the microcosm of punk/new wave was taking over New York City in the mid-'70s and early '80s, TWISTED SISTER was battling its way to the top of a vast — and unique to its time — suburban, cover-band bar scene that surrounded New York City in a 100-mile radius, yet existed in a parallel universe. Guitarist Jay Jay French says: "The history of TWISTED is really our 10 years clawing our way through the bar scene. It's who we are, and it's why we are, and why we do what we do."


 


 blabbermouth.net
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DEEP PURPLE: 'The Vinyl Collection' Due In January



Universal Music Catalogue has announced the January 2016 release of DEEP PURPLE "The Vinyl Collection". This seven-LP collection features the group's albums spanning the period 1972-1987, remastered from the original tapes (including the first official remasters of titles "Perfect Strangers" and "The House Of The Blue Light"). Pressed on 180-gram vinyl, they come complete with original inserts within replica sleeves and are housed together in a sturdy, deluxe box. Each album will also be made available as a standalone title.
Formed in Hertford, England in 1968, DEEP PURPLE is widely considered, alongside LED ZEPPELIN and BLACK SABBATH, as pioneers of heavy metal and modern rock. Still active today, the group has survived many lineup changes over the years and has launched the careers of many high-ranking rock performers, including Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale and Ian Gillan.

"The Vinyl Collection" features:

* "Machine Head"
* "Who Do We Think We Are"
* "Burn"
* "Stormbringer"
* "Come Taste The Band"
* "Perfect Strangers"
* "The House Of The Blue Light"

"The Vinyl Collection" is available to pre-order now.

 blabbermouth.net