Single Of The week: Strength Of The Mind by Killswitch Engage

The first time I had ever seen Killswitch Engage, I had no idea who they were the night I went to see Mushroomhead at Lupos in Providence, RI. I will never forget my initial reaction to the band and it’s singer Jesse Leach who was with the band at the time. I thought it was the next best thing in Metal and it was what I was looking for at the time to quench my hunger for something new. You know the rest of the story, but that doesn’t matter anymore as Leach has been back and kicking ass with the group once again. The band is gearing up to release their newest album Incarnate which is the band’s seventh album and third with Leach. Leach described the new record saying, “The definition of incarnate is ‘in the flesh and this record is who we are right now. Whereas Disarm the Descent was sort of my ‘comeback’ album, and was about us feeling out the new vibe. But now, after spending a few years traveling the world together, I think we’re all in a really comfortable place. We definitely have a strong sense of self as to who we are as a band.”

The band has unleashed a music video for the single Strength Of The Mind off the new record and we have it for you as our Single Of The Week. The track is absolutely brutal and in your face, it’s everything you would want from a Killswitch Engage track. Leach spoke to Nerdist about the track and it’s video saying, “We are very pleased to have ‘Strength of the Mind’ finally released. It is a big moment to have this be the first listen to the album. The video visually captures a bit of the anxiety and chaos that the song touches on lyrically. It is almost a bit surreal and dream-like with the camera effects, called ‘whacking.’ It is always a pleasure to work with McFarland and Pecci, as they are both artists who give it their all with no shortcuts. Watching Mike work the camera live, while Ian paces around and directs, is a very involving and creatively satisfying experience.”

In another interview, Leach talked about the early days and the decision to leave Killswitch Engage after the release of Alive Or Just Breathing saying, “I was just young and stupid and didn’t really have a sense of who I was. I didn’t have confidence in myself as a person and as a singer. Now my confidence is intact but I think there’s a humility now that I didn’t have before. I’m willing to grow. I think back when I was younger, I had this punk rock guilt about me, where I thought I knew what I had to do and I didn’t want to take lessons from anybody. The reunion has been better than I ever thought it could be. It feels really good.” The band is putting the finishing touches on the album which should be out sometime in the spring of 2016 via Roadrunner Records. So, check out the track below:

Cover Of The Week: I (Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight by Dommin

There are a lot of bands that come and go through the music scene very quickly due to a certain sound becoming the flavor of the week. In the late 2000’s/early 2010’s, the Goth scene was huge thanks to the band HIM making the genre very popular and with that came the signing of tons of bands like them. Then comes the band Dommin, who were signed to Roadrunner Records and released the album Love Is Gone in 2010. It was an album that featured the hit My Heart, Your Hands, Tonight, and our featured cover song for today I (Just) Died In Your Arms which was originally done by the Cutting Crew. The original track was always one of my guilty pleasures of the 80’s and I always wondered if anyone was going to cover the song. Sure enough, I hear the version by Dommin which is a little darker than the original with the Goth rock flare to it. It really is an amazing cover and fun to sing along to as well as the fact that Kristofer Dommin does an amazing job vocally too. The band is gone because according to one site, they are planning to release an album this year. So, check out the song below and visit the band’s website for more information.

Music Video Of The Week: Silence In The Snow by Trivium

If it’s a fight you want then it’s a fight that you are going to get with this week’s Music Video Of The Week courtesy of American metal band Trivium, a band that is definitely not afraid to bleed. The band recently released a brand new music video for the track Silence In The Snow which is off their upcoming seventh album of the same name due out October 2ND via Roadrunner Records. The video was directed by JonPaul Douglass and is filmed mostly in black and white with several of the members of the band showing their battle wounds and even a bloodied Matt Heafy. While on Facebook, Heafy explained the track saying:

“Hey pals! I’m so stoked this is out! For those of you wondering – this song was written for Shogun, and is basically almost the same as it was, so Shogun fans rejoice; didn’t like Shogun? You may not dig this.

But know that since I was 12 I wanted to be a great singer, I screamed because I couldn’t sing. I am proud and excited to finally be able to do what I love the way I love.

Don’t love it? Our old stuff still exists. Love it? Awesome. I love both sides of you all regardless.

I hope you all are great.

You all rule,

MKH.”

Later, Heafy would go on to explain the clean vocals in the track saying, “Screaming is easy. Singing is hard. I’ve always been a fan of what’s harder. If you love the old stuff, listen to the old stuff. It’s still there and [we] still play it live. We always want to evolve and make what we want to make. You can’t say many other bands can say that. They do what they think people want or are told to [do]; We do what we want every time. And we love our Trivium supporters worldwide.” While the disc is still a ways away, you can get ready by seeing the band live this fall when they go on tour with Tremonti. Check out the dates below the video.

2015 HardDrive Live Fall Tour:
9/9 — Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. — Culture Room
9/11 — Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — House Of Blues
9/12 — Tampa, Fla. — The Ritz Ybor
9/13 — Atlanta, Ga. — The Masquerade
9/15 — Winston-Salem, N.C. — Ziggy’s`
9/16 — Wilmington, N.C. — Ziggy’s By The Sea
9/18 — Hartford, Conn. — The Webster
9/19 — Hampton Beach, N.H. — Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
9/20 — Patchogue, N.Y. — The Emporium
9/22 — Toronto, Ontario, Canada — Phoenix Concert Theatre
9/23 — Sayreville, N.J. — Starland Ballroom
9/25 — Baltimore, Md. — Baltimore Sound Stage
9/26 — Cleveland, Ohio — Agora Theatre
9/28 — Pontiac, Mich. — The Crofoot
9/29 — Chicago, Ill. — Concord Music Hall
9/30 — Minneapolis, Minn. — Mill City Nights
10/2 — Green Bay, Wis. — The Sandlot Entertainment Complex
10/4 — Sauget, Ill. — Pops Nightclub
10/6 — Dallas, Texas — Bomb Factory
10/7 — Houston, Texas — Warehouse Live
10/8 — San Antonio, Texas — Alamo City Music Hall
10/10 — Mesa, Ariz. — Club Red
10/11 — Las Vegas, Nev. — Hard Rock Live
10/14 — San Francisco, Calif. — The Regency Ballroom
10/15 — Reno, Nev. — Knitting Factory Concert House
10/17 — Seattle, Wash. — Studio Seven
10/18 — Spokane, Wash. — Knitting Factory Concert House
10/20 — Denver, Colo. — The Summit Music Hall

Album Of The Week: Conspiracy By King Diamond

courtesy of wikipedia

My pick for this week’s album of the week was an inspired pick from something that I watched online. It’s no secret that if you are a fan of 80’s Metal such as myself, then you must watch VH1 Classic’s That Metal Show. I watched the episode from last season that featured the one and only King Diamond as the special guest. I was inspired to revisit an album that I have always loved from the King called Conspiracy. It was the concept album released by the King in 1989 and it was essentially a sequel to the previous album called Them. The album features regular Andy LaRocque and Pete Blakk on guitar, Hal Patino on bass, Roberto Falcao on keyboards and Mikkey Dee on Drums for the last time as everyone knows he would go to Motorhead. King Diamond was known for having one of the most unique voices in Heavy Metal with his usage of falsetto while also having the ability to sing low as well.

As I had said before, it’s a concept record and I have the story for you.  In this one, King returns to the House Of Amon to reclaim his rightful place as the Heir to the house. However, King struggles with the question of his sisters death, how his mother is involved with the diabolical therapist, and essentially his own madness are the obstacles he faces. The antagonists from the first story simply called “Them” have returned to this story as the King strikes a deal with them that they can have control of the house once again as long as he see’s his dead sister. They own up to their part of the deal and his sister returns to the grave, but there’s a problem. She cannot, no matter how hard she tries, warn him about his upcoming tragic fate. Basically, His mother and the doctor want control of the house so they get rid of the King only to lastly hear him say that he will return to haunt them from the grave.

Alternate Album Cover

The album opens up with At The Graves which is an 8 minute opus that starts with a horror themed keyboards to help kick off the story. The music is very theatrical while remaining cool enough for metal as it blasts right into jackhammer like, razor sharp riffs two minutes in.  I want to know how he trained his voice to go that high without it cracking. Throughout the whole entire album, the two guitarists are definitely the highlight in my opinion with their amazing guitar solos. The other thing about 8 minute tracks is that you get these amazing tempo changes in the music where they go fast and then out of nowhere they slow it down. Sleepless Nights is one of my favorite tracks on the album that has that razor fast, face melting riffs on one end and they slow it down in some parts of the song for a creepiness factor. The guitar playing style in the beginning of the track reminds me a lot of Jake E Lee’s guitar playing style from The Ultimate Sin-era Ozzy. The track itself is about King meeting Them to strike a deal to give the house away in exchange for his sister. Lies is the next track on the record and it starts off a little different than the previous track where it starts with sledgehammer type riffs before kicking it into high gear. The song is about the meetings with the doctor and all the lies between the two. A Visit From The Dead is a slower track that has a lot of acoustic playing which is a nice change from the fast paced metal we’ve been getting so far. Don’t worry cause the badass metal kicks right in halfway through. The track is about King reuniting with his sister after the deal had been made.

The next track, The Wedding Dream, starts with the song that plays when the bride walks down the aisle mixed in with Sabbath like riffs in between them. Amon Belongs To Them is another of my favorite tracks that has real metal swagger to it that keeps you throwing your horns up pledging your allegiance to whatever he preaches. Something Weird is an instrumental that leads to the next track. Victimized is the next track and it’s cool as hell with the beefy riffs and the amazing guitar playing alongside King’s amazing vocals. Let It Be Done is an intro track that sounds like it’s straight out of the score of a horror film where I believe that King’s character is murdered. Cremation is an amazing instrumental which showcases the bands abilities with the Sabbath like riffs in the beginning. The song is so evil sounding that it’s completely badass. The ending of the song King comes on and proclaims that he will haunt his mother and the doctor from beyond the grave. I truly love this album just as much as I love Abigail. I am going to give the album 4 stars out of 5.

Album Of The Week: House Of Gold & Bones Part 2 By Stone Sour

You may be wondering why I chose to review an album that has not yet been released and it’s a good question, but Stone Sour is streaming their brand new album on their website for fans to enjoy and I figured why not. House Of Gold & Bones Part 2 is the fifth album by Stone Sour that features Slipknot regulars Jim Root and Corey Taylor with Josh Rand and Ray Mayorga. The cool thing is that this album is the second to feature Skid Row bassist Rachel Bolan on bass even though he is not an official member. The album is also the conclusion to the House Of Gold & Bones story that was conceived by Corey Taylor. So, while I sip on my Leninade, I am going to sit back, relax, and review the album.

The very first track on the record Red City is a very dark intro that starts with corey singing and some piano before the band kicks in and things get heavy. It’s nice to hear Rachel Bolan add lend his amazing bass abilities to the song because it shines through and Corey Taylor really flexes his musical abilities when he is with Stone Sour. Fans will be pleased late in the track when they hear Corey scream into the mic that has made Slipknot a household name in the past. Black John is the definitive rock track on the record that just has a lot of swagger and the groove is amazing. Sadist is a track that when I hear Corey sing, I am just in total amazement. The song is very gloomy as if it was apocalyptic, but I could really see this in a horror film. There is a part in the song that would Metallica very happy as the band just starts kicking ass and the guitar solo is pretty top notch. Peckinpah is metal at it’s finest. It starts heavy and then it cools down while Taylor serenades you. Then out of nowhere all hell breaks loose and you can’t help but start headbanging. This is definitely one of my favorite tracks on the album. Stalemate makes you believe that it’s going to be another Through The Glass track till the bomb goes off and the band melts your face off with the blazing guitars and drums. The dueling guitar solo is the other cool part of the track. Gravesend is another track where Bolan’s abilities shine in the verses while the band rocks out together in the choruses. ’82 is a track about something happening in the year I was born. It’s another one of my favorite tracks because it’s an absolute rocker. We are seven songs deep into a 12 track album and there is not one single track that sucks. So far it’s an amazing record.

The Uncanny Valley is the next track on the record and it reminds me of something some Alice In Chains may have written with the melancholy beat and grunge rock like sound. Its an amazing track on an album full of them. Blue Smoke is sort of an intro song for the next track Do Me A Favor which completely rocks the house. Beware if you’re driving while you hear this song because you may stop paying attention to the road to headbang. The Conflagration is a track that reminds me of an earlier tune in Stone Sour’s catalog called Zzyzx RD with the piano and the orchestral feel to the track with it’s ode to 80’s rock guitar solo. House Of Gold And Bones is the last track on the new album and starts off with some chanting, but primarily it’s Absolute Zero on crack which in turn means awesome way to end the record. Some fans that have listened to the song say it’s the best one Stone Sour ever made and they may be right. I gotta give it to these guys because they lost me with Audio Secrecy, but they have suckered me back into their fanbase with this album. It’s the best album Stone Sour has ever made in my opinion and David Bottrill does a great job producing it. I am giving the album a 4.5 stars out of five because it just be the album of the year.