Wrong-Wrong

Relapse Records
2016

Wrong is post-grunge/alternative rock band that resides in Miami, Florida and is made-up of ex-members of Torche, Kylesa and Capsule. The just-released "Wrong" is the first full-length recording from this four-piece band and this 11-track release serves as the follow-up to a 2014 EP entitled "Stop Giving". Band-members include Eric Hernandez (guitars/vox), Ryan Haft (guitars), Andres Ascanio (bass), and drummer Brian Hernandez and as far as Wrong's influences go there is one particular act that stands head and shoulders above the competition. Apparently Wrong is Florida's answer to Helmet and while it might not be an exact carbon copy it is about as close as you could get to the New York band without outright copyright infringement! As such, "Wrong" is just right for Helmet fans and all those who love the more metallic side of noise rock.

Can Of Soul-Hearreality

Atomic Stuff Records
2014

Can Of Soul is the new solo project from Tomas Toffolo (otherwise known here as "Tomrocker"). As one of the resident vocalists of Rock Against Cancer and a founding member of both the doom thrash metal band Stygma and the hard rock band Why Out this well-traveled and extremely seasoned musician has already covered a lot of ground. He performs in a Black Sabbath cover band and was also the co-founder of the hard rock cover band Black And Purple. For Tomas, who incidentally enough also studded classical piano for some 8 years(!), it sure seems as if nothing is out of reach and that includes Can Of Soul's debut release which was produced by Tomrocker himself! A well-thought out and down-right compelling concept album the story behind "Hearreality" is as follows: A world dying because of the solar radiation hosts a civilization that is looking for new habitable planets to preserve its species. Once identified a “Land”, very different compared to our continuum, the aliens get ready for the invasion by extracting and preserving the “souls” from the bodies to accomplish the space leap without damage. On this assaulted planet there are also mystical entities with supernatural powers who will fight alongside the humans to fend off the invaders whose commanders, once defeated, will be imprisoned. As colorful and rich as that story-line is it would be a real disservice if the music at play on "Hearreality" was anything but exceptional. To that end Tomrocker is backed up by mainstream and underground rock and metal musicians including;

Silvio Masanotti www.silviomasanotti.com
Alex "Dynamitale" Motta www.facebook.com/dynamitale
Alessandro "Ajeje" Petrone www.ajeje.it 

And yes, I snagged that bit off of the band's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/canofsoul ) as the actual list of guest musicians that is included with this CD's promo pamphlet is quite long and varied all but ensuring the expansive nature of this large-scale project! As referenced above our main man Tomas Toffolo has seen and done it all which is an important thing to point out given the various genres at play here. On the debut release from the Italian band Can Of Soul it's hard not to feel a little overwhelmed when it comes time to describe the sounds at work on "Hearreality". Though listed as a hard rock band or even as a alternative hard rock act the fact is Can Of Souls is so much more. Everything about Tomas Toffolo's past comes into play with individual tracks offering pieces and parts of doom metal, classic rock and hard rock. That is just the tip of the iceberg though as electronic elements creep in the mix as well as the aforementioned alternative rock and hard rock additions! To be sure it is a crazy thing to try to decipher everything going on here as more than one number had me envisioning a bizarre mash-up of Last Crack, Voivod, Deep Purple and the primitive origins of  both rock and roll and black metal! Minus the black metal shrieks that is! It all sounds offensive I realize, but Tomrocker and his guests pull the rabbit out the magician's hat and in the process have ended up making a fantastic and fully adventures LP that all metal fans with an eye set towards creative innovations should grab hold of! Released back at the end of November, "Hearreality" is a real winner on all fronts except for perhaps it's rather dull album art. Actually, "Hearreality" might very well suffer indifference as a result of this Italian band's name. In no way whatsoever does Can Of Soul hint at what's in store when it comes time to play this phenomenal recording! Thankfully the label's YouTube channel allows interested parties the chance to listen to the samples of "Bette Davis Eyes" (http://youtu.be/PYpRlU6tsjI) and "Mystic' (http://youtu.be/X3e6lfVrv_Q). What? You say I didn't mention the cover track? Well, the choice to cover "Bette Davis Eyes" might seem a tad weird at first, but it REALLY works in this context. And it simply is fantastic! For the record here is the official track listing of this inspired debut album from the soon to be legendary Can Of Soul:
01. We Hate the Sun
02. This Order #5
03. Mystic
04. Solid Conviction
05. My Queen
06. Bette Davis Eyes
07. Demon Eater
08. Peaceful Snake
09. Dealing
10. Beyond My Wayward Zen Garden
11. Outro
12. DGRZ (bonus track)

When you add all of these songs together the result is a near masterpiece for the ages! Both dark and moody, "Hearreality" is a Sci-Fi story with the perfect soundtrack being provided from a band that pays homage (musically at least) to artists as diverse as Black Sabbath is to Goblin! This is one album that needs a bigger audience especially one outside of the group's native country! Be sure to head over to the group's Facebook page for more information or head to Atomic Stuff's online page here: www.atomicstuff.com/canofsoul.html As a wrap-up to this report I'd just like to point out that "Hearreality" is (digitally) available on both Amazon and iTunes.

Wild Throne-"Blood Maker" Single

Brutal Panda Records
2014

Dig that crazy album art!!! Certainly the music inside this (3-track) single can't be anywhere near as colorful as that album art would suggest. Right? Nope! Wrong! When it comes to Bellingham, WA-based trio Wild Throne (formerly known as Dog Shredder) and their Ross Robinson (At The Drive In, Machine Head, The Cure) produced debut EP it's all about the "COLOR"! Featuring members Josh Holland (guitar/vocals), Jeff Johnson (bass) and Noah Burns (drums) the band Wild Throne is loosely described as progressive rock/metal hence their inclusion here. In reality though Wild Throne, who have been justifiably compared to The Mars Volta and These Arms are Snakes (other points of reference would have to be Deer Hunter, At The Drive-In and Dillinger Escape Plan), would be better suited to the pages of Alternative Press magazine then Metal Hammer, but that takes absolutely NOTHING away from how amazing this 3-track release is! On the group's bandcamp page they self-describe their sound as a "dynamic mix of elements of Judas Priest, Mastodon, Queen, the Mars Volta, classic metal, thrash and progressive rock" and man alive if that doesn't make your musical taste-buds salivate then my friends you might just want to check your pluses to make sure that you're still alive and kicking! "Blood Maker", which can also be picked up in vinyl form, was a release that I stumbled across but sometimes those are the best kind of discoveries! Experience this one for yourself right here: http://wildthrone.bandcamp.com/

Jesters of Destiny-Fun at the Funeral (2014 LP Reissue)

Ektro/Full Contact
2014

This is not so much a review, as I've covered this release before as part of a Forgotten Gems segment (You can read my original view on "Fun at the Funeral" material right below) , but a note to all Jesters of Destiny fans that "Fun at the Funeral" will be getting a Ektro/Full Contact LP re-issue! That's right, in 2014 Ektro/Full Contact will reportedly be issuing a "near-exact replica of the original vinyl album, with the expected improved mastering and better graphics reproductions." Not only that, but word has it that Bruce Duff and Ray Violet (founding members of Jesters of Destiny and the only consistent members during the group's four-year existence) are working away in the studio (probably as I type this!) on a new, as-yet-unnamed (but probably cooler than cool!) Jesters of Destiny album! Now that's some good news to start of the new year!!!

http://metalmark.blogspot.com/search?q=Forgotten+Gems%3AJesters+Of+Destiny-Fun+At+The+Funeral+ 

Steel City-Now It's Time

Logic(il)Logic Records
2013

Originally founded under the name of Metal Federal Reserve back in 2010, which may or may not be better then the moniker of Steel City (I'll have to think about it for awhile...), this Italian band offered up "Now It's Time" back in May of this year. As there's too much history between then (Metal Federal Reserve) and now (Steel City) let's just say that over the years there were line-up changes and musical disagreements, but none of that stopped the group from releasing a 6-track EP by the tile of "Welcome to Steel City" in the summer of 2012. A little less then one year later the band delivers up "Now It's Time". With an intro and nine additional tracks this is a nice enough debut album even if it's a bit inconsistent. We'll get to that in a bit though. Even though the name Steel City might bring up images of , let's say power metal, this group rocks a different beat. Self-described as "alternative metal", which is another thing that may of may not be good, this 5-piece band is lead by vocalist Fabio Riccio (Feb) and lists the likes of Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet For My Valentine and Alter Bridge as one set of influences. The other set of influences includes the likes of Faith No More and Machine Head (or "90's crossover bands" as the promo puts it) which would make for one interesting listen. The only thing is, and this is to Steel City's credit, they don't really sound like all of those bands mashed together. In actuality these Italians have forged a sound that is more Steel City and less misc. modern metal and 90's acts. With two guitarists in tow, that being the skilled pair of Alessandra Cannatelli (Canna) and Samuele Cremonesi (Iceman), Steel City kicks out this combo attack that includes anything and everything such as hard rock, thrash, post-grunge, modern metal, nu metal, melodic heavy metal and even hardcore! With bassist Andrea Brambilla (Devilman) and drummer Francesco Valente (Iron-Ceco) adding to this weird cocktail the band does hit on some winners. Besides the title cut there's "I Don't Belong" and "No Ones Guilty". And then there's the brutal "Mandragora" which is one cut I happily hit replay on! With enough rage to stop a charging rhino, or at least crack a few skulls along the way, these cuts, as well as "Under Your Face", show off the rage and raw energy that makes Steel City interesting. The problem is that it doesn't carry over until the very end. By the time the last few tracks roll this album towards the finish line things tend to blur together. The consistency isn't there yet. Given time I'm sure it will be, but for now this is one of those albums where it's a tale of two different bands. One is very confident and forceful with emotion to spare. The other band though stumbles a little to get everything down just right. Once that first band takes over once and for all then Steel City might just be able to make a name for themselves outside of Italy.

Gloomball-The Distance

Steamhammer / SPV
2013

The Mannheim, Germany 5-piece known as Gloomball (interesting choice of name all in all) first came together in 2010 as a studio project. Doesn't it seem more and more like that's the case with a lot of bands these days? Really though, and let's be honest here, there's nothing all that unusual about going that route first as it gives these sort of young groups a firm place to get that initial footing down. As they started out that way then it is worth noting  that Gloomball put out two demos prior to this full-length debut. Now, whether just one or both of those demos (or neither I suppose) came about with a full-fledged band in place is left up in the air. Not that it matters much in the end though. Although, for those who have followed this band from the very beginning, it is worth mentioning that four songs from those demo days made it onto "The Distance".  Fans would probably recognize those cuts as "In Blood", "Bitter Place", "Long Time Gone" and "We Do Belong". For the rest of us it's all new anyway so we'll get to the heavy rock that Gloomball lays down in just a second or two.. All told "The Distance" features seven brand-new tracks, those four leftover demo days tracks as mentioned and a pretty kick ass cover version of Robert M. Tepper's "Rocky IV." contribution, "No Easy Way Out". What's it all about though? Just what is the band selling with their full-length debut album then? Both of those questions are good so let's just see if we can get down to the bottom of this German group's sound together. First though just whose who in Gloomball? With lead vocals from Alen Ljubic, who sometimes comes across as Rob Zombie's illegitimate son (especially on the heavy rocker/opener "Overcome"!) while other time's he sounds as if he should be fronting a System Of A Down cover band, the band features a solid front-man. The rest of Gloomball is filled out by guitarist Björn Daigger (who composed the majority of these tracks with vocalist Alen Ljubic), guitarist Jossi Lenk, bassist Basti Moser and drummer Danny Joe. Stylistically these guys pull the trigger and go all out for this combination of modern hard rock (Hinder, Alter Bridge, Breaking Point, Nickleback, Shinedown, Papa Roach, Saving Able, etc), alternative hard rock/grunge (Rob Zombie/White Zombie, Sevendust, 12 Stones, 36 Crazy Fists, Soundgarden, Queens Of the Stone Age, Seether, Urge Overkill, etc.) and misc. other genres, acts and artists like Fear Factory, Pantera, Zakk Wylde and Filter. It's all well and good then as Gloomball keeps things moving and keeps things interesting! Everything about this young group from the lyrics to the actual music on hand points toward a band that has great promise.

On a Bridge of Dust-Facing the Opposite

Self-Release/Independent Recording
2011

Released back in 2011, and acting as a proper introduction to this Italian-based post-progressive/alternative metal 4-piece act, it's only now that "Facing the Opposite" is making the rounds to various music-blogs for review and much-warranted promotion. Why it's taken several years for the album to get out to it's target audience is any one's guess, but for whatever reason, and sometimes for no reason at all, albums just slip through the cracks. Here it is 2013 and well, as luck would have it, this Italian band has just now fallen in with the right crowd as there is now a serious push being given to this (relatively) young act. To quote Guns N' Roses: "All we need is just a little patience". The band, which was formed in Verona in 2008 by some musicians/friends, forged their own identity over the course of  two demos before hitting the studio for what would become "Facing the Opposite". As far as debut-recordings go the band (Timothy Bertolini-vocals/guitar, Daniele Pasetto-vocals/guitar, Gherardo Sabaini-bass guitar and Jacopo Frapporti-drums) deserved better then the original fate of this album would have suggested. Without heaping undue praise upon this album (as it does carry more than a few traits of it's obvious influences) the fact remains that, for a debut-release, "Facing the Opposite" is a well-designed/fine-tuned piece of plastic (to use an old term to describe a new record). Influenced one hand by such bands as Tool, Katatonia, Mastodon and Isis this Italian group also had/has a passion for Porcupine Tree, Radiohead and Mogway. It's actually somewhere between Tool and Katatonia that most folks would agree is where this young band firmly plants it's feet. As someone who is not as well-versed in all things post-progressive as I'd like to be (let's face it friends at my age there's only so much new knowledge that can be crammed into this head of mine without something else spilling over!) I will simply state that I hear the Tool and Radiohead influences as well as the Porcupine Tree, Mastodon and Isis leanings. Whatever or whoever you decide to reference back to tends to be a mute point though when you're talking about the quality of the material on hand. The music here invokes an emotional response and the band, with a keen eye focused on making the music inspirational and interesting, utilizes all the tools (no pun intended!) at their disposal to keep you glued in place as the music washes over you. At times, thanks to some creative use of keyboards, the music does take it's chance on becoming too much too soon, but it skirts that line like thread through a needle. As this is simply album number one for the band (and seeing as they have no doubt evolved since this one was originally recorded) there's a bright future ahead for this bunch if they can keep their compact chemistry in check. I look forward to hearing more from this Italian group down the road.

http://onabridgeofdust.bandcamp.com/ 

PseudoNympho-Eponym

Bunnysnot Records
2013

Daring to be different and marching to the beat of your own drummer are qualities I quite rightly admire. Whether that applies to an individual or, in the case of this 5 piece from Leeds, a band it's all the same. It takes courage and conviction to walk alone, but, even if it's justifiably reasonable to choose a off-the-wall band moniker of your own liking, you could end up with a situation where your name (PseudoNympho) almost gets tossed out with the rest of the daily spam. It's actually more funny then anything else, but PseudoNympho's review request/inquire almost slipped past me as I initially mistook the correspondence as some tacky porn spam! Thankfully I did a second peak at the message as "Eponym", the 13-track debut album from this Yorkshire bunch, comes costume packed with track after track of  menacing metal that's meant for melting your ears off and crushing your soul into a tiny little ball! Yeah, it wouldn't have been good to miss out on that much fun would it? Not at all. The band, which up-front functions as a tight-nit unit, takes their cue from everyone from Mastodon to Neil Young, but the bulk of their debut album is built, frame by frame and cord by cord, on post-Alice in Chains/Soundgarden/Nirvanna and Tad grunge-love and the power exchange that comes from  the likes of Motörhead, Gwar/Lordi and Pantera. While "Eponym" opens with the Tool (by way of Voivod and Pink Floyd) intro track "Apothosis" things get quickly out of hand as lead vocalist/guitarist Wolfgang C. Bailey (who is the real deal on the mic) and his cohorts pull no punches with their socially-conscious, super-charged, ass kicking/take no prisoners modern metal! PseudoNympho, who have a name that I find equally weird and appealing, knock down the doors of traditional rock and roll and slam the listener repeatedly over the head with heavy music that is thankfully also intelligent and insightful. Brains and brutality are not an unknown couple in the world of rock and heavy metal as they've dated on and off for quite some time now. All PseudoNympho does is update the look of that old relationship and approach their music as if it's a cause for them. Their hard rocking style might just have been breed from the DNA of some of greats (AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Danzig, Faith No More and Suicidal Tendencies), but when they take those genes and whip them up in a blender it's all brand new and yeah, kind of magical. What's worthwhile about these lads is that they take hold of their influences and, like a mad artist staring down their latest work, they paint everything in a way that the music within "Eponym" doesn't look back towards the roots and influences but rather forward. Without ever taking their foot off the pedal the band whips out sinister (and surprisingly sincere) post-grunge/modern metal that, lyrically at least, reminds this listener of bands like Megadeth and artists like the one and only Alice Cooper. Perhaps not so much music-wise (although you could argue a case for both those acts within the walls of this LP), but lyric-wise as these songs cut so much deeper then your typical "sex, drugs and rock and roll" heavy metal act would dare imagine. It makes all the difference here as you're forced to look at the music from a different perspective even if it is keeping itself busy by melting your stereo into a bloody mess! Now, since two guitars is just not enough for this band (And why should it be?) vocalist/guitarist Wolfgang C. Bailey is paired up, riff for riff, with Ben Marsden  (lead guitar and backing vocals) and Sam "Sam" Evans (rhythm guitar and backing vocals). Last time I recalled looking there were not too many acts raging that kind of guitar set-up although Leatherwolf , who feature the same kind of basic heavy metal riff-age, might count as both an influence and inspiration. If you're keeping track at home with your own scoreboard then you'll have no doubt noticed that PseudoNympho twist-off/pull-off a variety of different influences in making their own Frankenstein-themed monster of a metal group. That's a fair assessment as this group, which features the killer rhythm section of  bassist Rio Goldhammer & drummer Don Demrow, takes a little of this and a little of that and, after adding fuel to the fire, burns everything down to the ground with their own hellfire rock and roll! Naturally this slab of  fist-banging heavy metal/ rock and roll noise pollution comes highly recommend to those who love to live life loud and proud or those of you just searching for your next favorite heavy metal band.


https://www.facebook.com/pseudomyspace

Slaves On Dope-Covers EP Vol. 1

Self-Release/Independent
2013

Slaves On Dope are one of those polarizing groups where people seem to be either crazy about them or dead-set on writing them off as nu metal cast-offs. I'll come right out and say that I'm not here to argue either point, but rather I'm here reviewing this EP because I dig cover songs/cover albums. I especially dig album's/artists like this that offer metalized versions of songs you wouldn't normally expect to be heavy and twisted. With the exception of "Digging the Grave" (Faith No More) these are all tracks that fall well under the tag of "hard and heavy". You could perhaps argue that Loverboy's "Working for the Weekend" (which opens this EP up) or Genesis ("Mama") are not too far removed from getting a serious heavy metal look, but covering Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" and Sheriff's "When I'm With You" are kooky choices on any level! So, what do these Canadian alt-metallers do with the material at hand? It should first be mentioned that this isn't the band's first rodeo as they have covered Black Sabbath in the past as well as Poison. So, Slaves On Dope know their way around cover songs. With that said the first single from the EP was Slaves On Dope's take on "Mama" (which you can hear below) so let's tackle that one first. "Mama" was actually the first single from Genesis' self-titled 1983 album and this one-time hit, at least in the hand of Slaves On Dope", is tapped for into for it's sinister and dark nature. While their version is obviously heavier it's a good choice for the band as it translates rather well into a gritty street-rocker. While "Mama" was a good choice for the first single as it's a dark and crunchy rocker "Working For The Weekend", which actually opens this EP comes off (unfortunately) as a tad lifeless. In a way I think trying to make Loverboy's 1981 hit into something dark (when it's clearly meant to be an upbeat nod to having fun) was a bad call, but it's not without merit as the band does give it their all. "Digging the Grave" works well as a grunge-inspired thrasher as the source material was heavy to begin with. And then there is Sheriff's "When I'm With You". I was really wondering about how they would pull off this cheesy ballad. As I never liked the original (it made me want to puke) I feared it would be truly dreadful, but it's a cool take on the cut and actually makes it bearable to the listener! It's a really interesting choice to make into a heavier rocker so what do they then do with "Sexual Healing"? Well, it's both good and bad. It does work as a heavier, almost sleazy, grunge cut and Slaves On Dope play it full-tilt. It's only that when you've heard the original and experienced the original (if you know what I mean) then hearing it like this takes away a lot of it's "power". As it's played for fun though it's all good in the hood as they say. Of the bunch my favorite is probably "Mama" followed by "Digging the Grave" with "Working for the Weekend" being my least favorite. All in all it's a cool little EP though.
 
http://www.noisecreep.com/2013/04/09/slaves-on-dope-genesis-mama/

Mind Pulp-Mind Pulp

Self-Release/Independent
2013

A little while back I was commenting on how there are just too many new Ohio rock and metal bands to for me to stay up to date on all of them. That was when I was struggling to come up with words for The Unclean's latest release. I'm not having that problem with the five-piece band Mind Pulp. If anything it is just that without another Ohio band (Black Valor who I have reviewed in the past as well) chances are I might not have heard of these guys. That just goes to show you that in any given area there will always be a new band left to be discovered. You just might have to either look harder or, in the case of Mind Pulp, just get lucky. Originally hailing from New Philadelphia, Ohio (yeah, I didn't know there was a metal scene there either folks) it looks as if they're calling Canton home these days. Even though it is the birthplace of Marilyn Manson I'm not going to hold that against these guys! Granted, Canton would seem to be more of a fit for the band anyway as their sound and style, which is reportedly influenced by the likes of Korn, Static X,  Machine Head and Mudvayne, has a real urban grit to it. Mind Pulp was formed back in 2011 and, from the very start, the band's main focus was "to create a style of music that could be embraced by everyone no matter what their taste in music was". I'm not sure that's going to work so well for Mind Pulp unless your average listener's personal tastes includes the word "heavy". More then anything that is what Mind Pulp has going for them on this 9-track release. It should be noted that while there are 9 tracks here it's just 30 minutes in length. So it does run more like an EP. It's not like Mind Pulp doesn't make the most of that short time though. "El Diablo", "Tell Me Why" and "Blood Clot" (all three of which you can be heard on the band's Reverbnation page) offer solid metal in the vein of both Korn and Machine Head. Their Reverbnation page also features a sweet cover of Prong's "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck" so I'd wager that some of Prong's heaviness has rubbed off on Mind Pulp. Of course there's also some of Pantera's heaviness to be found in Matt Pettit's bass playing so you can kind of see where I'm going when I mention that Mind Pulp as that bottom-end crunch factor in their sound. As for the other four musicians there are no slouches among this bunch. Doug Wright and Nick Bonner easily handle the guitars and, on a track like the relentless "Relapse", the solos speak volumes about the talent level of Mind Pulp.Vocalist Chad Heck and drummer Brent Mathias round things out and both do a pretty smashing job with things through and through. The only (minor) complaint to be found of this self-titled release is that when Chad Heck sings clean (I'm assuming he sings both clean and rough vocals) it doesn't have quite the impact of the much more "metal" vocals. And Mind Pulp is very much a metal band as a cut like "Evil Intentions" will attest to. Sometimes when one guy tries to handle both ends of the vocal spectrum it doesn't work so well. Vocalist Chad Heck has the rough vocals nailed down, but his clean singing could use a little tweaking. I do have to wonder though if it's just the mix of this release and if his singing sounds better live? That could very well be the case as Mind Pulp has one of those sounds that must be killer live. Have you ever listened to an album and thought to yourself  "I bet this band is heavier then hell and loud as f**k live!"? Considering how well things chug along on this disc I'm willing to wager that the real fun would be found in seeing Mind Pulp live and in living color. While checking out Mind Pulp's Facebook page I noticed that it has pictures from their past gigs (and some "interesting" ones at that) so it looks as if a live setting might just be as good as, if not better, then this studio-release. Of course, judging by some of those live pictures posted on their Facebook page, it's got to be quite the experience seeing them live and Lord knows I wouldn't mind some of those "experiences" right about now!  In addition to the numerous bands mentioned above I also picked up on both Dope and White Zombie so the influences are quite varied when it comes to what makes Mind Pulp click. This one would be perfect for the alternative metal/nu metal crowd, but there's also enough here for your average metal head to get excited about. If you find yourself craving something new that's HEAVY (while still sort of fitting into the standard "metal" genre") try hitting Mind Pulp up. There's a good chance you'll find something you like and who knows, you might even find a new favorite band to get behind and support! Find out more at either of the links below.


https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mind-pulp/219592814733432
http://www.reverbnation.com/mindpulp

Coma-Don't Set Your Dogs On Me

earMusic/Eagle Rock Entertainment
2013

This was one of those albums that I specifically asked for. That alone makes this review all the more "interesting". Let me explain (if I can). I'll go out on a limb here and admit that I didn't recognize the name at first. So I was simply going by some positive reviews and word of mouth recommendations when I put in a request for this promo. When this one showed up in my inbox I read through the notes. "Poland’s biggest rock band..." ended up rattling some brain cells. I did a quick search through my previous reviews and then it finally struck me! I had reviewed their one album, "Excess", back in 2010. I had forgotten all about that album. Of course a lot of stuff was going on for me back in 2010 so it's no wonder this band slipped my mind. Quite honestly I had easily dismissed the band back then as a Linkin Park wannabe. That just goes to show that bands, just like life situations, can change for the better. As I listened to the track "Keep The Peace" kick this album off I'm still secretly questioning if this is the same band I wrote off. That doesn't mean that the Linkin Park vibe I got when listening to this group the first time around has gone completely away. Hell, I'd wager that the bulk of people out there, whether they read this particular review or not, would get the same vibe too. It's still there so that's one influence for this Polish rock band. But there's more to this band then just wanting to sound like Linkin Park. If anything these guys sound more American then most American rock bands! "Always Summer" recalls Creed while "Dance With A Queen" pulls no punches with it's Deftones-style alternative metal. Coma works their way through music that would appeal to fans of Staind, Hinder, Nickleback and Puddle Of Mudd. That's about what you get from "Moscow". Meanwhile "With You" is a catchy number that seems to have found the hidden connection between The Killers and U2. Just when you think you've got the band sort of figured out though they shake things up and dip into post-grunge. Cuts like "Late" and "Song 4 Boys" recall the early rainy days of Seattle. Maybe that's to be expected out of a rock band when you're living in a place that's all cold and wet? That would explain a few things about Coma. That grunge sound doesn't stray too far from their mind. At first "Furious Fate" acts like it's going to a silly ballad before these muscular riffs cut in and crush everything. It's got a bit of a Pearl Jam flavor to it which makes you think that the guys in Coma are all about heavy rock no matter if it comes off sounding like grunge or not. Call it that (grunge) or call it nu metal, alternative rock or just regular radio rock. That part doesn't really matter. Either way you've got to appreciate the crunchy rock these guys bring to the party on so many of this album's tracks ("Rainy Song" anyone?). So yes, these guys know how to rock. But, Coma isn't afraid to flex their creativity on this new album. Take the title cut with it's crunchy & punchy (hey, that's a new description!) heavy funk rock attack and you'll see a group that is willing to take some risks. "Don't Set Your Dogs On Me" ends up being an album that offers more to the casual listener then just another band trying to capitalize on the success of the "Hybrid Theory" guys! I was wrong for thinking I could just pigeonhole them as such because of what I heard on "Excess". This album might not be album of the year material, or for that matter make them a household name here in the U.S., but it shows that Coma is committed to their craft as a band. It shows a marked improvement as Coma has grown and improved. That's the sign of a good band and Coma are at a stage in their career where they can choose where they go from here. Tweak the edges some here and there and Coma could very easily make some waves here in the States. 

Damned Pilots-Spaced Out

Self-Release/Independent
2012

Italy's Damned Pilots (not to be confused with supergroup/supercrap Damned Things) are an odd little entity. Let's address the obvious. From the album art alone these guys remind me of Powerman 5000 (except for the guy in the bottom right corner who for some reason reminds me of  Adrian Brody). Of the 6 tracks on this EP 2 are covers. "Believe Me Now" by Electric Light Orchestra and "Sleeping (In The Fire)" by W.A.S.P. (I'll get back to that cover in a second or two). Damned Pilots, who dub their sound "superrock post nuclear stoner glam", somehow make both covers work and seem like naturally choices. As this is the band's first recording it's a rather smooth trip. The title might be even more fitting then you'd expect (given the EP's art work and all). "Spaced Out" sees this Italian band (Trieste, North Italy) tripping the light fantastic with a smash-up of White Zombie/solo Rob Zombie, Soundgarden, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice In Chains, T Rex and maybe even some Jane's Addiction. No worries though. If you were reading that and said "Jane's Addiction?" or "David Bowie?" it's all good as Damned Pilots are, if nothing else, more heavy then glam. If you're into "tags" then file this EP under "post-grunge", "alt. metal", "hard rock" or "stoner rock". This is the sound of a young band tossing it all out there and letting the chips fall where they may. Oh, I did say I'd get back to the W.A.S.P. cover. I had to go back and listen to the original ballad again to make sure I wasn't mistaken, but Damned Pilots, while making the cover song there own, do make it sound more like a heavier Pink Floyd then anything else! That might sound weird, but weirdly it works. Damned Pilots might need a little more time to "mature" their identity and tighten up a few loose ends, but they have a solid foundation in place and could soon stumble upon a truly out of this world sound.

http://damnedpilots.bandcamp.com/album/spaced-out

Punchline-Superfly

Pure Rock Records
2012


Intro tracks are supposed to pull you in and make you inspired/hopefully for what is to follow. I can't imagine then that anyone would be inspired to continue on to the rest of "Superfly" after the sounds of an airport terminal. Being the trooper I am I carried on though and two observations strike me right from the start. The first is the that album artwork seems all wrong. To me it conveys a hair metal/sleaze affair which is most certainly not the case. The second observation is can these three guys really be from Germany? They really sound as if they should be a west coast outfit. Anyway, Punchline could best be described as alternative hard rock although even that title is a bit off. Starting things off (after that intro of course) is the title cut and for better or worse it comes of as late 90s alternative rock. Early on the album came off as more retro then anything (some alternative rock, some grunge, some punk, etc-you get the picture), but by the time "Killing Me" kicks in I'm beginning to feel a bit more helpful and intrigued. While the promo states "modern-rock-fans will absolutely love PUNCHLINE" I'd say the band would more realistically appeal to those who loved 90's rock (again, the alternative rock, grunge, punk, etc that all mixed and morphed together) then modern rock fans. What's interesting as well about Punchline is the man fronting the three-piece. Punchline is lead by Jörg Juraschek and, while that name might not ring familiar, he is partly responsible for an album that both Metal Mark and I enjoy. Lead singer/bassist Jörg Juraschek was also the singer and bassist for Warrant (no, not that Warrant, but rather the original one) who released “The Enforcer” on Noise Records in 1985. That Warrant was a nice and nasty thrash outfit and, while Punchline sounds nothing like Warrant, it is interesting to see a guy like that go from one extreme to another. Anyhow, back to Punchline and names tossed about on the promo include Weezer, Green Day and Sum 41. The later two are pretty close, at least riff wise, as there is a lot of punk-pop and punk metal floating under the surface, although let's be clear about one thing, neither of these acts are as focused on straight ahead post hard rock/grunge as Punchline is. There is some Nirvana/Soundgarden as well Gruntruck to be found so its safe to say that Punchline will appeal to those of you that loved the nineties (after that one song came along and mercifully killed off the hair metal/pop metal scene) or those that enjoy bass heavy, alternative hard rock.