Aaron Buchanan And The Cult Classics-The Man With Stars On His Knees

Self-Release/Independent
2017

Formed in 2016 by onetime Heaven's Basement vocalist Aaron Buchanan, British rock band Aaron Buchanan and The Cult Classics will be releasing their full-length debut album on Friday, May 26th. If you fancy yourself to be the kind of reader that appreciates intelligent and vibrant rock that is punctuated with moments of graceful classic rock elegance and post-grunge dynamites then you are going to want to keep that date in mind. From what I've been able to determine that is less than one year from concept to completion, but all the same that is day when "The Man With The Stars On His Knees" is due to drop. As mentioned it is the first album from this five-piece band. For many people it will also be the first time that they have heard of this group and/or Aaron Buchanan. Admittedly up until this morning I was a member of both categories. Prior to this promo's arrival I had never heard of Heaven's Basement or this new project. Here it is four o'clock in the afternoon and I am now wondering why that is? For one thing this band's front-man is a straight-up boss! Aided by his equably-talented sibling Laurie Buchanan (guitars and vocals) and the wonderful trio of Tom McCarthy (guitar), Chris Guyatt (bass), and Kev Hickman (drums), ace lead singer Aaron Buchanan handles his role as the mic man with confidence and a considerable amount of prime-time passion!! If rock and roll ever ends up being the one true religion that bring us all together under one big gospel revival tent then I am going to nominate Aaron as one of the fierier preachers in charge of the message! Aaron's soulful delivery on "The Man With Stars On His Knees" was a highlight of my morning. This guy can sing!! I find it kind of strange then how this band tries to sell you on the notion that it was only 1990's grunge that inspired their work. That might very well have been the group's intention staring out, but on tape this band's lead singer is a direct descendant of rock and roll's ruling class! Of course one man alone does not make for a very exciting band. Thankfully Aaron is backed-up by a set of enthusiastic musicians with their own message in mind. That message is simple and direct: "We are here to rock you!". And rock us they do! There is so much to love about this young band musically. Thanks to the top-tier craftsmanship of Laurie Buchanan and company, Aaron Buchanan and The Cult Classics has recorded a instant rock classic that owes as much to the legendary existence of Queen as it does Chris Cornell's best work (solo and with Soundgarden*)! For those of us who are old enough to understand the complex reality that Freddie Mercury and Chris Cornell are one in the same and yet completely different, Brittan's Aaron Buchanan and The Cult Classics are well on their way to making sure that everyone has a seat at the table! This British band is what happens when seventies rock and nineties grunge bridges the gap between radio rock and radical rock. In doing so they have punched the establishment right square in the face. Someone needed to do it so kudos to this lot!







*As someone who has mourned the loss of Chris Cornell I make that comment with respect.

Chronic Hangover-Nero Inferno Italiano

Minotauro Records
2016

Active since 2013, Chronic Hangover is a four-piece band that hails from Roma, Italy and has a strange and unnerving take on metal that defies easy categorization. The full-length "Nero Inferno Italiano" is the debut offering from this group and it is every bit as disconcerting as the above artwork suggests. Falling somewhere in-between post-grunge, punk metal, thrash rock, and the unexplored mind of a seriously deranged mad man (!), Chronic Hangover's "Nero Inferno Italiano" is one of those albums that is occasionally spot-on, but more often than not merely frustrating. One can easily blame that error on Chronic Hangover's lead vocalist Jacopo. Especially seeing as his style of "singing" leaves a lot to be desired! While the ability to scream bloody murder into a microphone certainly has it's appeal when one is talking about the punk and hardcore scenes, "Nero Inferno Italiano" suffers a slow death at the hands of this one-dimensional singer. With a better lead vocalist up front a musically-charmed band like Chronic Hangover could really make a huge splash. For the time being though this one might have limited appeal....

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.

Lola Stonecracker-Doomsday Breakdown

This Is Core Records
2015

Active since 2009, Lola Stonecracker is a Bologona-based band that is currently comprised of lead vocalist Alex Fabbri, guitarists Lorenzo Zagni & Giovanni Taddia, bassist Diego Quarantotto, and drummer Christian Cesari. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Roberto Priori (Michele Luppi, Vision Divine, Danger Zone, Wheels Of Fire, Perfect View, etc.), "Doomsday Breakdown" is this hard & heavy/post-grunge band's 15-track debut album and in addition to 14 solid original compositions it includes a surprising effective cover of the Frankie Goes To Hollywood classic, "Relax"! Music-wise this rock-heavy Italian band's influences would seem to range from the "classics" (everyone and everything from Led Zeppelin, Pat Travers, The Edgar Winter Group, and Kiss to Pearl Jam, Guns N' Roses, Blind Melon, and The Cult) to more modern bands like Buckcherry, Wolfmother and Halestorm. Vocally-speaking front-man Alex Fabbri comes about as close to being Axl Rose's stunt double as they come, but if (and only if) G N' R's lead singer was less of a douche and more magic man than he could ever hope to be! Also, Axl would have had to have been made in the image of a 70's rock star and been way more clean and crisp in his vocal delivery to match what Alex has going on! Regardless, "Doomsday Breakdown" stands on it's own two feet and style-wise it covers a lot of territory. With touches of blues rock, classic rock, eighties hard rock, groove, and guitar-heavy grunge(!) this album has a lot to offer and as far as debut releases goes it seldom gets better than this! With Atomic Stuff Promotion now handling matters, Lola Stonecracker has all the right tools necessary to carve out their own little slice of the hard rock pie. Ultimately though only time will tell if the band can make it from point A to point B, but given how strong their first album is anything seems possible for these Italian rockers!  

Novacaine Nothing-Noughts and Crosses

Self-Release/Independent
2015

With a release date of December 18th (which is incidentally this Friday ladies and gentlemen!), "Noughts and Crosses" is the first major release from alternative metal/ nu metal band Novacaine Nothing. That particular fact wasn't lost on me as I made my way through the lead single, "Closure", and the rest of this EP's equally stellar tracks ("Kill You", "Smiling", and "Generation"). Then again neither was the part about how this London-based band has been through 3 drummers, 4 vocalists, 5 bassists, and 4 guitarists since forming back in 2013! Despite all of that noise (and the admittance on the part of some of the band members that there has been personal struggles with depression and addiction*) Novacaine Nothing has released one hell of a bang up EP in "Noughts and Crosses"! For a general ideal of what is in store for you should you decide in engage this band in one on one combat, "Noughts and Crosses" is the explosive sound of one highly-skilled and extremely-diversified (culturally at least) band** whose aggressive take on extreme rock/heavy metal comes by way of influences that include the likes of Korn, Slipknot, and Stone Sour. Now, that was certainly a mouth-load of a sentence, but one does have to go a bit out of the way in order to properly describe everything that this London metal band brings to family game night! As this is just the beginning of Novacaine Nothing I do get the feeling that there are much bigger and better things waiting in the wings for this act. With the right kind of backing and a stable line-up this emotionally-provocative band has all the makings of a knock you the freak out (!) powerhouse!!. Let's all hope they get that shot. In the meantime Novacaine Nothing has posted a trailer for the new EP. You can check it out by heading here. And for more information on this up-and-coming band be sure to check out their Facebook page.


*As someone who has struggled with depression for well over 28 years I appreciate this group's honesty of the subject. These personal struggles have obviously influenced the nature of this EP seeing as "Noughts and Crosses" simply bleeds pain and anger.

**Band members Jason Leung (vox), Ronan Kemp (guitar) Roman Uetskiy (lead guitar), and Jamie Parker (drums) hail from various parts of the globe including Russia, Canada, Hong Kong, and France.

Witchingseason-"The Healer" Single

Hey! Hey! Listen up!!! All you hard and heavy alt-rockers look this way. You're going to want to place a huge X on April 27th. Why? Because that is when Witchingseason will release their brand new single, "The Healer"! With a full-length album due for release later in 2015 this single is a nice treat for hardcore fans of this UK act as well as those who just love to watch rock and roll get consumed by the fires of the night! Now, I first heard this band back in August of 2014 when I covered their single "Spiders" and later on in October of that same year I had the extreme pleasure of reviewing their self-titled EP. Given the band's oddly cool and collected (dark arts of rock) approach to what was then some of the tastiest post-grunge/heavy garage rock even I couldn't help but feel a little tinge of happiness in this black heart of mine! With "The Healer" my heart has grown too big to describe as this band's songwriting and overall performance seems to get better the deeper Witchingseason goes underground! Featuring vocals from Leogun's Tommy Smith, "The Healer" is jingle jangle trash rock for a naive generation that likes to think that they've heard it all when it comes to post-grunge, hard rawk and stripped to it's core garage metal. If this trio's new album is anywhere as good as this is then we are all going to be dancing in the darkness together and having a wonderful time!

 www.facebook.com/witchingseason

Witchingseason-Witchingseason

Self-Release/Independent
2014

Part hard rock and part alternative rock, with 90's grunge making a much-appreciated appearance here on "Witchingseason" in order to serve as the well-traveled bridge which connects those two long-lived and long-loved genres together, London trio Witchingseason will finally satisfy the cravings of their fans once this self-titled release hits the scene on or around November 10th. Preceded by the singles "Spiders" (a number that I previously covered here: http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2014/08/witchingseason-spiders-single.html) and "Codeine" (https://soundcloud.com/witchingseason/codeine) this four-track EP finds Witchingseason once again tearing down heavy rock's highway with the likes of Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, The Doors,  The Stooges, Queens of the Stoneage, Mudhoney and Dinosaur Jr. loudly blaring from the speakers! With guitarist/vocalist Tom Reynolds sounding all the more like Chris Cornell's illegitimate child and the pair of  James R Willans and Wayne Summers (bass and drums respectively) soaking up the sunshine and radiation that is everything hard and heavy from a post-Black Sabbath/post-Nuke 'Em And Let God Sort 'Em Out wasteland this London trio knocks it out the ballpark with the new song "False Light". Meanwhile "Mechanical Failure" is anything but a failure thanks to it's wide-open structure and the overall crafty way that Reynolds, Willans and Summers combine the mid-late eighties alternative rock scene, heavy  garage rock and the likes of Mother Love Bone and King's X into one clever cut! Even "God's Waiting Room" with it's  Bush-like vibe has plenty going for it making "Witchingseason" a gold mine for fans of grunge, nineties hard and heavy rock and the darker side of the alternative rock scene! For more information on this up and coming London rock band be sure to check out any of the links posted below.

www.facebook.com/witchingseason   
www.twitter.com/witchingseason  
www.soundcloud.com/witchingseason

Blind Race-Come And Get It EP

Self-Release/Independent
2014

Blind Race is a Toronto, Ontario hard rock/alternative metal band that was co-founded by brother's
Costas and Stelio Kentros (guitars & drums/percussion respectively). Officially this band came into being in 2007 although prior to that (2005 to be exact) there was already demo material recorded. In fact there was enough music recorded for two EPs which is how this Canadian act evolved from a studio-only project into a full-pledged band that has already shared the stage with the likes of Breached, West Memphis Suicide, Left Turn City, Rise For Order, All But Over, Down In Ashes, Last Bullet, Polarity, Affinity, Kodessa, Revmatic, The Standstills, Rebel Hero, On The Verge, Sumo Cyco, Raised Emotionally Dead, Burning The Day, The Joy Arson, The Rabid Whole, Asleep Behind The Flame, Fallen Heirs and The Unchained! And that's just to name some of the group's that Blind Race has performed with since stepping out of the studio and onto the stage! The upcoming "Come And Get It" is actually the group's second overall EP and Blind Race's third release since first appearing on the scene with the 2008 LP "Seeing Red". Initially starting out as a four-piece, "Come And Get It" is the first recording to feature Blind Race's expanded line-up. Besides Costas and Stelio Kentros the new EP "Come And Get It", which incidentally is due out November 18th and can be pre-ordered at the bandcamp link below, features lead vocalist Tommy Geraldes, bass guitarist Mike Ferraro and keyboardist Joannie Cotten. If I had to take a stab in the dark I would say that Joannie Cotten is the latest musician to join Blind Race. But, seeing as this is my first sampling of this Canadian band such information is really neither here nor there when it comes to the 5-track EP on hand. If you are curious though here's what this bunch looks like:

 OK, now the we have that out of the way let's tackle this 16 + minute release. Produced by Mike Langford (Evans Blue, Parabelle, Charlie Hope, Rains, Hawksley Workman, Sloan, Ian Thornley, Jeff Martin, Crash Karma, Art Of Dying, Shiloh, Dane Hartsell, Rex Goudie, and Tupelo Honey) and mastered by Chris Crerar at Toronto's Metalwork Studios, "Come And Get It" isn't exactly what it appears to be at first. Very much in tone with the kind of great movies where a twist comes from out of nowhere to wrap everything up perfectly this EP starts out one way before going BANG! and turning the tables on you. Without giving away too many "spoilers" here opening track "Hypocrite" and then it's follow-up, "Come And Get It" are straight out of the playbooks of bands like Godsmack, Pantera, Slipknot, Disturbed and Five Finger Death Punch. So much so in fact that I swore I had this album pegged for what it was and that the track "Hopeless" would live up to it's name! But then "Hopeless" actually started and it showed a completely different side of Blind Race. The thing is "Hopeless" has a real Pearl Jam vibe going for it and while that would normally be a bad thing for me (as I honestly loathe Pearl Jam and all!) here on this EP it is amazing! "Truth Or Dare" is next where the band tackles "Black"-era Metallica by way of Stone Sour and while lead vocalist Tommy Geraldes shows off his versatility on the mic Costas Kentros shows off his solid skills as a guitarist. The pair even goes acoustic on the short, but sweet "Gone"! And here I was thinking that I could easily pigeonhole this band! Silly me! In closing this is one "new" band worth checking out and you can do that by heading either here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blind-Race/7691919182 or over here: http://www.blindrace.net/online/ And if I haven't already said it then I must do it now. Collectively the members of Blind Race do a bang up job of complementing each other on their latest release and if they can continue to grow as a band and mature as songwriters then who knows just how far they could get! It's going to be interesting seeing what comes next for Blind Race, but in the meantime you can pre-view and pre-order this EP at this location:

http://blindrace.bandcamp.com/album/come-and-get-it

Death On Two Wheels-Death On Two Wheels

The Ghost Umbrella
2014

Self-produced and serving as the follow-up to "Separation Of Church And Fate", "Death On Two Wheels" is the sophomore release from the Atlanta rock and roll roadsters of the same same. Made up of members Trae Vedder (Vocals, Guitar) Jacob Bubacz (Lead Guitar, Vocals), Stuart Roane (Bass, Vocals), Greg Neel (Drums, Vocals) and Alec Stanley (Organ, Rhodes, Vocals) this Georgia-based act first appeared on my doorsteps by way of a free sampler. Exclusive to NoiseTrade and available by providing your e-mail address at the link below said sampler included the likes of "Look At The Sound", "Hey Amariah", "Blamed Your Friends", "Death Wolf" and "Giving It All Away". That proved to be more than enough of a tasty sampling as soon I found my way here (http://deathontwowheels.bandcamp.com/) to download the whole affair! Originally recommended for fans of band's like Foo Fighters, The Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys, Queens Of The Stone Age and J. Roddy Walston & The Business (seeing as this band is indebted to 70's hard rock as much as they are the whole post-grunge and modern day garage rock scene) the actually truth of the matter is this Atlanta rock and roll band is less a copy of any of the above and more a complete original notion with "Death On Two Wheels" becoming one of those rare albums where the kids (ie: my two teens) and I wholeheartedly agreed that yeah, this one flat-out rocks! But hey, considering the fact that you can download half of this album for yourself for free and essentially stream the other half at the group's bandcamp page why not just check it out for yourself? 

You can download the free sampler be heading here: http://noisetrade.com/deathontwowheels/death-on-two-wheels

https://www.facebook.com/deathontwowheels 

http://deathontwowheels.com/

Letters From The Fire-Letters From The Fire

Self-Release/Independent
2014

This Tuesday, August 19th to be more precise, Bay Area hard rockers Letters From The Fire will release their self-tiled, 5-track EP. All the rage on rock radio these days thanks to their hard & heavy take on The Beatles' single "Eleanor Rigby" and their latest single, "Zombies In The Sun" (a crunchy Godsmack-like rocker featuring nice and meaty riffs courtesy of guitarists Mike Keller and Grayson Hurd), this 5-piece outfit features lead singer (and newest member) Elliot Weber laying down decent enough vocals over-top of decent enough post-grunge/heavy radio rock. While their version of "Eleanor Rigby" is fairly solid in and of itself it is nearly ruined by unnecessary screams towards the number's end. As for their own material there's the new single, another hard rock cut called "This Moment", "Waiting" (a semi-ballad) and (for some reason) the acoustic version of "Zombies In The Sun". Yeah. The EP really didn't need that at all. Letters From The Fire would have been better off adding another fresh number to the mix or (barring that) they could have just left it as is. But, it is what it is and of the few tracks offered here it would have to be "Zombies In The Sun" (the electrified version!) and "Waiting" that serve as highlights. Fittingly (since this San Fran outfit walks the same path style-wise) the band is currently out on tour with Trapt and they will continue to support the release of this digital EP well into October.

http://lettersfromthefire.net/

The Black Rain-Water Shape

Atomic Stuff Records
2014

Pure energy. No, we're not talking about that oft-repeated bit from Information Society's catchy "What's On Your Mind". Instead we're going to talk about the Italian band The Black Rain who, despite being born in Bologna in 2002, didn't grow into a proper band until 2010. The thing is by that point the band, which is categorically heads and shoulders above plenty of like-minded bands both in their native country and here is the U.S. (and that's before we even address their top-tier front-man Mirko Greco!), was well on their way towards setting fire to the playing field (or if you will the heavy rock and roll/hard rock scene) by way of well-thought out and (more often then not) heartfelt material. With a 2010 EP entitled "Hot for a Night" having served as the group's debut and then the late 2012 full-length album, "Night Tales", having helped to establish their name the stage was all set for this four-piece to come out swinging and really set themselves apart from the rest of the crowd with their sophomore output. To that end along comes the well-crafted/well-executed "Water Shape" which should do wonders for the ever-growing legacy of this band in their home country as well as serve as a pretty good introduction for the American audiences. From the way in which this disc opens strong with "Shadows" and then hits with "Mesmerize" you'd swear that this was going to end up being one of 2014's better hard rock platters! And that was before the album's first single "Rock 'n' Roll Guy" even kicked in! The track is righteously dedicated to those who still live their lives the rock 'n roll way and if any number is going to put The Black Rain on the charts it's this rocker!With both "Shadows" and "Mesmerize" (two rock and roll laced hard crunchers) grabbing hold of me hook, line and sinker (and by "hook" I mean the gnarly guitar playing of Eugenio Bonifazi and the strong presence of lead singer Mirko Greco) there was absolutely no way in heaven that I could have possibly been expected to see a number like "Rock 'n' Roll Guy" coming. And yet there it was. "Rock 'n' Roll Guy" is the sound of late eighties/early nineties hard rock/hair metal only the difference here is there is none of the long locks associated with said genres or any of the silly lipstick and lace! Instead we get the pleasure of four leather-clad musicians (including the rock-solid rhythm section of  bass player Marco Molteni and drummer Raffaele Marchesini) making magic for heavy rock/hard rock lovers! By the end of "Rock 'n' Roll Guy" I was close to ranking this album as one of the best rock and roll LPs of the last few years! "(S)He's So Amazing", which features Francesco Grandi (former lead singer of Rain) as a guest, did little to stop the enthusiasm I had for "Water Shape" and neither did the somewhat bluesy "Robert Johnson". Five numbers in and I was completely digging these Italian hard rockers whose sound hinted at a wide variety of influences such as (or rather as diverse as!) Collective Soul, Black Label Society, Soundgarden/Audioslave (In fact front-man Mirko Greco comes about as close as he can to being a rustic Italian version of Chris Cornell!), AC/DC, Santana, Billy Idol, Jimi Hendrix, Candlebox, The Black Crowes and even U2 ("King Of Stones" coming across as a hard and heavy version of said Irish rock band!). The versatility on display here is nothing to sleep on. The title of this 11-track album refers to the structure-free status of water and after just one listen to this recently-released album you'll understand the meaning behind that message! The way in which the rest of the disc plays out (check out "Without love" which reminded me of both solo Chris Cornell and solo Rob Thomas!) there really is an amazing amount of variety going on hence the title! The Black Rain probably did not go into the studio with the goal of crafting a Top-10 kind of rock and roll platter, but it's hard to pinpoint a moment that doesn't strive for that vision on "Water Shape"! With that said, "Water Shape" does offer plenty of heavier moments for the hard rock crowd. This one has guitar solos that go out of their way to be wicked as possible (it certainly looks as if they (the almighty riffs that rage on this disc!) are just aching for a good fight and then there are those dynamite rhythms that keep the beat steady, but are anything but restrained! And yes, the band does play as if they are dead set on taking over hard rock/rock and roll or at the very least taking a real chunk out of the scene by way of atomic leads, kick-ass bass and forceful singing that reminds you all at once of the glory of rock and roll as well as rock's dirty underbelly! Simply put this album (as smooth as it can be) feels like a band going a long way towards jam-packed rock/hard rock with slick licks that are (occasionally) disguised as commercial rock. "Water Shape" shakes, rattles and rolls and even offers a few surprises along the way  (no spoilers friends as you need to hear this one ALL THE WAY through in order to reap the full benefits of this particular party! How it is that Atomic Stuff Records can keep finding gems like this band is any one's guess. Somehow/someway the label picks up the scent of cool rock stars in waiting and then snags and bags them before anyone knows what the hell happened! It all seems so unlikely at times that bands like this are still out there. And yet here we are looking at another band with more talent between the four members than anyone can rightly be expected to contain. The Black Rain are a really good find on the part of Atomic Stuff Records and it just goes to show that when this label is tasked with finding their next new and exciting (dare we even say sensational?) act they know how to pick em! Although let's face it friends, that kind of task is much easier when you've got a band who can pair up good hooks with good looks!

So, if you find yourself looking for the next cool thing in hard rock/heavy rock and roll then look no further! Sure, the fine folks over at Atomic Stuff Records will likely get there hands on even more killer acts that happen to reside in Italy. The Black Rain should be leading the way though and doing it with plenty of sizzling guitar riffs and one of the better new front-men out there! You can find these guys online at http://www.blackrainrock.com/   and http://www.atomicstuff.com/ as well as on their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Black-Rain/137533619623054 

Rogue-Bullet in the Sun

Self-Release/Independent
2014

I'm pleading ignorance when it comes to this Cleveland-based four-piece(?). Prior to downloading their latest Don Debiase (Beneath the Sky, Modern Day Escape) produced release, "Bullet in the Sun", off of iTunes all I had to go by with this bunch was a brief write-up in our local version of Scene Magazine. At the very least said write-up suggested a band that (partly) leaned toward the Alice In Chains side of heavy rock (more on that in a bit) while also employing some post-Pantera riffs to balance things out. Not exactly a new formula, but with the right amount of passion and persuasiveness perhaps a talented bunch could pull such a style out of yesterday's disposed of "Been there, done that so now let's all move along before somebody gets hurt" genre garbage pile and make it sound relevant to today's discerning metalheads? Sure, why not? Weirder things have happened. Right? So, with that thought in mind I went about downloading this EP off of iTunes as A) Post-grunge isn't necessarily the worst thing out there these days and B) We are talking about an Ohio metal band here and I'm always game to throw my support behind another local act! OK, really it had more to do with that part "B" then anything, but regardless I went on to snag, tag and bag (or however that goes!) this 6-track release for myself in hopes of hearing something that warranted praise. Color me surprised then as Rogue's latest studio recording is much more then simply recycled Alice In Chains melodies and Pantera groove lines! Yes, both band's do come into play on this EP ("33rd & Pain" for example does recall Alice In Chains, but the addition of some cool cowbell (more cowbell!) brings to mind Dumpster Juice), but (other then the so-so "Never Break") this band's rough style of heavy rock also takes into account everything from classic heavy metal to stoner rock and they do it all while living up to precedent that has previously been set by many a great Ohio metal band! Are they ready for the big time though? I'd need a few more spins to decide that one, but for what it is it's actually rather cool with most of these tracks hitting more towards "clever" then "throwaway". Available to download on both cdbaby and iTunes, with CD copies likely to be found by contacting the band over at their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/rogue.cleveland), Rogue sounds like a band with a mission now all they need is the proper mission specs! 

http://www.reverbnation.com/rogueroxx

Helms Alee-Sleepwalking Sailors

Sargent House
2014

It's all been one big lie friends. Ignorance is most assuredly not bliss. You'd have a hard time convincing me otherwise as I tragically unaware of Seattle, Washington's Helms Alee (bassist/vocalist Dana James, guitarist/vocalist Ben Verellen and drummer/vocalist Hozoji Matheson-Margullis) until only just recently. And with "Sleepwalking Sailors", the third full-length album from a band that has had a long history of releasing EPs and splits since only 2007, this is true bliss. As such, how can one claim to experience a feeling of bliss outside of the sounds of Helms Alee? That is a troubling question and one which may never be answered in a satisfactory fashion. Thankfully we can all move on and treat this as a learning experience. For those no sense in drowning in our tears about what could have been, time we might have spent in the comfort of this unheralded trio with shared vocals, female and male, when we can now embrace the expansive collection of textures and sounds that make up this featured full-length attraction! Blessed with an uncanny ability to maneuver emotional material over a vast and ever-expansive sonic landscape, which (somehow) is atmospheric without actually transcending into some sort of  "atmospheric" rock and/or metal sound, the members of Helms Alee carefully mask their own roots/personal desires so that the music at hand beautifully meshes, note for note, into one perfect creation! And that's exactly what amazes me most about "Sleepwalking Sailors". It's truly something how Helms Alee (playfully) goes about stretching rock's boundaries, covering everything from stoner rock, post-grunge, alternative rock and math metal to indie rock, post-punk and even doom metal(!), in a (seemingly) carefree fashion and yet, upon further investigation (over repeated listens which is an essential component of the whole "Sleepwalking Sailors" experience!), the material present on this Seattle rock band's latest is not just technically-sound, but in reality expertly-constructed in order to get the most out of every moment! To say that I was blown away by this recording would be a understatement as "Sleepwalking Sailors" is superb in just about every way that you can imagine! From production to content it's easily to see that everything about this band's third album has been touched up and tweaked. Even so, "Sleepwalking Sailors", is colorful and personal. Helms Alee has graciously extended an offer for each and every listener, one that encourages you to walk alongside this trio as they explore a world of creativity and imagination where anything and everything is possible! I would encourage each and everyone of you who reads this piece to join Helms Alee on this journey of discovery. It's well worth the time. You can find out more about Helms Alee on their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/HelmsAlee) while you can hear this remarkable recording for yourself right here:

http://helmsalee.bandcamp.com/album/sleepwalking-sailors 

Purveyors Of Fiction-Invisible Ink

Refried Audio
2014

As promised this is the second band/second release from well-traveled musician/versatile lead vocalist Nick Pecone (Burns To The Soul, Carriedbysix, ex-Uptight Sugar, ex-Autumn Awaits, ex-Diablo Mojo, ex-The Bentreys, ex-The Decoys and ex-Vrede Hemel) to be covered here at Heavy Metal Time Machine. The previous act, as some of you may recall (ie: the handful of loyal readers that I have who remain under lock and key at the various prisons and mental help facilities across this great land of ours), was Ohio modern metal/progressive metal band Carriedbysix (http://metalmark.blogspot.com/search?q=Carried+By+Six-Carried+By+Six+) who, unlike today's entry, fell squarely into the more "loud and proud" category. But, before we get into what makes this trio tick how about a little bit of history? Here's the "official" bio as sent to me by Nick Pecone (lead vocals & bass) himself. "Nick was drunk at the Agora bitching about how they stole his boxcutters he'd forgotten on him from work. He told Drew* he'd start a band with him because Nick starts bands when he's drinking. Drew thought Nick was a creepy dickhead but he'd suffice until he could find someone new. Drew and Luke were already friends and with Nick they had a full lineup so the band formed. At this point no one has come forward to replace Nick, unfortunately, so he's stuck in the lineup". Got that? Yes? No? Need more help? Alright. So, besides Nick Pecone** of course, Purveyors Of Fiction features guitarist Andrew Minor (Twat Waffle) and drummer Luke Heberle (also the guitarist/lead vocalist of Sails). On their new, just recently-released so it still has that new car smell folks(!), six-track EP, "Invisible Ink", vocalist Nick Pecone and company offer up what they call "stoner blues punk". Of course on their Facebook page Purveyors Of Fiction  is also described as "A Heavy Psychedelic Blues-Punk Trio". Now, if you are like me at all (in which case I truly do feel remorse for you!) you'd probably think of Blue Cheer if you heard the phrase "Heavy Psychedelic Blues-Punk Trio". Or at least something similar. The truth is Purveyors Of Fiction, which lists there influences as being Queens of the Stone Age, The Misfits, Boris. Nick Cave, Tom Waits, Bad Religion and Wisdom In Chains, are all of that (stoner, punk, blues, psychedelic rock) and much, much more! And that's what makes this EP a sure-fire pick-up! These six tracks, which end up clocking in at about 23 minute, really do cover a lot of ground. For example, opener "Veins" is fuzzy, feedback-infused post-rock/grunge (Swans meets The Velvet Underground meets Nirvana perhaps?) while "Darling Darla" (great title!) reminds me of both Blue Cheer and the Butthole Surfers! "Good Man" is blues by way of acid rock and then there's a cut like "Drowning" where, under the cover of night and layers of distortion, this trio trips the light fantastic with some wonderfully diverse groups such as Queens of the Stone Age and Iron Butterfly although honestly there's plenty of love shown to both The Germs and Iggy & The Stooges as well! Closing cut "Gypsy" sounds like Beck being covered by a super-group made up of members of The Melvins, Sonic Youth and Suicide, all of which wraps this EP up in a rather lovely fashion! Length-wise the shortest track here is the dirty punk rocker "Poison Kiss" at 2:46 while the aforementioned "Darling Darla" (again, just love that title!) has a run-time of 4:30. Translated that means that not one of these tracks over-stays it's welcome. Available at a price of $5.00 (for the digital download at least which is linked below), "Invisible Ink" is a worthwhile pick up for punks and bangers alike!

*Otherwise known as Andrew Minor!

**While racking my head trying to figure out who Nick reminded me of in this band (as he really is a versatile front-man as observed in the different delivery he provides here verses Carriedbysix!) I stumbled across this review (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeouLbRXoOc) on YouTube. As I believe in giving due credit where credit is due (sorry, but I couldn't help myself with that little bit!) I want to thank "Master Exploder" (no doubt his Christian name right?) for pointing me in the direction of Wolfmother! Here in Purveyors Of Fiction vocalist/bassist Nick is (at times) almost the spitting mirror image (vocally) of Wolfmother founder/vocalist/guitarist Andrew Stockdale! It would have driven me crazy if not for this helpful hint so I tip my hat in appreciation and offer up a tall cold one to you, Mr. Master Exploder! Thanks!


http://purveyorsoffiction.bandcamp.com/

Reaper's Riddle-Game Over

Firestarter Distribution
2014

Formed back in 2009, during which time this Perth, Western Australia-based heavy rock band released their self-titled debut album, Reaper's Riddle offer up their latest recording, the six-track/six-pack "Game Over". Serving as he follow up to "Drop"*, a single which was released in August of 2013, "Game Over" is a tale of two cities. Opening up (promisingly enough) with a brief instrumental intro (sounding for all the world like something Alice Cooper or Ozzy Osbourne might have used back in the early eighties) things take a turn for the worse with "If You Died Tomorrow"**, a tune that (for lack of a better reference point) comes across as a heavier version of Nickleback! To say that this was disheartening doesn't even begin to properly convey my disappointment. Especially as we're talking about a band that looks like this:

On "The Clock Part 1" lead vocalist Clayton Mitchell and company (guitarists Michael Willis & Dan Bishop, bassist Jason Edwards and drummer Wayne Frodyma) do make an attempt to right the wrongs and thanks to (slightly) ghoulish vocals and some heavy, post-grunge leads I found myself hopeful for better things to come. Once the title cut kicked in I found myself agreeing more with their (Facebook- posted) list of influences (everything from Alice Cooper and Black Sabbath to the likes of Disturbed, Rob Zombie and Megadeth/Metallica) as the band packaged classic rock riffs with the twisted mash-up of White Zombie and The Misfits! Moving on to "Fade The Grey" the band, which is highlighted by lead vocalist Clayton Mitchell's versatile vocal delivery (he seems to move between the kind of vocals you would expect to hear coming from bands like Staind, Puddle Of Mudd and Nickleback to this ghastly/ghoulish demonic front-man with little to no struggle!) again turns it's attention to classic guitar riffs although this time it's more in line with late 70's/early 80's hard rock and heavy metal. Pieced together with equal pieces/parts of Rob Zombie's spookiness and Pantera's groovy as hell nature it works so well that one can't help but wonder just what the heck was going through Reaper's Riddle's mind when they decided on "If You Died Tomorrow"? Dear God please tell me that some suit and tie rep didn't tell them that they needed a "single"! For this is one act that has the whole heavy rock/heavy metal sound down pat so there's no need to write some stupid radio rock crap when you're talking about how freakin' effective cuts like "Game Over" and "Fade To Grey" are! Either way we close out this promo version of "Game Over" just right with "Labyrinth". Here the Disturbed influences come rushing in and with a heightened sense of emergency the band rolls out the headbanging riffs of bands like Metallica and Megadeth while vocalist Clayton Mitchell acts like a wild & chained animal just waiting for his first chance to escape his enclosure and attack his prey! Hot damn! With a new album schedule for sometime later this year Reaper's Riddle are one band that needs a wider, more worldly-based audience so (hopefully) their next full-length affair leans closer to (style-wise) wicked cuts such as "Game Over",  "Labyrinth"and "Fade To Grey" while pushing the envelope into even more adventurous (heavy metal) territory!

*As I was halfway done with this review it dawned on me that the band's name seemed awfully familiar. After going through my past posts I found that I had actually covered this ingle back in late August of last year! You can read that review right here: http://metalmark.blogspot.com/search?q=reaper%27s+riddle

**The tracklist for this (digital) promo was different then what you would find if you were to pick up this EP through Amazon or some other source. For whatever reason if went like this:

1. Intro
2. If You Died Tomorrow
3.The Clock Part 1
4. Game Over
5. Fade To Grey
6.Labyrinth

Meanwhile, at least on Amazon, it goes like this:

1. Intro
2. Game Over
3. Fade To Grey
4. The Clock Part 1
5. Labyrinth
6. If You Died Tomorrow

The "official" version (with "Game Over" as the second track) makes a HUGE difference so I suspect that somewhere along the way someone wised-up and change the running order of these tracks.

Matt Boroff-Sweet Hand Of Fate

Self-Release/Independent
2014

Matt Boroff, an American-born, Austria-based artist whose musically career started out in the Nineties, has had a long career during which time he's played with the likes of Nirvana, Bad Brains, Queens of the Stone Age, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Calexico. On "Sweet Hand Of Fate", the follow-up to his 2012, four-track EP, "Filling in the Cracks", he set out to create a record that had "the flavor, the tone, the mood of some of the films that I've found inspiring, like the work of David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick, Quentin Tarantino, Federico Fellini and many more". Further more he goes on to state "I basically wanted to craft an album  I didn't necessarily want to create a film soundtrack, but rather songs that could become films in your mind's eye". All of that goes a far way towards describing the mood of an album like "Sweet Hand Of Fate". For the most part Matt ends up performing the bulk of the instrumentation on this sublime album and from opener "Lost" (a slow, lumbering classic rock-infused number that merges Zeppelin with Neil Young all while keenly piling on the distortion) onward his talent continues to astound you! For a songwriter/musician who began his career playing experimental noise-rock you'd never know it by cuts like "My Black Heart" and "Here In Limbo". The former teeters on psychedelic rock while the latter makes good use of classic rock and roll and hard rock riffs. And those are merely the first few tracks of "Sweet Hands Of Fate". That said, the reference to hard rock riffs and a post-metallic backdrop, this one is far from being a heavy metal platter and those expecting as much would most likely be let down. Instead this is darkly-tinted rock with an almost autobiographically-spin to it. There are plenty of twists and turns to be had across the grooves of this record as Matt Boroff, in a way in which the deck is both stacked and stripped to it's bare minimum requirement, plays from his heart while conspiring with his misery! A release like "Sweet Hand Of Fate" is a testament to what can be accomplished when one man cuts open his (philosophical) heart and spills the contents out into the open for all too see. While his last release was viewed as a "mini-album that connected the dots between the musical imagery of Elevator Ride and the atmospherics of Reaching for Sparks" this full-length album is a touch harder to define given that kind of open honestly and everything that went into the recording process. With moments of Zeppelin and Young and the incredible variety of misc. influences that seem to have found there way into the mix of "Sweet Hand Of Fate" (I picked up on everything from Iron Butterfly to Nick Cave to Screaming Trees to Morrissey as well as artists/acts like The The, John Fogerty, The Cult, David Bowie,  and The Cramps!) this album, while dark and drenched is both physical and philosophical distortion, was an absolute joy of a listening experience. Even with the expansive (and frankly odd) influences that come into play on "Sweet Hand Of Fate" this is a special, one of a kind, album that sounds unlike anything I've heard it a very long time!

Ethersens-Your Wandering Ghost

Scarlet Records
2014

Ethersens, whose base of operations is Toulouse, Midi-Pyrénées (France), were recommended to me by Eryn Non Dae's guitarist/backing vocalist Franck Quintin. Featuring Eryn Non Dae's Mickaël André (playing guitar here instead of bass as he does in Eryn None Dae), who first laid the groundwork for what would become Ethersens back in 2002 along with fellow guitarist/long-time friend Johan Bourrut, and with the eight-track, concept-album "Your Wandering Ghost" serving as the group's sophomore release, the band's purported sound was appealing to me from the word go! "Think about Katatonia, Alice In Chains, Opeth or Pain Of Salvation" shared Franck Quintin and, while there are definitely a few other elements to this French five-pieces sound then just those few above mentioned acts, he's fairly spot on! While the band itself lists the likes of Porcupine Tree, Karnivool, Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains I'd suggest tossing in some of the dark metal appeal of a band like Tool (which, admittedly, has more to do with the group's newest lead vocalist then anything else) and maybe even a little bit of Neurosis when you're talking about the current musical direction of this band. But, other then those two suggestions, Franck is right as that's kind of what you're in for when you experience a band like Ethersens. And yes, "Your Wandering Ghost", is one of those releases where it's not so much a case where you simply sit back and listen to the recording. Instead you need to devote time alone so that you can fully tune yourself  into what Ethersens is all about. As the songs unfold you'll find that you're being hit by so much at once, what with sweeping prog. rock movements giving way to aggressive, post-grunge riffs (Mickaël André and Johan Bourrut are a lethal duo in that regard!), so "Your Wandering Ghost" requires devotion and, yes, maybe even repeated listens, in order to fully embrace everything that this record has to offer! And make no mistake about it, "Your Wandering Ghost" has plenty to offer when it comes to delivering intense and interesting music to the listener! Whether you're a fan of progressive metal, dark metal or alternative metal there's just so much to appreciate when it comes to "Your Wandering Ghost". It's true that at times the album can be abrasive and dark, which I find all the more appealing personally, but there are also moments of absolute clarity. The way in which this French act can transform what would otherwise be pressing, near-doom like material, into deeper, dream-like waves of sound cannot be left hidden from the masses. This is music that may appear heavy and oppressive, but it manages to transcend such boundaries and, as such, deserves a wider audience. Perhapes with time that will happen. It's pretty clear that this French outfit plans to be in the game for a long time to come. You can hear as much given the obvious thought process that went into this concept album. Granted, they've already been in the game for awhile now when you step back and look at the bigger picture. With other bands like Eryn Non Dae, Zubrowska, Talian, Disphoria and Eradykate taking time away from this project (in years past) it's not hard to see why Ethersens are just now getting around to releasing this, their sophomore output. And yet knowing that this is a side-project of sorts kind of makes it all the more impressive (from the view-point of how exceptional a release like this one is in it's construction and execution) when you think about it. With their first record, 2008's "Ordinary Days" (also on Scarlet Records), receiving high praise (among other things it was voted "Album Of The Month" by Rock Hard Italy) it's true that the band had a lot to live-up to when it came to this release. Especially with a new vocalist and a new bassist in tow. Sure, Ethersens also released a two-track digital demo ("Same Goodbye") in 2012, but this is it output-wise. And we all known that a band's second full-length album is often viewed as the make it or break point. Vocals are now handled by the more-then-capable Laurent Mora (ex-Agrion Splendens) and, as hinted at in the Tool reference bit above, his addition allows a band like this the ability to deliver dark material that can be on one hand frightening and yet also alluring! Laurent Mora, whose voice does bring to mind Maynard James Keenan at times (although there is also a haunting vibe to his voice that also seems to channel the spirit of the late great Layne Staley!), replaces Stephan "Steph" (who incidentally sang lead vocals on "Ordinary Days") with bassist Remy Boyer being the other new player added to this highly-talented lot. Longtime drummer Stéphane Nestiri (Talian, ex-Eradykate) rounds things out in Ethersens and in regards to "Your Wandering Ghost", which I'm now listening to for the third time in less then two days(!), fans should have no worries of the dreaded sophomore-slump! While it's true that Ethersens, who recorded this concept album with Julien Soula at Antistatic Studios, might be a hard act to describe on paper (seeing as they layer their music with all these different elements and what not) they are still one act that I'm happy to have been connected with. Just like Mickaël André's other outfit Eryn Non Dae they offer up thought-provoking, complex, layered music that is built out of a collective desire to play heavy metal that actual challenges the listener to become involved with what he or she is hearing. To that end I found this eight-track release rather refreshing and I most certainly recommend it!

DangerEgo-Autopsy

Atomic Stuff Records
2013

When it comes to DangerEgo, a 5-piece act who first saw the light of day in 2005 (at which time former members of Terrametèa, Bleff, Chèquers and Florence New Grass came together over a shared love of bands as heavy as Black Sabbath and as diverse as Faith No More) sometimes it's best to just let the promo material do all the work. After all, you've just got to love any PR department that comes up with a description, and a damn close one to boot, for DangerEgo that reads: "Like Guns N' Roses driving around in a Cadillac in the Palm Desert while David Coverdale wakes up listening to Alter Bridge"! I'd like to buy a coke for whoever came up with that little gem of a description as that was all she wrote! Damn right my interest was peaked! How could it not be? The band, which sounds as if it comes from anywhere in the world other then Florence, Italy (more specifically this band sounds like they could and should be U.S. rockers!) is fronted by one Flavio Angelini, whose every-man vocals give DangerEgo this almost down-home quality. Sure, this band does show off the cards that they are holding with their admitted admiration for a band like Alter Bridge and even some early 80's rock and roll, but with DangerEgo it's played for keeps and in their capable hands rock and roll is anything but noise pollution (to reference AC/DC). With Flavio Angelini's "rustic" vocals and lyrics that seem honest and sincere, DangerEgo has the appeal of a great garage rock outfit, but one with style, substance and masterful musicians. But, even if it starts up front with Flavio's mic work it doesn't just come to a crashing stop there. While Flavio gets to the heart of the matter, meanwhile the listener is left in the care of the guitarists Enrico Francesca and Lorenzo Giusti. The work of these two gentlemen, which comes off as both highly professional and emotionally invested, creates the impression that (in addition to) the residual haunting notes of many a past & present stoner rock band, it's the post-grunge/alternative rock of bands like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Bush that have played an important role in this Italian band's sound and style. With a few other influences coming into play like Audioslave and even Alice In Chains (or really what Alice In Chains would sound like if they had been more influenced by 70's hard rock then anything else) this collection of rock tunes is a easy thing to get excited about! A rhythm section made up of Claudio Zucchelli and Massimiliano Innocenti (bass and drums respectively) simply adds to the comfortably nature of this band and their stoner rock/heavy metal/post-grunge/hard rock combination of a full-length debut album, "Autopsy". Initially released in 2011, with Atomic Stuff Records no doubt realizing the pure gold of "Autopsy" that was staring everyone in the face, this re-release will be distributed by Andromeda Dischi and is highly recommend to rock fans and even those people who still live and breath by the vibe of Seattle's once amazing grunge scene. For an album in general this one is impressive, but for a debut-album it's an even bigger deal as it rocks hard and, like some neon signs in the horizon, it points towards even better things to come. And finally, it's also one of those releases which just goes to show you that cool rock came from just about anywhere!

Anacondas-Sub Contra Blues

Prosthetic Records
2013

As the artwork for Anacondas' first full-length album brings about feelings of sorrow and loss in me it's only fitting that the music found within  "Sub Contra Blues" is dark and cold. "Progressive post-metal grunge sludge" is one way to look at it, but considering the wide range of influences present here (everything from the likes of Cave-In and Meshuggah to Seattle bands like Green River, Soundgarden and Alice In Chains) even that tag might not be enough to cover everything for this young, Brighton-based band and their slowly creeping album of doom, darkness, despair and dread. Still, it's a close enough description as to what awaits the listener come October 10th when this album is set to be released. But, while the band itself  might be new to the scene, having only formed back in 2010, the musicians involved here are most certainly not. It would be the demise of  the English band Johnny Truant that would lead to the fittingly-named Anacondas (as their music feels at times as if it is slowly wrapping itself around you with the intent to kill and then devour you) and the birth of "Sub Contra Blues". Both Stuart Hunter (guitars) and his brother James Hunter (bass) played in Johnny Truant, but while Johnny Truant was all about metalcore, and decent-enough metalcore at that, the brother's new act is more about slowly crushing the listener with doom-covered post-metal then killing them quickly with the fury of metallic hardcore. Joining the brothers in Anacondas is their friend Tim Newman who, in addition to playing drums, shares vocal duties with the Hunter boys. This three-pronged vocal attack really adds to the album's delightfully dizzying delivery (try to say that a couple of times fast!). And while the album does approach things in down-turned/down-tuned fashion there are still times on this release where you pick up on the groove that these three try to hide away. So yes, this power-trio might be filled with more then their fair-share of angst and yes, this album might be about as cheerful as a rain-soaked funeral, but it still knows how to spring to life when the source material calls for it. Or at least they "spring to life" sort of like the dead in any of Romero's zombie flicks! Oh, lest I forget, it's worth mentioning that the material on hand here likely came from self-recordings, as that's definitely the picture that this album's promo material paints, but that in no way seems to effect the overall feel of  "Sub Contra Blues". Part of that has to do with the fact that the band was able to get famed British producer Russ Russell (Napalm Death) to come in and master the sessions. His hands helped shape the sound of Anacondas and with this being only album number one for this power trio it's a damn fine start to what will hopefully be (if there's any justice to be found in the the heavy metal universe) a long career for this bunch.

End Of Green-The Painstream

Napalm Records
2013

Stuttgart, Germany is home-base for the interestingly named End Of Green. Formed in 1992, which means that this group has been going at it for 20+ years now, this actually marks the group's eighth full-length release. And yet this is one band that I can lay claim to having never heard of until this promo showed up in my e-mail. How's that even possible? Given the band's overall dark and depressing nature, which would have proven to be a positive asset in my eyes, it's more then mind-boggling to think that this German band hadn't previously appeared on my radar. Weird. Anyway, as mentioned this is the group's eighth full-length release and, at least from pulling this band up on both Wikipedia and the Metal Archives, it sure does look as if the group has had roughly the same line-up in place since releasing their debut album, "Infinity", back in 1996. Someone please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but other then the addition of guitarist Michael Setzer (Icheherntion, Innominandum) on 2002's "Songs for a Dying World" that's the way it appears. Either way, this 5-piece band is rounded out by vocalist Michelle Darkness, guitarist Oliver Merkle, bassist Rainer Hampel and drummer Matthias Siffermann.While I can't personally speak to the nature of their earlier work, which the Encyclopedia Metallum says started out as doom metal, I can say that if someone were to try to get this band, in it's current form, listed in the directory of bands over at the Metal Archives they would be sent packing! This does not sound at all like the type of group that would normally be allowed entry into the site so I must say that I was surprised when, prior to typing up this review, I went looking for back-ground information on End Of Green and found them listed in the Metal Archives. Does the fact that I can't see them being listed there now (in this form) disqualify the band in your eyes? Does the fact that their sound comes off as more rock then metal make you want to say "pass"? It shouldn't. I'll soon tell you why. First things first though. If you're a fairly regular visitor to Heavy Metal Time Machine then you will have no doubt already noticed that (despite the name) everything from AOR to black metal gets covered here. So, even if a band like End Of Green wasn't technically "metal" they would still easily fit into our site in some other shape or form. And I'd make no apologies about that fact. But, what exactly is their sound then if not 100% "metal"? Well, the band itself offers up this self-description: "Depressed Subcore". Huh? Let's just break it down ourselves. While it might not hit all the usual metallic notes all of the time (for it to be classified as strictly "Gothic Metal"), there is more then enough rock and hard rock going on within this album that I could very well see it being appreciated by a wide-variety of our typical visitors-heavy metal or not. The band's objective on the "The Painstream" is to focus on the "last two constants in life: pain and passion". It's obvious then that this band comes packed and ready to work on album number eight and, while it's more then a bit bleak all-around, "The Painstream" does try to offer a bit of hope for the world that they see as being wrapped-tight in darkness. Not that I'd argue with that last point! This is achieved in part by the smooth delivery of vocalist Michelle Darkness who offers the listener a small bit of hope even in the face of despair. For that to work though things need to be balanced between the vocals and the music at hand. Interestingly enough then that it's actually the way in which the vocals of Mr. Darkness sit atop wave after wave of bleak rock riffs that end up giving  End Of Green a certain edge and sense of unity. With bleak rock riffs you get a free side of your choice! There's some post-grunge, alternative rock, goth rock, pop, blues and even post-rock to choose from. It's all there as is a wee bit of goth metal and dark metal. With the goth and dark metal though you'll have to focus in really tight on the music as this is more of a rock ride then one in which you can throw a set of horns in the air in metal salute! Even with that said, "The Painstream" is more then enough to satisfy all your dark needs and, full-fledged metal band or not, it will be getting it's fair share of heavy rotation on my stereo from this point forward!