STONE SOUR: HOUSE OF GOLD & BONES PART 1 REVIEW

 Stone Sour's fourth album is part one of the House Of Gold & Bones storyline. 

  The story follows a character simply called "The Human" who awakens in a strange world. He must find the house of gold and bones and complete the conflagration ritual to either save or damn him. He is met by the good spirited Peckinpah, the antagonistic Black John, and the malevolent but mysterious guide Allen. There's also the cult like group of citizens called the numbers, who are led by Black John. (The full summary is best found on the Wikipedia page). 

  Lyrically, the story is murky without reading about it. However, these songs still evoke the dreary and nihilistic feeling of the world by themselves. While a good portion of the lyrics show the band's maturity ,especially their first two records, there are still moments where they're borderline hard to listen to. 

 Musically is where this band shines here.  Corey's vocal work is heightened by being able from conveying the anger of some characters to the melancholic nature of others. The guitar work here is both memorable and appropriate for the part of the story happening. 

  However, the latter half of the album gets tiresome with some of the songs. Even though they are crucial to the plot, there is a couple that are fitting when listening to the album all the way through but not by themselves. It does close on a fairly good note with the fast paced "Last Of The Real". 

  While this album could be better told as a novel instead of a record, it's still highly addictive. It is a great example of what a concept and a double album should be. 

  Rating: 8 out of 10

  Notable Tracks: 

    "Gone Sovereign"

    "Absolute Zero"

    "My Name Is Allen"

  

SEVEN KINGDOMS: THE FIRE IS MINE REVIEW

  Every so often an album will come along, completely out of the blue, and remind me of why I love metal as much as I do. This third record by the Floridian Power Metallers is one such album. I discovered this on pandora radio ( my Kamelot station I believe it was) and I felt a shiver run down my spine.   

  What makes this album so different is the vocal work of Sabrina Valentine. Her voice is grandiose and melodic without delving into the over saturated opera stylings of most of her female peers. The melodies she creates are both memorable and unique as she breathes life into the songs. However some notes she hits do occasionally get obnoxious. This is especially apparent on the chorus of "Symphony Of Stars". Her voice really shows what it can do on the ballad "Kardia". It slows the record down enough for a quick break and some emotional depth. 

  The lyrics here are definitely game of thrones worship with the first song (after the intro) being about Bran Stark. A moment here that made me all to excited was the title track, which is about Khaleesi. It feels as if she is singing it herself to her deceased husband (read/watch the damn series). They even go so far as to have a spoken segment based on the series which is the albums biggest misstep as it adds a good amount of pm cheese to the record. 

  Instrumentally, the songs rarely distinguish themselves from one another but there is a thrash/power vibe akin to Iced Earth to add some much needed heaviness to it. They are all very good at the or instruments and surprisingly enough, all get time to demonstrate their abilities. 

  Honestly, I'd recommend this to any metal head to at least check out but definitely to any fan of PM. Hell, for the Game Of Thrones fan in us all its worth a listen or two...or twelve. It's been far to long since a record has hit me like this.  

  Rating: 9 out of 10

  Notable Tracks:

    "After The Fall"

    "The Fire Is Mine"

    "In The Twisted Twilight"

CAPTAIN BLOOD: FOR SAIL REVIEW

  "For Sail" is the first album (and only so far") by Denver based horror punks Captain Blood. 

  The record opens up with the energetic but overly long intro "Glow N The Dark" then goes into the more gothic feeling "Last Ride. Continuing through the record is very similar to a haunted house in the sense that it's a fun ride drenched in the blood of all things horror. Although the album does slow down for the almost love song "Dawn Of The Dead" which is as close to a ballad as you're gonna get. 

  Musically, it's punk stirred up in a cauldron of surf rock and the riffs similar of Calabrese. The stand out part here is due to (frontman) Markula. He forgoes the cliche swoon of Danzig for a more melodic style similar to that of Michale Graves. You'll definitely find yourself singing out loud.  

  One thing that they do right is capture the fun and humor of the genre. With songs such as "Where Are My Bones", the tale of a ghost that comes back to his  grave only to find his bones have been taken, to the purrfect "Black Cat". Plus, there's a song about The Toxic Avenger and c'mon, how can you not love that. 

  Are you looking for something to add to your Halloween playlist? Maybe something to tide you over while you wait for the Misfits to release something that doesn't suck (cough Devil's Rain cough)?  Then look no further. "For Sail" is available on iTunes for those outside of the Denver area. 

  Rating: 8 out of 10

  Notable Tracks:

    "Where Are My Bones"

    "Hangman"

    "Come Alive"

KAMELOT: SILVERTHORN REVIEW

  "Silverthorn" is the tenth album and first to feature (Seventh Wonder frontman) Tommy Karevik. 

   The album opens with "Sacrimony" which features (Arch Enemy vocalist) Alyssa White-Gluz playing one of the lead roles. Following that is "Ashes To Ashes" and " Torn" which continue the high paced feel of it. The record slows down with "Song For Jolee" which showcases the emotional qualities of Karevik's voice. Only to pick back up for the rest of the album. The last half is along the same lines with each track having memorable choruses and verses alike. The only track that is forgettable is the epic close "Prodigal Son". 

  Musically, the record follows the same lines as the past three with its keyboard driven riffs. The major change here is the guitars are both more prominent and heavier than there past recordings. 

  Vocally is where this record really shines. Tommy Karevik (once again, fangirl moment) has his own distinctive qualities while maintaining the style by previous singer Roy Khan. Truth be told, one who doesn't know the band's history would assume that Roy is still with the band. Tommy's voice is very polished and really holds the gothic feel akin to "The Black Halo". The melodies he creates remain in your head for days keeping each song unique and memorable. 

  The lyrics here are well written and very poetic. To me lyrics are a huge factor of making a band go from good to great and in this aspect, they are great. The story is about a rich family who loses their only daughter In an accident. It portrays the bereavement, guilt, and the lies told by Jolee's family. The problem is the story feels anti climatic especially for a band of this caliber. The saving grace is each song stands on it's own rather than needing to be listened to at one listen unlike most other concept albums. 

  My personal opinion is this is Kamelot's best record and certainly their first great record since the aforementioned "The Black Halo". Anyone who has enjoyed their previous records must listen to this one. It is also a great starting point for a new fan. After buying both the (deluxe edition of the) CD and the (double disc, blue) vinyl, I'd highly recommend the latter. 

  Rating: 9 out of 10

  Notable Tracks:

    "Ashes To Ashes"

    "Song For Jolee"

    "Falling Like The Fahrenheit"

REIGN OF FURY: WORLD DETONATION REVIEW

 

My first impression of this by looking at the cover was "Alright another run of the mill new thrash act". While that is definitely embedded in this record there is more than meets the eye here. The Full length debut starts with the three minute long intro track (Goodbye Mother Earth) then the album kicks right into the thrashing. The thing that caught me WAY off guard was the vocals.

 

  Vocalist Bison Wrathbone has something in his voice that I haven't heard in thrash in a long time...melody. At times his voice delves into a almost punkish sound (think early AFI, Koffin Kats). The melodies he creates are incredibly catchy and easily digestible, which yes I know is an oddity in the current state of the genre, He utilizes intelligible death growls sparingly enough to act like a sort of treat to the listener. truth be told, I think the vocal work and delivery here is what separates these guys from the rest of the retro-worshipping pack.

 

  The musicianship here is has the speed and technical prowess to stand up with the rest of their contemporaries. They really are good players, the problem being they love to play too much. Out of the eight tracks, three of them breach the eight minute mark and then there's the three minute intro. No instrumental intro should be three freaking minutes long!

 

  Especially considering the punk vibe to these songs, they should be short and sweet. The long periods of guitar work start to make this album start to slug on a bit. If the filler of the string work was condensed and another song took the place this would be a near perfect album.

 

  The production of this alum is fantastic as you can distinctly make out almost every cymbal crash. The only thing is at points the mixing makes the guitars over power the vocals. All in all though you'll be singing these chorus' for days too come. So if you're looking for a new thrasher to hold you over 'till Metallica releases a new album (ya know in eight more years lol) this album is definitely worth purchasing. There is a lot of showcasing for promising talent by album two so go out, buy it, and bang your fucking head!

 

RATING: 7 OUT OF 10

NOTABLE TRACKS:

  "Heaven Awaits/ Hell Takes"

  "Born To Die"

  "World Detonation"