Rock

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    Kenny Stewart – The Brains behind the Scam (2010)

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    With a very distracting cover, today we have Dirty Tricks lead singer Kenny Stewart’s debut solo album “The Brains behind the Scam”. Featuring 16 hard rocking tracks, Kenny Stewart takes us for a roller coaster journey with soaring guitars, and his very characteristic vocal style.

    Having self-produced the album, Kenny handles all the guitar and programming duties. And immediately you can notice that the use of ‘fake drums’ is very evident and takes some merit out of this release but can easily be compensated by the solid guitar work and singing prowess of Kenny. All tracks have a nice guitar driven structure that allows the vocals to shine and achieve the desired effect.

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    Killing Joke – Absolute Dissent (2010)

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    As one of the most anticipated releases of 2010, today we have Killing Joke’s “Absolute Dissent”. This release marks the return of the original line-up of the band after almost 30 years, making this release even more special since we have Jaz, Geordie, Youth and Paul Ferguson back together pushing boundaries once more with KJ.

    “Absolute Dissent” features 12 tracks that vary from vintage 80’s KJ, to the more ‘artsy’ Metal touches KJ had in their latest album. We also get a share of Auto-Tune and other ‘modern’ day elements mixed in between the band’s rich and diverse sound. We can also say that this album is actually one the most cohesive and less pretentious releases of the band.

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    Tangents – One Little Light Year (2010)

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    Featuring Derek Kerswill (ex-Unearth, session for Shadows Falls) on drums, today we have Tangents debut album “One Little Light Year”, a very different release to what we are used to getting for promotional materials. Tangents is a duo that plays a very eclectic mix of Alternative Rock, with some Progressive / Post-rock influences and other more ‘mainstream’ elements that makes them very catchy and probably appealing for people that like bands like Coldplay, Muse, etc.

    Before you start to think that you need to click on something else to read, just hold on a minute and keep reading since “One Little Light Year” is actually not that bad. If you like bands like Votum, Canadian Fen or even Anathema and similar Progressive Rock/Metal bands, you might find Tangents appealing since they have some catchy songs with interesting guitar passages and atmospheric sections that will grab your attention.

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    Monster Magnet – Mastermind (2010)

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    After reaching considerable popularity a few years ago with “Powertrip”, Monster Magnet tries to get back on the saddle with “Mastermind” after a few lackluster albums with SPV. “Mastermind” is a very catchy and overall solid release that will surely please fans of the band and will probably even do well in terms of sales since the band (somewhat) returns to their familiar sound of the past.

    Now on Napalm Records, the band structures their songs with catchy riffs and powerful vocal lines. There is not much to the band’s music other than its catchy and well constructed. Each song is a hard rocking anthem that will keep you listening to this album over and over for days.

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    Tempting Tragedy – Descent into Madness (2010)

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    Hailing from Canada, today we have Tempting Tragedy, a hard rocking Gothic Metal/Rock band that gives any big name band a run for their money in when it comes to creating catchy tunes of darkness. Having received mostly Black Metal and ‘whatever’-core bands from Canada is refreshing get Tempting Tragedy’s hard-hitting second full-length album “Descent into Madness”.

    Opening “Descent into Madness” with the song “Calamities”, we are quickly treated to solid guitar riffing, pounding bass guitar line and vocals very similar to Ville Valo’s hypnotic style. Before you assume that Tempting Tragedy is another H.I.M wannabe clone band, let us tell us you are wrong since while “Calamities” might sound a lot like them, it’s the only song of this album with this nature.

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    Coma – Excess (2010)

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    Hailing from Poland, today we have Coma, a band that has ‘dominated’ the scene in their home country and now it’s trying to make their way through the very crowded and highly competitive world-wide market. The band plays a perfect blend of rock with progressive elements and some hints of Metal. “Excess” is a re-recorded version (in English) of their best album, and you can clearly hear that with the quality of the songs presented in this release.

    In an emotional rollercoaster, “Excess” takes the listener through many different moods and a wide variety of different elements fused together to create a near perfect release that will surely put the band in the world wide map. Being formed in 1998, the band has had enough time to craft their sound and be comfortable with it, the musicianship of this release shows that Coma is here to stay and that people should take note of them.

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    Unherz – Uherzlich Willkommen (2010)

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    While we are not big German hard rock fans, we have to recognize that Unherz is a very good up-and-coming band that mixes traditional German hard rock elements with a Metal influences. Featuring catchy riffs and melodies, epic chorus sections, and raspy vocals entirely in German, “Uherzlich Willkommen” is a very effective debut release, and will surely gain a ton of followers for Unherz.

    While the similarities to bands like Die Toten Hosen, Unherz quickly crafts their own style by being a bit heavier on the guitars and never shy of breaking some of the ‘traditional’ guidelines of the genre. For over 40 minutes, the listener is treated to 10 catchy as hell songs that will be stuck in your head for days.

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    U.S. Christmas – Run Thick In The Night (2010)

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    All the way from the Appalachian Mountains today we get the deeply enigmatic U.S. Christmas and their super trippy Psychedelic Rock/Blues/something else. Our first encounter with this awesome band was on the Hawkwind tribute split album, where the band completely owned Hawkwind’s songs and provided an amazing rendition of them.

    Signed to Neurot Recordings, the band delivers their fifth full-length release “Run Thick In the Night” (RTITN for short) which clocks at almost 80 minutes. With such a long album you would expect to have a bunch of wasted time, but with RTITN this is not the case. Every single sample, riff, etc, is creatively masterminded to be part of the whole experience created for this album, and before you know it the CD ends and you will want to keep listening to it for hours.

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    Shadowgarden – Ashen (2010)

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    Featuring Draconian members Johan Ericson and Andy Hindenäs (Ex-Draconian), Shadowgarden is another Gothic Rock/Metal band to appear on the scene courtesy of Napalm Records. While having heavy competition on their label with Lacrimas Profundere, Shadowgarden’s Gothic Rock/Metal is good enough to make them a name for themselves and become one of the top bands in the scene.

    As we could expect, Shadowgarden’s biggest appeal is the solid guitar work. The ten songs in this album feature a plethora of powerful guitar riffs and melodies, something that Johan is an expert in creating, both with Draconian and Doom:VS. “Ashen” quickly made us remember the sound of bands like To/Die/For, Charon, Entwine, etc, where the melancholy behind the music is ever present thanks to the excellent guitar work.

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    Corruption – Bourbon River Bank (2010)

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    How would you explain listening to Southern/Stoner Rock from Poland?, we are at loss for words with this very solid release from Poland’s Corruption. The band has been around for quite a while (1991) and we have never heard of them until now, and let us tell you that similarly to Black River, they come rocking, kicking-ass and taking names.

    Five years have passed since the band’s latest effort “Virgin's Milk” and they are now back with “Bourbon River Bank”, an album that we would have expected from an American band, but never (ever) from a Polish band. For over 50 minutes, Corruption takes us on a hard rocking journey through 13 powerful and catchy songs.

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